R 400.1913 · R 400.1913 Discipline; child handling. (2) Developmentally appropriate positive methods of discipline that encourage self-control, self-direction, self- esteem, and cooperation must be used.

On 05/17/2023, I received a complaint alleging that on 05/02/2023 Child D's Mother dropped Child D (11-month-old, female) off at Emily Chaffee's child care home. When she entered the home, she saw Child A and Child B standing in the dining room. Ms. Chaffee was changing another child's diaper in another room. Child A had broken another child's cup. Child D's Mother observed Mr. Brandon Rakowski yelling and cussing in Child A's face. Mr. Rakowski was squeezing Child A's cheeks together while he was yelling at her. On 05/18/2023, I completed an onsite inspection. I discussed the allegations with Ms. Chaffee and Mr. Rakowski. Ms. Chaffee stated that Child D's Mother pulled Child D out of her home because she did not like how she and Mr. Rakowski "got after" the children. She stated that the parent thought it was "too much." She stated that Child A had thrown a cup at Child B. She explained that she had just walked out of another room after changing a child's diaper. She saw the entire incident. Ms. Chaffee said that she picked Child B up to comfort him, and Mr. Rakowski talked to Child A about what had happened. She stated that he used a stern voice, but he did not yell at Child A or swear at her. Ms. Chaffee stated that she believes that Child D's Mother is lying about what happened because she was upset that they were unable to continue caring for Child D due to constant crying and temper tantrums. She stated Child D's behaviors were upsetting to the other children in care. Mr. Rakowski stated that he is the assistant staff member, and he has been acting in this role since January 2023. He said that he witnessed Child A throw a cup at Child B. He picked Child A up and sat her in a chair in the living room. He stated that he did hold her face to get her attention, but he did not do this in an aggressive manner, and he did not hurt her. He stated that both he and Ms. Chaffee yelled, "Hey" when the incident occurred, but he did not yell in Child A's face. He stated that he firmly told Child A that it is not ok to throw things at people. Mr. Rakowski stated that Child D's Mother is lying, and she only saw a fraction of the incident. On 07/05/2023, I interviewed Child A's Mother. She stated that Child A has received care at Ms. Chaffee's child care home since September 2022. She stated that she has not had any serious concerns with Ms. Chaffee or Mr. Rakowski, but Child A has recently begun using inappropriate language, including the "F" word, and she does not know where Child A would have heard this language because they do not use that type of language at home. She has noticed that Child A has been more clingy at drop-offs the last couple of months, but she thought this was because she was getting a little older and would rather be with her. Child A's Mother stated that Ms. Chaffee did not say anything to her about this incident. 3 On 07/10/2023, I had follow up contact with Child A's Mother. We discussed that Mr. Rakowski had held Child A's cheeks between his thumb and pointer finger when disciplining her for throwing the cup at Child B. Child A's Mother said that Child A is a "rough and tumble" child, and she always has bumps and bruises. She does not recall seeing any marks or bruises on Child A's cheeks or face area. She has never seen any concerning or unexplained marks or bruises on Child A's body. On 07/05/2023, I interviewed Child B and C's Mother. She stated that both of her children, Child B and Child C (four-year-old, male) have received care at Ms. Chaffee's child care home for about a year. She has never had any concerns about Ms. Chaffee or Mr. Rakowski. She said that she has only had brief contacts with Mr. Rakowski at drop-offs and pickups, and she has not noticed any concerning interactions between him and the children in care. She stated that Child B and Child C seem to like him. She has never observed Mr. Rakowski yell at children in care. Child B and Child C's Mother stated that she sends sippy cups with Child

Open Not marked corrected in the state record

Category: ratio. Open / not marked corrected.

R 400.1913 · R 400.1913 Discipline; child handling. (3) Personnel shall not do any of the following: (a) Hit, spank, shake, bite, pinch, or inflict other forms of corporal punishment. 5

There is not sufficient evidence to support the allegation that Ms. Chaffee did not ensure that personnel do not hit, spank, shake, bite, pinch, or inflict other forms of corporal punishment. Mr. Rakowski admitted that he held Child A's face with his thumb and pointer finger on her cheeks. He denied that he squeezed her cheeks while doing this, and he was only doing it to keep her attention. There were no marks or bruises on Child A's face.

Open Not marked corrected in the state record

Category: recordkeeping. Open / not marked corrected.