Belton Education Station

During the investigation it was found preschool aged children are allowed to go to the restroom, located outside in the hallway, without proper supervision.

Photos in library document that wooden balance beam was in disrepair with exposed sharp edges at least from October 1st-thru February 14 causing a child to be injured 2 times on it. The wooden beam was bonded over upon inspection at the operation.

Trash can in the 2-3yr old classroom had no lid.

Chemicals were in an unlocked lower cabinet that infants were able to access.

There were damaged toys and equipment observed on the outdoor playground. The operation will remove or repair the items before children are allowed access.

One playground structure with a platform of 6 feet did not have the required 9 inches of loose fill in the use zone.

Two of two children enrolled with diagnosed food allergies did not have emergency food allergy plans on file.

There was sufficient evidence found during the investigation to show that appropriate supervision was not provided when a 3 year old child was found in possession of a nicotine vape.

There was sufficient evidence found during the investigation to show that one caregiver used a nicotine vape on the daycare premises, during operating hours.

There was sufficient evidence found during the investigation to show that parents were not notified immediately of a situation placing their child at risk.

During an investigation, there was evidence to support that children were not being supervised properly and were able to go to the bathroom, toilet paper it and flood the bathroom toilets on more than one occasion.

During an investigation it was found that the caregivers in one classroom did not follow the written activity plan or schedule for the classroom which made the caregivers not able to maintain a controlled environment for the children in care.

A child was injured while in care and received medical attention. The operation was notified of the medical attention received on 3/15/2024 and did not make the report until 3/18/2024, which is past the 48 hour requirement. An administrative penalty will be recommended as a result of this citation, per HRC ?42.078.

The operation made the prek classroom smaller by building a wall taking away space that was used by the children in care. I spoke to the operation about notifying licening of change of space.

The operation has less than 1 inch of loose fill on the small playground.

There was a shelf in the perk school room that was over 5 feet tall that was not mounted which could cause it to fall over and injure someone.

During an investigation it was found that children and staff had been diagnosed with Covid and it was not reported.

Oberved a cover on a diaper changing pad that was not nonabsorbant. I explained to the caregiver that the pad has to be nonabsorbant material and the pad was removed.

Observed 2 classrooms with caregivers who did not know how many children that they had in care. One caregiver stated that they had 17 kids, but only had 15 kids in care. Another caregiver stated that they had 24 kids but only had 22 children in care. This was corrected when the caregiver reviewed the list of children in the classrooms.

The operation did not have a fire drill documented for December 2022 or January 2023. A fire drill was completed but the operation staff and children were not able to get out of the building in under 3 minutes. Another fire drill will be completed at another date.

Observed two caregivers who have worked at the operation for over 90 days and did not qualify to be exempt from pre-service training. These two caregivers did not have the full 24 hours of pre service training completed.

While viewing camera footage, a caregiver was seen in the hallway with 19-20 children who are 3-4 years old. The ratio for one caregiver and children who are 3 years old is 15. The ratio for one caregiver and 4 year old children is 18.

It was observed in at least one room, the carpets had stains on it, the floors had dirt on them around the shelves and against the walls, toys had dirt and food on them, and the the walls were dirty.

Mutiple classrooms did not have currently lesson plans for their classrooms. Some classrooms had lessons for the week of 4/4-4/8 and no current lesson plans. This was corrected when lesson plans were printed and taken to each classroom.

A caregiver was found on their phone during nap time. This was corrected when the caregiver put the phone away.

The infant room had 8 infants with infants whose ages range from 8month to 14 months old. The specified age group is 0-11months old. The classroom was out of ratio by 4 infants. This was corrected when a caregiver came into the room.

It was found that a caregiver was placing their legs on top of children to make the child stay on their mats during nap time.

During interviews it was found that caregivers had told the director and other office staff about concerns they had regarding discipline and these concerns were not reported.

Observed a classroom with mixed aged children in the same room. While getting the ages of the children from the office staff, it was noted that the youngest child in the room was 17 months and the oldest child 3 years old, which is more than a 18 month age difference. There was a 19 month age gap between the youngest infant and the oldest child in the room. This was corrected when the other caregivers came to get their children out of that classroom, separating the younger children from the older children.

Observed one classroom that the caregivers were not able to tell me how many children that they had in care. Licensing staff had to count the children. There were 23 children in the classroom.

Observed 23 children ages 18 months to 3 years old in a classroom with 3 caregivers. The room capacity is 16. This was corrected when some of the children went into their own rooms.

Observed a classroom with the specified age group being 2 years old. There were 15 children and one caregiver in the classroom. With the classrooms specified age group being 2 years old, the caregiver can only care for 11 children by themselves. This was corrected when another caregiver came into the room.

It was observed that outdoor space that was not measured for use of space was being used by the children in care. This was discussed with the director of the operation.

There are two slides that are used by the children without any loose fill surfacing. The director stated that they will not use the space until it is approved and the slides will be removed prior to use.

A caregiver did not know how many children they had in their classroom. It was discussed with the caregiver to always know how many children they have at all times.

It was found that there were concerns about suspected abuse and it was not reported to licensing.