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On November 13, 2025, the Office of Childhood (OOC) received a complaint alleging that Karen said to Child A, "If you're going to cry like a baby, then I'm going to put you with the babies." To keep Child A from hitting other children, Karen stuck a t-shirt over him onto a chair to keep him from doing such things. Compliance Inspector (CI) Heather Radney conducted an investigation and found the allegation to be substantiated based on the following information:
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.
AND
5 CSR 25-500.082(2)(B)2.B.(III) - If a unit for infants and toddlers is auxiliary to a facility for older children, centers initially licensed for infant/toddler care after the effective date of these rules or facilities adding new infant/toddler space, shall have play, sleeping and bathroom space in the infant and toddler unit. This space shall be separated from the space used for older children by floor-to-ceiling walls;
On November 20, 2025, Compliance Inspector (CI) Heather Radney conducted interviews with Director Karen Davis and Brigette Johnson. Karen reported she probably told Child A at some point that if he continues to act like a baby, she will put him in the room with the babies. That sounds like something she would say. She tried everything with Child A to get him to listen. She is sure that she said something like that to Child A. She knows she shouldn't have said it because it isn't age-appropriate. Child A was sitting in a chair for time out and kept getting out of the chair, so she put an adult size t-shirt over Child A and the back of the chair. The t-shirt was over Child A and over the back of the chair. He could move his arms and legs. It was "basically restraining him." He was sitting in time out for three minutes because he is 3 years old. Brigette reported she came in the infant/toddler unit one day and Child A was in there because he got in trouble and couldn't go on a walk with his class. Karen would have been the one that put him in the infant/toddler classroom because she was Child A's teacher. She did not see Karen put a t-shirt over Child A in time out but she came in right after. Child A was able to move; he ended up getting out of the chair even with the t-shirt over him. Karen was interviewed again and reported she does remember sending Child A to the infant/toddler room. He was not listening, so he could not go on a walk with his class.
On December 22, 2025, CI Radney conducted an interview with Parent A. A former caregiver told her about these concerns. She asked to see the t-shirt used and was told it was an adult t-shirt but she never saw it.
On December 30, 2025, CI Radney conducted an interview with Nichole Menck. She reported Karen has taken Child A to the baby room, and they will be there for about an hour, but she isn't sure if it was for punishment or not.
Karen did not use constructive or age-appropriate methods of discipline with Child A when she said to him "If you're going to cry like a baby, then I'm going to put you with the babies" or when Karen placed a t-shirt over Child A and over the chair he was sitting with for time out to "basically restrain" him. Additionally, care for older children (Child A) was not separated from the infant/toddlers when Karen brought Child A in to the infant/toddler unit because he was in trouble and could not go on a walk with his class.
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