Incident investigation·September 19, 2023

Licensing Program Analyst (LPA) Seung Lee conducted an unannounced case management inspection. Upon arrival LPA Lee met with Director Pam Deem. The purpose of this inspection was to obtain additional information from the facility regarding an incident that occurred on 08/30/23. The department received an incident report from the facility on 09/05/23 that stated on 08/30/23 around 2:50PM, Child#1 was left inside the classroom while Staff#1 and the rest of the children in the classroom had left the room in order to go to the restroom as a group. Staff#2 who was inside the classroom to clean while it was empty discovered Child#1 hiding under a table in the classroom. Child#1 was escorted by Staff#2 to join Staff#1 and the rest of the classroom. Based on recorded logs of the bathroom breaks documented by Staff#1 on 08/30/23 and the interviews conducted with Staff#2 and other staff members, it was determined that Child#1 was left in the empty classroom without supervision for about 10 to 15 minutes. This is an immediate risk to children in care. The Director stated that Staff#1 submitted their resignation on 09/05/23 and their last day physically present at the facility was 08/31/23. The facility was informed by the parents of Child#1 that the child does have a habit of hiding. The parent of Child#1 was informed by the facility of the incident on 09/01/23. During the inspection LPA Lee observed the classroom that Child#1 was found in. The classroom itself is a portion of the building that has been partitioned off with thin walls that go up to around 5 feet in height. The preschool classroom is located right next to an infant classroom that is separated by the thin wall. The walk from outside this classroom to the restroom was observed to be around 10-15 feet in distance. The restroom itself is located within the same area as the preschool and is located right behind the infant classroom. The physical plant layout of this preschool classroom relative to the restroom shows that two rooms are within the same indoor space just separated by a wall partition that goes up to around 5 feet in height. Page 1 of 2 However, even though the wall does not go up all the way to the ceiling and provide a full separation of spaces this does not mean that Child#1 was provided with any type of visual supervision while alone in the classroom. For example, the staff members in the infant classroom next door did not realize Child#1 was hiding under the table until Staff#2 discovered the child and brought him or her back to Staff#1 and children who were in the restroom. Although Child#1 never left his or her classroom, the fact that Child#1 was without any supervision for about 10 to 15 minutes is an immediate risk to children in care. Please refer to the 809 deficiency page for details of the citation. The notice of site inspection along with this report must remain posted for a period of 30 days during hours of operation. LPA Lee provided facility with a LIC 9224 for all parents of children in care to sign. All current parents and any new parents will be required to sign for 1 year starting from this date. Failure to maintain posting for 30 days will result in a civil penalty of $100.00 dollars. Exit interview conducted with Director Pam Deem. Appeal rights discussed and explained. Page 2 of 2