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On November 7, 2025, the Office of Childhood (OOC) received a report alleging that staff-to-child ratio is often 5:1 in the infant/toddler room, exceeding the required 4:1 ratio. After conducting the investigation, Compliance Inspector (CI) Curtis West finds the allegation is substantiated. This conclusion is based on the following evidence of a licensing rule violation that occurred at the facility:
5 CSR 25-500.112(1)(A), which states "The staff/child ratio and group size shall be followed as outlined in the below chart unless it meets an exception in subparagraphs (1)(B)-(G) below: Infants, toddlers, and 2-year-olds shall have one caregiver for every four children with no more than eight children per group; Groups composed solely of children 24 to 36 months shall have one caregiver for every eight children with no more than 16 children per group; Groups composed solely of children 3 to 4 years shall have one caregiver for every 10 children with no more than 20 children per group; Groups composed solely of children 5 years or older shall have one caregiver for every 16 children with no more than 32 children per group; A mixed group of children consisting of no more than four children age 2 years, and at least one child older than 3 years shall have one caregiver for every 10 children with no more than 20 children per group; A mixed group of children consisting of more than four children ages 24 to 36 months, and at least one child older than 36 months shall have one caregiver for every eight children with no more than 16 children per group."
On November 7, 2025, CI West received an email with a video from inside the infant room. The video was taken with the phone of a caregiver who recorded herself alone in a classroom with five infants.
On November 10, 2025, CI West conducted an unannounced inspection and interviewed LLC Managing Member and Director Kameelah Junaid, Caregiver Teresa Murray, Caregiver Kiyiah McBride, and Caregiver Nesrien Muhammad. Kameelah stated that she was advised by Teresa that Nesrien and Kiyiah had taken a few breaks to use the bathroom without notifying Teresa to cover their brief absences from the classroom. Teresa stated that there have been a few times when Nesrien or Kiyiah would take a bathroom break without waiting on a replacement floater teacher. When either Nesrien or Kiyiah would leave the classroom on a nonscheduled break without waiting on a floater, the ratio would have been one caregiver to five infants. Kiyiah stated that she had left Nesrien alone with five infants to make a quick nonscheduled bathroom break. Nesrien stated that she has left Kiyiah alone with five infants while she went to the bathroom.
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