R 400.8365 · R 400.8365 Heating; temperature. (1) The temperature in child use areas must be maintained at a safe and comfortable level so that children in care do not become overheated or chilled. 5

On August 8, 2023, I made an unscheduled inspection to the child care center and spoke to Interim Program Director, Jesse Trowbridge, Child Care Staff Member 1, Child Care Staff Member 2, Child Care Staff Member 3, and Child Care Staff Member 4 about the allegation. Jesse Trowbridge stated that the center is equipped with central air conditioning, but the unit broke on July 31, 2023, and the district maintenance director told her that a part had been ordered to repair the unit, but he did not yet have a timeline on the repair. The center has one portable air conditioning unit in Room 211 for the younger children and fans in the other classrooms, but she acknowledged that it has "gotten hot" in the building on multiple occasions since the air conditioning broke last week and they are managing as best as they can until it is repaired. The main thermostat, located in the 2 gymnasium, has indicated a temperature as high as 86 degrees Fahrenheit, but she denied ever seeing it reach 90 degrees Fahrenheit. On the day it reached 86 degrees Fahrenheit inside the facility, she said it was cooler outside, so they took children outdoors for a while and then to rooms where there were two fans blowing to circulate the air and another classroom that has a portable air conditioning unit. Jesse Trowbridge stated that they have tried to open the windows to get more air, but they do not open very far. They have turned the lights off in the classrooms and the hallways, given the children water bottles and cups of cool water with ice, and set up sprinklers for water days since the air conditioning has been broken as ways to keep the children cool. Jesse Trowbridge said some parents have commented to her that it is hot in the building, but she has not received any other complaints about the temperature in the child use areas. I asked Jesse Trowbridge to give me a tour of the facility so I could see the child use spaces. She took me to Room 211 that is used for the preschool children. There was a portable air conditioning unit running in the classroom, the blinds were drawn to keep out the sunlight, and the lights were off. I took out my thermometer and recorded the temperature in the room as 72.7 degrees Fahrenheit at 9:30 AM. The next room we visited was the cafeteria. The blinds were drawn, the lights were off, and one fan was running at the back of the room. The cafeteria temperature measured at 74.7 degrees Fahrenheit at 9:32 AM. Next, we went into Room 203 that is used by the school-age children. There was one large box-fan turned on high and located in the corner of the classroom. Jesse Trowbridge said there are usually two fans in the room, but a child care staff member must have moved one to a different location in the building. The blinds were drawn in the room and the lights were off. The temperature in the school-age classroom was 75.1 degrees Fahrenheit at 9:35 AM. Jesse Trowbridge said the gymnasium is usually the warmest room in the center. We went in there and I observed two fans running at different ends of the room, the blinds were drawn, and the lights were off. The thermostat in the gymnasium indicated a temperature of 74 degrees Fahrenheit. The last classroom Jesse Trowbridge showed me was the art room but said it was not currently being used because of the concerns with the room temperatures. The blinds were drawn, and the lights were off. The temperature of the room was 73.7 degrees Fahrenheit at 9:40 AM. I asked Jesse Trowbridge why they were using a portable air conditioning unit in the office when it could be used for cooling the school-age children in care. She took me into the office and showed me how the unit was attached to a large piece of plexiglass that was anchored to the window allowing the unit to vent out the window. She said she had discussed the possibility of moving the unit to the school-age room, but maintenance said it would require a lot of work and they expected that the air conditioning in the building w

Open Not marked corrected in the state record

Category: recordkeeping. Open / not marked corrected.

R 400.8122 · R 400.8122 (5) Lead caregivers shall meet 1 of the following qualifications shown in Table 3: Table 3 Lead Caregiver Qualifications Coursework in Early Childhood Hours of Education Education or Experience Child Development Bachelor's degree or higher in (a) early childhood education or child development (b) Montessori credential 480 hours Associate's degree in early (c) childhood education or child development including (d) Valid child development 480 hours associate credential with 3 High school diploma or GED 12 semester (e) 960 hours with hours and 12 semester hours, 18 CEUs or a High school diploma or GED (f) combination 1,920 hours with to equal 180 clock hours with 6 semester hours, 9 CEUs or a High school diploma or GED combination 3,840 hours (g) with to equal 90 clock hours with

On 4/15/2022 I conducted and onsite inspection and interviews with program director Gracen Yates, and lead caregivers Kayla Lopshire and Jesse Trowbridge. Ms. Yates reported that in the last month she has given Ms. Lopshire and Ms. Trowbridge a promotion to the position of a lead caregiver based on rule 400.8122(5)(g). Ms. Yates provided me with the staff files for both caregivers. I verified that Ms. Lopshire and Ms. Trowbridge both have high school diplomas on file, with 9 CEU's in early childhood and they have been employed at Kids Club for eight years which more than meets the hours of experience required by rule 400.8122(5)(g). Ms. Lopshire said she has worked at this child care center for eight years and worked in another center prior to starting at this center. Ms. Trowbridge reported that she has also worked in this facility for eight years and did student teaching in a classroom prior to this. They both reported to having taken more training than required by the child care licensing rules each year and have more CEU's than required.

Open Not marked corrected in the state record

Category: recordkeeping. Open / not marked corrected.