Any person, while on child care center premises, shall not engage in or direct any of the following actions toward children: Hit, spank, beat, shake, pinch, or any other measure that produces physical discomfort
A citation is issued for inappropriate discipline based on multiple incidents reported during staff interviews. Although no specific dates were provided, staff accounts identified several instances in which children were subjected to disciplinary actions that do not comply with program policy or state regulations. One incident involved a child being slapped on the hand during lunchtime after being told “no.” This incident was directly witnessed by staff who was present in the classroom and could hear the slap at the time. Staff reported that the slap occurred as a response to the child’s behavior and was not an approved or developmentally appropriate method of guidance. Additional incidents of concern were reported during interviews, but the program was unable to provide dates or supporting documentation for any of the occurrences. The multiple staff reports indicate a pattern of disciplinary practices that fail to meet required standards for safe and appropriate child guidance.