complaint·August 20, 2025

During the struggle, she dug her fingernails into the child’s forearm, leaving four visible and distinct marks. These injuries were later confirmed by responding officers. The situation escalated further with Child #2. Parent #1, the parent of both children, arrived to pick both child #1 and #2 up and observed Staff #1 with her arms wrapped around Child #2’s neck, face, and body, forcefully attempting to make the child sit while repeatedly yelling at him. Child #2 was standing upright while being physically forced downward, and at one point, blood was seen coming from the child’s mouth. It is unclear whether the injury to Child #2 occurred before, during, or after this altercation. The Hanford Police Department was contacted and initiated an investigation. Officers observed the fingernail marks on Child #1’s arm, consistent with Staff #1’s own description of the incident. When asked to demonstrate how the interaction with Child #2 occurred, Staff #1 bent her arm at a 90-degree angle—an action that officers noted closely resembled the “choke hold”. Furthermore, officers observed blood around Child #2’s mouth. While it is believed the injury might have resulted from an earlier altercation between the two children (child #1 and child #2), the physical handling by Staff #1 that resulted in blood emanating from the facial area could not be ruled out. In addition to the physical allegations, a second violation was substantiated: yelling in the presence of daycare children. During an interview, Parent #1 confirmed that Staff #1 yelled at Child #2 while attempting to enforce a timeout, repeatedly raising her voice and demanding that the child sit down. Further interviews with other staff corroborated this behavior, noting that Staff #1 had a deep, loud voice and would often raise it, especially during stressful situations. Staff reported that she appeared to become frustrated when managing challenging behaviors and had been observed yelling at children on multiple occasions. These findings collectively supported the determination that Staff #1 engaged in inappropriate conduct, violating the personal rights of children in care. (Continued on 9099-C) Based on the information obtained during the investigation, the preponderance of evidence standard has been met; therefore, the above allegations are found to be SUBSTANTIATED. Per Title 22, Division 12, of the California Code of Regulations, the following deficiencues are being cited: (see next page). LPA Denisia Jimenez informed licensee Laurae Raths that this report dated 08/20/2025 documents 2 Type A citations which shall be posted for 30 consecutive days as there is immediate risk to the health, safety, or personal rights of children in care. Also, LPA Denisia Jimenez informed the licensee to provide a copy of this licensing report dated 08/20/2025 that documents any Type A citation to parents/guardians of all children currently enrolled by the next business day or the next day the children are in care, and to any newly enrolled parents/guardians for 12 months from the date of this report. A signed Acknowledgement of Receipt of Licensing Report (LIC 9224), or other written statement, must be placed in the child's file for verification. A copy of the Fact Sheet - Child Care Parent Notification Requirements and a copy of LIC 9224 Acknowledgement of Receipt of Licensing Reports was given to Licensee.