| Conclusion Summary |
|
On February 17, 2026, the Office of Childhood (OOC) received an allegation that: At around 9:00 a.m. on February 17, 2026, two 4-year-old girls went outside alone to play in the fenced in back yard (attached to the house). Fran has video feed that shows her the children when they are outside. At around 9:08 a.m., the video feed went down. The last video feed showed the two girls standing by the gate. Fran then reloaded the video feed and saw that the little girls were no longer visible. She went outside to check on them and was not able to find them. She searched for them and was actively looking for the children when the police called her and notified her that the children had been found. After conducting an investigation, Compliance Inspector (CI) Michelle Honea has found this allegation to be substantiated based on the following evidence:
5 CSR 25-400.175(1)(A)1: which states, "Childcare providers shall not leave any child without competent adult supervision."
AND
5 CSR 25-400.175(1)(A)3: which states, "Caregivers shall provide frequent, direct contact so children are not routinely left unobserved on the premises."
AND
5 CSR 25-400.105(1)E: which states, "Caregivers shall be capable of handling emergencies promptly and intelligently."
AND
5 CSR 25-400.055(1)D: which states, "A completed safety plan if a sex offender resides within one thousand feet (1,000') of the facility. If the provider has an existing safety plan, a new plan is not required."
On February 18, 2026, Compliance Inspector (CI) Michelle Honea conducted an unannounced inspection to the facility and interviewed provider Fran Harrison who stated that Child A and Child B (both 4- years- old) asked to play outside, and she watched them through the video camera. The camera app stopped at 9:08 a.m. and started working at 9:14 a.m., Child A and Child B were gone when the camera went back up. She went to look for them. She saw the gate was opened, started yelling for Child A and Child B. She called 911 later to let them know that Child A and Child B belonged at her daycare. She did not call 911 at first because she wanted to look for them first. She did call the parents to let them know.
On February 18, 2026, CI Honea observed the outdoor playground of the home. The fencing was in good condition with no gaps and the gate was in working order with a working latch. CI Honea observed the route Child A and Child B took from the daycare on February 17, 2026. They walked across six streets, crossed highway 15 (a two lane highway at 30 miles per hour), near the old Mexico Ledger. CI Honea observed there was a camera in the back yard attached to the fence that faced the gate. CI Honea reviewed footage of February 17, 2026. The footage at 9:08 a.m. showed Child A and Child B standing near the fence and then the footage stopped. CI Honea reviewed additional video footage at 9:14 a.m. that showed Child A and Child B no longer in the play area. CI Honea also reviewed the last Search of Sex Offenders List that was completed on January 1, 2024 that showed sex offenders in the area within 1000 feet of the licensed child care home. There was no safety plan on file.
On February 18, 2026, Compliance Inspector (CI) Michelle Honea conducted an interview with Parent B (parent of Child B), and Child B. Child B stated it was her idea for the walk, so she stood on her tip toes, slid the latch, and opened the gate. They stopped for cars before crossing the street. Ms. Fran never comes outside with them. They did walk on the sidewalk and not in the road. Parent B stated that Child B will return to the daycare once the investigation is over. She did not have concerns about Child A and Child B playing in the yard unattended prior to this situation.
On February 18, 2026, CI Honea conducted an interview with Parent A (parent of Child A), and Child A. Child A stated it was Child B's plan to open the gate and go for a walk. They ran towards her house to play. Ms. Fran watches them on camera and never goes outside with them. Parent B stated that she does not have concerns with Ms. Fran or the daycare and Child B will continue to go until she starts school in the fall.
|