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On April 27, 2026, the Office of Childhood (OOC) received a report alleging that multiple classrooms are left over ratio daily. 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 25-500.112(1)(A) - The staff/child ratio and group size shall be followed as outlined in the below chart unless it meets an exception in subparagraphs (1)(B)-(G) below: Infants, toddlers, and 2-year-olds shall have one caregiver for every four children with no more than eight children per group; Groups composed solely of children 24 to 36 months shall have one caregiver for every eight children with no more than 16 children per group; Groups composed solely of children 3 to 4 years shall have one caregiver for every 10 children with no more than 20 children per group; Groups composed solely of children 5 years or older shall have one caregiver for every 16 children with no more than 32 children per group; A mixed group of children consisting of no more than four children age 2 years, and at least one child older than 3 years shall have one caregiver for every 10 children with no more than 20 children per group; A mixed group of children consisting of more than four children ages 24 to 36 months, and at least one child older than 36 months shall have one caregiver for every eight children with no more than 16 children per group.
On May 1, 2026, Compliance Inspector (CI) Cole Eddins completed an unannounced inspection and interviewed Caregiver Samantha Prat, Caregiver Rebekah Cox, and Caregiver Lindsey Sullivan. Samantha stated that sometime during the last week of April 2026, she and Lindsey cared for nine infants. She also observed Lindsey with around six infants by herself sometime last week. At least once or twice a week, a classroom will be over ratio by a child or two until a teacher comes to help. Rebekah stated that she observed 13 infants in a room with three caregivers in Toddler A classroom on either April 27, 2026, April 28, 2026, or April 30, 2026. The Toddler A classroom had 13 children for around an hour in the morning. Lindsey stated that sometime last Wednesday, April 29, 2026, she was working with Rebekah and another unknown caregiver, and they had 12 infants in her classroom for about an hour in the middle of the day. On April 29, 2026, before she combined her children with Rebekah, she was alone with six infants in the morning by herself for over an hour. She also remembers observing nine total children with Samantha for around 45 minutes sometime in the last week of April 2026.
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