10A NCAC 09 .0302 · Violation

Name of Operation: Order My Steps Learning Academy LLC Facility ID: 43000629 Consultant: BECKY JACKSON Operation Type: Center Case Number: Visit Date: 8/28/2024 Number Present: 4 Completed Date: 8/28/2024 Age: From 0 To 1 Total Minutes: 165 Time In: 10:00 AM Time Out: 12:45 PM Time In: Time Out: List to Use: Center Type Of Visit: Temp Time Period Announced/Unannounced: Unannounced The purpose of today's unannounced visit was to monitor compliance with applicable child care requirements for the facility’s the first temporary time period visit. The facility’s Temporary License was issued July 26, 2024 and is valid through January 26, 2025. Restrictions on the permit include a first shift capacity of 50 children ages 0 to 12 years old, and that the back playground not be used. K. Bratcher, Administrator was present when I arrived, and assisted with the visit. She was observed as being counted in ratio in Space #1a during today’s visit. One classroom is currently operating, with four children enrolled. All four were present today. They were observed being held by the caregiver, playing on the floor, and napping. As all children are bottle-fed, no meals or snacks were observed being prepared today. According to the North Carolina Secretary of State website, your limited liability company Order My Steps Learning Academy LLC is current and active. Your last fire drill was completed August 5, 2024 at 10:00am. The log reflected it took three minutes to evacuate 2 children and 2 adults. The last outdoor inspection was also completed August 5, 2024. The most recent sanitation inspection was conducted on June 5, 2024 with a Superior classification and 9 demerits. The most recent fire inspection was conducted May 14, 2024. I monitored your classroom environments, staff and children's records and required center records. I was unable to monitor the outdoor play area due to inclement weather. I used the North Carolina Child Care Requirements and Compliance Listing as basic monitoring tools during the visit. Your classrooms have a variety of developmentally appropriate learning materials and equipment and the activity centers are well arranged. The license was posted along with the NC Summary of the Law and safe arrival and departure procedures. The emergency medical care plan and emergency telephone numbers were also posted. Activity plans and daily schedules were posted. No concerns with supervision were observed during the visit. Four children’s records were reviewed today and were in compliance. Two staff files were also reviewed today, with violations noted below. Using a checklist helps verify information on file and easily identifies missing information. The following violations of child care requirements were observed today: Violation Number Comment Rule 125 Daily records of arrival and departure times for children enrolled at the center were not maintained as children arrive and depart and/or were not made available for review. Times of arrival were not available for any of the four children present. 10A NCAC 09 .0302(d)(4) 887 Caregivers did not document compliance with visually checking on sleeping infants aged 12 months or younger and/or the documents were not maintained for a minimum of one month. This documentation was not being completed for the one infant observed napping during today's visit. .0606(g) 1032 Child care providers and uncompensated providers who are not substitute providers or volunteers, including the director did not have a medical report on file prior to employment that was signed by a health care professional and/ or the medical report was older than 12 months. A medical report was not on file for either of the two staff members. 10A NCAC 09 .0701(a) 1033 On or before the first day of work, all staff, including the director and individuals who volunteer more than once per week did not provide results indicating that they were free of active TB and/or TB test or screening was older than 12 months. A negative TB test result was not on file for one staff member. .0701(a) All violations must be corrected immediately. Please send me a compliance letter (written statement) describing how and when the above violations were corrected. The compliance letter must be received no later than September 11, 2024. The compliance letter should be sent to me via email, from the email address on file with the Division as the center’s official email address. Contact me if you have questions regarding correction of the violations documented during today’s visit. If you are unable to correct all violations within the specified timeframe, send a compliance letter regarding violations that were corrected and a specific plan to correct the remaining violations. An extension will need to be requested from management. Technical Assistance and Consultation: During today’s visit only one staff present in the infant room has current ITS-SIDS training. I explained that although new staff have two months to obtain the training, someone must always be with this group who has taken this training. Currently you are the only staff member who has this training, and your certification will expire on September 14, 2024. You stated both you and the other staff member are registered for an ITS-SIDS training being offered online. I reminded you that you must always be present when infants are in care until someone else obtains the certification. I also reminded you that your certification may not expire. During today’s visit it was observed that the entrance door is being kept locked. I reminded you that you must have a plan in place to answer the door within one to two minutes while maintaining supervision and staff child ratio requirements. The children may not be left alone in Space #1a while a staff member answers the door if only one staff member is present. Child care rule .0713(a)(9) requires that when only one caregiver is required to meet the staff/child ratio, the operator shall select one of the following options for emergency relief: (A) the center shall post the name, address, and telephone number of an adult who has agreed in writing to be available to provide emergency relief; or (B) there shall be a second adult on the premises who is available to provide emergency relief. I asked that you ensure this information is available if there are instances where only one staff member is present. In order for areas to be considered “locked” the key must be removed from the lock. I reminded you that the kitchen must be inaccessible to the children, and that the storage closet in the kitchen must be locked if hazardous products including aerosol cans are stored there. You stated today you understood the Environmental Health Specialist to say the keys must remain in the locks. I asked that you clarify that with the EHS on their next visit. Care should also be taken to ensure the direct exit in Space #1a is not blocked so that the evacuation crib can easily be removed from the exit. Toys, floor coverings such as rugs, mats, or blankets, and furniture should not be put in front of the door. We discussed that all staff file requirements pertain to all staff, including the administrator, as this facility is owned by a Limited Liability Company rather than you as an individual. Therefore, you are considered an employee of the center just the same as all other employees. You should ensure that all experience and education is clearly documented in the staff files. Experience should be documented on the application or attached resume. Education should be documented with WORKS status letters or copies of certificates. I reminded you that this documentation will be essential for future rated license assessments. When new staff are hired, they may bring in Health and Safety training they have completed within the last year only. Trainings that were completed more than a year before hire are not accepted. New staff have 90 days to complete Recognizing and Responding to Suspicion of Child Maltreatment and CPR/First Aid certifications. They must complete the remainder of the Health and Safety trainings within one year of employment. As you have already taken the Emergency Preparedness and Response in Child Care Training, your EPR plan must be completed in the Emergency Management Portal with four months of licensure, or by November 26, 2024. Following the creation of your plan, it must be printed and available for review. The ready to go file must also be complete and ready for monitoring. The lockdown or shelter-in-place drills must also be conducted every three months, regardless of the age of children enrolled. RATED LICENSE: Today we discussed the rated license process. You stated you planned to apply for a Two though Five Star Rated License at the end of the temporary time period. You stated you were unsure if you would be requesting an Environment Rating Scale assessment as part of this application. I notified you that you would need to decide no later than the third month of the temporary time period in order to have the assessment conducted before the temporary expires. We discussed that staff are evaluated for the rated license by the role they perform. We do not allow someone to be listed as administrator to earn additional points for this position unless the staff member truly functions as the administrator. We also discussed that the staff education point level is determined by the lowest point earned by any position. I encouraged you to ensure all staff have requested evaluations for their positions using the WORKS system. The rated license application form is available under the provider documents tab. The Importance of Providing Quality Child Care Providing quality child care is essential for children. There is ample research demonstrating that high-quality child-care experiences have many benefits to children and society and that quality child care is linked to children’s improved school performance. 1. The Cost, Quality and Child Outcomes in Child Care Centers Study and a follow-up study done several years later found that quality child care is primarily related to higher staff/child ratios, administrators’ prior experience, wages, higher staff education levels and staff members’ continued participation in formal and specialized training. This study found that children attending higher quality centers scored better in math and language skills, had more positive interactions with peers, and had fewer behavior problems. 2. The High/Scope Perry Preschool Study followed children from their preschool years through age 40 and found that high-quality preschool programs significantly increased children’s future contributions through increased intellectual and social development, school success, economic performance, and reduced commission of crimes in adulthood. One of the most quoted results of this study is that for every dollar invested in children’s early care and education there is a $17 return to society in terms of crime and education savings, increased taxes collected, and welfare savings. There are many other studies including the Abecedarian Project, the Arnett Caregiver Interaction Study, and the NC Rated License Assessment Project. What the research tells us, in a nutshell, is that high quality child care has a positive impact on children’s later school success. The key to quality experiences for children is interaction with and stimulation from educated, trained teachers. The neuroscience associated with brain research is complicated, but its lesson is simple: babies' brains develop at astonishing rates in the first few years after birth. Young children have a tremendous capacity to learn from the moment they are born, but optimal development hinges on the experiences provided for them by the adults who take care of them. Child Care Rules were revised January 1, 2024, and a new rule book was posted to the DCDEE website. You should discard any old versions of the rules and ensure you are referring to the most current rule book when reviewing or researching requirements. A follow up visit may be conducted in the near future to verify compliance with violations documented during the visit. Please contact me at (910) 824-0123 or at becky.jackson@dhhs.nc.gov if I can be of assistance. If the operator fails to correct any documented violations within the established time period, the Division of Child Development and Early Education may deny, suspend, terminate, or revoke any permit to operate (10A NCAC 09 .2000). All information in this report has been reviewed with me today.I understand that it is my responsibility to maintaincompliance with applicable NC Child Care Requirements at all times

Open Not marked corrected in the state record

Category: supervision. Open / not marked corrected.

10A NCAC 09 .0701 · Violation

Name of Operation: Order My Steps Learning Academy LLC Facility ID: 43000629 Consultant: BECKY JACKSON Operation Type: Center Case Number: Visit Date: 8/28/2024 Number Present: 4 Completed Date: 8/28/2024 Age: From 0 To 1 Total Minutes: 165 Time In: 10:00 AM Time Out: 12:45 PM Time In: Time Out: List to Use: Center Type Of Visit: Temp Time Period Announced/Unannounced: Unannounced The purpose of today's unannounced visit was to monitor compliance with applicable child care requirements for the facility’s the first temporary time period visit. The facility’s Temporary License was issued July 26, 2024 and is valid through January 26, 2025. Restrictions on the permit include a first shift capacity of 50 children ages 0 to 12 years old, and that the back playground not be used. K. Bratcher, Administrator was present when I arrived, and assisted with the visit. She was observed as being counted in ratio in Space #1a during today’s visit. One classroom is currently operating, with four children enrolled. All four were present today. They were observed being held by the caregiver, playing on the floor, and napping. As all children are bottle-fed, no meals or snacks were observed being prepared today. According to the North Carolina Secretary of State website, your limited liability company Order My Steps Learning Academy LLC is current and active. Your last fire drill was completed August 5, 2024 at 10:00am. The log reflected it took three minutes to evacuate 2 children and 2 adults. The last outdoor inspection was also completed August 5, 2024. The most recent sanitation inspection was conducted on June 5, 2024 with a Superior classification and 9 demerits. The most recent fire inspection was conducted May 14, 2024. I monitored your classroom environments, staff and children's records and required center records. I was unable to monitor the outdoor play area due to inclement weather. I used the North Carolina Child Care Requirements and Compliance Listing as basic monitoring tools during the visit. Your classrooms have a variety of developmentally appropriate learning materials and equipment and the activity centers are well arranged. The license was posted along with the NC Summary of the Law and safe arrival and departure procedures. The emergency medical care plan and emergency telephone numbers were also posted. Activity plans and daily schedules were posted. No concerns with supervision were observed during the visit. Four children’s records were reviewed today and were in compliance. Two staff files were also reviewed today, with violations noted below. Using a checklist helps verify information on file and easily identifies missing information. The following violations of child care requirements were observed today: Violation Number Comment Rule 125 Daily records of arrival and departure times for children enrolled at the center were not maintained as children arrive and depart and/or were not made available for review. Times of arrival were not available for any of the four children present. 10A NCAC 09 .0302(d)(4) 887 Caregivers did not document compliance with visually checking on sleeping infants aged 12 months or younger and/or the documents were not maintained for a minimum of one month. This documentation was not being completed for the one infant observed napping during today's visit. .0606(g) 1032 Child care providers and uncompensated providers who are not substitute providers or volunteers, including the director did not have a medical report on file prior to employment that was signed by a health care professional and/ or the medical report was older than 12 months. A medical report was not on file for either of the two staff members. 10A NCAC 09 .0701(a) 1033 On or before the first day of work, all staff, including the director and individuals who volunteer more than once per week did not provide results indicating that they were free of active TB and/or TB test or screening was older than 12 months. A negative TB test result was not on file for one staff member. .0701(a) All violations must be corrected immediately. Please send me a compliance letter (written statement) describing how and when the above violations were corrected. The compliance letter must be received no later than September 11, 2024. The compliance letter should be sent to me via email, from the email address on file with the Division as the center’s official email address. Contact me if you have questions regarding correction of the violations documented during today’s visit. If you are unable to correct all violations within the specified timeframe, send a compliance letter regarding violations that were corrected and a specific plan to correct the remaining violations. An extension will need to be requested from management. Technical Assistance and Consultation: During today’s visit only one staff present in the infant room has current ITS-SIDS training. I explained that although new staff have two months to obtain the training, someone must always be with this group who has taken this training. Currently you are the only staff member who has this training, and your certification will expire on September 14, 2024. You stated both you and the other staff member are registered for an ITS-SIDS training being offered online. I reminded you that you must always be present when infants are in care until someone else obtains the certification. I also reminded you that your certification may not expire. During today’s visit it was observed that the entrance door is being kept locked. I reminded you that you must have a plan in place to answer the door within one to two minutes while maintaining supervision and staff child ratio requirements. The children may not be left alone in Space #1a while a staff member answers the door if only one staff member is present. Child care rule .0713(a)(9) requires that when only one caregiver is required to meet the staff/child ratio, the operator shall select one of the following options for emergency relief: (A) the center shall post the name, address, and telephone number of an adult who has agreed in writing to be available to provide emergency relief; or (B) there shall be a second adult on the premises who is available to provide emergency relief. I asked that you ensure this information is available if there are instances where only one staff member is present. In order for areas to be considered “locked” the key must be removed from the lock. I reminded you that the kitchen must be inaccessible to the children, and that the storage closet in the kitchen must be locked if hazardous products including aerosol cans are stored there. You stated today you understood the Environmental Health Specialist to say the keys must remain in the locks. I asked that you clarify that with the EHS on their next visit. Care should also be taken to ensure the direct exit in Space #1a is not blocked so that the evacuation crib can easily be removed from the exit. Toys, floor coverings such as rugs, mats, or blankets, and furniture should not be put in front of the door. We discussed that all staff file requirements pertain to all staff, including the administrator, as this facility is owned by a Limited Liability Company rather than you as an individual. Therefore, you are considered an employee of the center just the same as all other employees. You should ensure that all experience and education is clearly documented in the staff files. Experience should be documented on the application or attached resume. Education should be documented with WORKS status letters or copies of certificates. I reminded you that this documentation will be essential for future rated license assessments. When new staff are hired, they may bring in Health and Safety training they have completed within the last year only. Trainings that were completed more than a year before hire are not accepted. New staff have 90 days to complete Recognizing and Responding to Suspicion of Child Maltreatment and CPR/First Aid certifications. They must complete the remainder of the Health and Safety trainings within one year of employment. As you have already taken the Emergency Preparedness and Response in Child Care Training, your EPR plan must be completed in the Emergency Management Portal with four months of licensure, or by November 26, 2024. Following the creation of your plan, it must be printed and available for review. The ready to go file must also be complete and ready for monitoring. The lockdown or shelter-in-place drills must also be conducted every three months, regardless of the age of children enrolled. RATED LICENSE: Today we discussed the rated license process. You stated you planned to apply for a Two though Five Star Rated License at the end of the temporary time period. You stated you were unsure if you would be requesting an Environment Rating Scale assessment as part of this application. I notified you that you would need to decide no later than the third month of the temporary time period in order to have the assessment conducted before the temporary expires. We discussed that staff are evaluated for the rated license by the role they perform. We do not allow someone to be listed as administrator to earn additional points for this position unless the staff member truly functions as the administrator. We also discussed that the staff education point level is determined by the lowest point earned by any position. I encouraged you to ensure all staff have requested evaluations for their positions using the WORKS system. The rated license application form is available under the provider documents tab. The Importance of Providing Quality Child Care Providing quality child care is essential for children. There is ample research demonstrating that high-quality child-care experiences have many benefits to children and society and that quality child care is linked to children’s improved school performance. 1. The Cost, Quality and Child Outcomes in Child Care Centers Study and a follow-up study done several years later found that quality child care is primarily related to higher staff/child ratios, administrators’ prior experience, wages, higher staff education levels and staff members’ continued participation in formal and specialized training. This study found that children attending higher quality centers scored better in math and language skills, had more positive interactions with peers, and had fewer behavior problems. 2. The High/Scope Perry Preschool Study followed children from their preschool years through age 40 and found that high-quality preschool programs significantly increased children’s future contributions through increased intellectual and social development, school success, economic performance, and reduced commission of crimes in adulthood. One of the most quoted results of this study is that for every dollar invested in children’s early care and education there is a $17 return to society in terms of crime and education savings, increased taxes collected, and welfare savings. There are many other studies including the Abecedarian Project, the Arnett Caregiver Interaction Study, and the NC Rated License Assessment Project. What the research tells us, in a nutshell, is that high quality child care has a positive impact on children’s later school success. The key to quality experiences for children is interaction with and stimulation from educated, trained teachers. The neuroscience associated with brain research is complicated, but its lesson is simple: babies' brains develop at astonishing rates in the first few years after birth. Young children have a tremendous capacity to learn from the moment they are born, but optimal development hinges on the experiences provided for them by the adults who take care of them. Child Care Rules were revised January 1, 2024, and a new rule book was posted to the DCDEE website. You should discard any old versions of the rules and ensure you are referring to the most current rule book when reviewing or researching requirements. A follow up visit may be conducted in the near future to verify compliance with violations documented during the visit. Please contact me at (910) 824-0123 or at becky.jackson@dhhs.nc.gov if I can be of assistance. If the operator fails to correct any documented violations within the established time period, the Division of Child Development and Early Education may deny, suspend, terminate, or revoke any permit to operate (10A NCAC 09 .2000). All information in this report has been reviewed with me today.I understand that it is my responsibility to maintaincompliance with applicable NC Child Care Requirements at all times