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Inspection visit

Facility-requested visit

HEARTS LEAP NORTHLicense 073409602
Clean visit · 0 citations

Inspector’s narrative

What the inspector wrote

On 2/20/2025, Centralized Application Bureau (CAB) Licensing Program Analyst (LPA) M. Domantay met with Director and Applicant Gretchen Stizel and Director Sara Zech for the purpose of a case management inspection. Applicant is requesting to add a new infant program ages 12 months to 24 months (capacity 8), toddler program ages 18 months to 24 months (capacity 12), and school age program (capacity 14) ages kinder to 5th grade to the facility license with existing preschool (46 capacity). Facility is requesting to be licensed to serve a total of 80 children. The infant, toddler, and preschool program will operate Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m and the school age program will operate 2:00p.m. to 6:00p.m. Facility provides morning and afternoon snacks for children, lunch is provided by families from home. LPA reviewed with applicant the LIC 311A, Records To Be Maintained At The Facility, for child\342\200\231s records, personnel records, administrative records, and documents to be posted. The fire clearance was granted on 1/27/2025 from the City of El Cerrito Fire Prevention for 8 infants, 12 toddlers, and 15 school age children. INDOOR ACTIVITY SPACE: There are 2 indoor areas for the infant program, Infant Room 1 (designated crib/nap room) and Infant Room 2. There is 1 toddler indoor area, Toddler Rooms, Area 1 and 2. There are 2 school age areas, School age Room 1 and School age Room 2. LPA observed a sufficient amount of equipment, furniture, toys, tables, chairs, and mats in classrooms. Facility plans to care for 8 crib aged infants. Applicant is requesting a waiver to utilize floor cribs. LPA observed 5 floor cribs on site during today's inspection. Per Applicant, Gretchen she has ordered additional floor cribs for the infant crib room. LPA observed a changing table that is in hands reach of a sink in the toddler bathroom. LPA notified Director, Sara changing table must have raised sides that is at least 3 inches high. LPA observed 2 sinks and 1 toilet in the toddler classroom. Medications will be stored in the office in a locked box. LPA observed a first aid kit in the toddler and school age classrooms. Page 1 LPA measured infant, toddler, and school age classrooms. The total classroom space for the infant classroom contains a total of 288.40 square feet, which will accommodate Applicant's request for 8 infant children. The total classroom space for the toddler classroom contains a total of 351.29 square feet, which will not accommodate Applicant's request for 12 toddler children. The total classroom space for the school age classroom contains a total of 1,354.83 square feet, which will accommodate Applicant's request for 14 school age children. LPA observed cleaning disinfectants are appropriately stored and inaccessible to children. Director stated there are no poisons or firearms on the premises. LPA observed a functional carbon monoxide detector in the school age classroom 1 and infant classroom 2. Director stated that facility will utilize a manual sign-in/sign-out system. There are 2 sinks and 1 toilet available for the school age children outside of the school age classrooms, and a separate private restroom for the staff is located in the church building. Individual measurements are recorded on the Capacity Worksheet (LIC 9024). Children who become ill during the day will be isolated in the office and will use the staff restroom, if necessary. OUTDOOR ACTIVITY SPACE: LPA measured the outdoor infant/toddler program play area. Applicant, Gretchen is requesting infant and toddlers share the outdoor play area and school age program share the preschool outdoor play yard. The outdoor play area is fenced with wooden fencing that is at least four feet tall. There is tan bark, sand, and mats to cushion a child's fall in the infant/toddler play yard. LPA observed there were sufficient amount of age appropriate equipment and toys in the infant/toddler play yard. There is a play structure present in the infant/toddler outdoor play yard area. LPA did not observe a manufacturer sticker on the play structure. LPA notified applicant and director that they must adhere to the manufacturer guidelines for the play structure and advised they can have a play structure inspector come and inspect the play structure to obtain the age range of children who can utilize the play structure. There are no bodies of water on the premises. There is sufficient shading provided by canopies and trees in the infant/toddler play yard. The preschool outdoor play area that is being requested to be a shared outdoor play area for the school age program is fenced with a wooden fence that is at least four feet tall. LPA observed a sufficient amount of equipment and toys. There is a sandbox in the play yard that was observed to be maintained and free of debris. There is no play structure present in preschool outdoor play yard area. Page 2 There are no bodies of water on the premises. There is sufficient shading provided by trees and vinyl awning for the preschool play area. LPA notified Director, Sara that water tables must be fully emptied after every use. The total outdoor space for the infant/toddler play yard contains a total of 865.48 square feet, which will accommodate Applicant's request for 8 infant children. The infant/toddler yard will not accommodate Applicant's request for 12 toddler children. All outdoor space for preschool measurements remain the same from previous inspections. The total outdoor space for the Preschool program contains a total of 4,714.11 square feet, which will accommodate Applicant's request for 14 school age children. Individual measurements are recorded on the Capacity Worksheet (LIC 9024). Applicant must submit a request for a waiver for the infant/toddler play yard to be shared with between the infant and toddler programs and for the preschool play yard to be shared with the school age program with a set schedule in place. Administrator was informed of the MyChildCarePlan.org site, a consumer education website that helps families obtain child care by connecting them to child care providers and Resource and Referral Agencies (R&Rs) throughout California. This facility plans to provide Incidental Medical Services \342\200\223 IMS. For IMS information, see PIN 22-02-CCP. A Plan of Operation that includes IMS must be submitted to the Department. The following information regarding ADA was provided: US Department of Justice (USDOJ) toll-free ADA Information Line at (800) 514-0301 (voice) or (800) 514-0383 (TTY) and link to publication: Commonly Asked Questions about Child Care Centers and the ADA, available at: http://www.ada.gov/childqanda.htm Community Care Licensing Division (CCLD) regularly sends information to licensed facilities, providers, and stakeholders by way of Provider Information Notices (PIN), Program Quarterly Update Newsletters and other important information communication platform. To receive important licensed related information to licensed facilities, visit the CCLD Important Information website at https://www.cdss.ca.gov/inforesources/community-care-licensing/subscribe and select the Child Care option to receive email communication. Page 3 LPA discussed the following: 100% supervision is required at all times, including in the bathroom; personal rights; inspection authority; reporting requirements; staff to children ratios and capacity; staff qualifications; and maintaining buildings and grounds. LPA discussed with Administrator any changes that may occur regarding the director or an employee acting in the director's absence must be reported to department within 10 working days. Administrator was reminded that all adults 18 and over responsible for administration or direct supervision of staff, persons who provides care and supervision to children, and staff who have contact with children, including employees and volunteers, except as specified in Health and Safety Code section 1596.871, must obtain a criminal record clearance or exemption, or transfer their existing clearance or exemption, prior to initial presence in a Child Care Center. A civil penalty of $100.00 minimum/day for a maximum of 5-days or, if the penalty is for a repeat violation, for a maximum of 30-days per person will be assessed if this regulation is violated. Exit interview conducted and report was reviewed with the Director, Sara Zech. The following items are required before a license will be issued: 1. Regional Manager (RM) final file review. 2. Applicant must submit a request for a waiver for the outdoor infant/toddler play yard to be shared between the infant and toddler programs with a set schedule in place. 3. Applicant must submit a request for a waiver for the outdoor preschool play yard to be shared between the preschool and school age programs with a set schedule in place. 4. Applicant must submit photos of all 8 floor cribs in the infant crib/nap room for the number of crib aged infants they plan to care for. 5. Applicant must submit photos of part of the infant/toddler play yard designated for infant activity space with barricade separated from the play structure. 6. Applicant must provide photo of sufficient changing table with raised sides that is at least 3 inches high. 7. Updated LIC 200A with updated capacity for toddler program and toddler age range. 8. Updated Fire Clearance LIC 850 with updated capacity for infant, toddler, preschool programs. Page 4

Citations

No citations recorded on this visit

The inspector found no violations of California child care regulations during this visit.

FAQ · About this visit

Common questions about this visit

What happened during the February 20, 2025 inspection of HEARTS LEAP NORTH?

This was an other inspection of HEARTS LEAP NORTH on February 20, 2025. The inspection found no deficiencies and no citations were issued.

Were any citations issued to HEARTS LEAP NORTH on February 20, 2025?

No citations were issued during this inspection. The facility was found to be in compliance with all applicable regulations.

What type of inspection was this?

This was an other inspection. other inspections are conducted by CCLD as part of their licensing oversight.

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