R 400.8125 Staff; volunteer; requirements. (1) All staff and volunteers shall provide appropriate care and supervision of children at all times.
On May 10, 2021, I received a complaint that a Child Care Staff Member (CCSM) had been aggressive with Child A in the toddler room. They wrote that the CCSM had grabbed Child A by the arm and lifted Child A off the cot by her arm. At the time of the original complaint the name of the CCSM was not given. Only a physical description was provided. The complainant did not mention if Child A had been hurt during the alleged incident. Attempts were made to contact the complainant on May 18, 2021, and June 23, 2021, and Child A's Mother on May 18, 2021. As of the report date I have not received a response from either for follow-up information. On May 13, 2021, I conducted an unannounced inspection to Tutortime and met with Program Director Maria Bratke. We discussed the allegations in the complaint. Ms. Bratke stated that she had not received any complaints from parents that day or the next. She provided me with a list of children attending that day in the Toddler room and matched the physical description provided to CCSM Christine Jenuwine. Ms. Jenuwine is the Lead CCSM in the room. On the Monday her assistant was CCSM Virginia Lakauskas. Both staff members are long time employees with no previous reprimands. Ms. Bratke explained that she tells all parents/guardians that if there are any problems and/or issues that they witness over the live feed to call her, and she will address it immediately. There are children who are new to the room whether they are transitioning from infants or new to the center. It is Ms. Bratke's understanding that there has been no behavioral or adjustment issues from Ms. Jenuwine or Ms. Lakauskas that would fall beyond the norm of appropriate development. Neither Ms. Jenuwine nor Ms. Lakauskas came to her on Monday with any issues either. I then interviewed CCSM Christine Jenuwine. Ms. Jenuwine has been a Lead teacher in various rooms in the center for over 18 years. She is a full-time staff member working Monday through Friday. We discussed any events that happened on Monday May 10, 2021. She stated that nothing out of the ordinary had occurred. She opened the building around 6:00AM starting in the infant room. Around 8:15AM she left infants and went to Toddler 1 where she spent the rest of her day. Her assistant, Ms. Lakauskas, came in a short time later. They were always within ratio, but she was not sure of the exact number of children. At no time were there any problems that required her to report to Ms. Bratke. Nothing happened out of the ordinary. I reviewed the allegation with Ms. Jenuwine. She stated that it had been Child A's first day as a new child in the center. Child A is developmentally appropriate with no behavioral issues that would cause Ms. Jenuwine to become frustrated. She added that she does not lift children off cots by grabbing at their arms and lifting. 4 Ms. Lakauskas was then interviewed. She explained that she has been employed with the center for 21 years as an assistant CCSM. As far as Monday May 10, 2021, Ms. Lakauskas remembers she came in around 8:15AM to the Toddler room 1. There was a total of 8 children present that day because both she and Ms. Jenuwine had 4 children each for primary care. She left the building in the late afternoon. Nothing, she said, occurred that has stuck in her memory. She has never witnessed Ms. Jenuwine be aggressive with the children or lose her patience. Ms. Lakauskas does not speak with the parents unless there is a direct question about a child's primary care. She would not have met with a parent to discuss any problems. Prior to leaving the facility I discussed with Ms. Bratke the possibility of reviewing the surveillance footage from May 10, 2021. Ms. Bratke stated she would contact her Area Director, April Cole, for follow-up with the footage. I was also provided with child information cards and child attendance lists for the week. On May 18, 2021, I interviewed Child B's (2-year-old male) Mother over the telephone. She stated that she had