| Conclusion Summary |
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On April 8, 2026, the Office of Childhood (OOC) received a report alleging that Child A (3 years old) was laying on his cot. When the blanket was removed, he was observed to be covered in urine and had been in the same diaper for six hours. 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 25-500.182(1)(E)4. which states: "Diapers and wet clothing shall be changed promptly. "
On April 9, 2026, CI Eddins interviewed Assistant Director Anita Baustista and Caregiver Alayah Pace. Anita stated that on April 2, 2026, she filled in for Alayah, who was a newer staff member at the time. She did not realize that Child A was due for a diaper change when she went to fill in for Alayah at around 11:40 a.m. Alayah forgot to update the app which shows caregivers which child needs a diaper change before going on break. When Parent A arrived to pick up Child A early in the afternoon, she observed Child A with a soaked diaper with pee that had leaked through his diaper. Alayah was supposed to change Child A's diaper before she left on break. When Parent A arrived sometime around 1:00 p.m., she offered to change Child A's diaper, but Parent A insisted on changing his diaper before Parent A went home. This was the only time that Child A missed a diaper change. Alayah stated that she was with Child A before she went on break at around 11:40 a.m. sometime in early April 2026. She was working with Caregiver Hannah Dehghani, and Anita stepped into to fill in for her before her break started. She observed Child A with a wet diaper before she left. Before she went on break, she told Hannah that she did not change Child A's diaper and that Child A needed a diaper change soon. She forgot to update the app that Child A needed a diaper change before she left. Staff are supposed to check/change children's diapers every two hours, and it was possible that Child A was not changed while she was gone on break. Parent A normally picks up around 1:30 p.m. so it could have been that Child A went almost three to four hours without having his diaper checked/changed.
On April 9, 2026, CI Eddins interviewed Parent A, who stated that she observed Child A with a soaked diaper on April 2, 2026, when she arrived to pick him up at daycare at around 1:00 p.m. She was worried that Child A had not been changed for over four plus hours. His diaper smelled awful, and pee was running down his leg.
On April 17, 2026, CI Eddins interviewed Director Cammie Pitburn, who stated that she heard that Child A did miss a diaper change in early April 2026. Alayah, who was a newer staff member, forgot to update that Child A needed her midday diaper change before she went on break. Hannah and Anita did not know she needed a diaper change before Parent A came to pick up early in the afternoon.
On April 22, 2026, CI Eddins interviewed Hannah, who stated that she was working with Alayah on April 2, 2026, before Alayah went on break. Anita came into her classroom to fill in for Alayah when she left the room around 11:30 a.m. That was her first time in the classroom, and she was trying to help with nap time. She had worked at the facility for around two months, and she was mostly working in the toddler's room. Alayah was going to change Child A's diaper, but she forgot to change him before she went on break. She and Anita assumed that Child A's diaper was changed before Alayah left the room. She first realized that Child A needed a diaper change when Parent A arrived at around 1:00 p.m. to pick him up. She did not observe a wet diaper, but Parent A observed Child A's wet diaper and talked to Anita about her concern in the classroom.
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