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MISSOURI DEPARTMENT OF ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION

OFFICE OF CHILDHOOD - CHILD CARE COMPLIANCE

COMPLAINT INVESTIGATION OF SUBSTANTIATED STATUTE OR RULE VIOLATIONS
Facility Information
Date of Report
1/22/2026 12:00:00 AM
DVN
000218955
Facility Name
LA PETITE ACADEMY, INC.
Facility Address
354 NEW BALLWIN RD
City
BALLWIN
Zip Code
63021
Phone
(636) 256-8623
County
ST LOUIS
Assigned Specialist
RUTH, JACQUELINE R
Rule/Statute Violation(s)
ViolationViolation Description
5 CSR 25-500.192(5)(A) In case of accident or injury to a child, the provider shall notify the parent(s) immediately. If the child requires emergency medical care, the provider shall follow the parent's(s') written instructions.
Conclusion Summary
On January 22, 2026, the Office of Childhood received an allegation that this is the third time in a month that Child A had been bitten, and Parent A wasn't notified in a timely manner from the bite that occurred on January 12, 2026. After completing an investigation, Compliance Inspector (CI) Jackie Ruth, found this allegation to be substantiated based on the following rule violation: 5 CSR 25-500.192(5)(A). which states: "In case of accident or injury to a child, the provider shall notify the parent(s) immediately. If the child requires emergency medical care, the provider shall follow the parent's(s') written instructions." On January 23, 2026, Compliance Inspector (CI) Jackie Ruth, conducted an unannounced inspection of the facility and observed an incident report for Child A regarding biting. A report was written on and occurred on January 12, 2026. The description states, "A peer bit [Child A's] arm when they wanted the magna-tiles he was playing with." The staff present at the time of the incident was Rachel Edelman, and Rachel wrote the report. The incident occurred at 8:25 a.m. and the parent was not notified until 11:30 a.m. CI Jackie Ruth also conducted an in person interview with the director, Sarah Hermann. Sarah stated that on January 12, 2026 when Child A was bitten, an accident report was written but Parent A was not notified until a few hours later. On January 29, 2026, Compliance Inspector (CI) Jackie Ruth, conducted an interview with Parent A via phone. Parent A stated that there were several instances of biting and she felt that Child A's safety was not being addressed. Sarah Herman was the facility director who had ensured Parent A multiple times that biting instances would be addressed correctly and incident reports provided for each incident. On January 12, 2026, Child A was bit and Parent A was not notified in a timely manner. Due to her multiple safety concerns, Parent A removed Child A from the facility after January 22, 2026.
Corrective Measures
Corrective MeasureCompleted (Y/N)Completed Date
The facility shall notify all staff members of the violations which were substantiated, and specify the actions to be taken by all staff in order to comply with all violations cited. A copy of the memo, letter, or staff meeting agenda shall be submitted to the Office of Childhood. Y 4/20/2026 12:00:00 AM
Disposition
SUBSTANTIATED
Disposition Date
3/23/2026 12:00:00 AM
Approving Supervisor
CHRISCO, MARLA L