5.5 Monitoring and Enforcement of Licensing and Health and Safety Requirements

5.5.1 Inspections for licensed CCDF providers Licensing inspectors must perform at least one annual, unannounced inspection of each licensed CCDF provider for compliance with all child care licensing standards, including an inspection for compliance with health and safety and fire standards. Lead Agencies must conduct at least one pre-licensure inspection for compliance with health, safety, and fire standards of each child care provider and facility in the State/Territory. a. Licensed CCDF center-based providers i. Does your pre-licensure inspection for licensed center-based providers assess compliance with health standards, safety standards, and fire standards? [x] Yes. [ ] No. If no, describe: ii. Identify the frequency of annual unannounced inspections for licensed center- based providers addressing compliance with health, safety, and fire standards: [ ] Annually. [x] More than once a year. If more than once a year, describe: Facilities are subject to a minimum of two (2) unannounced visits per year; a semi-annual and annual visit within a facility’s licensing year. [ ] Other. If other, describe: iii. Does the Lead Agency implement a differential monitoring approach when monitoring licensed center-based providers? [ ] Yes. If yes, describe how the differential monitoring approach is representative of the full complement of health and safety requirements. [x] No. If no, describe: Facilities are subject to a minimum of two (2) unannounced visits per year; a semi-annual and annual visit within a facility’s licensing year. iv. Identify which department or agency is responsible for completing the inspections for licensed center-based providers. DWSS Child Care Licensing Program b. Licensed CCDF family child care providers i. Does your pre-licensure inspection for licensed family child care homes assess compliance with health standards, safety standards, and fire standards? [x] Yes. [ ] No. If no, describe: ii. Identify the frequency of annual unannounced inspections for licensed family child care homes addressing compliance with health, safety, and fire standards: [ ] Annually. [x] More than once a year. If more than once a year, describe: Facilities are subject to a minimum of two (2) unannounced visits per year; a semi-annual and annual visit within a facility’s licensing year. [ ] Other. If other, describe: iii. Does the Lead Agency implement a differential monitoring approach when monitoring licensed family child care providers? [ ] Yes. If yes, describe how the differential monitoring approach is representative of the full complement of health and safety requirements. [x] No. If no, describe: Facilities are subject to a minimum of two (2) unannounced visits per year; a semi-annual and annual visit within a facility’s licensing year. iv. Identify which department or agency is responsible for completing the inspections for licensed family child care providers. DWSS Child Care Licensing Program c. Licensed in-home CCDF child care providers i. Does your Lead Agency license CCDF in-home child care (care in the child’s own home) providers? [x] No. [ ] Yes. If yes, does your pre-licensure inspection for licensed in-home providers assess compliance with health, safety, and fire standards? [ ] Yes. [ ] No. If no, describe: ii. Identify the frequency of annual unannounced inspections for licensed in-home child care providers for compliance with health, safety, and fire standards completed: [ ] Annually. [ ] More than once a year. If more than once a year, describe: [x] Other. If other, describe: N/A iii. Does the Lead Agency implement a differential monitoring approach when monitoring licensed in-home child care providers? [ ] Yes. If yes, describe how the differential monitoring approach is representative of the full complement of health and safety requirements. [x] No. iv. Identify which department or agency is responsible for completing the inspections for licensed in-home providers. N/A 5.5.2 Inspections for license-exempt providers Licensing inspectors must perform at least one annual monitoring visit of each license-exempt CCDF provider for compliance with health, safety, and fire standards. Inspections for relative providers will be addressed in subsection 5.8. Describe the policies and practices for the annual monitoring of: a. License-exempt CCDF center-based child care providers i. Identify the frequency of inspections for compliance with health, safety, and fire standards for license-exempt center-based providers: [x] Annually. [ ] More than once a year. If more than once a year, describe: [ ] Other. If other, describe: ii. Does the Lead Agency implement a differential monitoring approach when monitoring license-exempt center-based providers? [x] Yes. If yes, describe how the differential monitoring approach is representative of the full complement of health and safety requirements. Monitoring is announced and is conducted annually by the CCR&Rs for license-exempt provider types. [ ] No. iii. Identify which department or agency is responsible for completing the inspections for license-exempt center-based CCDF providers. Child Care Resource and Referral agencies: The Children's Cabinet for Northern/North Rural Nevada and Las Vegas Urban League for Southern/South Rural Nevada. b. License-exempt CCDF family child care providers i. Identify the frequency of the inspections of license-exempt family child care providers to determine compliance with health, safety, and fire standards: [x] Annually. [ ] More than once a year. If more than once a year, describe: [ ] Other. If other, describe: ii. Does the Lead Agency implement a differential monitoring approach when monitoring license-exempt family child care providers? [x] Yes. If yes, describe how the differential monitoring approach is representative of the full complement of health and safety requirements. Monitoring is announced and is conducted annually by the CCR&Rs for license-exempt provider types. [ ] No. iii. Identify which department or agency is responsible for completing the inspections for license-exempt family child care providers. Child Care Resource and Referral agencies: The Children's Cabinet for Northern/North Rural Nevada and Las Vegas Urban League for Southern/South Rural Nevada. 5.5.3 Inspections for CCDF license-exempt in-home child care providers Lead Agencies may develop alternate monitoring requirements for care provided in the child’s home that are appropriate to the setting. This flexibility cannot be used to bypass the monitoring requirement altogether. a. Describe the requirements for the annual monitoring of CCDF license-exempt in-home child care (care in the child’s own home) providers, including if monitoring is announced or unannounced, occurs more frequently than once per year, and if differential monitoring procedures are used. Monitoring is announced and is conducted annually by the CCR&Rs for license-exempt provider types. b. List the entity(ies) in your State/Territory responsible for conducting inspections of license-exempt CCDF in-home child care (care in the child’s own home) providers: Child Care Resource and Referral agencies: The Children's Cabinet for Northern/North Rural Nevada and Las Vegas Urban League for Southern/South Rural Nevada. 5.5.4 Posting monitoring and inspection reports Lead Agencies must post monitoring and inspection reports on their consumer education website for each licensed and CCDF child care provider, except in cases where the provider is related to all the children in their care. These reports must include the results of required annual monitoring visits and visits due to major substantiated complaints about a provider’s failure to comply with health and safety requirements and child care policies. A full report covers everything in the monitoring visit, including areas of compliance and non-compliance. If the Lead Agency does not produce any reports that include areas of compliance, the website must include information about all areas covered by a monitoring visit. The reports must be in plain language or provide a plain language summary Lead Agency and be timely to ensure that the results of the reports are available and easily understood by parents when they are deciding on a child care provider. Lead Agencies must post at least 3 years of monitoring and inspection reports. a. Does the Lead Agency post: i. [x] Pre-licensing inspection reports for licensed programs. ii. [x] Full monitoring and inspection reports that include areas of compliance and non-compliance for all non-relative providers eligible to provide CCDF services. iii. [x] Monitoring and inspection reports that include areas of non-compliance only, with information about all areas covered by a monitoring visit posted separately on the website (e.g., a blank checklist used by monitors) for all non-relative providers eligible to provide CCDF services. If checked, provide a direct URL/website link to the website where a blank checklist is posted: Reports posted here: https://www.nevadachildcare.org/hs-visits-ost-osr-ffn/. Blank checklists are posted here: https://www.nevadachildcare.org/provider-resources/ iv. [ ] Other. Describe: b. Check if the monitoring and inspection reports and any related plain language summaries include: i. [x] Date of inspection. ii. [x] Health and safety violations, including those violations that resulted in fatalities or serious injuries occurring at the provider. Describe how these health and safety violations are prominently displayed: This information is listed out on the Statement of Deficiencies that state what was non-compliant and how it has been addressed. All this information is available for public consumption. Full monitoring reports are posted for license-exempt provider types on Nevadachildcare.org. Monitoring reports show whether the provider was compliant or non-compliant with all health and safety standards. iii. [x] Corrective action plans taken by the Lead Agency and/or child care provider. Describe: This information is listed out on the Statement of Deficiencies that state what was non-compliant and how it has been addressed. All this information is available for public consumption. iv. [x] A minimum of 3 years of results, where available. v. If any of the components above are not selected, please explain: c. Lead Agencies must post monitoring and inspection reports and/or any related summaries in a timely manner. i. Provide the direct URL/website link to where the reports are posted: https://nvdpbh.aithent.com/ ii. Identify the Lead Agency’s established timeline for posting monitoring reports and describe how it is timely: All reports are posted within 30 days of the facilities submitted and acceptable plan of correction. Licensing surveyors are required to ensure this is completed and compliance is overseen by supervisors and managers within DWSS/CCL. d. Does the Lead Agency certify that the monitoring and inspection reports or the summaries are in plain language that is understandable to parents and other consumers? [x] Yes. [ ] No. If no, describe: e. Does the Lead Agency certify that there is a process for correcting inaccuracies in the monitoring and inspection reports? [x] Yes. [ ] No. If no, describe: f. Does the Lead Agency maintain monitoring and inspection reports on the consumer education website? [x] Yes. [ ] No. If no, describe: 5.5.5 Qualifications and training of licensing inspectors Lead Agencies must ensure that individuals who are hired as licensing inspectors (or qualified monitors designated by the Lead Agency) are qualified to inspect child care providers and facilities and have received health and safety training appropriate to the provider setting and age of the children served. Describe how the Lead Agency ensures that licensing inspectors (or qualified monitors designated by the Lead Agency) are qualified and have received training on health and safety requirements that are appropriate to the age of the children in care and the type of provider setting. State licensed inspectors are hired based on experience and qualifications as specified within the Division of Human Resources job classification. The procedure to evaluate inspector qualifications can be found within the State of Nevada, Department of Administration, Division of Human Resource Management states: "Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in early childhood development, education, social work, or closely related field and one year of professional experience providing developmental or educational services to children in an early childhood program which must have included program administration responsibilities; OR Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in early childhood development, education, social work, or closely related field and one year of professional experience evaluating child development or early childhood education programs; OR an equivalent combination of education and experience; OR one year of experience as a Child Care Facilities Surveyor Trainee in Nevada State service." First month: New Surveyors meet with supervisor/manager on expectations for initial applications, renewal applications, director applications, amendment applications, complaint investigations, background checks, and out of school time monitoring. During this time, they will have the opportunity to work on reviewing and working on current applications, complaint investigation documentation, and monitoring documentation. Second - Third month: New Surveyors will be assigned a Surveyor mentor that they will go out with on initial inspections, annual and semi-annual inspections, and complaint investigations. They will learn firsthand what to observe during a walkthrough of a facility, how to utilize the checklists, and how to review staff and child files. They will learn how to complete Statement of Deficiencies and Plan of Corrections. Fourth - Sixth month: After their 3-month evaluation, if their evaluation shows that they are ready based on meeting standards, New Surveyors are assigned a caseload of facilities that they are responsible for with their mentor still there for support. They do not go out on inspections or complaint investigations without their mentor or another veteran Surveyor there for support if needed. Seventh - Twelfth month: Once their 7-month evaluation has been completed, based on their readiness as shown by meeting standards, New Surveyors will be able to go out on inspections and complaint investigations without a veteran Surveyor accompanying them as they feel comfortable. Mentor is still available to assist as needed in the field and with documentation and procedural questions. Throughout the year Probation Period, Supervisors are meeting with the New Surveyors to assess skills and readiness to work independently. Supervisors are going out in the field with the New Surveyors to observe inspections and investigations. 5.5.6 Ratio of licensing inspectors Lead Agencies must ensure the ratio of licensing inspectors to child care providers and facilities in the State/Territory are maintained at a level sufficient to enable the Lead Agency to conduct effective inspections of child care providers and facilities on a timely basis in accordance with federal, State, and local laws. Provide the ratio of licensing inspectors to child care providers (i.e., number of inspectors per number of child care providers) and facilities in the State/Territory and include how the ratio is sufficient to conduct effective inspections on a timely basis. The inspector to provider ratio is 1:80. This ratio is sufficient to keep inspections timely for monitoring.