Christ Liberty Ministry Early Learning Center

R 400.8140 · R 400.8140 Discipline. (2) All of the following means of punishment are prohibited: (a) Hitting, spanking, shaking, biting, pinching, or inflicting other forms of corporal punishment.

On January 19, 2022, I initiated my investigation by interviewing Child A's Mother. Child A is currently enrolled in the Great Start Readiness Program preschool room with child care staff members Jennifer LaLonde-Masterson and Theresa Banks. Child A was attending child care at Christ Liberty and then transitioned to their preschool program. Child A struggled with the transition from child care to the preschool program where he can be disruptive in the class. Child A often has difficulty losing a game and will express himself with a temper tantrum in the classroom setting. Child A reported that he sometimes is taken to the office to take a break from the class and child care staff member/administrator Tori Ross and licensee designee Toni Thompson work with him to calm him down and talk to him. Child A expressed that some time last year while he was talking to Ms. Ross outside the classroom, she pinched him. Another time Child A was tapped on his bottom by Ms. Thompson who was assisting him after getting in trouble in the classroom. Child A's Mother has never witnessed any of the child care staff members to physically discipline the children and she has never seen a physical bruise or suspicious mark on Child A's body. Child A continues to attend the GSRP program at Christ Liberty and acknowledges that he can be difficult but the child care staff members are doing their best to assist him. On January 20, 2022, I conducted an unannounced onsite inspection where I arrived at 3:30 p.m. and observed the GSRP classroom with child care staff members Jennifer LaLonde-Masterson and Theresa Banks. There were eleven children present in the classroom and all of the children were comfortable and relaxed with the child care staff members. None of the children present were fearful of Ms. LaLonde-Masterson or Ms. Banks. Ms. LaLonde-Masterson and Ms. Banks were observed to be engaged and bonded with the children. I observed both Ms. LaLonde-Masterson and Ms. Banks to appropriately redirect the children and comfort them when they were upset. I also observed child care staff member Ms. Ross and licensee designee Ms. Thompson with assisting the children to their parents towards the end of the day, and the children were all comfortable with them during their interactions together. On March 15, 2022, I interviewed parents that have children enrolled in the GSRP preschool classroom. Child B's Mother expressed that she has never witnessed nor ever has Child B reported of any physical discipline that occurs at the center. There has never been a concern regards to how the child care staff members and Ms. Thompson have interacted with the children. The child care staff provide redirection, talk to the 3 children, and if a time out is needed, they offer the children a break from the situation that is upsetting. Child B is very comfortable with all the child care staff members that she interacts with and there are no concerns with inappropriate discipline. Child C's Father stated that he has never had any concerns about the child care staff members or Ms. Thompson inappropriately physically disciplining Child C or any of the children in the classroom. Child C has never come home with any kind of suspicious injury or mark and has never expressed any concern. Child C loves attending his preschool. Child D's Mother explained that Child D has been attending Christ Liberty since he was an infant and there has never been a concern of any kind of inappropriate or physical discipline that occurs with the child care staff members and Ms. Thompson. Ms. Thompson has high expectations for her staff and operates with love and passion. Child D loves his preschool classroom and teachers and has never reported any kind of concern. Child E's Mother expressed that Child E loves to go to school at Christ Liberty and has never been physically disciplined. There has never been a time where there was any concern with any of the child care staff members or with Ms. Thompson. Chi

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R 400.8176 · R 400.8176 Sleeping equipment. (5) A cot or a mat and a sheet or blanket of appropriate size must be provided as follows: (a) For all preschoolers 3 years of age and older in care for 5 or more continuous hours.

On January 19, 2022, I interviewed Child A's Mother. Child A's Mother expressed that since the beginning of Covid-19 Christ Liberty has not provided blankets for the preschool children. The parents were informed during a group parent meeting that the children should layer up in clothing and if they need to cover themselves, they can utilize their coats. Many of the parents disagreed and requested that this change because the children are not comfortable resting on their cots without a blanket. On January 20, 2022, I conducted an unannounced onsite inspection and observed the preschool GSRP classroom. I did not observe any blankets stored in the classroom nor outside of the classroom in the center. On March 15, 2022, I interviewed parents that have children enrolled in the GSRP preschool classroom. Child A's Mother, Child B's Mother, Child C's Father, Child D's Mother, Child E's Mother, Child F's Mother, Child G's Mother, Child H's Mother, Child I's Mother, and Child J's Mother all expressed that the center does not provide blankets to their preschoolers and have been told to layer up with clothes. If a child requests to be covered during nap time, the child care staff members have the children use their coats to cover themselves. The parents expressed that it is upsetting that they cannot utilize blankets. The blankets were used before Covid-19, however, the center decided to stop utilizing the blankets as a precaution from Covid-19 virus. On March 16, 2022, I interviewed child care staff members Jennifer LaLonde- Masterson, Theresa Banks, Tori Ross, and licensee designee Toni Thompson. Ms. LaLonde-Masterson, Ms. Banks, Ms. Ross, and Ms. Thompson all stated that once Covid-19 began they chose as a center to not utilize blankets to take extra precaution with the virus. Ms. Thompson expressed that they can absolutely reinstate blankets for the preschoolers and will ensure that they are never shared and covered in individual bags for safety purposes.

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R 400.8330 · R 400.8330 Food services and nutrition generally. (10) Menus must be planned in advance, dated, and posted in a place visible to parents. Food substitutions must be noted on the menus the day the substitution occurs.

During the onsite inspection, I observed in the preschool classroom and in the kitchen area the center's monthly menu posted. However, the menu is not posted in an area where it is visible for the parents since they cannot enter the building due to Covid-19 safety rotocols.

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R 400.8155 · 1 R 400.8155 Child accidents and incidents; child and staff illness. (4) If a center becomes aware that a staff member, volunteer, or child in care has contracted a communicable disease, then the center shall notify parents and provide all of the following information: (a) The name of the communicable disease the children were exposed to. (b) The symptoms of the disease. (c) Prevention measures as recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) at the following website: ://www.cdc.gov/DiseasesConditions. 1

On October 13, 2021, I initiated the investigation by interviewing child care staff member Sharvondia Powel. Ms. Powel explained that there was an outbreak of Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease (HFMD) in September and she believes that the parents were not properly notified by the center upon knowledge of the first confirmed case in the toddler classroom. Over the month of September, most of the children contracted HFMD. Ms. Thompson did not reach out to the parents on a timely basis because by the time the first case was confirmed in the classroom, other children started getting sick. Ms. Thompson did eventually notify the parents and it was decided that the toddler classroom would close temporarily until all the children were cleared of their symptoms from HFMD. The classroom was closed for about a month. Ms. Powel expressed that the classroom was supposed to be sanitized while it was closed, however, she never witnessed it be cleaned and she is no longer working at the center. On October 15, 2021, I Interviewed Child A's Mother. Child A is enrolled in Christ Liberty and attends the toddler room. Child A's Mother explained that she reached out to Ms. Thompson first thing Monday morning on September 20, 2021, at around 6:30 a.m. in the morning to inform her that Child A was sick over the weekend and after taking him to the doctor he was diagnosed with HFMD. Ms. Thompson documented the confirmed case of HFMD. Ms. Thompson expressed that morning she was still waiting to hear back from another parent in the classroom if after the child got sick last week if that child was diagnosed with HFMD. Child A's Mother explained that she notified Ms. Thompson and did express her disappointment when it was discovered that there might have been an earlier case of HFMD with another child in the classroom. There were some rumors between the parents, but nothing was officially addressed until September 20, 2021, when she informed Ms. Thompson. Afterwards, Ms. Thompson called all the parents. Most of the children in the classroom contracted HFMD and Ms. Thompson informed parents that the classroom would need to be closed to clean and ensure that the virus does not continue to spread. The classroom was closed for a month and it just opened up again this week. After having a conversation with Ms. Thompson there was a better understanding of what occurred in terms of communication of the possible case prior to her own child's diagnosis. Throughout the shutdown of the class, Ms. Thompson kept checking in on the status of the children's health. Except for the initial 3 confusion of whether another child was diagnosed or not, Child A's Mother did not have any concerns and Child A loves attending. On October 18, 2021, I conducted an unannounced onsite inspection. I arrived at 2:40 p.m. I observed the toddler room and child care staff member Sherrie Rodger verified that the classroom reopened recently after being closed for nearly a month because of the HFMD spread throughout the class starting in September. I interviewed Tori Ross, child care staff member. Ms. Ross expressed the center did everything possible to ensure the safety and well-being of the children and their families. As soon as the center was informed of a confirmed HFMD case, Ms. Ross and Ms. Thompson began notifying the parents and asking them to monitor any symptoms and go to the doctor immediately if they get ill. Parents were being notified by phone and in person if they could not reach them over the phone the initial day that a case was confirmed among the children in the toddler room. The classroom was shut down for a month to make sure there would be no further spread of the virus after it was confirmed. On December 9, 2021, I interviewed Child B's Mother. Child B's Mother stated that Child B is enrolled in the toddler room and in September she was notified by the center in person by either Ms. Ross or Ms. Thompson that there was a confirmed case of HFMD with another child in the class

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R 400.8137 · R 400.8137 Diapering; toileting. (6) Diapers and training pants must be checked frequently and changed when wet or soiled.

On October 13, 2021, I interviewed child care staff member Sharvondia Powel. Ms. Powel expressed that she has seen in the infant room where infants are going home with diaper rashes and wet because the infants are not being cleaned. On October 18, 2021, I conducted an onsite inspection and observed three infants in the room with child care staff member Teree Harris. I observed Ms. Harris in the middle of changing diapers and documenting her wet diaper change for the parents. On October 18, 2021, I interviewed Tori Ross, child care staff member and licensee Toni Thompson. Ms. Ross and Ms. Thompson expressed that all the staff change the toddler and infant's diapers regularly and they document all the status changes for the parents to have. They try to do their best in keeping up and ensuring that the children are kept dry and clean. On December 9, 2021, I interviewed Child B's Mother, Child C's Mother, Child E's Mother, Child F's Mother, Child H's Mother, and Child I and they all expressed that the child care staff members do a good job of regularly changing their children's diapers and have not experienced any diaper rashes as a result of not changing them. The child care staff provide daily notes of the children's diaper, sleeping, and feeding schedule and communicate it to the parents. The children are always clean upon pick up and there were no specific concerns. On December 9, 2021, I interviewed Child D's Mother. Child D is enrolled in the toddler room with child care staff member Sherrie Rodgers. Child D's Mother expressed that her daughter has been experiencing diaper rashes and it is critical that her diaper is changed regularly. On December 3, 2021, Child D was picked up from the center and when they arrived home to change her for bath time, Child D was observed to have redness and gashes on her bottom as if she had been sitting in a soiled diaper all day. Child D was uncomfortable and in pain with a fever of 101 degrees Fahrenheit. Child D was taken to Children's Hospital with a urinary trac infection and is being treated for the infection. According to Child D's Mother, Child 7 D did not have a diaper rash the morning of December 3, 2021, however, came home with one. On December 9, 2021, I interviewed Child G's Mother. Child G attends the infant room with child care staff member Teree Harris. Child G's Mother expressed that Child G would come home with a diaper rash and then they would clear it out over the weekend and return to care the following week with another rash. After a couple times of this, it was decided to pull out Child G from child care. On December 9, 2021, I interviewed child care staff member Sherrie Rodgers. Ms. Rodgers stated that as child care staff members they do their best to keep up with all the diaper changes and before any child goes home, they are changing them to ensure they are dry. The children are never returned home with dirty clothes. If there is an accident, then they change the children's clothes. Regarding Child D, upon enrollment Child D struggled with diaper rashes and something that is an issue at home. Child D is regularly changed and given creams to soothe her skin, however, she was never left in soiled diapers all day. On December 9, 2021, I interviewed licensee designee, Toni Thompson. Ms. Thompson stated that she observes daily her child care staff in both the infant and toddler rooms changing diapers and they make sure to change them once more upon parent pick up. Upon enrollment Child D already had a history of diaper rashes and sensitive skin that was documented in her daily schedule log from October 2021 to present. Child care staff would regularly put diaper cream and keep Child D clean, however, she still had issues. Ms. Thompson explained that she did not witness on December 3, 2021 that Child D went home with soiled diaper. On December 10, 2021, Ms. Thompson sent copies of Child D's daily diapering status upon enrollment through December 2021 to review. The diaper

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R 400.8335 · R 400.8335 Food services and nutrition; provided by center. (11) Prepared bottles and beverage containers of milk and formula must be refrigerated and labeled with the child's first and last name, date, and time of preparation.

On October 13, 2021, I interviewed child care staff member Sharvondia Powel. Ms. Powel expressed that bottles and cups in both the infant and toddler room are regularly not labeled by child care staff. On October 18, 2021, I conducted an onsite inspection. I observed in the toddler room child care staff members Sherrie Rodgers and Ceira Robinson with five toddlers present. Ms. Rodgers was cleaning out the sippy cups from the children and I observed she had names with labels prepared to reapply to the sippy cups after they dried. In the infant room I observed child care staff member Teree Harris attending to three infants in her care and there were four bottles that were not labeled. Ms. Harris expressed that she typically labels the bottles if the parents do not, however, today she did not and can identify each bottle for the infants. Ms. Thompson was present during the walk through of the classroom and expressed that the bottles will be immediately labeled. On December 9, 2021, I interviewed Child B's Mother, Child C's Mother, Child E's Mother, Child F's Mother, and Child I who all expressed no concerns regarding bottles being labeled. On December 9, 2021, I interviewed Child G's Mother. Child G attends the infant room with child care staff member Teree Harris. Child G's Mother expressed that she would send her bottles labeled and one time the bottle that was returned was not Child G's. It was addressed with the center and both Ms. Ross and Ms. Thompson were apologetic about it, however, it occurred a second time and she chose to take her daughter out after the second mix up of bottles. rj On December 9, 2021, I interviewed Child H's Mother. Child H attends the infant room with child care staff member Teree Harris and overall satisfied with the level of care being provided, however, there have been times when Child H's bottles were labeled from home would then be returned with no labels on Child H's bottle. It was always the same bottle and never a mix up, but sometimes the label would be missing at the end of the day. On December 10, 2021, I interviewed child care staff member Ceira Robinson. Ms. Robinson stated that she and other staff ensure that all bottles and sippy cups are labeled and knows that this is a rule requirement to ensure the safety of the children.

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R 400.8335 · R 400.8335 Food services and nutrition; provided by center. (8) All of the following apply to milk: (a) Containers must be labeled with the date opened.

On October 13, 2021, I interviewed child care staff member Sharvondia Powel. Ms. Powel stated that the child care staff in the toddler room never label their gallon milks after they open them and that she has personally witnessed this multiple times. On October 18, 2021, I conducted an onsite inspection where I observed the toddler room and child care staff members Sherrie Rodgers and Ceira Robinson. I observed in the classroom's refrigerator one gallon milk opened that had not been labeled when it was opened and found it to have an expiration date of October 15, 2021. Ms. Rodgers stated that she did not realize that the milk was still in the refrigerator and apologized that she did not label this gallon of milk. The milk was not given to the children. Ms. Rodgers expressed that she understands she is supposed to label the milk once opened and forgot. Ms. Thompson was present during the walk through of the classroom and expressed that the expired milk will be 10 thrown out immediately. I observed in the center's kitchen seven unopened one gallon of milk with expiration date of October 29, 2021 and one gallon of unopened orange juice with an expiration date of November 8, 2021. On December 9, 2021, I interviewed child care staff member Sherrie Rodgers. Ms. Rodges stated that ever since her mistake during the onsite inspection, she is far more careful and always double checks her gallon milks and when she opens them, she ensures the milk is labeled. On December 10, 2021, I interviewed child care staff member Ceira Robinson. Ms. Robinson expressed that immediately once the gallon milks are opened either herself or Ms. Rodgers ensures that a label is placed to indicate the date opened.

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R 400.8170 · R 400.8170 Outdoor play area. ............... (10) An outdoor play area and any equipment located on the center's premises must be maintained in a safe condition and inspected daily before use to ensure that no hazards are present.

On October 13, 2021, I interviewed child care staff member Sharvondia Powel. Ms. Powel stated that she has seen spiderwebs in the outdoor play area playhouse. On October 15, 2021, I Interviewed Child A's Mother. Child A's Mother expressed that she has never seen the outdoor play area to be dirty or unsafe for children to play. On October 18, 2021, I conducted an onsite inspection. I observed the outdoor play area playhouse with Ms. Thompson and found the playhouse to be clean and in safe condition. 11 On December 9, 2021, I interviewed Child B's Mother, Child C's Mother, Child D's Mother, Child E's Mother, Child F's Mother, Child G's Mother, Child H's Mother, and Child I all expressed that they have never seen the outdoor play area playhouse to be dirty or filled with excessive spiderwebs. On December 9, 2021, I interviewed child care staff member Sherrie Rodgers. Ms. Rodges expressed that she has never observed the outdoor play area playhouse to be dirty or unclean. The playhouse and grounds are maintained very well. On December 10, 2021, I interviewed child care staff member Teree Harris and Ceira Robinson. Both Ms. Harris and Ms. Robinson expressed that they have never seen the outdoor play area to be dirty or unclean for the children to play in.

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