On May 2, 2025, the Office of Child Care Licensing (OCCL) received a complaint regarding concerns of classrooms being left out of staff-to-child ratio for long periods, staff utilizing buggies for periods exceeding thirty minutes, and staff members utilizing AirPods and cell phones in the classroom while working with children. An investigation was conducted on May 9, 2025. Based on the investigation findings, this complaint is substantiated for classrooms being out of the appropriate staff-to-child ratio. Administrator #1 and all three interviewed staff members confirmed ongoing challenges with maintaining ratios, particularly during morning drop-off when child attendance temporarily exceeds available staffing. Although these periods are generally brief, all parties acknowledged rooms do go out of ratio. Attendance records that were provided to LS #1 indicate several instances of the infant classrooms going over the staff-to-child ratio, including times when no staff were signed into the room at all. This complaint is substantiated for the use of cell phones and similar devices in the classroom. Staff #1, #2, and #3 reported observing staff using AirPods and cell phones during work hours. While some use was described as limited to classroom-related activities, such as playing music, others noted more general phone usage. Administrator #1 confirmed having addressed at least one incident involving a staff member wearing AirPods and stated corrective action was taken immediately. Use of cellphones or AirPods was not observed during this visit. There is no evidence to substantiate this complaint regarding the allegation of children being kept in buggies for more than thirty minutes. Administrator #1 and all three staff members confirmed while buggies are used, particularly during busy morning hours, they are not used for extended periods. All reported that the use of buggies remains within the thirty-minute limit set by OCCL regulations. Additional concerns identi fied through the investigation was the presence of two staff members who had not completed comprehensive background checks for the program. Upon being informed of the oversight, Administrator #1 immediately sent the staff members home until the fingerprinting process could be completed and an eligibility letter issued. Administrator #1 explained the individual was a re-hire and, because their previous employment had ended less than a year ago, they believed re-fingerprinting was not required. The other staff member was fingerprinted for a partner agency and associated with the program until they can get fingerprinted for the facility. Another concern noted was there were four staff members who do not have a DEEDS Early Learning certificate being left alone with children in the infant classroom. An additional concern noted was inaccurate attendance records for both staff and children, on 14 of the 15 records reviewed, either staff or children were not signed out accurately.

On June 26, 2024, the Office of Child Care Licensing (OCCL) received a complaint regarding concerns of the HVAC units not working properly, space heaters being used, the facility not notifying OCCL about equipment breakdowns, losing a child s unused medication, choking hazards, and dirty floors. An investigation was conducted beginning July 3, 2024, and concluding July 8, 2024, to investigate this complaint. This complaint is substantiated for not notifying OCCL within one business day in the event of an equipment breakdown that threatens the health and safety of the children in care. Administrator #1 notified OCCL on December 20, 2023, but not on March 8, 2024, or March 13, 2024. This complaint is substantiated for not having standard procedures for handling emergency medication and not having it accessible to multiple staff in the case of an emergency. Three staff members were interviewed in addition to Administrator #1, and they were not clear as to where emergency medications are stored, and the code to unlock the emergency medication was not known amongst all certified staff. Also, when a family was trying to obtain their child s emergency medication when withdrawing from the center, the staff members were unable to locate it right away, and the family had to be called at another time to pick it up once it was located. While the center was using portable heaters, the specific type of unit did not pose a health or safety threat to the children based on their specifications. These units were observed at the time of this visit. There is no evidence to substantiate this complaint for general cleanliness with regard to unvacuumed floors or classroom choking hazards being present. During the walkthrough of the facility, all floors were clean, and no choking hazards were observed. An additional concern noted at the time of the visit was the use of an unauthorized person designated as the individual responsible for day-to-day operations. Staff #1 holds an Early Ch ildhood Intern credential with DEEDS Early Learning; an individual must hold at least an Early Childhood Teacher credential to operate in this role as well as have the signed Training Record on file to operate as the staff member trained in day-to-day operations.

Disposition: Substantiated

On January 19, 2023, a complaint was called into the Report Line, and not accepted for investigation by the Institutional Abuse Unit (IA). The Office of Child Care Licensing (OCCL) received the complaint on January 20, 2023, and accepted it for investigation regarding improper discipline, child exclusion policies, altering video camera footage, and sanitation concerns. An investigation was begun on January 20, 2023, and concluded on February 15, 2023. This complaint is substantiated for improper discipline based on a review of video footage from the center which showed Staff #1 roughly handling a child. Staff #1 was terminated from employment by the center administration. There is no evidence to substantiate this complaint for sending children home from care stating they were ill when having staffing issues. Ms. Kinnamen and Staff #2 stated they were honest with parents regarding staffing issues the center is experiencing, and provided documentation of alerts to parents requesting their assistance to either pick children up early or keep children home. There is no evidence to substantiate the allegations of the center erasing video footage, because Ms. Kinnamen, and Staff #2 stated they do not have access to view the footage without calling the corporate office and requesting the District Manager save the video. District Manager Samantha Young stated video can only be pulled for up to seventy-two hours. There is no evidence to substantiate this compliant for sanitation concerns as staff interviewed denied witnessing the allegation occurred.

Disposition: Substantiated