Wiggles & Giggles Child Care Center daycare inspections in Highland, MI

R 400.8158 Incident, accident, injury, illness, death, fire reporting. (4) A licensee, licensee designee, or program director shall submit a written report to the department of the occurrences outlined in subrules (1), (2), and (3) of this rule, in a format provided by the department, within 72 hours of the verbal report to the department.

Ms. Harris did not provide the department with a written report within 72 hours of learning that CCSM 1 utilized inappropriate discipline with Child A. Ms. Harris stated that she was not aware that she was required to provide a written report within 72 hours of being informed that CCSM 1 was utilizing inappropriate discipline when she grabbed Child A by the collar.

R 400.8158 · Correction status not published

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. 3

On 06/08/2023 the complaint received stated that CCSM 1 picked Child A up by the collar. The complainant did not provide any contact information; therefore, I was not able to obtain additional information. On 06/09/2023 Ms. Harris stated that she was informed on 05/24/2023 by CCSM 2 that CCSM 1 had grabbed Child A by the collar. CCSM 1 would not let Child A go until CCSM 2 walked over and separated her from Child A. Ms. Harris was not at the center when the incident occurred. She was not provided with additional information. CCSM 1 was placed on administrative leave on 05/24/2023 pending an 2 investigation. Ms. Harris stated that she did not inform Child A’s Mother when the incident occurred; she was not sure why she did not inform Child A’s Mother. She did not contact the department within 24 hours or submit a written report within 72 hours because she was not aware that it was required. She provided me Child A’s child information card, the center’s discipline policy, and incident reporting policy. Child A’s child information card was incomplete, and the following items were missing: date of admission, employment name and number, and other release, emergency medical permission. The center’s discipline policy stated, “The approach we use promotes and encourages self-regulation, self-direction, self-esteem, and a spirit of cooperation. Staff is prohibited from using these forms of punishment: Hitting, spanking, shaking, biting, pinching, or inflicting other forms of corporal punishment.” The center’s incident reporting policy stated “when a child incurs a minor injury, staff will take the following steps: Immediate care is provided to the child. A phone call, written report or both will be provided to the parent at or before dismissal on the day of the minor injury.” CCSM 1 and CCSM 2 were the only adults in the classroom. On 07/25/2023 I called CCSM 1, and the conversation was short because it was a bad connection and I asked CCSM 1 if I could call her right back in hopes of obtaining a better phone connection. She said, “Yes.” When I called her right back, she did not answer. I called twice and left a voicemail, and I did not receive a return phone call. On 07/25/2023 and 07/28/2023 I left messages for Child A’s Mother, and I did not receive a return phone call. On 07/25/2023 and 07/28/2023 I left a message for CCSM 2, and I did not receive a return phone call. The center is closed for the summer, and she was not present at the center at the time of my onsite inspection.

R 400.8143 Children's records. (1) At the time of a child's initial attendance, a center shall obtain a child information card, using a form provided by the department or a comparable substitute, that is completed and signed by the child's parent. The center shall keep it on file and accessible in the center.

Child A’s information card was missing the following: date of admission, employment name and number, and other release, emergency medical permission.

R 400.8143 · Correction status not published

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. 4

Ms. Harris did not contact the department or Child A’s Mother within 24 hours of the incident. Ms. Harris acknowledged that it was her responsibility to inform the department and Child A’s Mother when she learned that CCSM 1 had grabbed Child A by the collar.

R 400.8158 · Correction status not published

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

On 04/05/2022 I interviewed the complainant. The complainant reported that Child B had brought cereal and milk for lunch, and a staff member (she was unable to recall which staff member) poured milk onto the cereal. This upset Child B and she cried and screamed. The staff member did not offer any other foods, rather she told Child B to lie down on her cot. The complainant stated that staff made Child B eat the cereal with milk poured on it when Child B woke up from naptime, nearly two and a half hours later. The complainant was unsure if Child B ate the cereal with milk that was offered after naptime or what day this incident occurred. On 04/06/2022 I conducted an unannounced onsite inspection. I interviewed Ms. Westfield, Ms. Ridalls, Ms. Comis, Ms. J. Kivari, Ms. Hamsher, and Ms. K. Kivari. Ms. Westfield stated she did not recall the incident. She said Child B does have eating issues. She does not always want to eat at lunch time. If she does not want to eat her lunch at lunch time, we offer her lunch again at snack time. Lunch is brought from home. Ms. Westfield stated that the center would never withhold food as a punishment for crying or for any other reason. Ms. Ridalls was not working at the time of the incident; however, Ms. Ridalls indicated that children are never withheld food or are forced to go to sleep without eating. 5 I interviewed Ms. Comis. She recalled a few weeks ago (she did not remember a specific date) she poured milk on Child B's cereal and Child B cried. Ms. Comis stated Child B packed cereal, milk, and other food in her lunch box. At lunch time, as Ms. Comis prepared food, she asked Child B if she would like milk in her cereal. Child B responded she would like milk in her cereal. Ms. Comis poured milk in the cereal bowl and Child B screamed, "No!" Ms. Comis immediately poured the milk out of the cereal bowl and placed it next to Child B. Ms. Comis said Child B "picked at the cereal" for a few minutes but she did not eat lunch. Child B continued to yell and sob. Ms. Comis asked Child B if she would like to rest on her cot. Child B indicated she did and went and laid on the cot. Ms. Comis did not recall if the cereal and milk were offered to Child B once she woke up. However, she did recall that there was no milk in the cereal bowl. Ms. Comis stated that Child B has struggled at meal times. She said Child B frequently throws fits, cries, and throws food on the floor during lunch time. When children refuse to eat, Ms. Comis will offer other items in the lunch box to try. She said she will ask if the child wants something small like a cheese stick or piece of fruit. This will usually get them to start eating. If a child does not want to eat at lunch time, they can eat it later in the day. Ms. Comis stated that Child B refused to eat before lunch or any food at all before nap. She ate lunch after she woke up. She did not recall what specific food was in her lunch box on the date of the alleged incident; however, she remembered that Child B was not offered cereal again. Ms. Comis stated that Child B's lunch box is generally very full and contains items like fruit, pancakes, and yogurt. I interviewed Ms. K. Kavari. She is a lead staff member and works in the three- and four-year-old preschool classroom. She stated Child B is enrolled in her classroom. K. Kavari stated that Child B is generally a mild-mannered child. However, she recalled Child B became very upset when milk was poured on her cereal a few weeks ago (she was unable to recall a specific day). She said Child B cried and was very emotional. She was beside herself and unable to eat or calm down. Ms. Kivari asked if she wanted to lie on her cot. Child B laid down. She slept much longer than usual. When she woke up, she was no longer upset and able to eat. Ms. K. Kivari stated she did not eat cereal with milk; she recalled that was tossed in the garbage after lunch. Ms. K. Kivari did not indicate observe what Child B ate after nap. Her shift was over

R 400.8101 Definitions. (g) "Child care aide" means an individual who is 17 years of age, who provides services and participates in child care activities in a child care center, who shall not have unsupervised access or provide unsupervised care or supervision of children, and who has satisfactorily completed at least 1 year of a vocational-occupational child care aide training program approved by the department.

I interviewed Ms. Ridalls regarding the allegations. She confirmed that Staff A is an employee at the child care facility, and she is under the age of 18. Ms. Ridalls shared there have been times when Staff A has been left with the children unsupervised, but it was for very short periods. These times only occur if everyone is outdoors and a staff member has gone inside to take other children to the restroom. Ms. Ridalls said she's unable to provide a set amount of times this has happened. I interviewed Ms. Westfield who also confirmed Staff A as an employee under the age of 18. She confirmed that there may have been times when she's been left unsupervised but only during the end of the day during outdoor play. 4 I interviewed CCSM, Kaci Kivari. Ms. Kivari denied knowledge of anyone being under the age of 18. I interviewed CCSM, Caitlin Hamsher. Ms. Hamsher denied knowledge of any minors working at the child care facility. I interviewed CCSM, Amanda Comis. Ms. Comis confirmed knowledge of Staff A working at the child care facility. She believes she's 17 or 18 years old. She denied ever observing Staff A ever being left unsupervised with the children. I interviewed Staff A She's been employed at the child care facility for two years. She started working when she was 15 years old. She's always worked at both Ms. Ridalls child care home that she owns as well as the child care facility owned by Ms. Ridalls. Staff A said she's never left alone with children unless a CCSM leaves to use the restroom or if she's outside and a CCSM goes inside with children to let them use the restroom. I inquired about Staff A completing at least 1 year of a vocational-occupational child care aide training program. She denied that she's participated in the completion of a year worth of vocational-occupational child care aide training. She shared the only thing that she's completed was training offered by Ms. Ridalls. On 09/25/2020, I contacted Ms. Ridalls who shared she was under the belief from a conversation with Staff A that she did in fact have training through her school. She believed she had documentation of the training on file but is unable to locate it and will contact the school counselor. I informed Ms. Ridalls that Staff A shared that she had not completed a year of training in child care aide and had never provided any documentation to the child care facility stating so. Ms. Ridalls said she will provide me with any verifying documentation she's able to obtain (if any) from the school counselor. On 09/30/2020, Ms. Ridalls provided a syllabus from Staff A's high school for an early childhood and educational careers class. It showed Staff A as receiving an A for what appeared to be two marking periods.

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 04/05/2022 I interviewed the complainant. The complainant observed Child Care Staff Member Caitlyn Hamsher pull Child A by the hood of his sweatshirt and pull him towards the door to go outside. The zipper on the shirt rubbed on his neck during this incident. The complainant did not observe any marks on Child A and did not recall what day the incident occurred or what classroom Child A was in, 2 however, stated the incident was in the last few weeks. The complainant stated that Ms. Hamsher pulled Child A with a great amount of force. There are no cameras in the building. The complainant did not indicate if anyone else observed the incident. I interviewed Mr. Riddalls and he stated that he and Mrs. Riddalls have a live surveillance system set up in the center. This allows Mr. and Mrs. Riddalls to observe staff members from a remote location throughout the day. Mr. Riddalls stated that he has never observed Child A pulled by the hood or any other inappropriate staff behavior. He said the footage is live and he is not able to retrieve footage from previous days. On 04/06/2022 I interviewed Program Director Cassie Westfield (lead 4-year-old, staff member), Licensee Designee Karen Ridalls, and Child Care Staff Members Amanda Comis (three-year-old assistant staff member and floater), Kaci Kivari (lead three year old staff member) Caitlyn Hamsher (lead two-year old staff member) and Jaryn Kivari (floater). Ms. Westfield and Ms. Ridalls did not observe and were not notified of an incident that occurred where Child A was pulled by the hood on his sweatshirt. Both Ms. Westfield and Ms. Ridalls stated that any form of physical punishment is prohibited at the center. I interviewed Ms. Comis, Ms. Kaci Kivari and Ms. Jaryn Kivari. Ms. Comis is assigned to work in the three-year-old classroom and floats as needed. Ms. K. Kivari is the lead staff member assigned to the three-year-old classroom and works in the four-year-old room as needed. Ms. J. Kivari is a floater. She works in the two-year-old classroom as needed. Caitlyn Hamsher is the lead two-year-old classroom staff member. Child A is enrolled in the two-year old classroom. Bryn Chwalek is also assigned to the two-year old classroom. She shares the role of lead staff member with Ms. Hamsher. Ms. Chawalek was not available at the time of the onsite inspection. She was not working that day. She was interviewed on 05/19/2022. Ms. Comis, Ms. Kaci Kivari and Ms. Jaryn Kivari work beside Ms. Hamsher on a regular basis. None of the staff members observed Child A being pulled by the hood of his sweatshirt. Ms. Comis added that Ms. Ridalls would never put up with that behavior, and if she ever observed inappropriate interactions between a child and staff, she would report it right away. All three staff did not have concerns regarding Ms. Hamsher's interactions with children. Staff added that physical discipline is never used. I interviewed Caitlyn Hamsher. She is the lead child care staff member assigned to the two-year-old-classroom. Ms. Hamsher stated she never used physical discipline with any child and did not recall pulling Child A by the hood. She said if children are having a hard time listening, she will have them sit at the table and tell them to take breaths. Once the child is calm, she repeats her request. I asked Ms. Westfield, Ms. Ridalls, Ms. Comis, Ms. K. Kivari, Ms. Hamsher, and Ms. J. Kivari about the center's discipline policy. All staff indicated that verbal reminders were 3 used with children when they were not following directions. Examples include, "Use your listening ears," And "We don't hurt our friends." Ms. Comis and Ms. Hamsher said that if verbal reminders do not work, children are asked to sit at the table, take some deep breaths, and then rejoin their peers. On 04/06/2022 I received a copy of the center's discipline policy. The policy is listed below. Discipline Policy Should the need arise; the following forms of discipline will be used at the W & GC3. 1) Talk

R 400.8140 · Correction status not published

1 R 400.8140 Discipline. (2) All of the following means of punishment are prohibited: (e) Depriving a child of meals, snacks, rest, or necessary toilet use.

On 04/05/2022 I interviewed the complainant. The complainant stated that a child had his or her arms pulled during clean up time. The complainant observed a staff member sitting on the floor with a child. The staff member pulled the child by both arms. The staff member then placed a toy in the child's hand and asked the child to put that toy away. The complainant could not recall the name of 7 • f i e ►' 1 r • r r • • r:r r i i - • • •' s • • -• • • • • • NOT i :1* ' RECOMMENDATION I recommend no change in the status of the license. 05/31/2022 Michelle Fruehan Date Licensing Consultant Approved By: 05/31/2022 Jacquelin Sharkey Date Area Manager rj

R 400.8140 · Correction status not published

R 400.8110 Applicant; licensee; licensee designee; requirements. (10) Written approval from the department must be obtained before making any changes in the terms of the license, including but not limited to, adding use space, changing age groups served, changing program components, changing the capacity of the center, or making changes to a room or well-defined space that will result in a change in capacity of the room or well- defined space.

Three children were in the office space of the facility. This space is not approved for child use space.

R 400.8110 · Correction status not published

R 400.8182 Ratio and group size requirements. (3) In each room or well-defined space, the maximum group size and ratio of child care staff members to children, including children related to a staff member or the licensee, must be as shown in Table 4: Age Child Care Staff Maximum Group Size member to Child Ratio b)Preschoolers, 30 months 1 to 8 of age until 3 years of age c)Preschoolers, 3 years of 1 to 10 d)Preschoolers, 4 years of 1 to 12 Not applicable age until school-age

On 09/24/2020, I interviewed program director, Cassandra Westfield. I informed Ms. Westfield of the allegations. She denied any knowledge of the facility being out of ratio. She said this is an area that they typically overstaff for because they 2 understand the importance of being in ratio and work hard to maintain it. If there's ever a time that they think they are close to being out of ratio they will contact the licensee, Karen Ridalls, because she resides two minutes away from the facility and will fill in whenever it's needed. Ms. Westfield said she can't think of anytime the facility has been out of ratio. I interviewed licensee, Ms. Ridalls and made her aware of the allegations made against the facility. Ms. Ridalls said she takes pride in the fact that she's always in ratio. This is an area of strength for the facility. She oftentimes makes sure the facility is over staffed. She denied that any of her staff have ever expressed concerns regarding ratio. I inquired about Staff A age and being included in ratio. Ms. Ridalls confirmed that staff A is an employee at the child care facility, and she is under the age of 18. She said Staff A has been used for ratio, but she's never been left unsupervised. After making this statement, Ms. Ridalls shared there have been times when she may have been left with the children alone for very short periods while a staff member went inside to take other children or went to the restroom. Ms. Ridalls said she's unable to provide a set amount of times this has happened. Ms. Westfield confirmed this information as well. I interviewed CCSM, Kaci Kivari. Ms. Kivari was asked about ratio concerns at the facility. She said she's been an employee for several years and ratio concerns have never been an issue. I interviewed CCSM, Caitlin Hamsher. Ms. Hamsher was asked about ratio concerns. She shared she's been employed at the facility for one and a half years. During her time of employment, she's never observed concerns of ratio. She shared they're always in compliance with ratio. I interviewed CCSM, Amanda Comis. Ms. Comis said she was not aware of any times the facility has been out of ratio while she's worked. She has been employed for the facility for approximately one year. I interviewed Staff A. She's been employed at the child care facility for two years. I inquired about ratio at the facility. She said to her knowledge the child care facility is always in ratio, however, she wasn't sure what the exact staff to child ratio numbers were. She believes she's included in ratio. I asked if there's ever times that she's left alone with the children unsupervised. She confirmed this has happened on several occasions but only for short periods of time. It's typically during outdoor play. A CCSM may leave her outside for a few minutes to take other children inside for restroom breaks or if they need to run inside to take care of something else. 3

R 400.8182 · Correction status not published

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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. 3

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

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.

1 R 400.8140 Discipline. (2) All of the following means of punishment are prohibited: (e) Depriving a child of meals, snacks, rest, or necessary toilet use.