complaint·April 28, 2022

LPA B. Ruiz investigated the above allegation and gathered the following information: a child who attends the facility was picked up by parent/ legal guardian and taken home. It was disclosed that the day in question a guardian received an incident report from the center indicating that the child was inappropriately dress for school activities and the that child will be excluded for participating in center\342\200\231s events for not helping during class when teachers asked him/her to help. Licensee and guardian communicated on this date regarding the incident(s). Facility Parent Handbook addressed safety procedures to prevent accidents from occurring; as well as to prevent and/or anticipate possible accidents due to the age group and level of activity at the center during play time such as running and jumping in uneven surfaces at the center which includes playground structure, sand, cement and wood chips. Additionally, it was disclosed that staff at the facility redirect children collectively by explaining to all of them that they need to finish all assigned tasks during class time or fun activities will be delayed. Teamwork is encouraged by staff to teach children to help each other without isolating anyone in particular. It was explained by staff that children are encouraged to clean up and/or finish activities by praising child's efforts or by offering group rewards; such as stickers or high fives for helping each other and/or for showing effort to contribute to finish a task. Interviews with children revealed that children understand and acknowledge teacher's instructions, they valued teamwork and are happy to participate in collective efforts to help each other by following classrooms rules. During the investigation it was also learned that parents/ legal guardian resolved the issue with staff by expressing his/her concern(s) which were address and resolved. Based on interviews with pertinent parties, there is conflicting information on whether staff used an inappropriate form of discipline towards day-care children or information provided was misunderstood. Therefore, due to conflicting information found throughout this investigation, the department has determined that although the allegations may have happened or are valid, there is no preponderance of evidence to prove the alleged violations did or did not occur, therefore the allegation is deemed UNSUBSTANTIATED. An exit interview was conducted with Director Wendy Leath. A Notice of Site visit was issued and must be posted for 30 days. A copy of this report was provided to the facility. Failure to comply with posting requirements shall result in an immediate civil penalty of $100. No deficiencies were cited during this inspection. A copy of this report must be made available to the public, at the facility site, for 3 years.