R 400.8330 · R 400.8330 Food services and nutrition generally. (4) A center shall ensure a child who has special dietary needs is provided with snacks and meals in accordance with the child's needs and with the instructions of the I child's parent or licensed health care provider.

On October 26, 2022, I spoke with the complainant. The complainant said that Child B was not properly supervised in the classroom or in the gym area. The complainant stated that Child B eats paper in the classroom, and no one pays attention to him. In the gym, Child B walked around holding dumbbells used for exercise. The complainant was concerned for Child B's safety. On 11/01/2022, I conducted an announced inspection at Beverly Hills Academy. I interviewed Program Director Jordan Morvath and Child Care Staff Member Zainab Salahuddin, Tori Koontz, and Nicole Harris. I interviewed Ms. Morvath. She stated she was not notified that Child B ate paper in the classroom or that he used dumbbell weights in the gym. She added that children did not use dumbbells in the gym. The gym does not have a weight room or exercise equipment. Ms. Morvath informed me that Child B has unique needs and classroom staff provide additional supports to ensure his needs are met. She said that Child B's last day is on 11/08/2022. Child B is eligible for more services at a different facility. Once she was aware of the incident, Ms. Morvath contacted Child B's Father to inform him of the incident on 11/01/2022. I interviewed Ms. Salahuddin. She said that Child B has developmental delays and still puts everything in his mouth. Ms. Salahuddin indicated that she constantly observed Child B and checked his mouth to ensure his safety. She stated that on one occasion she gave Child B a cardboard box. He played for a while with it, then began to chew on it. She said she took the box away for his safety. Ms. Salahuddin said that they limit paper to the art area and assist Child B if he interacts with paper. She said that staff provide walking assistance by holding his hands when he transitions around the room, as he is not always steady on his feet. Ms. Salahuddin was not aware that Child B played with dumbbells in the weight room. She had not heard that. 4 I interviewed Ms. Koontz and Harris. Both staff stated they never observed Child B eating paper and have never seen him walk around the gym caring dumbbells. I interviewed Beverly Hills Academy Gym Teacher, John Celebi. He stated there is a supply closet in the gym, but children are not allowed to access the supply closet by themselves. Mr. Celebi recalled the incident, although not the specific day. He said that he was leading Child B's class in games and activities, when he observed Child B walk around the gym with dumbbells. He was not able to recall a specific staff member but said a staff member took the dumbbells from Child B and returned them to the weight room. Mr. Celebi said the storage closet is always locked, however, on this day the room must not have been locked. Therefore, the child was able to gain access to the area and use items that are not approved for child use. Mr. Celebi said the dumbbells belonged to a staff member who is using them for personal exercise. The dumbbells were less than 5 pounds. I observed the gym area. The storage closet is in a small room in a foyer area directly connected to the gym. The storage closet is about 6 feet from the main gym area. Based on the room design, it was determined that Child B left the main gym area and entered the storage room without being noticed by staff members. On 12/14/2022 I spoke to Child A's Father. He stated that he was informed of the incident on 11/01/2022. Child A's Father was thankful he was made aware of incident by Ms. Morvath. He does not have any concerns with the child care facility or supervision provided. Child A no longer attends the facility; however, the reason is unrelated to this incident.

Open Not marked corrected in the state record

Category: supervision. Open / not marked corrected.

R 400.8125 · 1 R 400.8125 Staff; volunteer; requirements. (1)AII staff and volunteers shall provide appropriate care and supervision of children at all times.

On October 26, 2022, I spoke with the complainant. The complainant said children are forced to eat even if they are not hungry. The complainant said that Ms. Salahuddin had children drink milk if they did not want to eat lunch. Ms. Salahuddin asked children "if they wanted milk," if they were not eating. Ms. Salahuddin would try to feed children with a spoon even though they could eat themselves. In addition, Ms. Salahuddin bribed children to eat their lunch food by offering candy. The complainant said Ms. Salahuddin did not observe children for signs of being done eating. If children turned their heads away from the food, she would continue to try to spoon feed the children. On one occasion, the complainant observed Ms. Salahuddin hold a child's face towards food, when she tried to turn away. On November 1, 2022, I interviewed Ms. Morvath, Ms. Salahuddin, Ms. Koontz, and Ms. Harris. All four staff members stated they do not force children to eat or save food to use at a later time. Ms. Morvath indicated that all hot lunch is discarded after children are finished eating. Ms. Salahuddin said hot lunch is thrown away as soon as children are done. She does not save any hot lunch. Ms. Morvath stated that most children in the toddler classroom bring their own lunches. Families do have the opportunity to purchase hot lunch from the school. There are a few children that eat hot lunch. Snacks are provided by families. I observed lunch being served. Staff members set up meals for children. They provided each child with a plate and placed individual foods on each plate for children to eat. Children that were served hot lunch, had it delivered on a tray from the school cafeteria. One child had a hot lunch from the cafeteria. This child's food was discarded after he had eaten. I reviewed a daily sheet. The daily sheets are completed on the Transparent Schools program. Ms. Salahuddin showed me how she logs children's meals, sends emails, and tracks other child information in the Transparent Schools program website/application. Ms. Salahuddin stated she would never force a child to eat. If children do not want their lunch, they can pick snacks in their lunch box to eat. She stated she is not worried if a child eats much or not. She denied feeding children stating she gives children a fork to use to eat. Food is discarded if it's not eaten. Candy is not allowed in the classroom and is not used to bribe children. Any treats that are distributed at school are sent home for children; they do not eat treats at the school. Ms. Salahuddin said she does not force children to drink milk. It is offered, but never forced. Only children that receive hot lunch are served milk at lunch time. A Ms. Koontz said children are not force-fed. If they are offered something and they do not want it, they choose something else to eat. She has never observed children eating after they show signs of fullness. Ms. Koontz stated that staff do not bribe children with candy or treats and she has not observed any other staff member bribe children. Children are offered choices at snack and meal time. If children do not want something offered, they are given other snacks to choose from. Ms. Koontz said children are not forced to drink milk. They are offered milk, but it is up to the child if they would like to drink milk or not. Ms. Harris said she has observed two lunch times with the children. She stated on 10/31/2022, two children did not want to eat lunch. Those children were not forced to eat, rather they were offered a second choice. Ms. Harris did not observe children bribed with candy or forced to drink milk. I observed the following interactions: Child: "No tomatoes!" Ms. Salahuddin: "Do you want something else then?" Child: "I don't like it (points to noodle cup) Ms. Salahuddin: "You have cucumbers and peppers." Ms. Salahuddin: "You do not have to eat your noodles if you don't want." Child: "I want pretzels." Ms. Salahuddin: gives child pretzels. Child: "My tummy

Open Not marked corrected in the state record

Category: supervision. Open / not marked corrected.