Appletree Christian Learning 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 08/31/2022 I received an incident report outlining the situation where Child A was left on the playground unattended for approximately 15 minutes. The incident report stated that Child A became separated from the rest of the class when they were transitioning into the classroom from the playground. While the rest of the class was inside and getting ready for lunch child care staff member (CCSM) Yonni Jones realized Child A was missing when it was his turn to have his diaper changed. The incident report stated Child A was found outside on the playground and did not appear to be harmed in anyway. On 09/01/2022 I completed an unannounced onsite inspection at the facility and spoke to program director Denise Farris and CCSM's Mariah Seymour and Annelyse 2 Underhill. Ms. Farris informed me that the Pedal classroom has scheduled playground time from 10:30am to 11:15am. She was informed from CCSM's in the Pedal classroom that on 08/30/2022 the class came inside around 11:15am or a little after. Ms. Farris was informed of the incident sometime after 11:30am but could not recall the exact time. She stated the Pedal classroom is one of the last classes to come inside from the playground before lunch at 11:30am and confirmed no other classes were present on the playground while Child A was outside unattended. I spoke to Mariah Seymour who works as the lead caregiver in the Pedal classroom. She stated she was standing at the door from the playground leading into the classroom. She typically counts the children when they enter and exit the classroom. During this time she opened the outside door to let children inside. Once a few children entered the classroom she noticed the classroom door leading to the hallway was left open. She ran over to the hallway door to close it, so no children wandered out to the hallway. Another CCSM held the playground door while she shut the hallway door. Ms. Seymour explained she returned to the playground exit door but could not complete her count because children had come into the classroom while she was closing the other door. She stated she did count some of the children that were in the classroom to make sure they did not lose anyone in the hallway. Yonni Jones is the primary CCSM for Child A. All the CCSM's were getting children ready for lunch service by helping wash hands and do bathroom breaks. Ms. Seymour stated Ms. Jones was the first CCSM in the restroom to help her four primary children with diaper changes and using the restroom. When Ms. Jones went to change Child A she could not locate him so she looked around the classroom and then asked the other CCSM's where Child A was. CCSM Juliette Van Horn looked outside after she told her look in the treehouse because that is where Child A likes to play. Ms. Van Horn found Child A in the treehouse. Ms. Seymour estimated that Child A was left on the playground unattended for approximately 15-20 minutes. I spoke to Annelyse Underhill who works as the assistant part time in the Pedal classroom. She explained the Pedal classroom is split into two well defined spaces and she works in the front of the classroom with Ms. Seymour. She acknowledged that Ms. Jones works in the back half of the classroom and this is the side Child A was on. There is a bathroom in both the front and back halves of the classroom. There were four CCSM's present and Ms. Seymour, Ms. Jones and herself each had four primary children and Ms. Van Horn who was helping from another Appletree location had two primary children. Ms. Underhill stated the whole class went back into the classroom following the scheduled morning playground time. She identified she was the last one in because she had to chase a child who was running away up a hill away from the door. She did a visual sweep of the playground before entering the classroom and denied seeing any children still outside. Once inside she began changing the diapers of her primary children. Ms. Underhill identified the class came in arou

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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 04/13/2022, child care staff members Shiloe Terhaar and Hannah Tabor failed to provide appropriate care and supervision of Child A when he was bitten twice unbeknownst to them.

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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 01/13/2022 1 completed an on-site inspection. I met with Operations Director Amy Waldron. Ms. Waldron stated she visits multiple sites each month and has spending more time at this location. She stated when working in these sites, she sits in an office that is adjacent to the room where Heather Schultz works. Ms. Waldron has never witnessed Ms. Schultz pick up any child rough. She has never witnessed Ms. Schultz pull, throw, or be rough with any child in her room at any time. Ms. Waldron stated she has never witnessed Ms. Schultz hold down any child while taking a nap. She stated she has never heard from any staff members that she has held down any child. I interviewed staff member Rebecca Timmers. Ms. Timmers stated she works with Ms. Schultz in her classroom on a regular basis. She has never witnessed Ms. Schultz pick up any child rough, throw any child, or handle any child by their arms or legs inappropriately. Ms. Timmers stated Ms. Schultz is hard of hearing and does talk louder so it may seem like she is being rough, but she just talks loudly. Ms. Timmers stated she has never witnessed Ms. Schultz hold down any child during nap time. She stated she has seen Ms. Schultz pat children's backs and assist them falling asleep. She has not witnessed any negative behaviors or holding down children during nap time. I interviewed staff member Heather Schultz. Ms. Schultz stated she has worked at the child care center for over three years. She has worked in the Adabelle classroom the past two years. Ms. Schultz stated she is hard of hearing and does talk louder. She does not pull children by their arms or legs. She denied being rough with children at any time. Ms. Schultz stated if she has to guide a child away from something, she will place her hands under their armpits and direct them away. If a child is upset or engaged in a disagreement with another child, she will separate them from each other by just moving them apart, but she does not pick them up of pull their body parts. Ms. Schultz stated that she does not hold any child down during nap time. She denied being rough with anyone during nap time. Ms. Schultz stated she normally cleans the room up and gets things ready while children are napping. If she needs to help a child, she will sit with them and pat their back gently until they fall asleep. She denies being rough with any child during nap time. I interviewed staff member Kayla Simonte. Ms. Simonte stated she has worked with Ms. Schultz in the past. She stated she has never seen Ms. Schultz be rough with any children in the classroom. She has not witnessed Ms. Schultz be rough with children during nap time. She stated if Ms. Schultz helps out when a child is not able to rest, she will sit with them and nurture them. She denied anything negative that Ms. Schultz does during nap time. 3 On 02/04/2022 I contacted Child A 's Mother. Child A's Mother stated she has no concerns with Ms. Schultz being rough with her child. She is extremely happy with the care that Ms. Schultz provides and she has no concerns about her at all in any way. This also includes any concerns during nap time. I contacted Child B's Mother and Child B's Father. They stated they have could not be happier with anyone working with their child. Ms. Schultz is an amazing caregiver and they have had nothing but positive experiences with all their children. They do not have a single concern about anything in relation to Ms. Schultz and would provide any type of letter or written statement if needed. On 02/08/2022 I contacted staff member Jasmine Beaudon. Ms. Beaudon stated she has not seen Ms. Schultz rough with any child in any classroom. She stated she has not witnessed anything inappropriate. Ms. Beaudon stated she has not witnessed Ms. Schultz being rough with children during nap time.

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R 400.8140 · ........................................ I 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.

On 01/13/2022 I interviewed Operations Director Amy Waldron. Ms. Waldron stated she has not witnessed Ms. Schultz speak to any child in a negative way. She stated Ms. Schultz has been diagnosed with a hearing issue and she does talk loudly, but she is not mean, rude, or degrading. Ms. Waldron explained she has never heard Ms. Schultz call anyone obnoxious or ridiculous to their face. She stated she has never heard Ms. Schultz call anyone a drunken man. 4 I interviewed staff member Rebecca Timmers. Ms. Timmers stated she has not witnessed Ms. Schultz call anyone any derogatory names ever. She stated she has not witnessed anything like calling a child a drunken man or calling children names to their faces. I interviewed staff member Heather Schultz. Ms. Schultz stated she would never call a child a drunken man to their face. She stated she would never call a child obnoxious or ridiculous to their face. Ms. Schultz stated she has probably had a stressful day and told another staff member that a child was acting ridiculous, but she denies saying it to a child directly. Ms. Schultz stated she has a hearing impairment and does talk loudly, but that is not to sound mean or threatening. She stated she tries to gauge the room the best she can while she is talking to make sure she is not being super loud. I interviewed staff member Kayla Simonte. Ms. Simonte stated she has never heard Ms. Schultz say anything inappropriate to children. She denies every hearing Ms. Schultz call a child a drunken man or call anyone ridiculous. On 02/04/2022 I contacted Child A's Mother and Child B's Mother and Child B's Father. These parents did not have any concerns about the way that Ms. Schultz speaks to their children. They all indicated Ms. Schultz in nurturing and caring. On 02/08/2022 I contacted staff member Jasmine Beaudon. Ms. Beaudon stated she has not heard Ms. Schultz call anyone a drunken man or call children ridiculous or obnoxious to their faces.

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R 400.8140 · 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.

I interviewed Operations Specialist Amy Waldron. Ms. Waldron stated the Adabelle classroom works on family style eating. The children are served their food and then they all eat together. She has never witnessed Ms. Schultz threaten to take children's food away if they do not eat. Ms. Waldron stated she has observed Ms. Schultz serving children and encouraging them to eat and try new foods. I interviewed staff member Rebecca Timmers. Ms. Timmers stated Ms. Schultz does a great job serving food and being positive with children while they eat. She has never witnessed Ms. Schultz threaten any children for not eating. I interviewed Heather Schultz. Ms. Schultz stated the children are served lunch family style. Everyone is served food and then the children eat together. Ms. Schultz denies using food as any type of discipline technique. She has sat near children who do not want to eat their food at all and she encourages them to try to eat, but it is not in a negative way. She stated she tries to keep children from leaving the table or standing on their chairs when they eat. Ms. Schultz stated she has never threatened to take anyone's food away. She will ask a child if they are done, but not in a threatening way. I interviewed staff member Kayla Simonte. Ms. Simonte stated she has no concerns with Ms. Schultz being inappropriate during lunch. She stated the children all sit down and wait to be served and eat together. She stated she has never witnessed Ms. Schultz tell anyone they will have their food removed if they do not eat. On 02/04/2022 I contacted Child A's Mother and Child B's Mother and Child B's Father. All parents stated they are extremely happy with how Ms. Schultz introduces new foods and encourages their children to eat. No parents had concerns with using food as a discipline technique.

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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 12/10/2020 the facility contacted the department by phone to notify me of an incident that occurred earlier in the day on the playground. The phone message detailed an incident that occurred where Child A was on the playground with the Adabelle class and two child care staff members (CCSM) present. Child A went to a window on the playground and knocked on it until her mother, came to the door. The playground is located behind the center and many of the classrooms have windows and doors that open to the playground. Child A told her mother that she "had a rock in her tummy". It was reported that Child A then went over to where she was playing and grabbed the "rock" to show her mother. Child A returned with a broken green liquid capsule that appeared to be a pill. Child A's Mother and the CCSM's in the classroom did not see the pill in Child A's mouth. It was reported that the liquid capsule was empty and wet to the touch. Child A was brought to the emergency room and poison control was called. The pill was tested and it was determined to be Motrin 200mg. The facility followed up this message with a written incident report that was received on 12/11/2020. On 12/16/2020 I completed an unannounced onsite inspection at this facility and spoke to program director Grace Radle, CCSM's Heather Schultz and Sunshine Rodriguez, and Child A's Mother. Ms. Radle Stated that CCSM's can have medication at the facility if it is in a sealed container and kept in their bag. CCSM's bags are required to be kept in the locked staff cupboards in the classrooms. If a CCSM needs to take medication while working they are required to wait for their breaks and take it outside of the building or they need to step outside of their classroom in the hallway. Ms. Radle stated this does not happen very often. Following this incident an email was sent to all CCSMs reminding them of the medication policy. Ms. Radle informed that playground inspections do occur daily. She stated that the Pedal classroom lead CCSM completes the inspection on the toddler playground at around 10:30am and the Otis classroom lead CCSM completes the inspection on the preschool playground at around 9:00am. She stated there have been some changes recently to the playground schedule and children in other classrooms could use the playground prior to these times and prior to the playground being inspected. Ms. Radle stated the playgrounds are inspected once a day, it was inspected on 12/10/2020 but not prior to children using the playground. Ms. Radle stated that all CCSMs denied having Motrin liquid capsules in the facility. She stated that due to Covid, CCSMs from other Appletree facilities have been helping so she is unsure if one of those individuals had that type of medication. Ms. Radle provided me with the "Name to Face" attendance sheet from 12/10/2020. At 3:45pm, when the incident occurred, there were 16 children and two CCSMs present on the playground. Both CCSMs denied seeing Child A find and put a pill into her mouth. 3 I spoke to CCSM Heather Schultz who works in the Adabelle classroom. She stated that she and the other CCSM in her classroom, Sunshine Rodriguez, were on the playground in the afternoon on 12/10/2020. She stated she and Ms. Rodriquez were standing near the fence to the preschool playground talking to another CCSM from another classroom. Ms. Schultz stated she was walking over to help another child when she noticed Child A talking to Child A's Mother. Child A's Mother informed Ms. Schultz that Child A stated she ate a rock but handed her a half-eaten liquid capsule pill. Ms. Schultz identified that Child A will often try to eat rocks on the playground, but they tell her spit them out. Child A's Mother had asked where Child A found the pill. Child A brought them near the gate to the playground. The pill was found in a crack in the sidewalk near the grass. Ms. Schultz's denied seeing the pill in Child A's mouth. Child A's Mother asked Ms. Rodriguez if the pill was

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R 400.8170 · R 400.8170 Outdoor play area. (10) An outdoor play area and any equipment located on the center's premises must be maintained in a safe condition and inspected daily before use to ensure that no hazards are present.

On 12/17/2020 I received a phone call from program director, Grace Radle. She stated an incident occurred on 12/17/2020 where she entered the hallway and found Child A alone without any supervision. She returned Child A to the Adabelle classroom and was informed the classroom just got back in from hanging up their nap bags in the hallway. It was estimated that Child A was in the hallway without supervision for approximately one to two minutes. On 01/28/2021 I spoke to Child A's Mother by phone. She stated that Child A had transitioned to the Terrance classroom, so her nap bag was down in front of the neighboring classroom. On 12/17/2020 she was put back in the Adabelle classroom for the day. She stated she was not happy to hear Child A was left in the hallway without supervision but believed it was because she had to walk down further to put her bag back. Child A's Mother stated Child A is now in the Terrance classroom and she has no other concerns. On 02/03/2021 I spoke to CCSM Heather Schultz by phone. Ms. Schultz stated she was present in the classroom on 12/17/2020 when Child A was found unattended in the hallway. She recalled that she was helping a child who got an "ouchie" and Ms. Rodriguez was in the restroom helping children after nap. She stated that Child A is typically one of the last children up from nap and takes a little time to fully wake. Ms. Schultz estimated that Child A got up around 2:45pm. Once the children are awake, they pack up their nap bags and bring them in the hallway. Ms. Schultz stated that she supervises them when this occurs. She identified that the door in the Adabelle classroom has not been latching every time and assumed it was not properly latched when Child A went into the hallway to hang her nap bag. Ms. Schultz estimated that Child A was in the hallway for approximately 1-2 minutes before Ms. Radle found her and returned her to the classroom. On 02/03/2021 I spoke to CCSM Sunshine Rodriguez by phone. Ms. Rodriguez stated she was present in the classroom on 12/17/2020. She identified that she was in the restroom assisting children after they woke from their nap. She did not see Child A enter the hallway and was not sure on a timeline she was left unattended. .................. ................

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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.

Child A was not properly supervised when she was found alone in the hallway on 12/17/2020. .................................................................... ................ .......................................................................................................................................... ....... ..........

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