Childcare facilities fail on standards

Just one out of 22 Mayo preschools was fully compliant with childcare regulations last year, and a lack of Garda vetting and police clearance continue to dog the services, according to the latest tranche of creche inspection reports.

A trawl of the reports, published online by the HSE, show Lorraine O’Malley’s Montessori on Church Rd, Ballina, was the only Mayo preschool inspected to fully meet all the requirements under the childcare regulations in 2012.

St Tiernan’s Community Playschool in Crossmolina managed to have Garda vetting for all staff as well as satisfactory references, but was criticised by the HSE inspector for failing to anchor an outdoor climbing frame at a time when more than eight children were using it.