Pre-licensing visit·December 3, 2024

On 12/02/24 at 1:30pm Licensing Program Analyst (LPA) Oscar Picazo conducted an announced pre-licensing inspection with applicant Linda Joseph for the purpose of a change of location. LPA discussed the purpose of the inspection and was granted permission to tour the facility. The tour of the family childcare home was led by the applicant, Linda Joseph. The purpose of the inspection is to ensure that the home follows standards established in CCR, Title 22, Division 12, Chapter 3, for Family Child Care Homes. This 3 level, 5 bedroom, 3 bathroom home was toured and inspected. Upon arrival, Licensee's 35 month old son and 2 year old Niece were present during the inspection and were later joined by her husband Leopold Dorcius and her eldest 4 year son around 3 pm. The hours of operation are: Monday through Saturday from 7:00am to 9:00pm. Licensee expressed an interest to increase capacity to a large FCCH. LPA confirmed Licensee has the 1 year required experience as well as ample space on the premises. The home has a fire place which is not in use and is barricaded with furniture. Licensee stated there is a swimming pool located on the premises. LPA observed one in-ground swimming pool on the north side yard of the premises. The pool is enclosed by a combination of stone and stucco cinder block block walls, wood slat fencing and the north end wall of the home. Two (2) of the walls are are over five feet high but one of the stone walls fluctuates between 56 - 60 inches in height. The walls are solid, have no gaps, and obscure the pool from view. There were initially 2 points of access to the pool area each with a gate door. One of the access points has been eliminated and fenced over to prevent pool area access. The remaining access point has a tall metal mesh door with a locking door knob and dead bolt but is not equipped with a self-latching device and does not swing away from the pool. The day care areas include: Sub ground level (basement) day care room, bedroom #4, bathroom #3 and the side patio adjacent to the day care room. The off-limit areas during childcare hours include: The entire ground level which includes the kitchen, dinning room, family room, and living room; as well as the entire upper level of the home which includes: stairs leading to and from the upper level, master bedroom #1 with See 809-C Continuation... bathroom #1, hall bathroom # 2, bedroom #2, bedroom #3 and stairs leading to from the lower (basement) level. Additionally, bedroom # 5 and the laundry machine, water heater and central heat and air unit closet that are both located on sub ground (basement) level are off limits. The gated front patio, south side yard, back patio, north side yard including the pool are are also off limits. These areas are made inaccessible to children with the use of a child proof gates barricading the entrances of both stair cases, the kitchen, and living room, locking doorknobs, doorknob covers, and a latching gate. Applicant will utilize the backyard for outdoor activities. LPA observed that the entire property was fully fenced at the time of this inspection. Applicant will utilize the side patio adjacent to the day care room for outdoor activities. LPA informed applicant to ensure children are supervised at all times during outdoor activities. LPA observed the home is large enough to comfortably accommodate 14 children once licensee has applied for capacity increase and approved fire clearance. There are 2 smoke alarms and 2 carbon monoxide detectors that meet requirements, were tested and are in working order. The fire extinguisher is rated 2-A:10-B-C and is located in the kitchen. The applicant states there are no firearms, no other weapons, or ammunition in the home. Cleaning compounds and poisons are in locked in a cabinet that is inaccessible to children. Applicant has a working telephone service. Applicant has a variety of age-appropriate toys and materials available for the range of day care children. Applicant states isolation area for sick children will be in room 4; healthy children will remain in the day care room care area. Applicant Linda Joseph and Leopold own the premises and maintain documentation of proof of control of property for review by the Department. LPA current mortgage statement. Applicant recently recertified the Mandated Reporter AB1207 training certification on 11/22/24. Applicant has completed the Preventative Health Training. Pediatric CPR and First Aid certifications expire on 07/2026. Applicant was reminded that all adults 18 and over living or working in the home, 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 licensed Family Child Care Home. 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. See LIC 809C Continuation... LPA advised that prior to making alterations or additions to the home or grounds, the applicant shall notify the Department of the proposed change. Applicant states they are financially secure to operate a family child care home for children and will comply with all regulations and laws governing family child care homes. There is one crib or play yard for each infant who is unable to climb out of the crib or play yard. Cribs or play yards are free from all loose articles and objects. Licensee shall physically check on sleeping infants up to 24 months of age every 15 minutes. An Individual Infant Sleeping Plan [LIC 9227 ] shall be maintained for each infant up to 12 months of age. Licensee places infants up to 12 months of age on their backs for sleeping. LPA discussed the safe sleep regulations with licensee and discussed the Child Care Licensing Safe Sleep webpage at: https://www.cdss.ca.gov/inforesources/child-care-licensing/public-information-and-resources/safe-sleep as an additional resource. LPA also informed licensee of the importance of checking for recalled infant devices on the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) website at https://www.cpsc.gov/ and recommended they register all infant devices with the CPSC to be notified of any recalls on their purchased equipment. LPA advised if there is an unusual incident to report to call Licensing within 24 hours and to follow up with an LIC624B within 7 days. In addition, for general questions, questions regarding licensing requirements call Child Care Licensing. Duty Line at (619) 767-2248. Access our updated Regulation, Forms & Quarterly updates by using our WEBSITE: http://ccld.ca.gov . Southern California Child Care Advocate information was provided and applicant was encouraged to subscribe through the CCLD website in order to be placed on an email list for updated regulation information. Advocate information was provided: (714) 703-2800 or childcareadvocatesprogram@dss.ca.gov . Incidental Medical Services (IMS) policy was discussed. For IMS information see PIN 22-02- CCP. When any IMS is provided, a Plan for Providing 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)/ (800) 514-0383 (TTY) and link to publication: Commonly Asked Questions about Child Care Centers and the ADA, available at: https://www.ada.gov/resources/child-care-centers/ . Please visit the Guardian web page and set-up your Guardian account. https://cdss.ca.gov/inforesources/cdss-programs/community-care-licensing/caregiver-background-check/guardian . See LIC 809C Continuation.. If you have any questions regarding Guardian, please contact CDSS at email: guardian@dss.ca.gov. Applicant was informed of the MyChildCarePlan.org website; 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. LPA discussed the maximum capacity for a small family child care home: four infants only (infants mean any children under 24 months); or six children with no more than three infants; or , with landlord consent, eight children with no more than two infants, one child in kindergarten or elementary school and one child at least age six, including children under age 10 who live in the home. The following corrections are needed prior to licensure: Pool access gate door must be self latching and swing away from the pool. Pool must have at least a five foot fence that does not obscure the view of the pool with gaps no more than 4 inches and fully encloses the pool. Applicant states the above corrections and photos will be provided via email to LPA by 12/02/24. Once corrections have been made, a small family childcare home license may be issued upon final file review. An exit interview was conducted with the applicant, Linda Joseph. The report was reviewed with and a copy of the report was provided to applicant.