complaint·September 27, 2024

It was alleged that a child in the preschool classroom got handled "in rough manner". Allegedly, a staff grabbed a child "by the arm and pulled them away from a cabinet and re-directed them in another direction, causing the child to hit their head on a low hanging shelf in the classroom". A review of documents disclosed that although there were several incident reports for the subject child on file, none of them indicated the same description of incident. Furthermore, there was an incident report on file from the same date, but the incident was described as a self-inflicted incident and included hitting a different part of their body. The incident was not described as staff attempting any form of re-direction of the child. Interviews with pertinent parties disclosed that the preschool classroom is a difficult classroom to provide care in. Staff interviews disclosed that children do need to get "pulled" out of certain situations, but none of these incidents resulted in a child sustaining injuries, rather preventing them from injuring themselves. Based on documentation reviewed and interviews conducted, there is conflicting information from what was alleged; therefore, the allegation is UNSUBSTANTIATED. A finding the allegation is unsubstantiated means although the allegation may have happened, or is valid, there is not a preponderance of evidence to prove the allegation occurred. An exit interview was conducted with the director, Kristen Garnatz. Appeal Rights were discussed and issued, a copy of this report was provided, and a Notice of Site (NOS) Visit was issued. The Notice of Site Visit (LIC9213) shall be posted where the parent/guardian of children enter and exit the facility and must remain posted for 30 days during the hours of operation after each site visit by a licensing representative. Failure to maintain posting as required will result in a civil penalty of $100.00. A copy of this report must be made available for the next three years.