Gilden Woods Early Care and Preschool

R 400.8330 · R 400.8330 Food services and nutrition generally. (4)A center shall ensure a child who has special dietary needs is provided with snacks and meals in accordance with the child's needs and with the instructions of the child's parent or licensed health care provider.

On 5/10/22, I made a telephone call to the complainant to gain further information regarding the complaint. On 5/10/22, I interviewed Child A's Mother via telephone. According to Child A's Mother, Child A has been diagnosed with having Celiac disease and is on a gluten free diet. Child A's Mother said she made the center aware of Child A's illness and special diet at the time of enrollment. When Child A is exposed to a gluten product, her symptoms tend to start 2-4 hours after exposure and continue for up to 2 weeks. Child A is particularly sensitive and very small amounts of gluten can make her "really sick." She gets nauseated, has diarrhea, excessive gas & bloating, and fatigue. It is hard to say where she feels pain, but she may also have joint pain and headaches that last several days. The diarrhea causes painful and blistering diaper rash. According to Child A's Mother there is no cure for Celiac disease, the only treatment is to avoid exposure. Child A has been enrolled in care at the center since February of 2021. Since that timeframe, there have been multiple occasions when Child A has been exposed to foods containing gluten (wheat, barley, rye, etc.) which most recently occurred on 5/5/22 when Child A picked up a small piece of pop tart from the hallway of the center as Child A's Mother walked Child A down to her classroom. Child A's Mother made the center and child care staff members aware of Child A's exposure. According to Child A's Mother when she made a child care staff member in the Lyrics room aware of Child A feeling poorly from her gluten exposure on 5/5/22, the child care staff member made a comment "oh, after getting into that pop tart yesterday?" The child care staff member said she was joking when she made the comment and did not realize that the pop tart actually made her sick. 3 Child A's Mother said the tone of the child care staff members voice made Child A's Mother feel like the child care staff member did not understand Child A's medical needs or she does not tack the medical needs seriously. Child A's Mother feels the child care staff members need to have more training on gluten free foods and the effects exposure have on children and also be informed how it is inappropriate to joke about a child's medical condition. On 6/13/22, Child A's Mother informed me that Child A may have been exposed to a food containing gluten when Child A found a single cheerio on the floor of her classroom, put the cheerio it in her mouth, crunched it once in her mouth before a child care staff member had her spit it out. The cheerio was in two pieces when Child A spit it out in the trash can. It is unknown if this was a regular cheerio or if it was a left over from Child A's accepted gluten free cereal that resembled cheerios. Child A's Mother felt the center was more reactive and informative with this exposure incident as they immediately had Child A spit out the cheerio into the trash can, rinse her mouth, informed Child A's Mother of the exposure, gave her ibuprofen, and monitored her symptoms. Child A's Mother said the child care staff members need to mirror what she does at home by teaching and verbalizing to Child A that she should not pick up or ingest the items as they can be harmful to her and make her sick. On 6/30/22, Child A's Mother informed me that Child A may have had another food exposure as Child A was given regular yogurt for the afternoon snack in lieu of the snack she had sent for Child A. Child A's Mother also informed me that the last couple of days Child A has been coming home with a soiled diaper and she is unsure if they have been changing Child A at the center. On 5/11/22, I conducted an unannounced onsite inspection at the center and separately interviewed Ms. Jill Funk, program director and Ms. Karena Wilcox, assistant program director. I informed both Ms. Funk and Ms. Wilcox of the allegation. They both confirmed Child A being enrolled in care at the center and having a special gluten free

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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.

The center did not ensure Child A's diaper was checked or changed frequently on 6/28/30 until 6/30/22 as Child A came home with a soiled diaper on each occasion. Neither Mr. Miller nor Mr. Fuller, child care staff members working in the Pedal room on the above-mentioned days could not recall checking or changing Child A's diaper late in the day near the time of pick up.

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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 4/21/22, I received a telephone call from Ms. Michelle Gleed, child care licensing consultant. Ms. Gleed informed me that she was recently onsite at the center to complete their renewal inspection. While onsite, Ms. Gleed observed all of the classrooms and child care staff member interactions with the children. During her observation, she did not observe any child care staff member, including Ms. Wilcox use any foul language or belittle other child care staff members. Ms. Gleed said the child care staff members she observed acted professional and appropriate during her onsite inspection. On 4/22/22, I conducted an unannounced onsite inspection to the center and Interviewed Ms. Jill Funk, program director. I informed Ms. Funk of the allegations. Ms. Funk said on a couple of occasions, she has heard Ms. Karena Wilcox use foul language, saying the word "damn," while working at the center. Ms. Funk did not provide any specific incidents regarding when Ms. Wilcox used foul language while working at the center but informed me that it was said randomly when she hurt herself but was not done around the child care children nor their parents. Ms. Funk said that Ms. Wilcox is very professional when dealing with the child care children, their parents and the child care staff members. Ms. Funk denied seeing or hearing Ms. Wilcox belittle any child care staff members or make them cry. Ms. Funk informed me that part of her and Ms. Wilcox's administrative duties are to work with both the child care families and child care staff members. Ms. Funk said as the program director, her focus is primarily emphasized more working with the child care children and their families, while Ms. Wilcox devotes her time to training and working with the child care staff members. If a child care staff member was in need of disciplinary action, Ms. Wilcox would talk to the child care staff member regarding what took place, look for a resolution to the problem, and if necessary, provide additional training or disciplinary action if necessary. Ms. Funk also denied ever seeing any child care staff members, including herself or Ms. Wilcox "brush off' any situation when a child care staff member was rough with a child. Ms. Funk said the center works hard to maintain compliance with the licensing rules and assure the child care children are being provided with optimum care and supervision each day. Ms. Funk informed me that recently, an incident happened involving a child care staff member picking up a child incorrectly, as the child care staff member reached over and grabbed the child with one hand in lieu of using the correct method to pick up the child by using two hands and picking up the child under the arm pits. This incident was addressed by the centers supervision that included Ms. Funk and Ms. Wilcox and the child care staff member. Ms. Wilcox discussed with the child care staff member on the proper way to lift and pick up a child and reminded them of their policy on the appropriate way to interact and pick up children. 3 On 4/22/22, I conducted an unannounced onsite inspection to the center and interviewed Ms. Karena Wilcox, assistant program director at the center. I informed Ms. Wilcox of the allegations. Ms. Wilcox has worked as an assistant program director at the center for approximately 1 years but has worked for the corporation 1/2 for approximately 6 years. Ms. Wilcox says she loves her job and interacting with the child care staff members and children each day. Ms. Wilcox denied using foul language around the center. She admitted to hurting herself once and saying the word "damn" but said this was not around any child care children nor their parents. Ms. Wilcox was unsure if there were any child care staff members present but said the use of the word was not directed toward anyone but rather a reaction to hurting herself. Ms. Wilcox also denied belittling child care staff members and making them cry. As part of her job duties, Ms. Wilcox monitors

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R 400.8125 · R 400.8125 Staff; volunteer; requirements. (2) All staff and volunteers shall act in a manner that is conducive to the welfare of children.

On 4/22/22, I conducted an unannounced onsite inspection to the center and Interviewed Ms. Jill Funk, program director. I informed Ms. Funk of the allegations. Ms. Funk denied having knowledge of any child care staff members having nicotine devices in their pockets while at the center. Ms. Funk explained the center has a no smoking or vaping on the premises policy that is enforced, and the child care staff members are made aware of at the time of orientation during their hiring process. Ms. Funk also said that the center also has a posted sign reminding both the child care staff members and persons entering that there is no smoking or vaping allowed on the center's premises. On 4/22/22, I conducted an unannounced onsite inspection to the center and Interviewed Ms. Karena Wilcox, assistant program director at the center. I informed Ms. Wilcox of the allegations. Ms. Wilcox denied having any knowledge of a child care staff member having a nicotine device in their pocket while at the center. She reiterated Ms. Funk's statement regarding the center having a no smoking or vaping on the premises policy that the child care staff members are made aware of at the time of orientation during their hiring process. In addition, Ms. Wilcox also said there is a no smoking or vaping sig posted on the premises to inform any visitors of its restriction on the premises. On 4/22/22, I separately interviewed Ms. Abi Odiase, Ms. Rebecca Harren, Ms. Kristena Crawford, Ms. Cari Shauver, Ms. Hannah Carney, Ms. Abbey Billing, Ms. Rebecca Kositzke, Ms. Judy Dembowski, and Ms. Payton Giesenhauer, all who are child care staff members at the center. All the child care staff members denied having any knowledge of a child care staff member having a nicotine device in their pocket while working at the center. All the child care staff members confirmed the no smoking and vaping policy at the center and reiterated that any type of nicotine product is prohibited on the premises, including nicotine devices. On 4/22/22 during my unannounced onsite inspection, I observed a posting located near the entrance of the facility placed in a spot visible for child care staff members, parents and any visitors to view informing them that there was no smoking or vaping allowed on the premises. During my onsite inspection, I did not observe any child care staff members with a nicotine device on their persons while they were at the center. On 6/27/22, I separately interviewed Child B's Mother and Child C's Father via telephone. Both parents acknowledged the center having a no smoking or vaping policy on the premises.

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R 400.8110 · R 400.8110 1 Applicant; licensee; licensee designee; requirements. (14) A center shall post a notice in a place accessible and visible to parents, staff, and visitors stating that smoking and vaping are prohibited in the center and on the center's property.

The center has a no smoking policy in place and has a no smoking or vaping sign posted in a conspicuous space visible for child care staff members and any visitors to see entering the facility informing them of the no smoking or vaping being allowed on the facilities premises.

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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. 611 W. OTTAWA. P.O. BOX 30664. LANSING, MICHIGAN 48909 www.michigan.gov/lara . 517-335-1980

Kristena Crawford did not provide appropriate care and supervision to Child A when she allowed him to run with the dump truck instead of using redirection. She did not provide appropriate care and supervision by intentionally not reporting the incident.

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R 400.8155 · ........ ........... R 400.8155 Child accidents and incidents; child and staff illness. (1) A center shall have a written plan for how and when a parent is notified when personnel observe any of the following: (a) Changes in a child's health. (b) A child experiences an accident, injury, or incident. (c) A child is too ill to remain in the group. ................ ............. ..........................................................................................................................................................................

Kristena Crawford did not follow Gilden Woods Early Preschool's incident, accident, injury policy when she chose not to call the program director and let her know of the injury immediately and when she did not tell Child A's Mother about the injury or provide Child A's Mother a written incident/ouchie/wellness report at pick- up.

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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. I

On 08/30/2021, I received an incident report from Program Director, Bridget Riis, informing the department of a child care staff member inappropriately handling Child A. The incident report detailed the assistant director, Karena Wilcox, being made aware of child care staff member, April Garcia, grabbing Child A (Age 2.9 years old) aggressively by his arms and shoulders. Ms. Wilcox viewed the video recording of the incident and confirmed what was alleged. The video recording of the incident was also emailed to me on 08/30/2021. The incident occurred on 08/27/2021. 2 The video of the incident is 33 seconds long. In the video, child care staff member, April Garcia, can be seen standing in the middle of the classroom talking to a child that runs past her towards the other side of the room. Child A and another child are in view of the camera but playing just a few feet from Ms. Garcia. Child A's back is to Ms. Garcia as he is seen excitedly playing with a toy. Child A appears as if he is going to move from the shelf when, at 10 seconds, Ms. Garcia turns to Child A and then briskly walks over to him and grabs him by his upper shoulders/neck area. Ms. Garcia then appears to pull Child A close to her and hold him for approximately 6 seconds until he slides down to the floor. Ms. Garcia looks like she is speaking to Child A while she holds him close to her, but the video has no sound, so I am unable to determine what was said. At 18 seconds, Child A gets up from the floor and plays in that area for a few seconds before he moves out of view of the camera. On 09/02/2021, I conducted an onsite inspection at the child care center. During the onsite inspection, I interviewed Ms. Riis. Ms. Riis was not at the child care center when Ms. Wilcox was notified of the incident. Ms. Riis stated that Ms. Wilcox was shown the video and addressed the situation by going to the classroom and requesting Ms. Garcia leave the classroom. She confirmed that Ms. Wilcox sent Ms. Garcia home for the remainder of her shift. Ms. Riis was later shown the video and she and Ms. Wilcox determined that it would be best to terminate Ms. Garcia based on the how she handled Child A. Ms. Riis informed me that Ms. Garcia was a floater for the preschool classes who only worked at the center for a "few months." Ms. Garcia frequently worked in the rooms along with no other child care staff members and she was the only child care staff member in the room at the time of the incident. Ms. Riis denied that there had been prior incidents of Ms. Garcia inappropriately handling a child. She added that she previously spoke to Ms. Garcia about her stern and loud voice tone, but there were no other concerns with the care and supervision she provided for the children. At the time of my onsite inspection, Ms. Wilcox was not at the child care center. Ms. Riis stated that she would have Ms. Wilcox contact me once she returned. On 09/02/2021, I conducted a phone interview with Ms. Wilcox. Ms. Wilcox stated that when the incident was brought to her attention, she immediately reacted to what she viewed on the recording. Ms. Wilcox asked another child care staff member to replace Ms. Garcia in the Terrance classroom and then asked Ms. Garcia to join her in the Adabell classroom to discuss the concern privately. Ms. Wilcox's conversation with Ms. Garcia was brief as she explained to her that "there was a situation that happened, and I [Ms. Wilcox] reached out to Bridget and she [Ms. Garcia] needed to get her keys and leave immediately." Ms. Wilcox stated that Ms. Garcia replied "okay" and left as requested. She added that Ms. Garcia did not ask any questions about what occurred. Ms. Wilcox followed up with Ms. Riis after this occurred to ensure that she was aware of how the matter was handled. Ms. Wilcox stated that this happened on a Friday, and that following Monday she and Ms. Riis had a meeting about the incident, and they determined that it was severe enough to result in Ms. Garcia's term

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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.

Child A's Mother said while watching the Nurture Parent app, she observed Child A get bit in the face by another child. The child care staff member in the room at the time allowed Child A to cry for four minutes without providing any comfort. The child care staff member looked at Child A several times and continued to walk around the classroom. Child care staff members Abbey and Krystal were on break at the time of the incident and when they returned to the classroom, Krystal saw that Child A was crying and picked him up. Child A's Mother said the center did not provide an incident report until she requested one. I viewed the video regarding this incident, this is video 15 sent by the complainant and is 3 minutes and 47 seconds long. In the video a child care staff member is seen walking around the classroom. She is the only child care staff member in the room with three children. One child is observed to have crawled and became stuck in a toy shelf. Child A approached the child in the toy shelf and while it is difficult to see what occurred the two children interact for a few seconds before Child A reacted to something and turned to Ms. Brunette. Ms. Brunette appeared to notice that Child A was upset as she paused, turned to Child A, but then continued to clean the room. Child A walked out of view of the camera while Ms. Brunette cleaned the room. For the duration of the video Ms. Brunette never attended to Child A despite him being upset. At 3 minutes and 33 seconds another child care staff member entered the room and went to Child A and picked him up to comfort him. 14 During the interview with Ms. Riis, she again stated that she previously watched the video as it was submitted to her before the investigation. She indicated that she spoke to Ms. Brunette about the concern and showed her the video. During their conversation, Ms. Riis informed Ms. Brunette that the expectation is for her to provide comfort to a child immediately and "check" a child over if they are injured. Ms. Riis also provided Ms. Brunette with a written notice for failure to appropriately address an upset child and address a biting situation, which is the center's policy. During the interview with Ms. Brunette on 07/14/2021, she stated that she recalled the incident. Ms. Brunette said that on that day there was a lockdown in Grand Ledge which resulted in the child care center being locked down. Ms. Brunette remembered being "very stressed" at the time because of the lockdown and then she was placed in a room by herself because none of the other child care staff members were allowed in the room while the lockdown was in place. The incident also took place at the end of the day and Ms. Brunette stated that she was preoccupied with picking up toys as they all had been dumped on the floor. Ms. Brunette acknowledged that she did not respond to Child A appropriately because there were so many things happening and she "just didn't think about it." In a follow-up interview with Ms. Riis before the end of the onsite inspection, Ms. Riis stated that the child care center has had a lot of staff turnover and she believes that this may be one of the causes these incidents. She indicated that after learning of the incidents she put steps in place to ensure that she and Ms. Wilcox were regularly supervising the child care staff members. Specifically, Ms. Riis will view the classroom cameras throughout various points of the day to observe the interactions between child care staff members and children. She also goes into the classrooms "quite a few times" throughout the day to actively supervise the child care staff members. Ms. Riis also has will require the child care staff members to take trainings to address coaching, modeling, and conflict resolution. Ms. Wilcox confirmed the information provided by Ms. Riis. She also stated that initially the training requirements were focused on the child care staff members who have been disciplined for inappropriately handling chi

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R 400.8125 · R 400.8125 Staff; volunteer; requirements. (1) All staff and volunteers shall provide ap propriate care and supervision of children at all times. 15

Ms. Brunette did not respond to Child A's cries of distress after he was bitten by another child.

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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.

Child A's Mother said while observing the app, she observed all of the children strapped in their highchairs for snack. Child A was scooting around to other parts of the room and walking around with the chair still strapped to him. At one point Child A fell down by the outside door and child care staff member Ashley Dibean threw her hands up in the air and stood there without helping him. Child A's Mother said to her knowledge Ms. Dibean was not disciplined, she was moved to another classroom and allowed to continue working. The complainant submitted three videos for this incident. I viewed all three videos and observed the following: Video 2 is 8 minutes long. In the video I observed two child care staff members standing in the classroom near the children's eating area, while seven children sat at the tables. The children's tables are very low to the floor and the children are seated at the tables while strapped in wooden booster seat type chairs. In this video Child A can be seen scooting away about approximately one foot from the table while still strapped in his booster seat. Video 3 is 5 minutes and 49 seconds long. In this video the children were still seated at the table eating their snack. The first child and then an additional child scoot around the floor while seated in their booster chairs. One minute into the video, a child care staff member went to each child and pushed their chairs back under the table. Child A then pushed his chair from one table to another table. Three minutes into the video one child care staff member is replaced by another child care staff member. Child A sat at the second table until the end of the video. Video 4 is 6 minutes and 32 seconds long. In the video, the two child care staff members begin taking children out of their booster seats and allowing them to walk around the room. The child care staff member who left from the classroom in the 5 second video returned and the other child care staff member left the room. The two remaining child care staff members began removing children from their booster seats and also begin cleaning the dining area. Two minutes into the video Child A and another child have not been removed from their booster seats. At 3 minutes and 16 seconds, the second to last child is removed from the booster seat and Child A is the only child left strapped in his booster seat. For the duration of the video, the two child care staff members can be seen standing by the cabinet in the dining area while the other six children move around the room. Child A, however, remains strapped in his booster seat scooting around the floor. At 6 minutes and 22 seconds a child care staff member walked near Child A, reached down next to Child A and picked something up from the floor. She then placed the item in another room connected to the large child care space. This same child care staff member returned to Child A and removed him from his booster seat. It should be noted that the footage in the video was not clear enough to determine what the children were doing while seated at the tables. The child care staff members were actively engaged with the children, assisting with snack and assisting children as they finished snack. During the interview with Ms. Riis, she stated that she was on leave when this incident occurred. She stated that Jacque Carless was the interim program director at the time of the incident. Ms. Wilcox stated that she viewed the videos of this incident. Ms. Wilcox identified the child care staff members in the video as Ashley Dibean and Makhayla Yockey. Ms. Dibean is no longer employed at the child care center but at the time, Ms. Wilcox explained that the video was reviewed with Ms. Dibean and Ms. Yockey using footage from the child care centers cameras. Ms. Wilcox stated that both child care staff members informed her that the children were eating snack while they were seated at the table. She recalled that the food was difficult to see from the video that was su

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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.

Child A's Mother said on approximately 03/03/2021 when she observed Child A's classroom on the Nurture parent app, she saw Child A grab another child's hair. Ms. Hollingsworth pulled Child A away from that child. Child A then proceeded to walk back towards the child and Ms. Hollingsworth grabbed Child A's arm and threw him onto the floor aggressively. Child A laid there for a few seconds and got up crying. Child A's Mother said Ms. Hollingsworth actions were very intentional and she never consoled Child A. This incident was "chalked up by the staff," to be an accident, however, after viewing the video footage Ms. Hollingsworth's employment was terminated. I viewed Video 5 submitted by the complainant which is 23 seconds long. In the video Child A can be seen grabbing another child by the hair. While carrying another child in her left arm, the child care staff member walked over to Child A and with her right hand, 7 took Child A by the wrist and walked him a few feet away in the opposite direction of where he was standing. When she released Child A's wrists, Child A turned around to go back to where he originally was. The child care staff member then grabbed Child A's arm and pulled him in the opposite direction in a quick motion with enough force to cause Child A to fall to the ground. The child care staff member immediately released Child A's arm and threw her right hand in the air. Child A laid on the ground for a few seconds before getting up. The child care staff member turned away from Child A and did not console Child A before the video ended. I allowed Ms. Riis to view the recording of this incident. Ms. Riis stated that she did not know the child care staff member in the video as she was on leave when she worked at the child care center. Child care staff members Ms. Dembowski, Ms. Collier, Ms. Brunette, Ms. Yockey, and Ms. Robinson had no information regarding the child care staff member in the video. They could only confirm that she no longer works at the child care center. Ms. Wilcox confirmed that the child care staff member in the video is Allyson Hollingsworth, also known as "Ally." Ms. Wilcox stated that when this video was brought to the attention of the interim director, Jacque Carless, the plan was to terminate "Ally," however she resigned before she could be terminated. Ms. Wilcox was unsure if this incident was reported to the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA). Ms. Carless confirmed that she was the interim program director when this incident occurred. She stated that she was previously sent the video of the incident involving Ms. Hollingsworth and Child A. She stated that Ms. Hollingsworth stated that Child A's fall was accidental. She added that she was holding a child at the same time as she attempted to move Child A and could not prevent him from falling. Ms. Carless viewed the video and found it difficult to determine if the incident was an accident or intentional therefore an incident report was not submitted to LARA.

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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.

While watching the Nurture parent app, Child A's Mother observed, the children going down for a nap and one child was running around and ran towards the camera side of the room. Ms. Dembowski followed him and aggressively snatched him, shook him, and grabbed his face. This is not the first time this has been witnessed, it has happened many times to other children including Child A, especially when the kids turn off the lights. Ms. Dembowski was moved to the infant classroom to continue working there despite Child A's Mother's ongoing concerns. The complainant submitted seven videos involving child care staff member, Judy Dembowski. I viewed the videos and observed the following: Video 6 is a 20-second-long video. In the video, Ms. Dembowski is seen walking across the classroom following a child who appeared to be running from her. When Ms. Dembowski caught up to the child she bent down and grabbed the child by his arms and turns him towards her. Ms. Dembowski placed her face inches away from the child's face and shook and grabbed his face while she talked to the child. Ms. Dembowski then took Child A by the left arm and walked him to another area of the room. Video 7 is 19 seconds long. Ms. Dembowski is initially seen sitting on the floor when a child ran past her toward the front of the classroom. The child turned off the classroom lights by the time Ms. Dembowski caught up to him. When Ms. Dembowski got to the child, she bent down and grabbed the child by both arms. She then spoke to the child within inches of his face. It also appeared as if Ms. Dembowski raised her left arm and grabbed Child A by the face while speaking to him. Video 8 is 11 seconds long. Ms. Dembowski is the only child care staff member in view on the video. In the video Ms. Dembowski is immediately seen walking to the front of the classroom. When she reaches the front of the classroom, Ms. Dembowski bent in front of a child. She grabbed the child by placing one hand on the child's arm and the other on his face. Ms. Dembowski held onto the child's arm as he tried to turn away. She eventually released his arm and the child walked away. Video 9 is 20 seconds long. Ms. Dembowski is the only child care staff member in view on the video. Ms. Dembowski walked to the front of the room and bent down and grabbed a child by their face. The child's full body is out of the camera frame, but Ms. Dembowski can be seen grabbing the child's face. In Video 10, there are two child care staff members in the room with five children in view. Ms. Dembowski is one of the child care staff members visible on screen. The video is 23 seconds long. Initially Ms. Dembowski is seen holding a child while rj standing and talking to the other child care staff member. Six seconds into the video a child is observed throwing an item at another child. Ms. Dembowski placed the child that she is holding on the floor and grabbed the arm of the child who threw the object. Ms. Dembowski held the child by the arm and appeared to talk to him while the child struggled to get away from her. Ms. Dembowski appeared to raise her arm near the child's face when the child reached out to grab her face with his free hand. Ms. Dembowski then held both of his arms and continued to talk to him before eventually letting him go. Video 11 is 12 seconds long. Ms. Dembowski is the only child care staff member in view on the video. In this video Ms. Dembowski walked over to a child and grabbed her by the arm before she bent down to talk the child. It appeared that Ms. Dembowski also grabbed the child by the face when the child pulled her body back away from Ms. Dembowski. Video 12 is 3 minutes and 47 seconds long. Ms. Dembowski is the only child care staff member in the room with two children. Ms. Dembowski is immediately walked around the room carrying one of the children. At 22 seconds, Ms. Dembowski approached the other child and turned to sit down next to him. As Ms. Dembowski is sitting, she placed the child she

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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.

Child A's Mother said while observing the Nurture Parent app she observed Child A walking around a shelf to join Ms. Collier and a group of other children. As Child A approached them, Ms. Collier pushed Child A. Child A's Mother said this was "chalked up as an accident," and was she was told Child A tripped although the video should Ms. Collier pushing Child A. Although Child A's Mother expressed concerns to Ms. Riis, Ms. Collier was allowed to continue working in the classroom and Child A's Mother was told Ms. Collier is being watched carefully. I viewed the video of the incident submitted by the complainant. Video 13 is 21 seconds long. The video is blurry but there is a child care staff member sitting on a stool surrounded by six children. One child approached the teacher, then another, and then Child A. As Child A walked closer to the teacher, she extended her left arm in front of her and appears to push Child A back to the spot in which he was originally standing. Child A does not appear to trip on anything as he approached the teacher. Ms. Riis stated that she also previously viewed this video 13. Ms. Riis stated that it was difficult to determine what happened in the video, but after seeing the incident, Ms. Riis addressed the concerns with Ms. Collier. Ms. Riis could not remember the details of the conversation, but she recalled that Ms. Collier denied pushing Child A and explained that she only extended her arm to stop another Child from falling over. Ms. Riis stated that Ms. Collier was disciplined for what was observed in the video although it was difficult to say for certain that the incident was intentional. Ms. Riis provided me with a copy of the written warning notice. Ms. Collier was disciplined for failure to follow the appropriate physical contact policy and procedure. On 07/14/2021, I conducted an interview with Jordan Collier. I showed Ms. Collier video 13 and she explained that the incident did not occur the way it is portrayed on 12 the video. She stated that there was another child standing in between her and Child A. As that child walked closer to her, he tripped, and Ms. Collier raised her hand to stop the child from falling. At this exact same time, Ms. Collier stated that Child A walked closer to her than began walking backwards and stumbled. She believes that the angle of the camera did not capture Child A stumbling. Ms. Collier confirmed that Ms. Riis spoke with her about the concern, and she told them her side. She agreed that the incident "looked bad" but she did not push Child A. She added that she did receive a written discipline and probation because of the incident. During the interview with Ms. Robinson, she stated that she has no concerns with the care that Ms. Collier provides. Ms. Yockey, Ms. Dembowski, and Ms. Brunette had no concerns about the care provided by Ms. Collier.

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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.

I viewed Video 14 included with the complaint regarding child care staff member Jordan Collier. This video is 2 minutes and 10 seconds long. There are three child care staff members with 11 children. Ms. Collier can be seen laying on the floor near the window while the children play around her. Ms. Collier is first seen laying on her side and then she turned to lay on her stomach. The children around her bring blankets to cover her. For the duration of the video, one child sat next to Ms. Collier, talked to her and patted her on the back. Ms. Collier lifted her head at times to talk with the child and lifted herself onto her elbows right before the video ends. Ms. Riis stated that she also spoke with Ms. Collier about her laying on the floor as observed in video 14. Ms. Collier denied that she was sleeping. She stated that she was playing with the children around her. Ms. Riis explained that this behavior could be taken out of context if being viewed by the parents via video camera. Ms. Riis then explained that the expectation is for her to be actively engaged with the child care children. 13 I showed Ms. Collier video 14 and she denied being sleep. She stated that she was playing with the children and pretending to be sleep. She pointed out how she was interacting with the children and allowing them to cover her with blankets and pat her back.

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R 400.8158 · R 400.8158 Incident, accident, injury, illness, death, fire reporting. (2) A licensee, licensee designee, or program director shall report to the child's parent and the department, directly or via phone, fax, or email, within 24 hours of the occurrence of any of the following: (b) An incident involving an allegation of inappropriate contact.

No incident report was submitted to LARA after a child care staff member was recorded inappropriate handling Child A.

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R 400.8158 · R 400.8158 Incident, accident, injury, illness, death, fire reporting. (2) A licensee, licensee designee, or program director shall report to the child's parent and the department, directly or 16 via phone, fax, or email, within 24 hours of the occurrence of any of the following: (b) An incident involving an allegation of inappropriate contact. I

Ms. Carless did not report the inappropriate contact between Ms. Hollingsworth and Child A.

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R 400.8158 · R 400.8158 Incident, accident, injury, illness, death, fire reporting. (2) A licensee, licensee designee, or program director shall report to the child's parent and the department, directly or via phone, fax, or email, within 24 hours of the occurrence of any of the following: (b) An incident involving an allegation of inappropriate contact.

Ms. Riis did not submit any incident reports to LARA after observing Ms. Dembowski's inappropriate contact with the child care children. ........................................................ ............................................................ .......

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R 400.8158 · R 400.8158 Incident, accident, injury, illness, death, fire reporting. (2) A licensee, licensee designee, or program director shall report to the child's parent and the department, directly or via phone, fax, or email, within 24 hours of the occurrence of any of the following: (b) An incident involving an allegation of inappropriate contact.

An incident report was not submitted to LARA after Ms. Collier was recorded pushing Child A.

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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. 611 W. OTTAWA. P.O. BOX 30664. LANSING, MICHIGAN 48909 www.michigan.gov/lara . 517-335-1980

On 5/21/21, 5/24/21 and 5/25/21, I made three separate attempts to interview the complainant via telephone without success. On 5/21/21,5/24/21 and 5/25/21, I made three separate attempts to interview Child A's Mother via telephone without success. On 5/25/21, I conducted an unannounced onsite inspection to the center and interviewed Ms. Bridget Riis, program director. I informed Ms. Riis of the allegations. Ms. Riis admitted to Child A getting out of the play area on 5/21/21. She denied Child A getting near the roadway, but rather indicated that Child A had only gotten a few feet outside the gate when he was returned by Ms. Nicole Banky, a child care staff member who was providing the children with direct supervision at the time of the incident. According to Ms. Riis, child care staff members, Ms. Nicole Banky and Ms. Makhayla Yockey were present outside with eight childcare children in the play area around 11:15 a.m. and observed the entire incident. Child A only got a few feet outside of the fenced play area and ran around on the grassy area when Ms. Banky immediately brought him back into the play area. Ms. Banky was in the line of sight of Child A the entire time of the incident and immediately intervened when she observed Child A and Child B (age 3 years, male) playing with the latched gate. After Child A was brought back into the outdoor play area, the center staff notified Child A's Mother of the incident and requested that Child A be picked up from care. Ms. Riis explained that for the past two weeks, Child A has been on a behavior support plan due to him having challenging behaviors that include not listening and following directions and using unacceptable language to include calling his teachers "morons." Child A has been enrolled in care at the center for 3 years. Overall, she 611 W. OTTAWA. P.O. BOX 30664. LANSING, MICHIGAN 48909 www.michigan.gov/lara . 517-335-1980 described Child A as a "good boy" who only started having behavior issues at the center the past few weeks. Ms. Riis said Child A has not returned to care since he was picked up by Child A's Mother on 5/21/21. Ms. Riis said part of the daily duties for the child care staff members is to position themselves in the outdoor play area where they can see all of the children. The child care staff members also check the outdoor play area daily to ensure all play equipment and the premises is in safe and good working condition. Ms. Riis also does a walkthrough of the outdoor play area to ensure the premises and play equipment is in safe and good working condition. Ms. Riis informed me that the center had some landscaping work done afterhours at the facility on 5/20/21, and suspects that the landscapers did not completely latch the safety gate upon leaving therefore allowing the gate to open. Ms. Riis informed me that the center is taking extra precautions to ensure this does not happen again. The center has placed a bungy strap across each gate to help secure the gates and prevent the children from opening the gates. The child care staff members are also checking the gates each day to assure they are properly latched before the children play outdoors. On 5/25/21, I interviewed Ms. Nicole Banky, child care staff member at the center. Ms. Banky has been employed as a child care staff member at the center for the past 5 months but has worked in the childcare field for over 2 years. Ms. Banky 1/2 enjoys her job and looks forward to working with the children each day. Ms. Banky confirmed working in the Terance room on 5/21/21 around 11:15 a.m. I informed Ms. Banky of the allegations. Ms. Banky confirmed Ms. Riis statement regarding Child A momentarily getting out of the fenced play area thorough the gate, for approximately 10 seconds, until he was brought back into the fenced area by Ms. Banky. Ms. Banky denied Child A walking towards the roadway and explained that Child A only ran in a circle just outside of the gated area before she brought him back into the fence

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R 400.8125 · R 400.8125 Staff; volunteer; requirements. (1) All staff and volunteers shall provide appropriate care and supervision of . ..c ....h ....i ...l ...d ....r ...e .....n .... ...a ....t ... ..a....l...l. tim_.e....s... ...............

The complaint stated that on 02117/2021. Child A returned home from the child care center and told ■ parents child care staff member. irabbed ■ arm and it really hurt." Child A demonstrated that was grabbed on upper arm. It is unknown which arm. Child A was fearful to re urn to the child care center expressing that■was fearful of~, but■ did like■ other teachers. After learning of the incident, Gilden Woos Early Care and Preschool with them. There are no other known complaints I conducted this interview with Due to the timef rame in which I received the investigation, already started conducting her required contacts, including completing a with Child A. Ica On 02/19/2021, I conducted an unannounced onsite ins ection at the child care center. I did not conduct interviews while onsite as was unavailable. During the onsite inspection. I did observe Child A in c assroom. Child A immediately approached me and began to talk to me about classroom. Child A was wearing a short sleeve shirt and had three hair scrunchies on wrist. I did not see any bruises or marks on Child A's arm during our brief interaction. On 0212412021, and I conducted phone interviews with Child B's Mother, Child C's Mother, and Child D's Mother. shared a few details of the investigation with Child B's Mother. Child B's Mother stated that she has two children who attend the child care center. She added that she had "no concerns at all" regarding the care at the center. She stated that both of her children are verbal and neither of them have reported anything bad happening at the center. asked Child B's Mother if she was willing to allow us to interview Child B as ma have been a witness during the incident and she stated that she would talk with husband and let us know if they are .willing to do this. During the phone interview with Child C's Mother, she was also briefly informed of the allegations. Child C's Mother stated that she has not had any concerns about anything happening at the center. She reported that at one point she had concerns about a teacher being hired in one of the classrooms, as she was not comfortable with a staff member assisting her child in the bathroom. She added that as a woman, ishe wondered why a would work at a child care center. She stated that nI her needs help wiping sometimes, so she called the center and made it clear to them that she did not want the staff to help her with toileting/wiping. Child C's Mother reported that there have been occasions where she has heard staff members yelling at times when she picks up Child C. She stated that it is done in a way that she personally felt was excessive. She had no other details regarding the yelling. According to Child C's Mother, she checks the child care center cameras a couple of times per day and has not seen anything concerning when she has done this. She also denied having noticed any unexplained marks or bruises on Child C after being at the center. Child C's Mother was also asked if she would consent to Child C being interviewed. Child C's Mother was agreeable to Child C being interviewed. The details of the investigation were also shared with Child D's Mother. Child D's Mother stated that she has not had an concerns recently. She indicated that Child D is "easy to read," and she says that loves going to school. She added; however, that for the last two weeks, Child D has said that would rather stay home because ■ is bored at the child care center. Child D di not explain why. Child D's Mother reported that she did have concerns approximately a year ago when she saw a staff member grab a child by the arm when watching the video feed. She stated that the staff member involved in that incident is no longer employed at the center. Child D's Mother stated that she monitors the video feed "quite a bit" to ensure that nothing is going on at the center. According to Child D's Mother, Child D has not expressed any concerns. She stated that she feels that there is a "50/50" chance that Chi

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