Incident investigation·December 13, 2023

On December 13, 2023 at 11:15 am, Licensing Program Analyst (LPA) Jessica Rubio arrived unannounced to the facility to conduct a case management visit due to an unusual incident report (UIR) that the facility self reported. The UIR reported an incident that occurred on 12/4/2023, involving child (C1) being left alone in the bathroom located in the classroom while the rest of the children and staff were outside on the playground. LPA met with Teacher Vickie Fluellen and informed her of the reason for the visit. During the visit, LPA conducted an interview with S1 and also spoke via telephone to Director Adria Galarza. The UIR and interview with S1 revealed that during the transition to the outside playground, S1 took C1 and another child to the bathroom. S1 explained she was helping other children with putting on their jackets when S1 observed one child exit the bathroom and S1 believed everyone was out of the bathroom. S1 closed the door and proceeded outside with the other children. Approximately 5 minutes later, S1 returned to the classroom and heard crying. S1 opened the door to the bathroom and saw C1 was left in the bathroom. The interview revealed it was approximately 5 minutes from when S1 went outside and returned to find C1. The facility did notify C1's authorized representatives of the incident. It was also revealed that since the incident occurred, the facility is now using name tags to account for all children and has added a white board to the outside of the door to the playground. LPA determined the facility is in violation of Title 22 Regulation Section 101229 (a)(1) Responsibility for Providing Care and Supervision. A citation will be issued. An exit interview was conducted, a copy of this report, LIC 811 (Confidential Names List) and appeal rights were reviewed with and provided to Teacher Vickie Fluellen. A notice of site visit will be provided and must remain posted for 30 days.