G.S. 110-91 · Violation

Name of Operation: WANDA'S LITTLE HANDS EDUCATIONAL CENTER #1 Facility ID: 92002728 Consultant: KIMBERLY WIMBERLY Operation Type: Center Case Number: 0725-086L Visit Date: 7/21/2025 Number Present: 25 Completed Date: 7/21/2025 Age: From 3 To 8 Total Minutes: 105 Time In: 10:00 AM Time Out: 11:45 AM Time In: Time Out: List to Use: Center Type Of Visit: Routine Unannounced Announced/Unannounced: Unannounced The purpose of today’s unannounced visit was to monitor child care requirements during a routine unannounced visit. Today’s visit was conducted with Wanda McCargo, Owner-Administrator. I reviewed the NC Secretary of State’s website and the owner of the facility, Wanda’s Little Hands Educational Center, Inc. is listed as current-active as of 7-21-25. Program requirements The following items were observed: first aid poster, license, no smoking sign, summary of the law and emergency care plan. The indoor environment was monitored for safety and no items of non compliance were observed. Daily arrival and departure times of the children are documented on an electronic program as the children enter the center, and attendance is also taken in each classroom. All spaces used by the children were adequately cooled. An incident log is stored in the Director’s office. Fire and Sanitation inspections were current and on file. The last fire inspection was conducted 11-20-24. The last Sanitation inspection was conducted on 3-12-25. Fire drills and EPR drills were current and on file. Staff Records: There have been no new staff since my last visit conducted in March 2025. Current criminal background qualification letters were verified current and on file for all staff and we discussed that 3 staff are due for renewal in October 2025. Staff/Child Ratios and Supervision: During today's visit I observed the children playing in centers, playing outside and some were having circle time. Supervision was observed to be maintained. Staff/child ratios were observed in compliance. Ms. McCargo and I discussed a recent incident which occurred at the center on 7-3-25 in which a staff member was terminated on that day. Ms. McCargo stated to me that during routine video surveillance observations, she observed a staff member not following procedures regarding Family Style Dining in one of the Early Head Start classroom which cares for children ages 2 ½ to 3 years old. Ms. McCargo stated that she observed a staff member manually feeding two children cucumbers who were sitting at the table during lunch time. Ms. McCargo stated that she called the staff member in her office to review the video and discuss her observations on this day. Ms. McCargo stated that the staff member discussed with her that they were “just playing” with the child to try to get them to taste the cucumbers. Ms. McCargo stated she discussed with the staff member that she did not follow designated procedures set into place by Early Head Start regarding Family Style Dining with the children and she clarified with the staff member that developmentally appropriate practices involve the staff member sitting down with the children during meal times modeling eating behaviors encouraging children to try all the foods. Ms. McCargo called me via telephone on 7-3-25 to discuss the situation with me as well as reported the incident to Early Head Start. Ms. McCargo stated that after Early Head Start reviewed the video footage, it was determined that the staff member would be removed from the classroom permanently for failure to follow Family Style Dining procedures. Ms. McCargo stated the staff member involved in the incident was terminated effective 7-3-25. Ms. McCargo stated that the parents of the children involved were contacted and both are still enrolled at the center. Ms. McCargo further stated that Early Head Start required mandatory training for all staff pertaining to enhancing the Family Style Dining experience and examples were discussed of conversations which should occur between staff and children. During my visit today, I viewed video footage from 07/03/2025 of the alleged incident. I observed two staff present in the classroom with three children who were sitting at the table eating lunch. Staff #2 who is a floater, was assisting with lunch coverage and was observed sitting at the table while the children ate their lunches. I did not observe any conversations between staff #2 who was sitting at the table with the children. Staff member #1, was observed walking around the classroom. Staff #1 walked over to child #1 who was observed sitting at the table spinning their lunch plate. Staff #1 approached the child, leaned over the child and used a fork to cut up the cucumbers on the child’s plate. Staff #1 manually fed child #1 the cucumbers and I observed the child spit the cucumbers out of their mouth onto the plate. Staff #1 fed the child the cucumbers a second time and walked to the napkin dispenser at the handwashing sink to get a napkin. Staff #1 came back to child #1 and wiped their mouth. Staff #1 attempted to manually feed child #1 the cucumbers for a third time. The child turned their head away from staff #1 and the staff member attempted to manually feed child #1 the cucumbers a fourth time. Staff #1 walked away from child #1 and approached child #2. As staff #1 approached child #2, I observed staff #2 who was sitting at the table, turning their head away from the table as staff #1 approached child #2. Staff #1 did not wash her hands after feeding child #1 and wiping their mouth prior to attempting to feed child #2. Staff #1 began cutting the cucumbers up child #2’s plate and the child was observed pushing back from the table and turning their head from side to side. Staff #1 was observed holding the child’s hands for a period of 3-5 seconds and attempted to manually feed child #2 the cucumbers and the child appeared unwilling to eat them. Child #2 was observed leaning their head back when staff attempted to feed them the cucumbers. Staff #1 released the child’s hands and took the palm of their right hand to push the child’s head back and looked at the child and quickly removed their palm from the child’s forehead. Staff #1 walked away from child #2 and the video footage ended. The interactions between staff #1 and child #1 and child #2 appeared calm but the children displayed signs of distress as a result of staff #1 manually feeding them the cucumbers. I did not observe the children crying or communicating verbally with the staff. While the approach was non-malicious in nature, best practices for meal times did not support autonomy and comfort for the children. While manually feeding the children when they are unwilling to eat may have been intended to encourage them to try new foods and support nutritional intake, it does not align with developmentally appropriate practice. These approaches can hinder a child’s sense of autonomy and create negative associations with food. During my visit today, I interviewed staff #2 who was assisting with coverage on the day of the incident and staff stated to me that she did not observe the interactions to be negative and stated to me she felt that the staff member was feeding the children to attempt to get the children to try the cucumbers. The staff member stated that she has not observed any other incidents involving this staff member which caused concern, and she had not observed any incidents prior to 7-3-25 in which the staff member manually fed the children. Two items of non-compliance were observed regarding general caregiving activities and hand washing based on video footage for 7-3-25 which was observed during the visit today. A corrective action letter stating how each violation was corrected is due to me no later than August 4, 2025. The letter can be e-mailed or mailed to me at the address at the end of this report. Violation Number Comment Rule 609 Staff did not wash their hands thoroughly before beginning work, before/after handling food, before bottle feeding or serving to other children, after toileting or handling body fluids, after diaper changing and after handling soiled items. As observed in video footage during a meal time on 7-3-25, a staff member fed two children and did not wash her hands before feeding child #1 or in-between child #1 and child #2. 15A NCAC 18A .2803(a) 902 Each child was not attended to in a nurturing and appropriate manner, or in keeping with the child's developmental needs. As observed in video footage from 7-3-25, a staff member was observed manually feeding two children cucumbers when they were unwilling to eat. G.S. 110-91(10) Technical Assistance: *Meal times should be positive experiences for children and offer rich opportunities for learning, connection and growth and repeated, positive exposure to nutritious foods can promote healthy eating habits and reduce food aversion. Allowing children to feed themselves supports motor skills and encourages independence. When caregivers model positive eating habits such as trying a variety of foods, expressing enjoyment and engaging in conversation, children are more likely to feel curious and open to tasting new foods themselves. Implementing family-style dining further enhances these benefits by promoting shared responsibility and meaningful interactions. Children who serve themselves and sit with peers and staff during meals begin to develop a sense of community, practice social cues and engage in spontaneous conversations. Children feel valued when they are trusted to serve themselves and make choices. Staff should describe the food by discussing tastes, colors and textures to assist children learn new words naturally. Asking open-ended questions encourages story-telling. Staff should be more than just a person sitting at the table with the children and actively engage in conversations . *In child care settings the well-being of children is the highest priority and that means staff must be held to a high level of accountability when incidents occur. Every incident deserves prompt attention and transparent follow-through. Families place enormous trust in child care professionals and maintaining that trust requires consistent responsibility and a commitment to learning from each situation. I urge you to continue conversations with staff to discuss any issues which may arise in the classrooms during the day in which they may feel uncomfortable with the staff to child interactions. This will provide an environment which learning from experiences is built upon. *Handwashing in child care isn’t just a routine; it’s an important piece to maintaining health and safety. Hands can pick up germs all during the day and at a fast pace. Regular, thorough handwashing helps prevent the spread of illnesses like colds, flu and stomach bugs. Please plan to re-train staff during the next staff meeting on the importance of handwashing and review the hand washing poster which are posted in all classrooms. Please feel free to call me with questions. Kim Wimberly PO BOX 609 Knightdale, NC 27545 919-819-9387 Kim.Wimberly@dhhs.nc.gov 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