Alger Head Start

R 400.8213(1)(a) · R 400.8213(1)(a) Staff; volunteer (1) All staff and volunteers present at the center shall: (a) Provide appropriate care and supervision o f children at all times.

On 09/16/2025, LT and Teacher 1 failed to provide appropriate care and supervision of Child A and Child B when Child B put his hand inside the back of Child A’s shorts and underwear.

View state record

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 01/30/2023, 1 completed an on-site inspection. I interviewed program director Maleeka Perry. Maleeka Perry stated that Child Care Staff Member 2 1 (CCSM 1) and Child Care Staff Member 2 (CCSM 2) are the staff members assigned to Child A's classroom. She stated that Child A just transferred to the center on 01/09/2023. She noted that Child A did fall on the playground twice within his first week of attendance. She called Child A's Mother both times he fell, and an "ouch" report was completed both times. She reported that Child A first fell on a metal grate on the playground and a couple days later he tripped on his feet. She had maintenance fill in around the metal grate with dirt, so it was not as exposed. Additionally, she had maintenance place orange cones around the metal grate after the incident occurred. She is not aware of any previous incidents of a child falling on the metal grate. She stated that CCSM 1 and CCSM 2 were on the playground supervising the children both times Child A fell. She has no concerns with the level of supervision provided by CCSM 1 and CCSM 2. She noted that staff are trained to spread out and continuously scan the playground to ensure appropriate care and supervision is provided at all times. On 07/03/2023, Child B's Mother stated that she had trouble with her child being hit by another child on the playground in the beginning. She talked with the staff members about her concern. Staff advised her that the other child's parent was made aware of the hitting. She stated that although her child still was hit from time to time that the frequency had decreased. Staff told her that they would keep her child in close proximity to them to ensure for her safety. She believes that the strategies staff implemented helped with the reduction of occurrences of her child getting hit by other children. On 07/03/2023, CCSM 2 stated that no one was near Child A when he fell either time. She stated that Child A was immediately attended to each time. She noted that there were parts of the playground that were a bit icy, so they had maintenance sprinkle salt on the areas of concern. Additionally, maintenance also placed orange cones around the metal grate. She and CCSM 1 often reminded the children to slow down if the playground was icy. She has no concerns with the supervision being provided to the children. She noted that there was always two to three staff members on the playground. She was taught to spread out, move, and scan the playground to ensure appropriate care and supervision of the children. She stated that staff routinely communicate regarding the children and every child is seen by someone while on the playground. On 07/03/2023, Child C's Mother stated that she had no concerns regarding the care and supervision on the playground or otherwise.

View state record

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.

The outdoor play area was not maintained in a safe condition; Child A injured himself when he tripped on a metal grate on the playground. No visual barriers were provided around the metal grate.

View state record

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 conducted an unannounced onsite inspection on 5/23/2023. Child Care Staff Member 1 was not present at the time of inspection. I interviewed Nicole Czehowski, program director, regarding the allegation. She stated that on 5/19/2022, Child A's Mother came to the center after school and alleged that Child Care Staff Member 1 hit Child A in his face prior to lunch. Child A's Mother was told 2 this by Child A. She provided Ms. Czehowski with photos of Child A's cheek which showed slight redness. Ms. Czehowski provided me with a copy of the photos, and there was no presence of markings that were consistent with a handprint or fingers. Child A's Mother requested to review the classroom video footage and to speak with Child Care Staff Member 1. Per Ms. Czehowski, Child Care Staff Member 1 denied hitting Child A. Ms. Czehowski explained that per the video footage that she reviewed on 5/19/2022, the classroom was preparing for lunch and Child A was lying on the floor. Child Care Staff Member 1 was writing a daily communication note to Child A's Mother and Child Care Staff Member 2 was near the counter preparing food. The other children in the room were being seated for lunch but Child A continued to lie on the floor and crawled toward Child Care Staff Member 1 on his knees. Ms. Czehowski explained that per the video, Child A appeared to fling himself on the floor. Child Care Staff Member 1 was carrying an iPad in her right hand; however, her body obstructed the camera view of her left hand. Child Care Staff Member 1 bent down toward Child A, but it was difficult to see what occurred due to the obstructed view of the camera. I watched this portion of the video with Ms. Czehowski and agreed with her assessment of the video detail. A portion of the interaction between Child A and Child Care Staff Member 1 could not be seen clearly and neither Ms. Czehowski nor myself saw Child Care Staff Member 1 hit Child A. After this interaction on the video, Child A continued to lie on the floor for approximately 1-2 minutes. Child Care Staff Member 1 asked him to wash his hands and join the rest of the children at the tables for lunch. Child A washed his and sat down for lunch without any additional prompting. He was not crying and did not appear upset. Child A ate his lunch and engaged with others seated at the table without any difficulty. Ms. Czehowski reported having no concerns regarding Child Care Staff Member 1's performance. She stated that Child Care Staff Member 1 is well organized and maintains a structured room. There have been no other concerns reported to Ms. Czehowski regarding the care and supervision that Child Care Staff Member 1 provides at the center. I requested to review additional video footage from 5/19/2022 with Ms. Czehowski while onsite. After lunch, the video showed Child Care Staff Member 1 was gathering cots for resting and Child Care Staff Member 2 was cleaning up the lunch area. Child B (Female, 4 years of age) was seated at a table with three other children. Child B was peeking underneath the table and Child Care Staff Member 1 walked behind Child B and grabbed her aggressively by her upper arm, forcing her to sit upright in her seat. I asked Ms. Czehowski to replay this frame of the video and we rewatched Child Care Staff Member 1 aggressively grab Child B in the video. Ms. Czehowski and I agreed that Child Care Staff Member 1's handling of Child B was inappropriate and did not comply with the discipline policy of Michigan Family Resources which emphasizes verbal redirection and prohibits this type of engagement with children. As the video footage covered the entire day of 5/19/2022, I requested that the video be downloaded and sent to me for further viewing. Michelle Paul, Licensee Designee, emailed me the full video for viewing on 5/25/2022. I reviewed a signed, written statement that was provided by Child Care Staff Member 1. The signed statement was dated 5/19/2022 and signed by Child Care 3 Staff Member 1 on 5/

View state record

R 400.8140 · R 400.8140 Discipline. (1) Positive methods of discipline that encourage self-control, self-direction, self-esteem, and cooperation must be used. G

Child Care Staff Member 1 did not use positive methods of discipline with the children in care. Child Care Staff Member 1 used an inappropriate tone when addressing Child A and Child C. She made statements that blamed and shamed children which did not encourage self-esteem. Child Care Staff Member 1 grabbed multiple children forcefully and aggressively by their arms, and she failed to encourage self- direction in children.

View state record