Operators of some nurseries and daycare centres have called for a review of the Department of Health’s Stars childcare regulation programme.

The group of 14 childcare businesses said they were concerned about the enforcement of regulations, performed through an inspection tool called a star rating.

In the scheme, care providers’ facilities are tested for compliance with guidelines administered by the Child Care Regulation Programme unit.

The care providers in the group alleged in a statement that the programme lacked clarity and consistency.

They said it has resulted in the closure of some nurseries “due to the stress” of having to cope with the numerous demands of the health department.

“The health department would have it seem that all closures of nurseries are either related to incidents that happened at the nursery or due to the declining birthrate,” they said.

“However, owners have expressed closing their doors because of the stress of their interactions with and the demands made by the CCRP.”

They said although 14 care providers openly voiced their concerns about the programme, others have expressed disquiet.

A spokeswoman for the Ministry of Health said that meetings had been held with daycare providers to hear their concerns, and will continue in the future.

The care providers said they are struggling to cope with the programme’s requirements as well as its “varied” interpretation and implementation by CCRP inspectors, a process that often leads to confusion and uncertainty about compliance.

“Some of the regulations do not always align with best practices in early childhood education, potentially hindering the providers’ ability to deliver high-quality care to the children in their care,” they argued.

“Nurseries have experienced being questioned and penalised by inspectors for not following their schedules or lesson plans strictly,” they said.

“While we largely adhere to a daily schedule for consistency, flexibility is also required when working with small children.

“A teacher should have the right to change an activity or even the order of items on the schedule if they have ascertained that there is need to do so.”

The CCRP programme, which was launched by the Ministry of Health in 2022, tests the care facilities for compliance with the Children Act 1998, the Day Care Centre Regulations 1999 and the Child Care Standards 2018.

Kim Wilson, the Minister of Health, said in May that licensed daycare centres and providers were mandated to maintain at least a rating of three stars, which indicates that the setting has met the minimum requirements by law.

According to the legislation, daycare centres and providers — who look after up to three children in their homes — must be licensed and registered to care for children.

Regulation officers from the health department assess the establishments and those with four and five-star ratings have exceeded the requirements by successfully implementing additional best-practice standards.

Ms Wilson said that after an inspection, centres or providers may need to enhance the quality of care and conditions to meet minimum regulatory standards.

However, the care providers in the group called for the present inspection protocols to be reviewed.

They said while they recognised the importance of maintaining high standards for childcare, they believed the inspection protocols could benefit from greater clarity, consistency and collaboration between regulators and daycare providers and centres.

The group shared several examples which they said led to a disconnect in the manner in which the CCRP’s guidelines were administered.

In one instance, it said, a daycare was told by a CCRP inspector during an earlier visit that the facility should store medicine only for staff use.

However, during a follow-up visit, the care provider claimed that the same inspector observed a bottle of ibuprofen tablets in the school’s medicine cabinet.

It was said that the inspector informed the care provider that the facility may have violated the law since the medication bottle was not labelled with a “staff use only“ marking.

The group argued: “The law only says the medication must be clearly labelled which previously meant that it should be clearly labelled with the type of medication it is, the appropriate dosage and the expiration date.

“Nowhere in the law does it say that medications should be labelled for staff only, especially when there are already policies in place at the school regarding the administering of medication.”

The care providers said the school followed up the issue with the inspector but it did not receive a satisfactory response.

In another complaint, the care providers said they were required to log an “overwhelming amount of paperwork” for record-keeping.

This includes the filling out of forms daily as part of a cleaning schedule at their establishments.

They explained that during the Covid-19 pandemic, they were asked to maintain a cleaning schedule checklist, which they assumed was an the added measure to prevent the spread of the virus.

“However, after we came out of Covid restrictions, the inspectors kept coming down on us about signing the forms every day and retaining the signed copies for at least up to three months,” they said.

They said they have made collective attempts since last year to air their concerns with the Ministry of Health.

A year ago, the daycare owners and operators met government officials who promised to address their concerns but it was claimed that the officials did not follow up on the issue.

They subsequently shared their concerns with the Bermuda Industrial Union and a meeting was organised between the care providers and parents.

A few days before the meeting, the Ministry of Health issued a statement about a public relations drive to highlight the childcare programme.

The group later met David Burt, the Premier, as well as Ms Wilson and highlighted a list of issues.

Although they said a letter was sent by the health minister, where steps to improve standards at the facilities were suggested, the care providers said their main concerns were ignored.

The group said: “Overall, Bermuda's daycare owners urge the Department of Health to engage in open and constructive dialogue with providers to address these issues collaboratively.”

They called for greater transparency, clearer guidelines, increased support and respectful interactions with regulators.

This, they said, will ensure that the licensing process under the Stars programme upholds safety and quality as well as supports the sustainability and growth of the island’s childcare services.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Health said: “Earlier this summer, Premier David Burt and Minister of Health Kim Wilson met with representatives from the Bermuda Industrial Union and local daycare providers to listen to their concerns about the Stars childcare inspection programme.

“In response to these discussions, further dialogue took place, including an information session to help address the issues raised.

“The Department of Health is now organising another meeting with the same group.

“They hope to hold this meeting before sharing any updates with the media to ensure all voices are heard and addressed first.”