Learning Days

591-1-1-.32(7) · Rule 591-1-1-.32(7) requires that children shall be supervised at all times appropriate to the individual age, needs and capabilities of each child. Such supervision must include, but not be limited to, indoor and outdoor activities, mealtimes, naptime, transportation, field trips, and transitions between activities. “Supervision” means that the appropriate number of Staff members are physically present in the area where children are being cared for and are providing watchful oversight to the children, volunteers, and Students-in-Training. The persons supervising in the childcare area must be alert, positioned to maximize their ability to hear and see the children at all times, and able to respond promptly to the needs and actions of the children being supervised, as well as the actions of the volunteers and Students-in-Training, and provide timely attention to the children’s actions and needs. Staff shall be attentive and participating with all children during mealtimes and shall be seated within an arm’s length away from children thirty-six (36) months of age and younger.

During an investigation, it was determined that on June 7, 2024, at approximately 10:15 a.m., a three-year- old child exited the center, crossed a street, and went to a nearby gas station. There were two staff members and 13, three-year-old children in the classroom. Two staff members were attending to children, assisting children change from wet clothing to dry clothing in the bathroom following water play on the playground. Center management inquired of the class ratio, and the first staff member provided the class ratio, and the second staff member realized that there was a missing child based on the information provided. The first staff member searched the classroom for the three-year-old’s whereabouts; however, the child was not present. At the same time, a third staff member was on the playground with their class, when a stranger at the gas station located behind the center approached and notified them that there was a child in the parking lot of the gas station. The third staff member and center management went to the gas station and retrieved the three-year- old child from the parking lot of the gas station. The child was returned to the center at approximately 10:21 a.m. The child was missing for approximately six minutes.

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591-1-1-.32(7) · Rule 591-1-1-.32(7) requires that children shall be supervised at all times. “Supervision” means that the appropriate number of Staff members are physically present in the area where children are being cared for and are providing watchful oversight to the children, chaperones, and Students-in-Training. The persons supervising in the child care area must be alert, able to respond promptly to the needs and actions of the children being supervised, as well as the actions of the chaperones and Students-in-Training, and provide timely attention to the children’s actions and needs.

During an investigation, it was determined that on November 7, 2022, a three-year-old child ran from the childcare center through the parking lot onto a busy street. A staff member ran after the child, and at the same time, the child’s parent arrived catching the child outside and then returned the child to the center. A staff member was returning inside from the playground when the three-year-old child left the classroom and walked out of the building. The child is no longer enrolled. Additionally, based on video footage, at approximately 4:11 p.m., another three-year- old classroom was transitioning from the playground to back inside of the building when a child was observed to be left out of the classroom. The staff member closed the door to the classroom and the child was observed to be in the hallway alone while knocking on the door attempting to get in.

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