On 1/12/21, program director Myrna Hughes called me to report that on 1/11/21 Child A was found alone on a bench in the hallway by his mother when she came to the center to pick him up. On 1/14/21, an incident report was received. Ms. Hughes said that three groups of children were combined playing in the gym and Child A left the gym without the child care staff members in the gym knowing he had left. On 1/14/21, Ms. Hughes submitted an incident report to me describing the incident. The child and staff schedules were reviewed for 1/11/21 and there were 24 children in the gym ages 32 months to 4 years with three staff members. The center was in compliance with child / staff ratios. On 1/19/21, Child A's Mother said that at about 1:00pm on 1/11/21, she arrived at the center to pick up Child A. Usually the children are in the gym at that time. She walked down to Child A's room to get his belongings and saw him sitting alone on a bench in the hallway. Child A told her he was waiting for her. Child A's Mother informed Ms. Hughes that she found Child A and was taking him. Ms. Hughes, Child A's Mother anc Child A then walked down to the gym. Ms. Hughes informed staff member Lisa Parker that Child A had left. Ms. Parker said they didn't know Child A was gone but he probably wasn't gone for that long. The last head count they had done had been accurate. Child A's Mother said that the center has now placed a gate in the gym after the double doors as an extra precaution. On 1/20/21, an unannounced visit was made to the center. Ms. Hughes showed me the temporary gate they had placed in the gym. It was a plastic gate placed between two walls about thirty feet beyond the double doors at the entrance of the gym. It was not secured to either wall and could be moved by a child. She explained it was there temporarily as a barrier to give staff more time to see if a child was leaving the group. They weren't sure if they were going to keep it or secure it to the walls at this point. Child care staff member Lisa Parker was interviewed. Ms. Parker said that her group was the first group in the gym. The other two groups of children with their child care staff members Willow Kinney and Stephanie Beauchamp had been there by about 12:45pm. There were three staff members in the gym except for a few minutes when Ms. Kinney took a bathroom break. Ms. Parker said she didn't see Child A leave, a head count had been done at about 12:45pm. The staff members each did their own count and also did a head count for the gym total when groups were combined. Ms. Parker said that when a new staff member comes in with her group she usually asks them how many children she brought but on that day she hadn't. More head counts probably should have been done. 3 Kristy Smith said she dropped off her four children and didn't stay. Ratios were still in compliance. Ms. Smith said that she usually tells the child care staff members how many children she brought but didn't on that day, it had been a hectic day. She went to her office. While she was in her office, she didn't see Child A walk down the hallway. On 1/28/21, staff member Willow Kinney said that she and Ms. Parker were stationed in the center of the gym having a discussion about after school care. Ms. Beauchamp was stationed near the gym door. One of the children got hit in the nose with a ball and needed an ice pack. Ms. Kinney said she didn't see Child A leave. Each staff member does a head count of their own group and a head count of the total group is also done. The group count hadn't been done yet. On 2/1/21, staff member Stephanie Beauchamp said she didn't see Child A leave the room. When groups combine, one head count is done for everyone. Ms. Beauchamp said that for about five minutes she had been busy while she was in the gym doing an assessment on a child. The child is only at the center once a week and she needed to get her assessment done. I mentioned to her that if she was busy doing that it would be hard

Open Not marked corrected in the state record

Category: supervision. Open / not marked corrected.