Wee Discover Child Day Care & Enrichment Center

R 400.8213(1)(d)(ii) · R 400.8213(1)(d)(ii) Staff; volunteer (ii) The individual is informed of the center’s policies on child abuse and neglect.

Three of the five staff files reviewed during this inspection did not have the signed written statement of this rule on file.

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R 400.8134(12) · R 400.8134(12) Sleeping Equipment. (12) A tightly fitted bottom sheet must cover the crib or portable crib mattress with no additional padding placed between the sheet and mattress.

Two of the cribs had loosely fitted sheets.

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R 400.8213(1)(d)(i) · R 400.8213(1)(d)(i) Staff; volunteer 3 LANDMARK BUILDING • 105 W. ALLEGAN STREET • LANSING, MICHIGAN 48933 Michigan.gov/MiLEAP (i) The individual is aware that abuse and neglect of children is against the law.

Three of the five staff files reviewed during this inspection did not have the signed written statement of this rule on file.

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R 400.8213(1)(d)(iii) · R 400.8213(1)(d)(iii) Staff; volunteer (iii) The individual knows they are mandated reporters of child abuse and child neglect and are required by law to immediately report suspected abuse and neglect to the department of health and human services, children’s protective services, as described in subdivision (c) of this subrule. 4 LANDMARK BUILDING • 105 W. ALLEGAN STREET • LANSING, MICHIGAN 48933 Michigan.gov/MiLEAP

Three of the five staff files reviewed during this inspection did not have the signed written statement of this rule on file.

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R 400.8216(2)(a) · R 400.8216(2)(a) Orientation (a) The prevention of shaken baby syndrome, if the center serves infants and toddlers.

One of the staff starting the first week of March 2026, did not have the requirements of this rule completed before caring for children.

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R 400.8216(2)(b) · R 400.8216(2)(b) Orientation (b) The prevention of sudden infant death syndrome and use of safe sleep practices, if the center serves infants and toddlers. 5 LANDMARK BUILDING • 105 W. ALLEGAN STREET • LANSING, MICHIGAN 48933 Michigan.gov/MiLEAP

One of the staff starting the first week of March 2026, did not have the requirements of this rule completed before caring for children.

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R 400.8216(2)(c) · R 400.8216(2)(c) Orientation (c) The prevention of abusive head trauma.

One of the staff starting the first week of March 2026, did not have the requirements of this rule completed before caring for children.

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R 400.8216(2)(d) · R 400.8216(2)(d) Orientation (d) The prevention of child maltreatment.

One of the staff starting the first week of March 2026, did not have the requirements of this rule completed before caring for children.

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R 400.8161(4) · R 400.8161(4) Maintenance of premises. (4) Floors, interior walls, and ceilings must be maintained in sound condition, good repair, and maintained in a clean condition. Technical Assistance Technical assistance is support and training given to the licensee/licensee designee on a specific rule. Technical assistance includes consultation on how the facility can best maintain compliance with a rule.

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R 400.8201(2)(e) · R 400.8201(2)(e) Comprehensive background check; fingerprinting. (2) An applicant or licensee shall do all of the following: (e) Complete and maintain the connection, disconnection, or withdrawn status of each individual associated with the license within the department's child care background check system. Technical Assistance Technical assistance is support and training given to the licensee/licensee designee on a specific rule. Technical assistance includes consultation on how the facility can best maintain compliance with a rule.

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R 400.8213a(2) · R 400.8213a(2) MiRegistry (2) Within 30 calendar days after employment, all program staff, unsupervised volunteers, and substitute teachers shall have a verified program organization employment entry in MiRegistry. 7 LANDMARK BUILDING • 105 W. ALLEGAN STREET • LANSING, MICHIGAN 48933 Michigan.gov/MiLEAP Technical Assistance Technical assistance is support and training given to the licensee/licensee designee on a specific rule. Technical assistance includes consultation on how the facility can best maintain compliance with a rule.

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R 400.8269(1)(d) · R 400.8269(1)(d) Emergency preparedness and response planning procedures (1) Written plans and procedures for emergency preparedness and response planning for the care of children and staff in each of the following emergencies must be developed and implemented: (d) Power outages. Technical Assistance Technical assistance is support and training given to the licensee/licensee designee on a specific rule. Technical assistance includes consultation on how the facility can best maintain compliance with a rule.

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R 400.8269(1)(e) · R 400.8269(1)(e) Emergency preparedness and response planning procedures (1) Written plans and procedures for emergency preparedness and response planning for the care of children and staff in each of the following emergencies must be developed and implemented: (e) Extreme weather events. Technical Assistance Technical assistance is support and training given to the licensee/licensee designee on a specific rule. Technical assistance includes consultation on how the facility can best maintain compliance with a rule.

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R 400.8269(2)(f) · R 400.8269(2)(f) Emergency preparedness and response planning procedures (2) The written procedures must include all the following as applicable to the type of emergency: (f) A plan for continuity of operations. 8 LANDMARK BUILDING • 105 W. ALLEGAN STREET • LANSING, MICHIGAN 48933 Michigan.gov/MiLEAP Technical Assistance Technical assistance is support and training given to the licensee/licensee designee on a specific rule. Technical assistance includes consultation on how the facility can best maintain compliance with a rule.

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R 400.8269(2)(i) · R 400.8269(2)(i) Emergency preparedness and response planning procedures (2) The written procedures must include all the following as applicable to the type of emergency: (i) A plan for how children with chronic medical conditions will be accommodated during an emergency. Technical Assistance Technical assistance is support and training given to the licensee/licensee designee on a specific rule. Technical assistance includes consultation on how the facility can best maintain compliance with a rule.

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R 400.8335(13) · R 400.8335(13) Food services and nutrition; provided by center (13) All liners, nipples, formula, milk, and other materials used in bottle preparation must be prepared, handled, and stored in a sanitary manner. Technical Assistance Technical assistance is support and training given to the licensee/licensee designee on a specific rule. Technical assistance includes consultation on how the facility can best maintain compliance with a rule.

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R 400.8525(4) · R 400.8525(4) Exits (4) Exit doors and all doors in the means of egress must be side-hinged and equipped with knob, lever-type, non- locking-against-egress, or panic-type hardware. Bureau

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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 5/22/23, the department received a complaint stating that on 5/19/23, it was observed that a child in the preschool room (3-4 years) stomped another child on the face and the staff members did not provide care to the injured child. The classroom was chaotic, and the staff members could not handle the children. On 5/22/23, I interviewed the complainant who said that at about 3:10 pm when they went to the preschool room, they saw a child stomp another child on the face. The complainant did not know the names of both the children involved in the incident. The complainant said that there was no care provided to the injured child, but they could see the red mark near the eye socket of the child. The complainant left the room after the incident and complained to the program director, Jennifer Rivera about this. Ms. Rivera said that she would not be able to do anything since it was her last day at the center. Ms. Rivera asked the complainant to discuss the issue with somebody else. The complainant said that she did not pursue the matter after that. On 5/24/23, I conducted an onsite inspection at the center. There was no incident report available for the alleged incident that occurred in the preschool room on 5/19/23. I reviewed the attendance records and noted that there were three staff members assigned to the preschool room on 5/19/23. On 5/24/23, I interviewed CCSM 1 who said that she was not aware of the incident that occurred in the preschool room. She said that she had not witnessed any child stomping another child and had not heard about the incident. She said she left at about 1 pm and was gone for the day. She said that she worked from 6:20 am to 1:10 pm. CCSM 1 said that when she left for the day at about 1 pm, she had CCSM 2 replace her and there were ten children in the room, some sleeping and some awake. On 5/24/23, I interviewed CCSM 2 who said that she recalled the incident when a child was hurt because of another child on 5/19/23. CCSM 2 said that she had not seen the incident and did not know what happened, but she heard a child cry and went to him to see what happened. CCSM 2 did not remember the name of the child 611 W. OTTAWA. P.O. BOX 30664. LANSING, MICHIGAN 48909 www.michigan.gov/lara . 517-335-1980 that was injured, CCSM 2 said that when she heard a child cry, she asked him what happened, and he said that another child had stepped on his face. CCSM 2 said that she checked his eye and face and saw that there were no marks on his face and his eye was functioning fine. CCSM 2 said that the child cried for about five minutes, and she stayed with him the entire time comforting him and hugged him for support. CCSM 2 said that she made sure that the child was doing fine, and he ran to play with other children. CCSM 2 said that there no need for any first aid and she thought that he was doing fine after that. CCSM 2 wrote out an incident report and told the mother what happened. The mother did not like what happened and appeared concerned, but when she handed the incident report for mother to sign, she calmed down. CCSM 2 said that she got the signature on the incident report and handed the report to the program director, Ms. Rivera. CCSM 2 did not know the name of the other child that injured this child, but she talked to this child to ask him what happened, and she did not get an answer from him. CCSM 2 said that CCSM 3 was in the room when the incident happened, but she had not seen anything. CCSM 2 said that she was trying to recall the names of the children involved the following week but could not remember. By the end of the interview, CCSM 2 said that she handed the incident report to the mother of the injured child. CCSM 2 was not sure about what she did with the incident report. On 5/24/23, I interviewed CCSM 3 who stated that she does not know of an incident where a child was stomped. CCSM 3 said that she did not see or hear anything about such an incident. CCSM 3 said that she was a floater, and she came

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R 400.8155 · R 400.8155 Child accidents and incidents; child and staff illness. (1) A center shall have a written plan for how and when a parent is notified when personnel observe any of the following: (b) A child experiences an accident, injury, or incident. 611 W. OTTAWA. P.O. BOX 30664. LANSING, MICHIGAN 48909 www.michigan.gov/lara . 517-335-1980 1 i' •- fi •~ - p -• -• '• !- • • 1 • • 1 !' 1 1 s • • •i

On 5/24/23, I interviewed the complainant who said that Child C was bitten twice on 2/14/23 and 3/13/23 and there was no incident report handed to the parent. On 5/24/23, I interviewed Child C's mother who said that Child C had bite marks on 2/14/23 and 3/13/23. She said that she would send the pictures of the bite marks. She understood that children get bitten but she did not receive an incident report regarding the same. Child C's mother said that nobody told her about the bite marks and there was no incident report sent home. After she saw the bite marks, she tried to address the issue with the staff members in the classroom and the program director, but she could not get an answer. Nobody seemed to know what happened. She could not recall the names of the staff members. Child C's mother said that she did not take Child C to the doctor either time because there was no medical attention needed. 611 W. OTTAWA. P.O. BOX 30664. LANSING, MICHIGAN 48909 www.michigan.gov/lara . 517-335-1980 On 5/24/23, I received two photos of the bites on Child C. On 3/13/23, there was a bite mark on the side of Child C's stomach. On 2/14/23, there were two circular red marks on Child C's left hand just below the elbow. I could not see the teeth indentations on the red mark as indicated by Child C's mother. It did not appear that there was any blood, but the skin appeared to be broken on both injuries. On 5/24/23, I interviewed the licensee designee, Ms. Linsenman, who said that she could not find any biting incident reports for Child C in his file. Ms. Linsenman said that the staff members are required to write the incident report and hand over a copy to the parent at the time of pick up. On 5/22/23, Child C's mother came up to her for a meeting and said that she did not get the incident reports for two bite marks that Child C incurred in the young preschool room. Ms. Linsenman said that she apologized to Child C's mother and said that she will make sure that incident reports are made in the future for any such incidents. Child C's mother did not give her the dates of the bite marks. On 7/17/23, I reviewed the staff attendance records for 2/14/23 and 3/13/23. CCSM 4 was assigned to the young preschool room on 3/13/23 and CCSM 5 and CCSM 6 were assigned to young preschool room on 2/14/23. On 7/17/23, I interviewed CCSM 4 who said that she recalled the day when Child C was bitten by another child. CCSM 4 did not remember the date of the incident. CCSM 4 said that Child C was trying to bite another child and instead was bitten by that child. The injury was not much at all, and Child C did not cry. CCSM 4 described the bite mark to be on the side of the stomach which coincides with the bite mark seen on 3/13/23. CCSM 4 said that she informed the administration team about the incident, but since this was not her regular room, she did not complete an incident report. CCSM 4 said that she did not call the parent or let them know since she had informed the administrative team. CCSM 4 was not sure about who she spoke to about the incident. On 7/17/23, I contacted CCSM 5 through text messages. CCSM 5 called later and said that she could not recall any biting incident while she was in the classroom with Child C. She said that she was diligent in writing incident reports and calling the parents and filing them. She would have done it if she had seen or heard about the bite. CCSM 5 said that she had conversations with Child C's mother and grandparent on a regular basis and they did not ask about an incident report or any biting for Child C at any time. On 7/17/23, I contacted CCSM 6 through text messages and called her. A voicemail was not set up on the phone and there was no response to the text messages. 611 W. OTTAWA. P.O. BOX 30664. LANSING, MICHIGAN 48909 www.michigan.gov/lara . 517-335-1980

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R 400.8182 · 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 c)Preschoolers, 3 years of 1 to 10 Not applicable age until 4 years of age 611 W. OTTAWA. P.O. BOX 30664. LANSING, MICHIGAN 48909 www.michigan.gov/lara . 517-335-1980

The attendance records indicated that there were 10 children with1 staff member. CCSM 2 signed into preschool classroom at the time of the incident with Child A. There was no arrival time for one child, and there was no departure time for three children. Therefore, the ratio could not be accurately determined.

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R 400.8143 · R 400.8143 1 Children's records. (11) A center shall maintain an accurate record of daily attendance at the center that includes each child's first and last name and each child's arrival and departure time.

The attendance records did not have the first and last names of eight children present in the preschool room. There was no arrival time for one child, and there was no departure time for three children.

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R 400.8155 · R 400.8155 Child accidents and incidents; child and staff illness. (1) A center shall have a written plan for how and when a parent is notified when personnel observe any of the following: (b) A child experiences an accident, injury, or incident.

As per the center's policy, an incident report was required for any injury including biting. Child C's mother did not receive incident report for Child C's bite mark on 3/13/23.

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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 5/3/23, program director, Ms. Rivera called to state that on 5/2/23, Child A was left outside unattended for a few minutes while the other children from the classroom went into their classroom. Ms. Rivera said that she would send the incident report as soon as she got the details about the incident. 611 W. OTTAWA. P.O. BOX 30664. LANSING, MICHIGAN 48909 www.michigan.gov/lara . 517-335-1980 On 5/4/23, I received the incident report stating that on 5/2/23, Child A was left unattended for 2 to 3 minutes. The CCSM came into the classroom from outside and left a child on the playground. On 5/10/23, I conducted an unannounced, onsite inspection at the center. I inspected the classroom to find that the classroom was divided into two spaces with one half as the toddler 1 classroom and the other half as the preschool room. Child A was left outside from the toddler 1 classroom. The classroom has a door going to the outside playground for toddlers. The playground is fenced and does not have access to the area beyond the toddler playground. On 5/10/23, I interviewed the program director Ms. Rivera who said that she was working in the infant classroom on 5/2/23, when the incident happened. It was about 4 pm. The toddler 1 classroom is diagonally opposite to the infant room. Child B and C's grandmother came into the room and told her that CCSM needed help because she had lost a child. Ms. Rivera said that when she went into the Toddler 1 classroom, CCSM was in a state of panic. She said that she could not find Child A in the classroom, and she did not want to go searching for him since she had two other children with her. Ms. Rivera said that when she went into the toddler room, she could not recall what the children were doing, how many children were present in the room or if they were wearing any jackets. Ms. Rivera said that her sole purpose was to find Child A and did not pay attention to anything else. As she walked into the classroom, she could see directly outside from the window that Child A was in the playhouse. Ms. Rivera went out and brought Child A into the classroom and went back to the infant room. Ms. Rivera said that Child A looked happy, and it did not seem that he knew that he was alone on the playground. Ms. Rivera said that she informed Child A's father the next morning when he came to drop off Child A. She called for a meeting with both Child A's parents and told them what happened. Ms. Rivera said that Child A was currently enrolled with the center. Ms. Rivera said that CCSM was on administrative leave for a few days and has returned to work. On 5/10/23, I interviewed CCSM at the center. CCSM said that she recalls counting four children when she came back into the room from outdoor recess. She was positive that Child A was with her when they came inside the classroom. After they came back into the room, she was helping the children get their coats off when Child B and Child C's grandmother came into the classroom with a stroller, and Child B was in the stroller. She was picking up Child C from the playground. Child B and C's grandma had Child B in the stroller and Child C was in the outdoor playground. Child B and Child C's grandmother had the door open with half of the stroller inside and half outside and was calling out to Child C to come back into the classroom. CCSM said that while she was getting the jackets off of the children, Child A must have slipped out of the classroom. CCSM said that Child A was probably gone for about two to three minutes and not more than that. 611 W. OTTAWA. P.O. BOX 30664. LANSING, MICHIGAN 48909 www.michigan.gov/lara . 517-335-1980 CCSM said that as she was frantically looking for Child A, Child B and Child C's grandmother asked her what she was looking for. CCSM told her that she had lost a child and was very frantic. Child B and Child C's grandmother did not say anything about Child A leaving out the door. CCSM told her to call Ms. Rivera to help her out. Child B and Child C's gra

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R 400.8140 · R 400.8140 Discipline. ........................... ........ ..... ........................ (1) Positive methods of discipline that encourage self- control, self-direction, self-esteem, and cooperation must be used.

On 03/07/2023, I interviewed the Complainant via telephone. The Complaint re-stated the information that was provided in the complaint. On 03/09/2023, I completed an unannounced on-site inspection. I interviewed Jennifer Rivera, Program Director, and Dawn Mclnally-Linsenman, Licensee Designee. Ms. Rivera stated two weeks ago at the end of her shift and in passing, Child Care Staff Member 3 mentioned to her that Child A said she did not want to go back to pre-k because Child Care Staff Member 4 put her hands on her wrists. Ms. Rivera asked Child A if anything happened between her and Child Care Staff Member 4. Child A said nothing had occurred. Ms. Rivera was unaware of the allegations involving Child B until today when I informed her of the allegations. Child Care Staff Member 4 is the center's cook and will care for children when she covers breaks for staff. Ms. Rivera has not received any complaints from parents about Child Care Staff Member 4. Recently, Child Care Staff Member 2 came to her office and told her that Child Care Staff Member 4 was a liability because she was yelling at the children. Ms. Rivera did not hear Child Care Staff Member 4 yelling at children while she was in her office, so she went to the 3 GRSP classroom. When she walked into the GSRP classroom, she observed Child Care Staff Member 4 sitting on the children's couch with children looking at books. She has never heard Child Care Staff Member 4 yell at the children, nor has she observed Child Care Staff Member 4 have any inappropriate contact with the children, including holding children's wrists. No other child care staff member has informed her of Child Care Staff Member 4 having any inappropriate contact with the children. If a child makes an allegation against a child care staff member, the child care staff member who was told the allegation completes an incident report and the child's parents are notified of the allegations. Ms. Rivera did not notify Child A's Parents about the allegations because Child A said nothing had occurred between her and Child Care Staff Member 4. Ms. Mclnally-Linsenman stated there is no video footage for 03/2/2023 and 03/06/2023 because the center's video is live streamed and is not recorded. Child A is in the GSRP classroom and Child B is in the preschool classroom. On 03/09/2023, I interviewed Child Care Staff Member 1 at the center. She is a lead caregiver who works in the preschool classroom. She and Child Care Staff Member 4 have worked together. She has not observed Child Care Staff Member 4 have any inappropriate contact with the children, including holding their wrists. Child Care Staff Member 4 does not yell at the children; however, her voice is gruff when she tells the children to do something such as telling them to get on their cot. She has heard her tell children that they are good or bad boys and girls, which she believes Child Care Staff Member 4 did not realize that she should not say to children. She has never received a complaint from parents or children about Child Care Staff Member 4 being inappropriate with the children. On 03/21/2023, I interviewed Child Care Staff Member 2 via telephone. She is a child care staff member in the GSRP classroom. She said Child A disclosed to Child Care Staff Member 3 that Child Care Staff Member 4 holds her wrists. When Child A made the allegations, Child Care Staff Member 2 did not observe any marks or bruises on her. Child Care Staff Member 4 speaks to the children in a belittling and aggressive way. There have been times when the children will not sleep right away and she has stepped into the classroom, screaming "stop jumping on the cots." She is unprofessional and talks about the children negatively to other staff saying, "That kid is a nut." She has not observed Child Care Staff Member 4 being physically inappropriate with the children, including holding their wrists. She reported her concerns to the previous Program Director, but nothing resulted in her expre

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R 400.8140 · R 400.8140 Discipline. ............................... ....... ..... .......... .................. (2) All of the following means of punishment are prohibited: (d) Inflicting mental or emotional punishment, such as humiliating, shaming, or threatening a child.

There is insufficient evidence to confirm that Child Care Staff Member 4 has inflicted mental or emotional punishment, such as humiliating, shaming, or threatening a child. Six of the eight people that were interviewed did not state that Child Care Staff Member 4 has inflicted mental or emotional punishment, such as humiliating, shaming, or threatening a child. They described Child Care Staff Member 4's way of speaking to the children as stern, gruff, and strict.

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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 licensee designee or the program director did not report to Child A's Parents and the department, directly or via fax, or email, within 24 hours of being informed of the allegations against Child Care Staff Member 4.

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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. 7

On 02/21/2023, I interviewed Child A and Child B's Mother via telephone. She stated she has received incident reports from the center about Child A's behavior, which included him not listening and hitting child care staff members and hitting another child who attends the center. The center has not worked with Child A and Child B's Parents to develop a specific plan on how they were addressing his behavior. Instead, Ms. Rivera made a threatening comment to Child A. When Child A and Child B's Mother dropped him off at the center on 02/10/2023, Ms. Rivera put her hand on his head and said, "Now you better have a good day today or your mom will be picking you up." Child A is only two years old and is still learning right from wrong. There were no witnesses in the room when Ms. Rivera made the comment. There is also a concern about the center's failure to address incidents when Child B has been bitten. Child B has been bitten by the same child not less than five times. Child A and Child B's Mother only received an incident report for an incident that occurred in September 2022. It is unclear how Child B can be bitten by the same child so many times. Child B has never received medical treatment because of the biting incidents. The center scheduled a meeting on 02/16/2023 with Child A and Child B's Mother to discuss his behavior, however, Child A and Child B's Mother withdrew them from the center on 02/16/2023 prior to the meeting occurring. 3 On 02/21/2023, I interviewed the Complainant via telephone. The Complaint restated the information that was provided in the complaint. On 02/22/2023, I completed an unannounced on-site inspection. I interviewed Jennifer Rivera, Program Director. Ms. Rivera called Dawn Mclnally-Linsenman, Licensee Designee, and she participated in the interview via telephone. Ms. Rivera stated her employment with the center began in January 2023. Neither she nor Ms. Mclnally- Linsenmann has received any complaints from Child A and Child B's Parents that the center is not addressing Child A's behaviors and biting incidents with Child B. Child A has had more behavioral problems under the previous program director's management than he has had since Ms. Rivera's employment began. Child A's behavior problems include slapping a child care staff member, pushing children down and putting his hands around children's necks. Ms. Mclnally-Linsenman stated the previous program director would work in Child A's classroom to observe his behavior and to provide support to child care staff members when they are addressing his behavior. Ms. Rivera denied making a threat to Child A in front of his mother. She recalled telling Child A that he needed to keep his hands to himself because she did not want the other children in the room to get hurt. She then turned to his mother and informed her that she may be called if there were any behavioral problems. Ms. Rivera stated the center scheduled a meeting with Child A and Child B's Parents to develop a behavioral plan for him, however, the parents withdrew Child A and Child B before the meeting could occur. There have been no biting incidents with Child B since Ms. Rivera has been the program director. When children bite each other, child care staff members separate the children and talk to them about the reasons why biting is not allowed. If biting becomes a pattern with children, the center will develop a behavior plan with the parents to address the issue. On 02/22/2023, I interviewed Child care staff member 1 at the center. She is a child care staff member who works in all the rooms to provide coverage for breaks, and she has provided care for Child B. She said Child B is a good child but has a difficult time showing his emotions appropriately. Instead of using his words, he will punch or kick children and throw toys. During those incidents, child care staff members will allow him to be angry in the moment, but then will try to assist him with calming down by speaking to him calmly a

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R 400.8140 · R 400.8140 j Discipline. (2) All of the following means of punishment are prohibited: (d) Inflicting mental or emotional punishment, such as humiliating, shaming, or threatening a child.

On 02/21/2023, I interviewed the Complainant via telephone. The Complaint stated they did not know an exact date in January 2023 when the toddler rooms were operating on a 1:6 ratio. On 02/22/2023, Ms. Rivera stated she is unaware of times when the toddler rooms have been operating on a 1:6 ratio. Either she or Child care staff member 1 will go into a room when additional staff is needed to maintain compliance with ratio. Ms. Mclnally- Linsenman stated the previous program director would also go into a room when additional staff is needed to maintain compliance with ratio. In January 2023, toddler 1 and toddler 2 rooms were combined into one toddler room. On 02/22/2023, I interviewed Child care staff member 1 and Child care staff member 6 separately. They denied that the toddler rooms operate on a 1:6 ratio and they denied the toddler rooms being out of ratio when they work in the rooms. While on-site on 02/22/2023, I observed toddler 1 and toddler 2 rooms. The child care staff member-to-child ratios were as follows: Room Number of staff Number of children Toddler 1 2 6 Toddler 2 1 4 I reviewed the face-to-name sheets for the toddler rooms from 01/09/2023 through 01/20/2023. The child care staff member-to-child ratios were not maintained on the following dates: Date Time Number of staff Number of children 01/09/2023 8:05 a.m.-8:30 a.m. 2 9 8:35 a.m.-8:50 a.m. 2 10 8:50 a.m.-9:00 a.m. 2 11 01/10/2023 7:25 a.m.-7:32 a.m. 1 5 7:32 a.m.-7:35 a.m. 1 6 7:35 a.m.-7:55 a.m. 1 7 8:19 a.m.-8:29 a.m. 2 9 8:29 a.m.-8:50 a.m. 2 10 8:50 a.m.-9:00 a.m. 2 11 01/11/2023 8:35 a.m.-9:00 a.m. 2 11 01/12/2023 8:35 a.m.-8:40 a.m. 2 9 8:40 a.m.-9:00 a.m. 2 10 01/18/2023 8:20 a.m.-8:29 a.m. 2 9 8:29 a.m.-8:45 a.m. 2 11 8:50 a.m.-9:00 a.m. 2 9 M 01/19/2023 8:10 a.m.-8:16 a.m. 2 9 8:16 a.m.-8:30 a.m. 2 10 8:30 a.m.-8:45 a.m. 2 11 8:52 a.m.-8:55 a.m. 2 9 8:55 a.m.-8:59 a.m. 2 10 01/20/2023 7:15 a.m.-7.22 a.m. 1 5 7:22 a.m.-7:29 a.m. 1 6 7:29 a.m.-7:30 a.m. 1 8 7:30 a.m.-7:40 a.m. 1 7 7:40 a.m.-7:50 a.m. 1 7 Room Number of staff Number of children Toddler 1 1 4 Toddler 2 2 8 ______p • • • r • ' r •ItiIIs ' • , r ••• - r 1 r: • •- ~:' • •: - ':• • • • - 1• 1 1 1 1 • ! ! . m ADDITIONAL FINDINGS: INVESTIGATION: On 02/22/2023, I interviewed Child care staff member 6 regarding the special investigation allegations. She has been providing care for children at the center since 03/12/2022. She has had unsupervised contact with the children. I then reviewed the facility's Child Care Background Check (CCBC) profile and discovered that she was not connected to the center's profile. On 02/23/2023, I emailed Ms. Rivera informing her about Child care staff member 6 not being connected to the center's CCBC profile. On 02/24/2023, Ms. Rivera emailed me stating that Child care staff member 6 would be fingerprinted on 02/24/2023 and would not be working until she has been determined eligible. Child care staff member 6 was fingerprinted on 02/24/2023 and she is currently at the supervision only stage.

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R 400.8112 · R 400.8112 Comprehensive background check; fingerprinting. ................. .... ............ ................................................................................ (1) Pursuant to section 5n of the act, MCL 722.115n, before an individual has unsupervised contact with children, the department shall determine the individual's eligibility to be any of the following: (c) A child care staff member.

Child care staff member 6 was not fingerprinted and found eligible before having unsupervised contact with children.

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R 400.8143 · R 400.8143 Children's records. ...................................... (11) A center shall maintain an accurate record of daily attendance at the center that includes each child's first and last name and each child's arrival and departure time. Electronic records may be used. If electronic attendance records are used, then they must be available to the department at the time of an inspection. If the electronic attendance records are not available during an on-site inspection, then the center is in violation of this rule.

The center did not maintain accurate record of daily attendance at the center in the toddler room on 01/19/2023.

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R 400.8140 · R 400.8140 Discipline. (1) Positive methods of discipline that encourage self- control, self-direction, self-esteem, and cooperation must be used.

On 1/12/23 1 received an incident report from the licensee designee stating that on 1/10/23, Child A threw a toy and Ms. Coraci asked her to pick up the toy. When Child A refused to pick it up and attempted to leave the situation, Ms. Coraci grabbed her by the upper arms and lifted her. Ms. Coraci continued to restrain her physically, across the chest, pulling her back to her, until finally picking her up to walk to the phone. Child A was crying and trying to leave the situation for the entire incident. Later in the evening, the parents noticed bruising on her upper arms, but they could not confirm that it was a result of this incident. On 1/13/23 I interviewed Ms. Coraci who stated that on 1/10/23 she was alone in the young preschool classroom and the incident occurred at about 9 am. Child A threw a toy on the floor, and she asked Child A to pick it up. Child A refused and walked away from the toy. Ms. Coraci told Child A that they could both pick up the toy together. Child A was upset about this and was very angry. She threw herself on the floor and started to cry. She was moving her body around on the floor and banging her head on the floor. Ms. Coraci said that she did not want Child A to hurt herself and held her upper arms and picked her up. Child A tried to get away from her, so she sat her down on her lap and put her arms around her waist from the back and held her tight so that she did not move. Ms. Coraci said that she was doing that only to protect Child A from hurting herself by banging her head. Coincidentally, the program director, Ms. Schmidt, and assistant director, Ms. Renirie, came into the room for another matter. She told them that Child A was hurting herself by falling on the floor, and she needed help with the situation. Ms. Schmidt told Ms. Renerie to take care of the situation in the classroom and moved Ms. Coraci to the preschool room. Ms. Coraci said that Child B's mother was in the classroom through the entire incident and was not happy with what she had seen. Ms. Coraci said that Child B's mother complained about the incident to the director and said that she was physically restraining Child A when it was not required. Ms. Coraci said that she had not see Child A behave like this before and she had worked at the center for about 2 months as a floater. Ms. Coraci said that her intention was only to keep Child A safe, and she did not hurt her in any way. She did not scream or yell at her or do anything wrong. Ms. Coraci said that she picked up Child A and held her only to protect her and not to punish her. Management reviewed the video of the incident and decided to let her go. She said that the directors did not think that she did anything wrong. Ms. Coraci said that thinking back she could have been gentler with Child A, but she had no intention of hurting her. 611 W. OTTAWA. P.O. BOX 30664. LANSING, MICHIGAN 48909 www.michigan.gov/lara . 517-335-1980 On 1/13/23, I interviewed Child A's parents. Child A's father said that he went into the center at about 5 pm as usual to pick up Child A. Another parent (Child B's mother), Child A's father did not recognize the parent, approached him and said that she was in the room that morning and she did not like how Child A was handled by Ms. Coraci. Ms. Coraci physically grabbed Child A by her upper arms and restrained her physically when it was not needed. Child A's father was shocked, and at that time Ms. Schmidt came into the room and apologized by saying that she did not have the time to let Child A's parents know what had happened. Ms. Schmidt said that she was in the classroom all day long and had no time to watch the video before calling Child A's parents. She said that she would watch the video and let them know what happened. Child A's father was furious and left with Child A. The same evening, Child A's mother called Ms. Schmidt and said that they were very upset that they were not informed about the incident in the classroom. Child A's mother asked f

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R 400.8158 · 1 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 via phone, fax, or e mail, within 24 hours of occurrence of any of the following: (b) An incident involving an allegation of inappropriate contact.

The licensee did not report to the department within 24 hours of the incident involving an allegation of inappropriate contact with Child A.

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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 08/02/2022 the complainant stated that on 07/28/2022 she was in the bathroom that connects the toddler 2 and preschool classrooms when she observed Ms. Swan screaming at a child and pulling him by his arm in the toddler 2 classroom. She did not know the name of the child because her child is not in that classroom. On 08/02/2022 Ms. Schmidt and Ms. Linsenman stated that they have never heard or observed Ms. Swan screaming at the children or pulling them by their arms. Ms. Schmidt stated that Ms. Runestad was working with Ms. Swan in the toddler 2 classroom on 07/28/2022. On 08/25/2022 Ms. Gay stated that she has never heard Ms. Swan screaming at the children or observed her pulling children by their arms. On 09/13/2022 Ms. Swan stated that she has never screamed at the children or pulled them by their arms. On 08/25/2022 and 09/13/2022 I left a voicemail message for Ms. Runestad, and I did not receive a return phone call. Ms. Runestad no longer works at the center; her last day was 08/11/2022

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R 400.8140 · R 400.8140 Discipline. (2) All of the following means of punishment are prohibited: (d) Inflicting mental or emotional punishment, such as humiliating, shaming, or threatening a child. I

On 08/02/2022 the complainant stated that the center would have the children sit behind the desk in the front office to maintain the required child care staff member to child ratio. This has occurred a few days per week over the past two months. She was not sure of the exact days. On 08/02/2022 Ms. Schmidt and Ms. Linsenman stated that they do not have the children in the front office to maintain the child care staff member to child ratio. Ms. Schmidt stated that they will have the children in the front office maybe once a day if they are having issues in the classroom to give the staff member a break or if Ms. Schmidt needs to talk to the child about their behavior. The children are in the front office for no more than ten minutes. She will either talk to them about their behavior, read them a book, or just let them sit in the office area until they calm down. She was not aware that the office was not an approved area for children. On 08/25/2022 Ms. Gay stated that they do not have the children in the front office to maintain the child care staff member to child ratio. She has taken children up front once when a child care staff member was running late. The children were in the front area for five minutes. Ms. Gay could not stay in the classroom with the children because she had to open the door for anyone that did not have the code for the front door. 4 On 09/13/2022 Ms. Swan stated that children are not in the front office to maintain the child care staff member to child ratio. The only time children are in the front office is when they are having issues in the classroom and Ms. Schmidt, or Ms. Linsenman would need to talk with them about their behavior. The children would be in the office area for less than five minutes.

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R 400.8167 · 1 R 400.8167 Indoor space. (3) A center shall provide a floor plan of all child use areas to the department at initial licensure and before making structural changes or adding any child use space. Only space that has received prior approval for child use by the department may be used for child care.

On 08/02/2022 the complainant stated that the preschool and pre-k classrooms are out of ratio with ten to twelve children with one child care staff member. This occurred at least a few days per week over the past two months; the complainant was not sure of the exact days. On 08/02/2022 Ms. Schmidt and Ms. Linsenman stated that they maintain the 1 to 10 child care staff member to child ratio in the preschool classroom and the 1 to 12 child care staff member to child ratio in the pre-k classroom. The preschool children are 3 years of age until 4 years of age, and the pre-k children are 4 years of age until 5 years of age. Ms. Schmidt stated that she or Ms. Gay will go into a classroom, they will move children to other classrooms, or have another child care staff member go into the classroom when needed to maintain ratio. On 08/02/2022 during the onsite inspection, the preschool room required a 1 to 10 child care staff member to child ratio and the pre-k room required a 1 to 12 child care 5 staff member to child ratio, which were maintained. I also reviewed the attendance sheet from the preschool and pre-k classrooms for the weeks of 07/18/2022 and 07/25/2022. The preschool 1 to 10 and pre-k 1 to 12 child care staff member to child ratio were maintained both weeks. On 08/25/2022 Ms. Gay stated that the preschool and pre-k classrooms are not out of ratio, and if the class is out of ratio either Ms. Schmidt or Ms. Gay will go into the classroom. They watch the classrooms to make sure that they are properly staffed. On 09/13/2022 Ms. Swan stated that she has never been out of ratio in the preschool or pre-k classrooms because she will call the front office and Ms. Schmidt, or Ms. Gay will either come to the classroom or send another child care staff member to the classroom.

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R 400.8182 · 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 c) Preschoolers, 3 years of 1 to 10 30 age until 4 years of age .................................................. ................................................................

The center maintained the required 1 to 10 child care staff member to child ratio in the preschool classroom. Ms. Schmidt, Ms. Linsenman, Ms. Gay, and Ms. Swan stated that the center maintains the required 1 to 10 child care staff member to child ratio in the preschool classroom. The center maintained the required 1 to 10 child care staff member to child ratio in the preschool classroom based on the daily attendance sheets and the onsite inspection.

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R 400.8182 · 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 d)Preschoolers, 4 years of 1 to 12 36 age until school-age

The center maintained the required 1 to 12 child care staff member to child ratio in the pre-k classroom. Ms. Schmidt, Ms. Linsenman, Ms. Gay, and Ms. Swan stated that the center maintains the required 1 to 12 child care staff member to child ratio in the pre-k classroom. The center maintained the required 1 to 12 child care staff member to child ratio in the pre-k classroom based on the daily attendance sheets and the onsite inspection.

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

On 1/5/21, I received a voicemail from the program director, Rachel Rarick stating that a child was left unattended in the lobby for a few minutes. Ms. Rarick stated that she would further investigate the incident and follow up with the details. On 1/11/21, I interviewed Ms. Rarick over the telephone to follow up with the incident. Ms. Rarick said that she had watched the video of the incident and said that 611 W. OTTAWA. P.O. BOX 30664. LANSING, MICHIGAN 48909 www.michigan.gov/lara . 517-335-1980 due to lack of communication between the staff members, Child A was left in the lobby by herself until Child A's father came for pick up in the evening. Ms. Rarick said that she was not in the center when the incident occurred. Ms. Rarick said that she would send the incident report later in the day and did not know that she had to follow up with an incident report. On 1/11/21, I received an incident report which stated: On 1/4/21, Ms. Dupuis told Ms. Swan that Child B was going home. Child B is not in the 3's classroom. Since the class was too loud, Ms. Swan assumed that she had heard Child A's name and got Child A ready to go home. At 5:27:21 pm, Ms. Swan let Child A out of the classroom door and watched her walk to the lobby where she saw Ms. Dupuis standing and talking to a parent. At 5:27:27 pm, Ms. Dupuis left the lobby, with whom she assumed was the correct parent and went to go get the younger sibling. Child A's father walked in at 5:28:10 pm and alerted a staff member stating that his child was already in the lobby without anybody. On 1/12/21, I conducted an unannounced, onsite inspection at the center. I observed the distance from Child A's classroom door to the lobby to be about 12 feet. A staff member who stood at the door had a line of sight to see the child go into the lobby. I reviewed the attendance records and found that the 3's classroom had 5 children with one caregiver, Ms. Swan. The classroom was in ratio. On 1/12/21, I interviewed Ms. Dupuis who said that she was in and out of the lobby getting different children from the classrooms to be picked up by the parents. She said that she went into the 3's classroom and asked for Child B. Ms. Dupuis said that she went into the wrong classroom asking for Child B. The classroom was loud, and she could not hear much of anything. Ms. Swan probably heard the name of the sibling of Child A (the names of Child A's sibling and Child B sound similar) and assumed that it was Child A that needed to get ready to leave. Ms. Swan asked, "Is it Child A?" and Ms. Dupuis said, "Yes". Ms. Dupuis said that it was probably the rush of the pick-ups, she was confused with the names and agreed to the name of the wrong child. She said that she was not sure as to why she said "yes" to the wrong name. The protocol is that the child would be ready and stay in the classroom before she could go into the classroom and pick up the child and walk the child into the lobby. Ms. Dupuis said that instead of waiting for her to pick up Child A from the classroom, Ms. Swan let the child walk by herself to the lobby. Ms. Dupuis said that by the time she went into different classrooms, picked up the children and came to the lobby, she saw Child A's father talking to Ms. Purdy. Later she came to know from Ms. Purdy that Child A's father had stated that he saw Child A by herself in the lobby even before he came in to pick up and that he was concerned about it. On 1/12/21, I interviewed Ms. Swan who said that Ms. Dupuis walked into the classroom and asked for Child B. She said that Child B is not in her classroom and therefore assumed that she was asking for Child A whose sibling had a similar name to Child B. Ms. Swan said she asked if it was Child A and Ms. Dupuis said "Yes" to 611 W. OTTAWA. P.O. BOX 30664. LANSING, MICHIGAN 48909 www.michigan.gov/lara . 517-335-1980 that. Ms. Swan said that she told Child A to get ready and went to the other two children in the other end of the classroom to resolve a conflic

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R 400.8158 · R 400.8158 Incident, accident, injury, illness, death, fire reporting. (4) A licensee designee or a 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.

The licensee designee or program director did not send a written report to the department within 72 hours of reporting that Child A was left unattended in the lobby.

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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.

The complainant was not interviewed since no contact information was provided. I made an unannounced onsite inspection to the center on 11/04/2020. Assistant director Ms. Rarick acknowledged that child care staff member Kathryn Schneider made a medication error when she gave Child B's medication, over-the-counter gas drops, to Child A. She said both children's parents were notified. Both children are infants. Child A displayed no adverse effects. Ms. Schneider said she had prepared a syringe of gas drops prescribed for Child B. Child A and Child B were close to one another and she was distracted by a child's crying. She orally administered Child A the over-the-counter gas drops which Child B's mother had provided for Child B. Ms. Schneider immediately realized her error and went to the front desk to inform management. Erin Sullivan notified Child A's mother of the incident by phone. Child A's mother told staff that her son has used the medication before and understood the incident was an accident. I called Child A's mother who confirmed that she was notified of the 10/26/2020 incident on the same day, that her child has used the medication before, and that there were no negative effects. No medical treatment was required, and Child A remains enrolled.

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R 400.8152 · R 400.8152 Medication; administrative procedures. (9) A center shall maintain a record as to the time and the amount of medication given or applied, with the exception of medications described in subrule (8) of this rule, on a form provided by the department or a comparable substitute approved by the department. One form per medication is required. The signature of the child care staff member administering the medication must be included.

A record of the time, amount, and medication given was not being maintained for oral, over-the-counter medication as required. Note: Subrule (8) only exempts staff from recording topically administered over-the-counter medications.

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