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On May 22, 2024, the Office of Childhood (OOC) received a complaint alleging that about two weeks ago, Staff Abby witnessed Staff Sondra smack Child A on the arm with an open hand. Sondra can be aggressive with the kids. Compliance Inspector (CI) Heather Radney conducted an investigation and found the allegations to be substantiated based on the following information:
5 CSR 25-500.182(1)(C)7. - Physical punishment including, but not limited to, spanking, slapping, shaking, biting, or pulling hair shall be prohibited.
AND
5 CSR 25-500.182(1)(C)3. - Only constructive, age-appropriate methods of discipline shall be used to help children develop self-control and assume responsibility for their own actions.
On May 24, 2024, CI Radney conducted interviews with Sondra Scott, Abby Knight, Brooklyn Schafer, and Child A. Abby reported she was downstairs and Child A (3 years old) was knocking over towers. She put him in time out and he started screaming. Sondra told him to stop twice. Sondra leaned over and with her left hand in a backhand motion, she hit Child A on the left shoulder/arm are. Child A started crying more. Abby reported she also observed Sondra pull Child A's hair on a different date. She reported Child A wasn't crying before but did cry after Sondra pulled his hair. Brooklyn reported she observed Sondra pull Child A's hair and Child A cried for a few minutes. Child A reported "Sondra hit me on my arm. It hurt." Sondra said Child A did pull someone's hair and she pulled his hair back.
Sondra used physical punishment in the form of hitting and hair pulling when she was disciplining Child A. This is not constructive nor age-appropriate and did not help Child A develop self-control or assume responsibility for his own actions.
5 CSR 25-500.182(1)(C)5. - Brief, supervised separation from the group may be used based on a guideline of one (1) minute of separation for each year of the child's age.
On May 24, 2024, CI Radney conducted interviews with Abby Knight, Shian Cripps, Brooklyn Schafer, and Lindsay Scott. Caregivers reported using a time out or a thinking chair for discipline. Abby reported Child A (3 years old) sat in the time out chair for about five-10 minutes because they start the children's time when they are quiet and have stopped throwing a fit. Brooklyn reported if the child is screaming, they don't start the time until they're calm so often kids sit for longer than their age by an extra minute. Lindsay reported sometimes the teachers make them wait until they are calm for their time to start so it depends on the kids and what happened for how long they sit there. Shian reported they use time out for discipline and wait until the child is calm to start the time.
A brief separation from the ground of one minute per each year of the child's age is not being followed when caregivers require the child to sit until they are calm before starting their time out.
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