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On September 18, 2023 the Office of Childhood received a report alleging "On September 14, 2023, while under Ms. Jessica and Director Abigail's watch, Child A banged her head on the concrete wall multiple times and no incident reports were filed. Parents were not notified that day about it. Child A left with a red spot and minor bruise on her forehead. Parent was only told about it when they removed her from the program on September 15, 2023." After conducting an investigation, Compliance Inspector (CI) Caylin Mertz has found this allegation to be substantiated based on the following evidence and rule violation:
5 CSR 25-300.050 (11) which states "In case of an accident or injury to a child, the provider shall notify a parent immediately. If a child requires emergency medical care, a parent's prior written instructions shall be followed. A form shall be completed indicating the circumstances and the date and time of the injury. The form shall be signed by the caregiver and his/her supervisor. A copy of the form shall be given to the parent the day of the accident or injury and necessary explanations shall be given. The form shall be filed in the child's record."
On September 26, 2023 Compliance Inspector (CI) Caylin Mertz conducted an unannounced inspection at the facility. A walkthrough of the facility was conducted. Pastor Duane Little, Director Abigail Ewing, and Caregiver Jessica Williams were interviewed. Caregiver Jessica stated she did observe Child A bang her head into a filing cabinet on September 14, 2023. She completed an incident report and provided it to Director Abigail. She did not notify parents regarding this incident. Director Abigail stated she did not recall contacting Child A's parents about that incident. Pastor Duane indicated Child A was subsequently discharged from the facility due to requiring a higher level of care than they could provide. CI Mertz observed an incident report dated September 14, 2023. It states "Child A was upset that we switch to a new task and was having a difficult time. She started banging her head into my filing cabinet." The report is signed by Caregiver Jessica Williams. The Notice to Parent section is blank and there is no parent signature observed. CI Mertz interviewed Parent A (Child A's Mother). She stated the facility did not contact her on September 14, 2023. When she picked up Child A that evening she asked how the child's day was. The facility did not mention Child A head banging or any injuries. She observed a dime sized red mark on Child A's forehead. She did not receive a copy of an incident report.
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