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On July 29, 2024, the Office of Childhood (OOC) received a report alleging that a child was found in a closet with the door closed and no staff members present. Compliance Inspector (CI) Heather Radney conducted an investigation of the allegation and found it to be substantiated based on the following information:
5 CSR 25-500.182(1)(A)1. - Caregivers shall not leave any child without competent supervision.
AND
5 CSR 25-500.182(1)(A)3. - Caregivers shall provide frequent, direct contact so children are not left unobserved on the premises.
On July 30, 2024, CI Radney conducted interviews with Allison Dureault, Lauren Kramer, and Teighlor Gray. On September 23, 2024, CI Radney conducted an interview with Joanna Amschler. Joanna reported she was getting ready to move her kids at approximately 3:55-4:00 p.m., when she heard rustling in the closet. The lights were off, the doors were shut and Child A was just sitting there playing with things on the shelf. She turned the lights on and picked him up. She buzzed for someone to come to her class and when they did, she took Child A to the front desk and told Allison and Lauren what happened. Allison took Child A and went back to Child A's classroom. Allison reported she took Child A back to his classroom and Caregiver Abby Dill apologized and said she thought the closet was locked. Lauren reported she went in to Child A's classroom to get a diaper between 3:15-3:35 p.m. and Child A waved bye to her as she left. She walked out of the classroom and into another classroom. She opened the door, held up the diaper, set it down on the cubby, and then walked to the front desk to sit down. She was at the front desk when Joanna brought Child A out from her classroom. Allison reported she was sitting at the front desk and Joanna came out with Child A. She took Child A back to class and Teighlor was in the bathroom changing diapers and Abby was standing next to the tables. Abby apologized and said she thought the closet was locked. Teighlor reported that Abby came up to her and said Allison brought Child A over after he was found in the closet.
On September 23, 2024, CI Radney conducted interviews with Parent A and Parent B. Parent B reported Stephanie called him on Monday, July 29, 2024 and said "we forgot to contact you but on Friday Child A was missing for a time and was found in a closet with the light off." Stephanie apologized and said she didn't know how long he was in the closet.
On July 30, 2024, CI Radney conducted an unannounced inspection of the facility. Two classrooms share a walkthrough closet and walkthrough bathroom.
Based on interviews with staff, an approximate timeline for how long Child A was unobserved could not be determined. It appears Child A could have been unobserved for as little as one minute to as much as 45 minutes.
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