Early Learning Center Head Start

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 10/20/2022, I initiated my investigation by conducting an onsite inspection where I observed the Head Start preschool classroom and made face to face contact with Child A. Child Care Staff Member 1 and her assistant Child Care Staff Member 5 were present with a total of 15 children in the classroom. Child Care Staff Member 1 explained that Child Care Staff Member 5 started this week in the classroom as an assistant and was not working when the incident occurred. Child A and the other children were observed to be comfortable in the classroom. Child Care Staff Member 1 and Child Care Staff Member 5 were attentive to the children's needs and provided appropriate supervision during the inspection. On 10/20/2022, I interviewed child care staff member Child Care Staff Member 1. Child Care Staff Member 1 expressed that she and former child care staff member Child Care Staff Member 2 take full responsibility for the incident with Child A when he was left behind inside the vestibule of the building. Child Care Staff Member 1 and her assistant Child Care Staff Member 2 were taking their daily morning walk outside with the children around 11:00 a.m. and returned to the front door of the building at about 11:15 a.m. Child Care Staff Member 2 was at the front of the line and Child Care Staff Member 1 was at the back of the line. The children followed Child Care Staff Member 2 through the first door and into the vestibule. Child Care Staff Member 1 waited until the last child entered the vestibule and scanned her key card to open the second set of doors that lead into the building hallway. Initially Child A was observed in the front of the line closer to Child Care Staff Member 2 but then he moved back in line and was looking out the window. Child Care Staff 3 Member 2 started walking forward into the hallway and some of the children started following her, and the rest of the children were with Child Care Staff Member 1 as she was holding the door open to allow everyone inside the building. Child Care Staff Member 1 noticed that Child Care Staff Member 2 was moving too fast down the hallway and some of the children were being left behind in the hallway because the line was breaking off. At the same time, Child Care Staff Member 1 noticed that some of the children were entering the gymnasium which is directly across from the front door of the building and the office. Child Care Staff Member 1 admitted that she must have gotten distracted when she witnessed some of the children running into the gymnasium and was focusing on redirecting them back in line. Child Care Staff Member 1 asked Child Care Staff Member 2 to stop and wait for her while she redirected the children who entered in the gymnasium back in line to return to class. Child Care Staff Member 1 expressed that she thought she did her head count of the children but was too focused on rushing to redirect the children ahead of her out of the gymnasium and had closed the door behind her leaving the vestibule. Child Care Staff Member 1 did not notice anyone in the vestibule and walked towards Child Care Staff Member 2 to have the children catch up to the rest of the class in the hallway. Child Care Staff Member 1 still was at the end of the line as Child Care Staff Member 2 was entering the classroom when the Early Learning Center Principal, Child Care Staff Member 4, had Child A with her and approached to inform Child Care Staff Member 1 that Child A was found alone in the vestibule. Child Care Staff Member 1 was shocked and had never lost a child in her entire career until this incident with Child A. Child A was left alone for only seconds, but even one second was too long. Child Care Staff Member 3, a Great Start to Readiness Program (GSRP) teacher, had walked pass the vestibule shortly after Child Care Staff Member 1's class had turned the hallway towards their class and found Child A alone in the vestibule and took him in the office. As the children were settling in for lunch, Ch

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