• Violation

  R 400.8167(3) · 1 R 400.8167(3) Indoor space. (3) A center shall provide a floor plan of all child use areas to the department at initial licensure and before making structural changes or adding any child use space. Only space that has received prior approval for child use by the department may be used for child care.

  Interviews with child care staff members and parents indicate that the center has been using the green room gymnasium and the other gymnasium onsite. Neither gymnasium has been approved for use by the department.

  Open Not marked corrected in the state record

  Category: physical safety. Open / not marked corrected.

• Violation

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

  On 06/23/2022, I interviewed the complainant. On 06/17/2022, the complainant arrived at the center around 9:00 AM. Neither classroom had any children or staff present. There was a sign on the door to the classrooms which stated that the classrooms were in the gymnasium. The complainant walked to the office where there was an unknown female child by herself crying and hiding under the desk. The complainant tried to locate a child care staff member, but she could not locate one. The complainant found all child care staff members and roughly 12 children in the gymnasium. The complainant informed a staff member about the child in the office crying. A staff member with long dark hair acknowledged that there is a child in the office and then this staff member took the complainant to the infant classroom. The complainant reported that the unknown female child was in the office the entire duration of their visit which was about 20 minutes. On 06/23/2022, I interviewed Child A and B's Mother. Child A had been picked up by the maternal grandmother on 06/17/2022. She was not aware that her daughter was left unsupervised in the office. She is not aware of the center completing an incident report unless her mother signed it during pick up. Child A and B's Mother denied having any concerns regarding care and supervision prior to this incident. She denied Child A ever being severely injured while at the center. She denied having any other concerns involving the center at this time. On 06/23/2022, I made an unannounced visit to the Little Mitten Child Care Center from 12:50 PM to 3:00 PM. Upon arrival, I went to the infant and toddler classroom where I found program director Ms. Haley Peterman and child care staff member Ms. Jazzlyn Wojnaroski present with seven children. I requested child information cards, child attendance, and staff attendance records. I took pictures of all the requested documents. In the preschool classroom, child care staff members Ms. Makayla Veitch and Hope Swenor were present with 11 children. I discussed the investigation with Ms. Veitch. She was not aware of any incidents involving a child being left unsupervised. I mentioned Child A being left unsupervised in the office on 06/17/2022. Ms. Veitch discussed Child A having a rough day on 06/17/2022, resulting in her crying and needing sometime to calm down. Child A was placed in the office with Ms. Peterman while their classroom was in the green room gymnasium. Ms. Veitch was adamant that Ms. Peterman was in the office with Child A the entire time. Since both Ms. Veitch and Ms. Swenor were busy with the children and needed for ratio, I informed them that I would contact them outside of work. I went back to the infant classroom and spoke to Ms. Peterman and Ms. Wojnaroski about the special investigation timeframes, procedures, and that I would be contacting them later to conduct interviews. I then met with licensee designee Ms. Nichole Veitch in her office. I informed her of the investigation. I inquired about the incident involving Child A. Ms. Veitch stated that on 06/17/2022, Child A was upset, and she was allowed to calm down in the office with Ms. Peterman. Ms. Peterman left Child A unsupervised for no more than A 15 seconds to go to the green room gymnasium to speak to a child care staff member. I informed Ms. Veitch that I am going to forensically interview Child A while I am at the center. Ms. Veitch stated that I needed parent permission before she would allow me to speak to her. I confirmed that I would need parental permission to interview Child A. I contacted Child A and B's Mother and put her on speaker phone. I discussed why I was present at the center and forensic interview protocol. Child A and B's Mother gave me permission to interview Child A while onsite at the center. On 06/23/2022, I conducted a forensic interview with Child A. No other staff were present for the interview. When Child A walked into the office, she began discussing the 06/17/2022 i

On 06/17/2022, Child A (4-year-old, female) was unsupervised in the center office while all of the children and child care staff members were in the gymnasium. 5 On 06/17/2022, a wooden door leading to the center classrooms was propped open even though there is a sign posted on it stating that the door must be closed at all times. On 06/23/2022, I interviewed the complainant. On 06/17/2022, the complainant arrived at the center around 9 AM to see the wooden door leading to the center 11 located through the front entrance propped open. There is a sign on this door which states that the door must remain closed at all times. On 06/23/2022, I made an unannounced visit to the Little Mitten Child Care Center from 12:50 PM to 3:00 PM. Upon arrival, I went to the office to inform the center of the investigation. I observed a note on the wooden door leading to the center. The note stated, "Please keep this door closed at all times." The door was closed and not propped open upon my arrival. On 08/01/2022, I spoke to Qualified Fire Inspector Art Shaw. He confirmed that the wooden door (2 hour rated) leading to the two classrooms at the center is required to be closed at all times if others are accessing the parts of the building not used by the center unless it contains an electric magnet device. On 08/01/2022, I followed up with licensee designee Erin Carnes. She confirmed that parts of the building are used by the Youth Center and a Tai Kwan Do business. She confirmed that the wooden door leading to the two center classrooms does not contain an electric magnet device. On 08/01/2022, I followed up with child care staff member Amber Fenbert. She has seen the wooden door leading to the classrooms propped open. She normally sees parents propping it open and she will close this door when she sees it has been propped open. On 08/01/2022, 1 followed up with child care staff members Jazzlyn Wojnaroski and Hope Swenor. They denied ever witnessing the wooden door leading to the center classrooms propped open. APPLICABLE RULE R 400.8515(6)(a) Construction. (6) All vertical openings and stairways that are not required shall be constructed and arranged with effective fire and smoke separation under the requirements of standard partition construction. All door openings shall be as follows: (a) Protected with 1% -inch flush solid core wood doors or 20- minute labeled fire-rated doors. ANALYSIS: Interviews with the complainant and child care staff member Amber Fenbert indicate that the wooden door leading to the center classrooms has been left propped open. CONCLUSION: I VIOLATION ESTABLISHED 12 On 06/29/2022, Child C (4-month-old, female) was sleeping in an infant bouncy seat with a blanket draped over Child C's nose on 06/29/2022.

Disposition: Substantiated