Complaint·April 22, 2024

Allegation 1: The first allegation states that the facility was continued to operate in conditions that were not operable and unsafe. During interviews the following was discovered, there was a power outage that occurred on 12/12/2023 from approximately 10:00am to 2:40pm in the facility. Multiple staff disclosed that the conditions in the classrooms made it unsafe and the classrooms inoperable by the following: initially the lights went out and there were some exit signs providing light in the classroom but the children’s restroom was completely dark; around 12pm, the lights went out completely and there were no lights in the classroom as the emergency exit signs went out and the classrooms were extremely dark; staff stated based on visibility they were able to partially see when the exit signs were on, however, Staff 3 stated they were unable to effectively supervise the children and did notify the Center Director but was instructed to wait and Staff 2 stated they were unsure how safe the children were in the visibility; also around 12pm, staff stated that the classrooms dropped to 62 degrees and they had to place extra blankets over the infants as they were sleeping to keep them warm; staff stated that all of the sinks used in the infant classrooms for diaper changing stopped working once the power went out; staff was instructed to take the children outside to play when they awakened from their naps as the facility’s lights were still off and the children were out there at least an additional 30 minutes longer than normal due to the power outage until they came back in; staff was instructed not to notify parents of the power outage; multiple staff members mentioned the conditions in the classrooms to the Center Director who then notified the Supervisor over the facility, however, the Center Director was informed by the Supervisor to keep the facility open and not contact the parents. Although staff notified management of the inoperable conditions, the Supervisor kept the facility open in violation of Title 22 Regulations. This is a Type B citation, see the LIC 9099D for the details. Allegation 2: The second allegation states that unqualified staff were in the infant classrooms. During the investigation, the LPA was able to determine that there were two staff in the infant classroom acting in the teaching capacity as a fully qualified infant teacher that did not have infant units that were relieving breaks, lunches, or covering absences. In January 2024, during the annual inspection, the LPA notified the management staff that only qualified teachers were permitted to be in the infant classrooms to cover any breaks or absences of teachers; however, the facility continued to use staff in the classrooms that were not fully qualified to be in the classroom. This is a Type B citation, see the LIC 9099D for the details. Continue to next page Allegation 3: The third allegation states that children were allowed to attend while sick. During the investigation, the LPA was able to determine that teaching staff completed the daily health screenings upon the arrival of the children at the facility and if they found children to be unfit to be in class based on the facility’s screenings process that follows Title 22 Regulations, they would contact the parent/authorized representative and attempt to have the child picked-up; however, a personnel staff person in enrollment that did not know the Title 22 Regulations for Daily Inspection for Illness would override the teaching staff’s determination and allow the children to stay in the classroom when children had contagious diseases. The parent/authorized representative would make a call to the personnel staff person and have their child admitted into the classroom against the regulations. This is a Type B citation, see the LIC 9099D for the details. Based on information obtained, observations, and interviews with relevant complaint parties, the Allegation is deemed substantiated for allegations 1, 2, and 3; as a result, Type B citations will be issued for all three allegations. A finding of substantiated means that allegations were valid because the preponderance of the evidence standard has been met. An exit interview was conducted, a copy of this report read and provided to the Center Director, and the Notice of Site Visit and Appeal Rights was explained and given to the Center Director.