VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES

Alleghany Highlands YMCA West Early Learning Center
515 E. Pine Street
Covington, VA 24426
(540) 965-9622

Current Inspector: Monique Anderson (540) 309-2397

Inspection Date: March 5, 2019

Complaint Related: No

Areas Reviewed:

22VAC40-185 ADMINISTRATION. 22VAC40-185 STAFFING AND SUPERVISION.

Comments:

The child care director for Alleghany YMCA reported an incident on February 22, 2019 to the Licensing Inspector of a child left alone and unsupervised on February 21, 2019. The child was interviewed on March 1, 2019. A joint investigation (unannounced monitoring) was initiated on March 5, 2019 with local department of social services. Staff were interviewed and the video of the incident was observed. Staff and child records were reviewed on March 8, 2019. Based on the observations and interviews, there were violations cited based on the self-reported incident.

Violations:

Standard #:	22VAC40-185-40-E
Description:	Based on review of policies and procedures and interviews, the center failed to ensure that the operational responsibilities of the licensee include, but not be limited to, ensuring that the center's activities, services, and facilities are maintained in compliance with these standards, the center's own policies and procedures that are required by these standards, and the terms of the current license issued by the department. Evidence: 1. The staff orientation packet dated 9/2017 with policies and procedures for supervision of staff required by these Standards was reviewed. The policies for "Sight and Sound Supervision" and "Missing Child Policy" were reviewed in the packet. The Standards require policies and procedures for both of these. The staff at the center did not follow the procedures outlined in these two areas. The following procedures were specifically not followed by staff: "Site and Sound supervision means that all children must be in your sight and sound at all times throughout the day whether you are in a classroom, playground, gym, field trip, or on a bus.", "A head count shall be taken when changing from one activity to another.", "Staff will always be extremely aware of all the participants in the classroom, hallways, on the playground or gym and on field trips.", "Members of staff will make sure they count heads before leaving a destination, and upon arrival at the destination and between transitions." 2. The two staff who were responsible for ensuring the above procedures were practiced stated that they did not follow the above procedures. Both staff stated they were aware of the procedures.
Plan of Correction:	Additional training will be provided for all staff on supervision requirements.
Standard #:	22VAC40-185-340-F
Description:	Based on review of video recording and interviews, the center failed to ensure that children under 10 years of age were always within actual sight and sound supervision of staff. Evidence: 1. A video recording for February 21, 2019 of a preschool classroom was reviewed. The staff were observed to send a four year old child away from the line of the group of the children to the rug area in the classroom. The staff and all other children in the class were observed exiting the classroom and the four year old child had not re-joined the group. The four year old child was observed on the video of the classroom alone and unsupervised in the child's classroom from 3:33 pm until 4:07 pm (34 minutes). 2. Four staff were interviewed about the incident on February 21, 2019. All staff stated that the child was left alone and unsupervised in the child's preschool classroom on the second level of the building on the afternoon of February 21.
Plan of Correction:	Personnel action was taken by the center immediately. Additional training will take place for all staff on supervision requirements.