Creative Child Care Center

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 10/17/2022, I spoke with Child A's Mother who reported that licensee designee Thomas Skilling told her about the video. She said that she was told that a SnapChat video was taken of her daughter playing with her nipples and sent to "coworkers and who knows who else." Child A's Mother has not seen the video. Child A's Mother was very upset about the video being taken of her children and expressed concern that she did not know who had received the video and had possession of it. On 11/10/2022, I spoke with CCSM 1 who confirmed that she no longer works at the center and was let go because she was on her phone too much. She worked there for about a month. I asked her to tell me about the video incident with Child A. She said that Child A was being "silly" and she "thought it was funny." She described that Child A "lifted up her shirt, was playing with her boobs, was messing with her boobs." CCSM 1 said that she took a SnapChat video of Child A doing that and then sent it to her coworker CCSM 2. I asked CCSM 1 if she had a copy of the video still and she said that she did not have the video because she did not save it and would "never save anything like that." She denied having ever taken photos or videos of any other children. CCSM 1 said that she has not talked to anyone else about the video until Mr. Skilling called her to tell her that she was being let go because of the video that she made. CCSM 1, in hindsight, thinks sending the video "was dumb, uncalled for and I shouldn't have done that." On 11/14/2022, I spoke with center director Bonnie Schnepp who reported that CCSM 1's cell phone use in the classroom had been addressed with her prior to the incident. On 10/05/2022, CCSM 2 reported to her and Mr. Skilling that CCSM 1 had sent her a SnapChat video of Child A. CCSM 2 reported that both she and CCSM 3 watched it, and she then deleted it. CCSM 2 told her that the video was of Child A pulling her shirt up, playing with nipples, while CCSM 1 was in the background laughing. Ms. Schnepp talked to CCSM 1 on 10/06/2022, CCSM 1 did not deny using her phone and was given the next day off. The following day they decided to terminate her employment. I spoke with CCSM 2 who explained that on 10/05/2022, she was working in a different classroom than CCSM 1 and saw her in passing at snack time. CCSM 1 told her to go look at her phone because she had sent her a video of Child A pinching her nipples. CCSM 2 described that in the video Child A pulled her shirt up and pinched her nipple. CCSM 2 said that she could hear CCSM 1 laughing in the background of the video while only Child A was visible. CCSM 2 viewed the video with CCSM 3. CCSM 2 did not know if anyone else received the video. 3 I spoke with CCSM 3 who reported that CCSM 2 approached her and told her that CCSM 1 had sent her a video. CCSM 2 opened the SnapChat message up while with CCSM 3 and they viewed the video together. CCSM 3 explained that the video was of Child A pulling her shirt down and pinching her nipple. CCSM 1 could be heard laughing in the video. CCSM 3 did not have a copy of the video. The video was reported to the director right away. There were no other videos before this to her knowledge. A referral was made to the Kent County Sheriff Department regarding this complaint. They declined to investigate.

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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.

CCSM 1 used prohibited discipline with Child B when she hit him.

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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.

The center did not report the incident involving Child B getting hit by CCSM 1 within 24 hours of incident.

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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 10/28/2021 I completed an unannounced on-site inspection at the center. I interviewed licensee Thomas Skilling and asked how often his staff are on their phones when they should be caring directly for children. He stated that he is not in the classrooms nor is he at the center on a daily basis, so he does not know for sure how much staff are on their phones. He noted that it is written in the handbook that staff are not to be on their phones in the classroom, but that since he took over the center recently, the policy may be more vague to staff as he acknowledged he hasn't enforced it. Mr. Skilling reported that the previous owner had staff leave their phones in their vehicles at the beginning of shifts, but he acknowledged that he does not make staff do that. 5 I reviewed the employee handbook. Under "Cell phones" it states: "Cell phones are not allowed in the classroom or playground. Calls for or by you should be conducted either before or after a shift, or on break, unless it is a true emergency. Please be sure your family has our landline number for emergencies." I interviewed child care staff member Veronica Jeffery. She stated that she is alone in the infant classroom, so she does not know if other staff are on their phones when they should be taking care of children. She noted that she brings her cell phone into the infant room but stated is not on the phone while taking care of child care children. I interviewed child care staff member Kaitlyn Greer. She stated that to her knowledge, staff are not on their phones when taking care of children. She noted that she brings her phone to her classroom, but that she leaves it up on a shelf. She does not observe staff on their phones while in the toddler classroom. I interviewed child care staff member Jaimee McQueen. She stated that staff are on their phones a "minimal" amount in her classroom, the older preschool room. She noted she has observed staff in the younger preschool classroom on their phones. Ms. McQueen noted she has observed child care staff members Emma True and Katelyn Soweles using their personal phones while outdoors on the playground with children. She is not sure of how long of a duration these staff members are on their phones at a time but estimated she has observed Ms. Sowoles on her phone one to three times a week while outdoors with child care children. She estimated she has observed Ms. True on her phone on a lesser basis; one time every one to two weeks. She noted she does not observe these staff members in their classrooms and that she has only observed this while they are outdoors during outdoor play. Ms. McQueen indicated that Ms. Sowoles has been using her phone frequently since she began employment approximately two to three months ago and that Ms. True has only been on her phone a little bit for the past month or so. Prior to that she did not observe Ms. True on her phone, but she also noted that the previous owner used to not allow phones in the building, so it wasn't an issue for anyone. I interviewed child care staff member Melanie Carroll. She stated that she has observed other staff on their phones while taking care of children "a lot", particularly in the younger preschool classroom. She stated she has observed Katelyn Sowoles, Taylor French, and Emma True on their phones while on the playground with children. This has been observed more than ten times over the past six months. Ms. Carroll noted this is concerning because the staff are clearly not just glancing at their phones to check the time but are actively texting or typing on them. She noted she observed Kaitlyn Greer yesterday on her phone while children were sleeping during naptime. She has only observed Ms. Greer on her phone on that one occasion. She indicated that no cell phones were allowed in the building with the previous owner of the center and that now it seems to be allowed, as far as she knows. I interviewed child care staff member Mariah Sorensen. She stated that she

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R 400.8185 · R 400.8185 Primary care. (2) The center shall implement a primary care system so that each infant and toddler has a primary caregiver.

On 10/28/21, I completed an unannounced on-site inspection at the center. I interviewed licensee Thomas Skilling. He stated that a few children at the center had hand, foot, and mouth last week, and that he feels the center "responded well" to it. Once it was discovered, it was communicated to parents and a few children had to stay home as a result. He does not recall who the children were that were sent home or the rooms they were in. I requested and received a copy of the center's illness exclusion policy. The policy states: "The clinical symptoms which indicate that a child (or staff member) is either too sick to participate in normal day care activities, and/or may be a source of communicability to the health of other children, includes the following:......Any and all communicable diseases-including head lice and/or nits. Do not bring your child if he/she exhibits any of these symptoms. If we notice any of these symptoms, you will be contacted to 7 pick up your child. Readmission: A child that is removed from the normal daily activities will be readmitted to the child care center no sooner than the next day, if symptoms have subsided, or if a doctor has examined the child and determined that symptoms are not infectious (doctor note with approval for return must be brought in with child)... .If the director determines that your child is too sick for normal activities, or that the child may be a source of communicability, then the child shall be placed in an isolation area and you will be contacted to pick up your child...." I interviewed child care staff member Veronica Jeffery. She stated that a few weeks ago, one child in her room, the infant classroom, came down with hand, foot, and mouth and that child was immediately sent home. Ms. Jeffery reported she saw blisters on the child as soon as she arrived at the center. She called the child's father immediately, who was still in the center's parking lot, so the child went back home within minutes of arriving to the center. I interviewed child care staff member Kaitlyn Greer. She acknowledged that hand, foot, and mouth was in the center last week. She stated that she had three children in her classroom, the toddler classroom, who were sent home right away after noticing blisters. She stated that after knowing it had been in the classroom, not only did they take all the toys every day and sanitize them, but they checked all of the children over thoroughly at arrival, during diaper changes, and while handwashing, in addition to watching them closely day to observe any blisters. She noted that all children had to have a doctor's note in order to return to the center. I interviewed child care staff member Jaimee McQueen. She stated that last week she was notified that a child had hand, foot, and mouth. She noted that at first, she didn't observe any blisters on the children in the preschool classroom, and that they were checking the children every couple of hours. Ms. McQueen indicated that a day or two later, three children in her room were checked and sent home after observing blisters starting to form. She noted she called parents immediately and required them to pick up the child right away if blisters were observed. I interviewed child care staff member Melanie Carroll. She stated that when the center had hand, foot, and mouth last week, children with symptoms were sent home "right away", and that staff called parents "immediately" to pick up. She stated that she checked the children frequently for blisters, and that two children in her room, the "older preschool" classroom were sent home with symptoms. I interviewed child care staff member Mariah Sorensen. She stated that children with symptoms of hand, foot and mouth were sent home "ASAP" and that they were not allowed back without a doctor's note. She noted that they were constantly sanitizing everything and checking the children for blisters. She indicated that four children in the toddler classroom were sent home. I in

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R 400.8113 · R 400.8113 Program director qualifications; responsibilities. (3) All program directors are responsible for the general management of the center, including the following minimum responsibilities: (b) Administering day-to-day operations, including being available to address parent, child, and staff issues.

On 10/26/21, I received a complaint stating, "the director is never available; director is always in a classroom." It should be noted that because the complainant is anonymous, I could not reach out to ask more details on what way the program director is "not available." On 10/28/21 I completed an unannounced on-site inspection at the center. I interviewed licensee designee Thomas Skilling. Mr. Skilling explained that the current program director is Bonnie Schnepp, and that she is new and starts at the center this coming Monday (11/1/21). The previous program director was Kristine Grice, and her last day at the center was last Friday (10/22/21). Mr. Skilling explained that Ms. Grice was asked to be a classroom staff member and to no longer act as the director, and Ms. Grice choose to leave the center as a result. I asked how often Ms. Grice was in classrooms when she worked at the center, and he stated that there were certain times when she had to be in classrooms for things like staff breaks or to fill-in for someone who called in sick but noted she was still available to other staff and parents as needed. Mr. Skilling acknowledged that Ms. Grice tended to "gravitate toward classrooms a bit" but this was usually available to check in with staff or children. I interviewed child care staff member Veronica Jeffery. I asked about how often Ms. Grice was in classrooms. She stated that Ms. Grice was in classrooms, but not every day. She indicated that when Ms. Grice went into classrooms, it did not get in the way of day-to-day operations because she would not be in the classrooms for long period of time, and she would bring the center phone in with her in case a parent or staff called. Ms. Grice would provide breaks at times to staff, including Ms. Jeffery and would leave after the staff member returned to the classroom. I interviewed child care staff member Kaitlyn Greer. I asked about how often Ms. Grice was in classrooms. She stated that she didn't work with Ms. Grice very long, but that she was not in classrooms very much. She did not go into the classroom Ms. Greer is in very often, but she noted that she remembers that Ms. Grice did fill in for another staff member who was out sick in a different classroom. I interviewed child care staff member Jaimee McQueen. I asked about how often Ms. Grice was in classrooms. She stated that Ms. Grice was only in the classrooms when she had to be, like when the center was short staffed, otherwise she was operating the center. I interviewed child care staff member Melanie Carroll. I asked about how often Ms. Grice was in classrooms. She stated that Ms. Grice was only in classrooms to meet staff to child ratio due to staff calling in sick. Ms. Carroll noted that staff call in sick a great deal, sometimes on a daily basis. She noted that when Ms. Grice had to be in classrooms, that she always had the center phone with her so she could address parent calls if need be. 3 I interviewed child care staff member Mariah Sorensen. I asked about how often Ms. Grice was in classrooms. She stated that Ms. Grice was in classrooms "quite often", for purposes of cleaning or filling in for someone who was sick. She noted that Ms. Grice was not in her classroom very much. I interviewed child care staff member Emma True. I asked about how often Ms. Grice was in classrooms. She stated that Ms. Grice would step in classrooms to see if staff or children needed anything or to fill in when the center was short staffed. She noted that Ms. Grice was not in her classroom very much.

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R 400.8122 · R 400.8122 Lead caregiver; qualifications; responsibilities. (5) Lead caregivers shall meet 1 of the following qualifications shown in Table 3: TABLE 3 Lead Caregiver Qualifications (a) Bachelor's degree or higher in early childhood education, child development, or a child-related field. (b) Montessori credential with 480 hours of experience. (c) Associate's degree or higher in early childhood education or child development (d) Valid child development associate credential (e) with 480 hours of experience. (f) High school diploma or GED with 12 semester hours and 960 hours of experience. (g) High school diploma or GED with 12 semester hours, 18 CEUs, or a combination to equal 18 clock hours with 1,920 hours of experience. (h) High school diploma or GED with 6 semester hours, 9 CEUs, or a combination to equal 90 clock hours with 3,840 hours of experience.

On 10/28/2021 I completed an unannounced on-site inspection at the center. I interviewed licensee Thomas Skilling. I asked about lead caregivers in each classroom. Mr. Skilling stated that Veronica Jeffery is the lead caregiver in the infant classroom, Mariah Sorensen is the lead caregiver in the toddler classroom, Taylor France is the lead caregiver in the young preschool classroom, and Melanie Carroll is the lead caregiver in the older preschool classroom. Mr. Skilling was not sure what rule each lead was qualified under, but he stated they are all qualified. Mr. Skilling provided documentation that was in each staff member's file. I reviewed the documentation. Ms. Jeffery is qualified as a lead under 8122 (5) (g) and (7). Ms. Sorensen is qualified under 8122 (5) (e) and (7). Ms. France is qualified under 8122 (5) (g) and (7). Ms. Carroll is qualified under 8122 (5) (g). 4 ...............

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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 7/23/2021, I completed an unannounced on-site inspection. I interviewed program director Kristine Gruis about the allegation that she spanked Child A. Ms. Gruis denied the allegation but acknowledged that she had worked in the classroom during nap time to cover a break for Child Care Staff Member (CCSM) Katelin Brower. There were eight children in the classroom at the time. Ms. Gruis said that a couple of children were not sleeping, and CCSM Taylor Hendrick told her that if she flipped them onto their stomach and patted their back, they would go to sleep. Ms. Gruis stated, "two children were still awake, that's what I did." She explained that Ms. Hendrick was by the bookcase, and she was in the northwest corner of the classroom. Ms. Brower returned to the classroom after her break, and she left the room. Ms. Gruis reported that this morning licensee Tom Skilling told her that she had "beat him (Child A) so bad" that Ms. Hendrick was unable to sleep last night and was not coming to work today. Ms. Gruis reported that Child A is "my baby, he's really special." She denied spanking him or any other children at the center. She said that she was patting his back because that it what "they usually do" and he was under a thick blanket at the time. She speculated that maybe her patting was misinterpreted as a spanking. Ms. Gruis explained that the toddler room uses redirection as discipline. I interviewed Mr. Skilling about the allegation. He wrote and submitted an incident report after the incident was reported to him by Ms. Hendrick. He said that he received a text message from Ms. Hendrick this morning asking to take a mental health day. He called her and she told him that Ms. Gruis was with her at nap time and Child A was refusing to go to sleep. He explained that it is common for Child A to have a difficult time falling asleep. Ms. Hendrick told him that she saw Ms. Gruis trying to get Child A to sleep and spank him one time with an open hand over his clothes. Mr. Skilling said that there have been no reports of anything like this in the past. He said that he would not expect Ms. Hendrick to make a false accusation against Ms. Gruis but he also does not think that Ms. Gruis would hit a child. 3 I interviewed CCSM Katelin Brower about the allegation. Ms. Brower said that she heard that Ms. Gruis was accused of beating a child and she thinks it's funny because Ms. Gruis would "not hurt a fly." She explained that she would trust Ms. Gruis with her own child. Ms. Gruis told her that she was accused of hitting Child A and she heard other staff members say that she beat him. Ms. Brower said that Ms. Hendrick told her that she saw Ms. Gruis spank him, then said she tapped him and gestured with an open hand. Ms. Brower said that Ms. Hendrick does not tell the truth and "lied all the time" to her. She gave an example that Ms. Hendrick told different stories about what her position was. She also said that Ms. Hendrick talked about inappropriate things in front of the children and the example she gave was a conversation about whether someone died by overdose or murder. She did not report this to the director but "shut the conversation down." She went on to say that there were rumors that she had edibles in the classroom. Ms. Brower went on to say that she didn't trust Ms. Hendrick, she thinks Ms. Hendrick wanted to be the director and does not think anything happened with Ms. Gruis and Child A. Ms. Brower said that Ms. Gruis adores Child A, and she has not seen Ms. Gruis or anyone else spank children at the center. Ms. Brower said that the discipline used at the center is redirection and time out for the preschool age and older children. I viewed the classroom and had Ms. Gruis show me where she and Ms. Hendrick were positioned during the time that she was rubbing Child A's back at nap time. There was a line of sight between the two positions. I spoke with Mr. Skilling about what he had told Ms. Gruis she was accused of. Mr. Skilling said

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R 400.8182 · 1 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: (a) For infants and toddlers, birth until 30 months of age there shall be 1 child care staff member for 4 children and a maximum roux size of 12. A

The toddler classroom did not follow the required staff to child ratio on 7/22/2021 when one child care staff member was caring for eight children. There was another adult present in the room, but they do not count in ratio due to not being a child care staff member.

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