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On February 19, 2026, the Office of Childhood (OOC) received a report alleging that on February 18, a photo was sent to the center's administration via the Brightwheel app of an injury on the back of Child A that his parents discovered that evening upon him coming home. Abby, manager, responded not knowing what happened because she was absent that day. She messaged the teacher chat, and the teachers stated that Child A fell on off a swing on February 17 between 4 and 4:30 p.m. There was no report of this incident filed. A parent of Child A then stated that is is now February 18, and there was no sign of injury on the evening of February 17, which makes the story about the fall off the swing suspicious. That evening, February 18, a video was sent to the parents of a fall that Child A had that morning where the child hit their head and had a scratch on his forehead. This video and the injury was not consistent with the scraping on the child's back. This morning, February 19, the parents received videos of an incident that happened around 9:30 the morning of February 18 of Child A swinging on a swing with older students pushing him. A teacher then gets up and goes over to the child, stops the swinging motion, situates the child on the swing, pulls him back to be about level with her head, and then releases him and starts to walk away. The video makes it look like the staff member gave him a good shove when she went to release him. Child A was not capable of holding himself steady in that situation. After Child A is released, he went flying off the swing. After conducting the investigation, Compliance Inspector (CI) Cole Eddins finds the allegation is substantiated. This conclusion is based on the following evidence of licensing rule violations which occurred at the facility:
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 February 24, 2026, Compliance Inspector (CI) Cole Eddins interviewed Parent A and Parent B. Parent A and Parent B provided consistent information. They stated that although they were notified of Child A's forehead injury, they were not notified of Child A's back injury on February 18, 2026. They first observed the scratches on Child A's back after daycare hours on February 18, 2026. Assistant Director Abigail Jeffress told them that she heard from Caregiver Ecella Cambell and Caregiver Mickayla DeMink that Child A fell off of the swing on February 18, 2026, at around 4:30 p.m. Parent A and Parent B were not notified of Child A's back injury. The morning of February 19, 2026, Parent A and Parent B received videos of an incident that happened around 9:30 a.m. on February 18, 2026. They observed Escella giving Child A a good shove when she went to release him on the swing before he fell on the ground.
On February 24, 2026, CI Eddins completed an unannounced inspection and interviewed Director Brandy Bumphrey, Assistant Director Abigail Jeffress, Caregiver Ecella Cambell, and Caregiver Mickayla DeMink. Brandy and Abigail provided consistent information. They stated that Child A received two injuries on February 18, 2026. The first injury occurred around 7:50 a.m. and a Brightwheel message was immediately sent to Parent A at around 7:52 a.m. Child A was playing with a toy and trip while walking past the classroom half wall, Child A received a scratch on his forehead. Parent A was notified right away. The second incident occurred outside on the playground on February 18, 2026, at around 9:37 a.m. Ecella and Mickayla were Child A's primary caregivers while they were playing outside on the playground. At around 9:37 a.m., Ecella placed Child A on the swing and pushed him. Child A fell off the swing and fell on his back. Ecella and Mickayla forgot to record a Brightwell report to notify Parent A about the incident. Although Ecella and Mickayla did not observe the scratches underneath Child A's shirt on his back, they still should have written a report because the fall caused Child A to cry, and he appeared visibly upset/injured.
Ecella stated that she was working with Mickayla while she and Child A were playing outside on the playground. At around 9:30 a.m., she remembered placing Child A on the swing after he was playing with other children. She had lifted him off the ground and pushed him on the swing when Child A fell off the swing and fell on his back. Child A was crying, and she could tell he was injured. She did not observe any scratches or cuts on Child A. Both herself and Mickayla forgot to record a Brightwell report to notify Parent A about the incident. Mickayla stated that she was working with Ecella while their classroom was playing outside on the playground at around 9:30 a.m. on February 18, 2026. She did not remember much about the incident, but she remembered Child A accidently falling after Ecella pushed him on the swing. Both herself and Ecella forgot to write up an accident report for Child A's injury on the swing and notify Parent A. Child A was crying after the fall.
On February 24, 2026, CI Eddins reviewed video footage from February 18, 2026. Video two shows Ecella walking over to Child A, who was playing on the swings next to some nearby classmates. She stops Child A from swinging, readjusts him, and lifts Child A up from the ground. After she lets go of Child A, he swings down towards the ground and falls onto the ground. Child A landed on his back and rolled over on the ground.
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