• Violation

  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 October 26, 2021, I received an email from Owner/Program Director, Connie Hendershot. She reported that on Friday, October 22, 2021, at 7:15pm, she received a text message from Child Care Staff Member, Jessica Jones, that stated "Hello Connie, this is something I should have reported sooner but I need to tell you now. Heather Nichols (Child Care Staff Member) bit Child A on Wednesday after nap. I didn't see it happen, but she told Mariah Coleman (Child Care Staff Member) and I when we were on the playground that afternoon." Ms. Hendershot said since it was a Friday evening, she told Ms. Jones that she would address it Monday morning. Ms. Hendershot reported that she spoke with Ms. Jones and Ms. Nichols on Monday, but did not speak with Ms. Coleman yet, because she has not been into work. She also reported viewing video footage from the toddler classroom and found that Ms. Jones was not working on Wednesday afternoon when the incident allegedly occurred, and she did not see any evidence of Ms. Nichols having one on one contact with Child A. On October 28, 2021, I made telephone contact with Child A's mother. She reported that she was not informed about the incident until recently, but she did not see any marks on Child A's arm. She reported her only concern before this incident is the facility started using a teething toy for her child that she wore around her neck. She was fine with staff members trying different things to stop her from biting but would like to be informed before trying them. Child A's mother reported that Child A is not attending the facility at this time, but it was a planned break while she is home on maternity leave. On October 29, 2021, I received an email from Ms. Hendershot that included all the interviews she completed with staff members and Child A's mother, as well as written statements from Ms. Nichols, Ms. Jones, and Ms. Coleman. In Ms. Jones and Ms. Coleman's statements they report that Ms. Jones told them this happened on Wednesday, October 20, 2021, around 2:00-2:30pm; however, Ms. Hendershot reviewed timecards and Ms. Jones clocked out 1:12pm on October 20, 2021. In Ms. Nichols statement she reports having a conversation with Ms. Jones and Ms. Coleman about Child A's biting on the playground and the told them she took Child A's arm and imitated biting but did not actually bite her. Her written statement did not specify when this conversation occurred. On November 3, 2021, I completed an unannounced onsite inspection and interviewed Child Care Staff Member, Mariah Coleman, and Program Directors Connie Hendershot and Heather Hendershot. Ms. Coleman reported that one day last week she was working on the playground with Ms. Nichols and Ms. Jones, and they were discussing Child A's biting. She stated that Ms. Nichols said when Child A woke up from her nap, I bit her to see if she liked it. Ms. Coleman stated she didn't know if it was true or not and she did not check Child A's arm for injuries or report 3 the statement to anyone. Ms. Coleman said she was working in the classroom and didn't see anything happen between Ms. Nichols and Child A and she didn't hear Child A cry or say anything about being bitten. Ms. Coleman said she just started, and she is still in training, so she didn't know what to believe. Ms. Heather Hendershot reported that they have never had any concerns with Ms. Nichols, and she has never shown any signs of inappropriate discipline. She stated that Ms. Nichols is their most sensitive staff member about how discipline is handled and will speak up if she believes something was handled incorrectly. Ms. Hendershot helped me review the facility's video footage of the classroom on the day the bite allegedly occurred. There was one time that Ms. Nichols is seen talking with Child A off to the side for approximately 20-30 seconds and then she walks her back to play with the other children. Child A's back is turned to the camera and the angle is hard to see, but Child A does not show

Disposition: No violation found

Child Care Staff Member, Heather Nichols, reportedly told two staff members that she bit Child A on the arm because she had bitten multiple friends that day.

Disposition: Substantiated