Child care staff shall supervise every child in care at all times.
The complainant reported that they arrived at the program and found Child A, age 16 months, alone in a classroom without staff supervision. The complainant reported that the program indicated that Child A was without supervision for four minutes before the complainant arrived at the program. Staff A reported that they were responsible for Child A being left alone and had failed to check the main center room and complete a head count after moving the group of children to the smaller breakout room and closing the door. Staff B stated they had left the group to go into the nap room and that a few children had left the breakout room at the same time. Staff B reported that they should have checked to ensure that all the children had returned to the room with Staff A, but was focused on their task in the nap room. Staff C and D both confirmed Staff A and B’s statements, and both reported that the video footage showed Child A was without staff supervision in the main room for approximately four minutes before Child A’s parent arrived. The review of the video footage by the licensing coordinator confirmed that Child A was left in the central classroom without staff supervision for four minutes and 13 seconds, until Child A’s parent arrived. Corrective action: Following the incident, the program took immediate corrective action to address the lapse in supervision and to ensure this does not occur again. Staff A and Staff B were immediately retrained on active supervision requirements, proper transition procedures, and the requirement to complete head counts before, during, and after all transitions. Both staff acknowledged their responsibility and demonstrated understanding of the seriousness of the incident. To prevent future occurrences, the program has revised its transition and supervision procedures. Head counts are now required at multiple points during all transitions, including prior to leaving a space, upon entering a new space, and before any door is closed. One staff member is designated as the transition lead during each group movement and is solely responsible for confirming that all children are accounted for. A final room sweep is now required before any classroom door is closed, and staff may not leave a classroom during transitions unless responsibility has been clearly transferred and confirmed. Additionally, the program has restructured classroom groupings by dividing larger groups into smaller, consistent groupings overseen by lead teachers and the director. This ensures that each staff member is clearly aware of the specific children for whom they are responsible at any given moment, strengthening accountability and reducing the risk of supervision gaps during transitions or routine activities. The director and leads actively monitor these groupings to ensure supervision expectations are consistently met. The program will continue to reinforce these procedures through ongoing monitoring and random supervision checks during transitions. Supervision and transition safety expectations will remain a focus of ongoing staff training and oversight to ensure continued compliance and the safety and well-being of all children in care. In addition to required head counts, the program has implemented a face-to-name verification process during all transitions and supervision checks. Staff are now required to visually identify each child by name using the program’s attendance records, which include up-to-date photographs, to ensure accurate accountability—particularly in situations where staffing assignments may shift throughout the day. As of 1/27, the program updated all face-to-name photos for children in each group. These photos are readily accessible to all staff members and are used during transitions, classroom movements, and routine supervision checks. Staff must confirm that the children physically present match the names and photographs listed on the attendance record before leaving a space, after entering a new space, and prior to closing any classroom door. This added layer of verification strengthens supervision practices by ensuring staff are not relying solely on numerical head counts, but are actively confirming each child’s identity. The director and lead teachers will monitor compliance with this procedure and reinforce expectations through ongoing training and observation to ensure consistent implementation and child safety.