— CC&PA takes custody of children, M&CC warns public

AN illegal daycare operation reportedly run by Cuban nationals was shut down on Wednesday following a joint enforcement exercise led by the Mayor and City Council’s Public Health Department, the Childcare and Protection Agency (CC&PA) and other regulatory bodies.

The operation was spearheaded by Medical Officer of Health Suzette Reynolds, working alongside Chief Environmental Health Officer Abiola Baker and officers of the CC&PA. Senior Registration and Licensing Officer, Canterbury also participated in the inspection at the Robb Street location.
According to the M&CC release, during the inspection “the CC&PA took custody of all children and their caregiver, transporting them to the Broad Street location for processing and safeguarding.”
Parents were subsequently contacted and, after completing interviews with authorities, “arrived to uplift their children.”
Parents were also “referred to registered daycare facilities closer to their workplaces to ensure proper supervision and care going forward,” the Council stated.
School-aged children found on the premises were referred to the Ministry of Education “for appropriate placement and follow-up.”
SEVERE SAFETY AND SANITATION FAILURES UNCOVERED
Authorities reported multiple breaches of childcare and public health standards. The M&CC confirmed that the facility was severely overcrowded and lacked basic sanitation, including the “absence of potties and inadequate sanitary provisions.”

The release further highlighted that the caregiver was “neither certified nor naturalised as a Guyanese” and that inspectors observed “poor environmental hygiene” among other “substandard and unsafe conditions.”
In its statement, City Hall reminded citizens that “all daycare facilities must be legally registered, certified, and compliant with national childcare and public health regulations.”
The Council said that it will continue partnering with relevant agencies “to safeguard children and ensure that all childcare operations within the city meet required standards.”