Care A Lot Child Development Center, Llc

“Ensure sufficient staff are provided to run the facility daily operations. Upon arrival there were two staff and fourteen children. No staff for bathroom breaks, meal preparation, or assisting licensing specialists. This was corrected when more staff entered the facility.”

“Ensure when there are thirteen or more children in the facility they are not combined into one group and qualified staff are available to supervise the children. The specialists entered the facility and observed two staff members one qualified as a intern and one unqualified with fourteen children ages five months to five years-old in the older toddler classroom. This was corrected when staff #3 and [name withheld] returned to the facility and Staff #3 joined Staff #1 in the young toddler classroom with five children laving Staff #2 with nine children ages three years-old to five years-old. When the specialists left the facility it was observed through a window staff #3 left Staff #1 alone with five children. This was corrected when Staff #1 took two of her own children home, two children got on the school bus, and the age groups combined with one Staff and [name withheld] to supervise.”

“Ensure staff members are respectful by using non-threatening tones and actions when speaking and interacting with others at the center. During the visit several times Staff #1 used a sarcastic or harsh tone with the specialist in the presence of other staff, administrator, and children. When a specialist re-entered the facility to correct a supervision non-compliance, Staff #1 yelled across the room at the specialist and used profanity while holding two children one five-months-old, another one-year-old and three other children present in the young toddler classroom. While outside the facility Staff #1 had the same children in her arms and yelled at a specialist across the room to be heard outside causing the children to cry. This was corrected when the specialist asked the staff to leave for the day.”

“OCCL received a complaint on September 1, 2022, regarding not having enough equipment, not meeting the children s needs, positive behavior supports, and not following policies in their parent handbook. An investigation was conducted on September 8, 2022. The complaint is substantiated for lack of materials because both the younger toddler classroom and the older toddler classroom did not have enough materials for the children. The complaint is substantiated for positive behavior supports because Staff #2 stated Staff #5 was sitting crisscross with Child #1 on her lap and was holding him in a bear hug. Staff #2 stated Staff #5 was holding the child to keep him from being by the door until Child #1 s mother got in the building. Staff #2 stated Child #1 wiggled to try to get away while being held. Based on staff interviews, there was no need to hold the child to keep him away from the door. If safety were a concern, there was another staff available who could have blocked the door. The complaint is substantiated for not meeting the child s needs and not following the policies in the parent handbook because the handbook states under their transition policy they will assist the family in taking time to get familiar with the center routines and schedule and communicate with the staff the specific child s needs. The handbook states if they have concerns, they will refer you to request additional support from Child Development Watch. On Child #1 s sixth day attending the center, the owner suggested the parent seek one-on-one care for Child #1 and stated they could not accommodate the family. Parent #1 asked if there was any way to help Child #1 adjust and no response was provided to the parents request for community resources. Numerous additional concerns were noted including the older toddler classroom was not organized into activity areas, the center was not following their daily schedule, rest equipment was not labeled for one child, a quiet activ ity for children who seem to not want to rest was not provided, the rest area did not have enough light to allow supervision of the children, infant daily logs were not current, staff attendance records were incomplete, and the front entrance of the building was obstructed by a folding partition that took a long time to remove to open the door.”

“Ensure school aged children are cared for in a separate area. LS McPhatter and LS Kenton observed a 14 year-old child in the infant room. This was corrected when she was taken back to the 3year old to Scholl Age building.”

“Ensure exact arrival and departure are recorded on the attendance log. One child was at a doctors appointment and not signed out.”

“Ensure the proper depths are replenished or the slides are removed from the playground. LS McPhatter and LS Kenton observed two slides on the playground without adequate fall zone protection.”

“OCCL received a complaint on May 11, 2022, regarding improper discipline, not having enough staff, and staff completing other staff s trainings. An investigation was conducted on May 18, 2022. The complaint is substantiated for staff completing other staff s training because Staff #7 stated [name withheld] has had her complete trainings and courses for seven other staff and for [name withheld]. Staff #7 stated Staff #2 has also worked on other staff s trainings. Staff #1 stated she has trainings on her transcripts that she did not complete. There is no evidence to substantiate the allegation of Staff #2 picking up children by their arms because all staff denied this. There is no evidence to substantiate the allegation of not having enough staff because all staff denied this and attendance records showed proper staff-to-child ratios. A concern noted was VOE s submitted to DEEDS Early Learning were falsified with incorrect dates and signed by [name withheld] and Staff #2.”

“OCCL received a complaint on May 11, 2022, regarding improper discipline, leaving children in confining equipment for more than 30 minutes, vaping in the facility, not cleaning or sanitizing the equipment or facility as required, serving the children moldy juice, children using dirty cups, not following the procedures for accident reports, and not providing the required meal components or following the menu. The complaint is substantiated for improper discipline because multiple staff stated [name withheld] yells at the children and a recording of [name withheld] yelling at and mocking the children was provided. [name withheld] can be heard saying, I m gonna leave you in there, the madder you get, the better you talk, and I m going to leave you in there; maybe you ll get real mad and write your name. Also, Staff #10 stated Staff #8 yelled at the children. Staff #10 and Staff #5 stated, Staff #6 yelled at the children and her own children. This complaint is substantiated for placing children in confining equipment for more than 30 minutes because Staff #10 and Staff #7 stated they had witnessed one-year-old up to three-years-old children in pack-n-plays for more than thirty minutes without an activity being provided. The complaint is substantiated for not documenting changes to the food served on a particular date on the menu because LS McPhatter observed items being served that did not match the menu and a photo was received of the lunch for May 16, 2022, and it did not match the menu. The complaint is substantiated for food not being free from spoilage or contamination and sanitary food preparation because LS McPhatter checked five sippy cups and found three sippy cups had scum and build-up in the spout on the inside. A photo taken on May 3, 2022, at 3:54 p.m., was provided to LS McPhatter of mold in a sippy cup leak guard. This complaint is substantiated for vaping in the facility because three staff stated [name withheld] vapes in the building. The complaint is substantiated for not following the procedure for accident reports because the accident report that was observed in a child s file did not have a parent or authorized release signature on it. There is no evidence to substantiate the allegations of not cleaning and sanitizing the equipment in the facility as required because all Staff stated they wipe toys when they are mouthed or put in a bin to clean. LS McPhatter did not observe this bin or one in use, but the wipes were readily available, and the toys did not look excessively dirty. There is no evidence to substantiate the allegation of a child being picked up by their shirt because all staff stated no one in the building has ever picked up a child by their shirt. There is no evidence to substantiate not providing all meal requirements because the lunch served during the visit had all required components. Numerous additional concerns were noted including improper staff-to-child ratio because LS McPhatter observed Staff #10 come into the building with a child from the outdoor playground, which left Staff #11 alone on the playground with 11 children ages one to three years old. Standard precautions and administration of medication procedures were not being followed because Staff #1 stated they clean wounds with peroxide, put on a band-aid, do the incident report, and make parent contact. Staff #5 stated they clean with soap and water, put on Neosporin, write an incident report, and contact the parent. Peroxide and Neosporin require the child s name to be on the container and a completed medication log to be on file. Staff stated children are placed in pack-n-plays for time-out that are not their assigned sleeping equipment. Feeding requirements were not followed because Staff #6 stated the children get placed in pack-n-plays with a bottle before nap. Food items were observed not in the original container and had no label of the item contents or expiration date.”

“On May 17, 2022, OCCL received a complaint regarding not understanding the needs of the child, not changing diapers as needed, and children staying in soiled clothing. This complaint is substantiated because one staff stated the children s diapers are not always changed at the changing table, another staff provided a photo showing a staff changing a child in the toddler classroom on the carpet, one staff stated the children s faces are not always cleaned, and the LS observed a child with dried nasal discharge from his nostrils and across his right cheek.”

“Ensue that classrooms do not go over the maximum group size based on the age of the youngest child in the classroom. Upon entering the facility LS McPhatter observed that there was one nine month old child in the toddler area with ten toddlers ages one to two years old with supervision of two qualified staff.”

“OCCL received a complaint on March 14, 2022, regarding improper discipline, inappropriate care of infants, vaping in the facility, and disclosing confidential information. An investigation was conducted on March 18, 2022. The complaint is substantiated for improper discipline and vaping in the facility because one staff and two children confirmed [name withheld], does vape in the building and has yelled in the children s faces. Two staff confirmed an infant was picked up by one arm, but it was by her parent who is also a staff member. There is no evidence to substantiate the allegation of confidential information being disclosed because all staff interviewed denied this. The following additional concerns were noted: improper staff-to-child ratio was observed on multiple occasions throughout the visit, lack of supervision because children were left unattended in a classroom and a one-year-old child went to the kitchen two times, room capacity was exceeded because a room that could hold 12 children had 14 children, building capacity because the licensed capacity was exceeded by two children, improper number of toilets for the ages of the children and the number of staff present, staff attendance not being documented, children having access to the kitchen, children not using their own assigned rest equipment, improper use of time-out, failure to serve all required components of a meal, failing to have an accurate menu, assigning staff duties such as food preparation when they are supposed to be caring for children, and leaving children in confining equipment while awake without an activity to do, staff attendance because staff were not signed in although they were present, and mixing older children with infants and toddlers outside of the permitted timeframes.”

“Ensure to use a system for documenting children s attendance that includes the exact arrival and departure times in the child s classroom and be entered at the time of the arrival and departure of the child. The infant room had one child in attendance and no child was signed in. This was corrected when the staff ember signed the child in on the attendance form.”

“Ensure to maintain the maximum group size for each age take into account the youngest child in the room. LS McPhatter observed one infant in the toddler room with 10 other toddlers and two qualified staff. This was corrected when the infant was sent back to the infant care area with qualified staff.”

“Ensure the child's exact time of arrival and departure is documented. LS McPhatter observed Child #1 was not signed out of the toddler room or not signed in to the pre-school room for transition time for aging up. This was corrected when the child was signed out of the toddler room and the signed in to the pre-school room.”

“Ensure medication over the counter or prescribed is stored securely and out of children's reach. LS McPhatter observed an inhaler for child #2 in a plastic bag on a table in reach of children. this was corrected when the medication was stored out of reach of children.”

“Ensure pressure or accordion gates are not used, and approved by American Society of Testing and Materials. Pinch points and sturdiness are a concern. Discontinue use of multi color gated play area.”

“Ensure to follow sat and local laws. Upon entering the facility at 2:06pm LS McPhatter observed five staff members with no face masks on while the children were waking up and putting away items from nap.”

“Ensure that a staff exact arrival and departure are documented for each classroom. LS McPhatter observed the preschool room staff member had not signed out for lunch and when asked if she went to break she stated she did. The toddler room had no staff signed into the room.”

“Ensure child files are complete. Child #1 needs TB results and a development plan. Child #2 needs an enrollment date, days and hours attending. Child #3 needs a health appraisal, TB and lead results, immunization record and development plan. Child #4 needs a health appraisal, TB and lead results, immunization record and development plan. Child #8 needs a development plan. Child #10 needs a TB and lead results.”

“Ensure that the exact arrival and departure of each child is documented. LS McPhatter observed that the preschool rom had 6 children present and 8 were signed in on the log.”

“Ensure that the capacity of two-year-old to adult staff capacity does not exceed 20 persons in the facility. LS McPhatter observed the attendance logs for 2-1-2022 that from 9:00am until 10:00 am was over the 20 persons two-year-old to adult staff persons in the facility.”

“Ensure that each child over the age of 1 has a top and bottom sheet, and the pack-n-plays are labeled and 18 inched or 1-1/2 feet apart.”