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On June18, 2026, the Office of Childhood (OOC) received an allegation that on June 18, 2026, in the morning, Child A (3-years-old), had peed on their clothes. Staff Ms. O made Child A sit in their wet clothes for 10 minutes. On June 19, 2026, Compliance Inspector (CI) Christy Hughes conducted an unannounced inspection of the facility and found the allegations to be substantiated based on the following information.
5 CSR 25-500.182(1)(E)10. which states: "Children shall not be punished, berated, or shamed in any way for soiling their clothes. The parent(s) shall provide extra clothing for his/her child in case the child accidentally soils him/herself."
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5 CSR 25-500.182(1)(C)2. which states: "Expectations for a child's behavior shall be appropriate for the developmental level of that child."
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5 CSR 25-500.182(1)(C)9. which states: "Punishment or threat of punishment shall not be associated with food, rest, or toilet training."
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5 CSR 25-500.182(1)(E)4. which states: "Diapers and wet clothing shall be changed promptly."
On June 19, 2026, CI Hughes conducted an in-person interview with Parent A(parent of Child A and a caregiver at the facility), and Child A. Parent A stated that Child A had been having issues with having potty accidents while at school and sometimes struggled to sit all of the way back on the toilet and would get urine on his pants. One of the other staff members that had gone into Child A's classroom had told her that he had another accident and that Ms. O would not allow her to change his clothes. Child A was made to sit in the soiled clothing for 10 minutes. She immediately went to the director Tiffany to inform her. She was very angry and upset.
Child A stated that Ms. O puts him in timeout when he has accidents and it happens a lot.
On June 19, 2026, CI Hughes conducted in person interviews with director Tiffany Serralta and caregivers Weylin Downes, Jennifer Conlee and Valerie Ocasio "Ms. O".
Tiffany stated that Ms. O is very stern, but the families either loved her or dislike her. Her own child did not want to go into the class with Ms. O, but thought it was because another child was hitting her child. Parent A did come and speak with her about the incident with Ms. O. She did not review the video footage.
Weylin stated that Parent A asked her why Child A had dirty clothes in his cubby and she told her she needed to speak with Tiffany the director. She heard from Jennifer that Child A went to the bathroom and did not get it in the toilet. Jennifer told her that he was made to sit in his soiled clothes for 10 minutes because Ms. O made him sit. She has heard concerns from parents about Ms. O and children have been sent back to her class due to parents having concerns with Ms. O. She has never seen Ms. O do anything other than being strict.
Jennifer stated that she has only been employed at the facility for 2 weeks. She went into Ms. O's class to help out and Child A went into the bathroom and peed on the back of his pants and underwear. Ms. O told her that she told Parent A what would happen if he did it again and told him to sit in the chair. Child A sat in the wet clothing for about 10 minutes. She offered to change him, but Ms. O said no and after about 10 minutes Ms. O told Child A she felt bad and he could get up. She didn't want him to get a rash. She did not feel it was her place to go against Ms. O. She did not excuse herself to go let management know what was happening. She felt like it was a punishment for having an accident.
Ms. O stated that Child A does not grasp the concept of pushing his penis down when he goes to the bathroom. She was teaching and her co teacher Jennifer was responsible for the children going to the bathroom. She wasn't sure if he spilled water on himself, so she told Jennifer to sit him in the chair. The children in her classroom need to be self-sufficient. She doesn't remember Jennifer telling her he had an accident, but she wanted to change him because he was more comfortable with her. She does not document when a child needs their clothing changed. She only puts children into timeout if they get in trouble. She denied all allegations.
On June 19, 2026, CI Hughes observed a video provided by director Tiffany Sarralto at O2B Kids Bluestone. The video does not have audio. The video is approximately 16 minutes and 40 seconds. At the 9 second mark Child A walks out of the bathroom and is sent to sit in a chair as Ms. O is conducting circle time. CI Hughes has director Tiffany fast forward. Ms. O is seen moving with children on the carpet. After 35 minutes, the video shows Ms. O go over and grab clothing for Child A to change into.
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