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Compliance Inspector (CI) Jessica Graham investigated the allegation that on January 07, 2026 at 4:00 p.m., Child A (21-months-old), was left unattended in the multipurpose room. Parent B (parent of another student that attends the center), walked by and noticed Child A and informed a teacher that was assisting other children using the bathroom in the 3's room. That teacher said she couldn't leave her current students and stood there a little frozen on what to do. The parent then walked back to try to get Child A to come out with no luck. The parent then informed another teacher who happened to be in the hallway, Ms. Dana of the incident and she immediately got Child A from the multi-purpose room and walked them back to their classroom. No one was actively looking for Child A and were not aware that Child A was missing. This allegation is substantiated based on the following rule violation.
5 CSR 25-500.182(1)(A)3. which states: "Caregivers shall provide frequent, direct contact so children are not left unobserved on the premises."
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5 CSR 25-500.182(1)(A)1. which states: "Caregivers shall not leave any child without competent supervision."
On January 14, 2026, caregiver Kristine Smith said Laura Hartman and Ava Carr, caregivers, were in charge of Child A (age 21-months-old), on the afternoon of January 7, 2026 when Child A was left unattended. The class had been in the enrichment classroom and Child A was found in the multipurpose room unattended by Parent B and was brought to the front office area by caregiver Dana Ruhl. The multipurpose room is on the way back to Child A's classroom from the enrichment room. Kristine and Tina Dansberry were in the front area when Dana brought Child A up. Tina Dansberry said that she took Child A back to his classroom and neither caregiver in the room noticed that Child A had been missing.
Dana was cleaning her room when Parent B came in and told her that she found Child A alone in the multipurpose room. Dana went down and found Child A playing in the room. She took Child A to Tina in the front office area.
On January 14, 2026, CI Graham attempted to call Parent A but no contact was made.
On January 14, CI Graham spoke to Parent B via phone and she confirmed that she arrived around 4:00 p.m. to pick up her child and while there Parent C had told her that they found Child A unattended and they weren't sure what to do. Parent B then took Child A to Dana who was close by cleaning a classroom and told Dana that Child A was alone.
On January 14, CI Graham spoke to Parent C via phone and she said she was at the center around 3:45 p.m. on January 7, 2026. She walked by the multipurpose room going to get her child and saw a shadow movement in the room. She saw that Child A was in the room so she went to the nearest classroom to tell a caregiver. That caregiver couldn't leave the room so she went back to the multipurpose room to try and get Child A. He would not go to her so Parent B was also there picking up their own child and went and found teacher Dana. Dana got Child A out of the room.
On January 15, 2026, Laura Hartman said she was already off for the day and in the front office area when Child A was brought up by Dana. Laura H. is the main caregiver for Child A and said he can be a handful. That afternoon Laura Wilson and Ava Carr were in the room with her class. There were a total of seven children when she left for the day. She didn't tell the caregivers how many children there were when she left because Laura W. had been in the room earlier at lunch and knew how many children were there that day.
Laura W. said she was in the classroom on January 7, 2026 and her and Ava Carr, caregiver, walked the children to the enrichment room around 3:00 p.m. and stayed for about 30 minutes. Laura H. had already left for the day. Laura W. said there were eight children present at the time and she counted them before leaving the enrichment room to go back to the classroom. She remembers seeing Child A at that time. Ava walked in the front of the line carrying a child and she walked in the back carrying a child, taking the children back to the room. When they entered the classroom she didn't count the children and was not sure if Ava did either. She started diapering the children and Ava was on the carpet watching the children. She feels that Child A must have slipped out of the room at that point. She never knew that Child A was missing until Tina brought him back into the classroom.
Ava said that Laura W. was already in the enrichment room with the children and she didn't join the class until they were walking back to the classroom. She never counted the children while being with them.
There is no video footage inside the building so exact times of when Child A left the group and how long he was unattended can't be determined. The caregivers think they left the enrichment room around 3:00 p.m. and Parent B said she arrived around 4:00 p.m. and that is when she saw Child A in the multipurpose room.
On January 14, 2026, Compliance Inspector (CI) Jessica Graham observed all rooms of the child care facility. Child A's classroom is 36' from the enrichment room and 61' from the multipurpose room. The multipurpose room is located along the route back to the classroom from the enrichment room.
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