Incident investigation·May 7, 2025

An unannounced case management inspection was conducted today at 1:26pm by Licensing Program Analyst (LPA), Tammy Dutra. LPA met with facility representative Alethea LaBlue. In response to an Unusual Incident Report received by the Department on 5/5/25. Three children were playing outdoors and holding hands and fell on the bike path. The facility representative and two staff were interviewed on 5/7/25 at 1:26pm and stated that on 4/29/25 at 10:37am three children were holding hands and running on the bike path that surrounds a play area and all three fell. C1 fell on their face cracking a tooth and getting a abrasion on their nose and cut inside the lip. C1 was taken to a dentist and a physician. Dentist extracted cracked tooth. Two staff were interviewed on 5/7/25 and stated that there were seven children present with two staff during the incident. C1 was in between two children and did not have the use of their hands to prevent the injury to the face. Both staff indicated there are concerns with the hard surface of the bike path and falls. Staff are actively coaching the children to prevent running and holding hands to ensure the safety of the children in care. One parent was interviewed on 5/7/25 and stated they believed the injury was an accident. P1 did not feel this injury could have been prevented. P1 had concerns about the uneven surfaces and hard surfaces on the infant playground, but shared there were no other safety concerns regarding the facility. During today\342\200\231s inspection, the facility was toured and ten children were in care with five teachers. LPA reviewed the playground and made recommendations for an update on materials to ensure soft landing in the island that is surrounded by the bike path. LPA advised director to coach staff to minimize injury risk by preventing running on the bike path and deter holding hands which could cause more injuries. Based on interviews LPA determined the incident was an accident and LPA does not feel it could have been prevented. Exit interview conducted and report was reviewed with the facility representative, Alethea LaBlue. Appeal Rights were provided. A notice of site visit was given and must remain posted for 30 days. Failure to comply with posting requirements shall result in an immediate civil penalty of $100.