• Violation

  R 400.1911 · R 400.1911 Care; supervision; children. (1) A licensee shall ensure appropriate care and supervision of children at all times.

  On 6/8/2023 I completed an onsite inspection and interview with Valerie. Dow. She reported that on 6/2/2023 she had five children in care and her sister came over for a visit. While her sister was visiting, her sister's vehicle would not start. Ms. Dow had her nephew come and take a look at her sister's car. He brought his child, Child A with him while he worked on the car. Child A is a relative of Valerie. Dow. Valerie's nephew needed to run to auto zone for a car part and asked Valerie. Dow if Child A could stay with her while he ran the errand. Since Child A's grandmother was present (Valerie Dow's sister) and she had five children in care, The children, Valerie Dow and her sister were all outside in the approved outdoor area. Valerie Dow and her sister were sitting on the picnic table while the children played with a water table. Child A threw a bucket of water over the top of Child B's head before anyone could stop it from happening. Child B was not upset, but Valerie Dow said she raised her voice and told Child A that was not nice to do. Upon raising her voice, Child A dropped the bucket and ran toward the sidewalk. The home is located at the back of a mobile home village. Child A ran down the sidewalk toward the east side of the mobile home park. Valerie Dow was physically unable to run after Child A and did not want to leave the other children unattended with her sister, as she is not a child care staff member, so her sister took Valerie Dow's car to go and look for Child A. Valerie Dow called the police. She then called Child A's father to let him know what had happened, and then Child A's legal guardian who is his other grandmother. Ms. Dow said that her sister found Child A approximately 15 minutes after Child A ran away. She reported that Child A has many behavior issues, and it was clear to her that he fears being in trouble. She believes that by her raising her voice, it triggered Child A to run thinking he would be in trouble with her. Child A is not an enrolled child in Valerie Dow's child care family home. He was there under the care and supervision of his grandmother while his father ran the errand. Valerie Dow reported that she had the police officer speak with Child A to help him understand the seriousness of his actions. Valerie Dow said she has informed her relatives that Child A is not allowed to come and play while she has children in care because Child A does not listen to instruction. On 7/7/2023 I spoke to Child A's legal guardian and maternal grandmother. She reported that Child A often attempts to run away from teachers in preschool and has many behavior issues. She believes Valerie Dow handled the situation appropriately and she believes that Valerie Dow takes excellent care of the children. I also spoke to Child B's mother and Child C's mother on 7/7/2023. Child B's mother reported that Child B loves attending Valerie Dow's child care home and she has no issues to bring to the bureau's attention. She feels that Valerie Dow goes above and beyond for the children in her care, and she was made aware of the incident involving Child B and the water bucket. Child C's mother reported that she feels Valerie Dow communicates very well about her child, and she had no concerns with supervision or the care Child C receives with Valerie Dow. She reported that she sees Valerie Dow do a lot of hands-on activities with the children and Child C is happy in her care. On 7/18/2023 I spoke to Valerie Dow's sister after leaving a message on 7/7/23. She reported that she stopped by to say hello. When she arrived, her car broke down in Valerie Dow's driveway. She called her son to come and take a look at the car while she visited with Valerie Dow. She explained that her son brought his child (Child A) with him. There was a part needed from the auto store, so Child A was left in her 3 care to play with the other children, not in Valerie Dow's care. She said they were all outside sitting on the picnic table while the chi

Appropriate supervision was not provided when Child A ran away from Valerie Dow, and she could not locate him.

Disposition: Substantiated