VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES

The Merit School at North Stafford (#34)
19 Soaring Eagle Drive
Stafford, VA 22556
(540) 658-1000

Current Inspector: Cathy Aylor (540) 222-6352

Inspection Date: June 7, 2021 and June 16, 2021

Complaint Related: No

Areas Reviewed:

22VAC40-185 ADMINISTRATION. 22VAC40-185 STAFF QUALIFICATIONS AND TRAINING. 22VAC40-185 PHYSICAL PLANT. 22VAC40-185 STAFFING AND SUPERVISION. 22VAC40-185 PROGRAMS. 22VAC40-185 SPECIAL CARE PROVISIONS AND EMERGENCIES. 22VAC40-185 SPECIAL SERVICES. 22VAC40-191 Background Checks (22VAC40-191) 63.2(17) License & Registration Procedures

Technical Assistance:

The Licensing Inspector has reviewed with the provider COVID-19 Essential Guidance for Child Care programs.

Comments:

This inspection was conducted by licensing staff using an alternate remote protocol, necessary due to a state of emergency health pandemic declared by the Governor of Virginia. A monitoring inspection was conducted on 6/7/2021 with an exit interview on 6/16/2021. The director was contacted by telephone and a virtual inspection was conducted. There were 31 children present, ages five months - five years of age, with five staff supervising. The Inspector reviewed three children's records, five staff records, the emergency drill log, medication, meals and snacks, enhanced cleaning and sanitizing of toys and surfaces, and summer field trips. The information gathered during the inspection determined non-compliance with standards that are documented on the violation notice issued to the facility. Please complete the columns for "Plan of Correction" and "Date to be Corrected" for each violation cited on the violation notice, and then return a signed and dated copy to the licensing office by 4:00pm on Tuesday, 6/22/21. If you have further questions about this inspection please contact Donna Liberman at 540-359-5244 or Donna.Liberman@dss.virginia.gov.

Violations:

Standard #:	22VAC40-185-150-B
Description:	Based on a review of three children's records, not all reports of immunizations were signed by a physician, his designee or an official of a local health department. Evidence: the record for child #3 (date of first attendance: 5/3/21) did not have signed documentation of immunizations.
Plan of Correction:	Child #3?s immunization record is on file but was an electronic record submitted from the doctor?s office. In the future we will require a signature on the electronic record.
Standard #:	22VAC40-185-160-A
Description:	Based on review of five staff records, the facility did not have documentation of a negative tuberculosis (TB) test/screening for all staff. Evidence: the record for staff #4 (date of hire: 3/16/21) did not have documentation of a negative TB test/screening. Documentation provided to the LI did not include that the results of the screening were negative.
Plan of Correction:	Staff #4 had negative TB results from 2-18-2020. We will ensure that all staff receive a new screening within 30 days prior to their start date.
Standard #:	22VAC40-185-160-B
Description:	Based on review of five staff records, the facility did not have an acceptable form of documentation of a negative tuberculosis (TB) screening for all staff. Evidence: negative TB results documentation in the record for staff #5 (date of hire: 4/5/21) did not include a signature by a physician, physician?s designee or an official of the local health department.
Plan of Correction:	Staff #5 has a TB test (3-22-21) and results on (3-24-21) from NEXTCARE. The form was completed with the name of the person administering the test and reading the results. The name is hand printed and per the form does not require a provider signature with a negative reaction.
Standard #:	22VAC40-185-240-D-1
Description:	Based on review of documentation, and an interview with the director, the center has agreed to administer medication but did not always have a staff member with current Medication Administration Training (MAT) certification in the building all hours of operation. Evidence: 1) There is no documentation that there is a MAT certified staff member from 6:30-9:00 each morning.
Plan of Correction:	Our parent handbook states that ?if there is no employee certified in medication administration on duty, medicine will not be given?. There is currently no child attending that required medication. The director is MAT certified and working 9:00-6:00. There was a staff member actually attending the MAT class the day of the inspection and received her certification the same day.
Standard #:	22VAC40-185-340-A
Description:	Based on an interview with staff, it was determined that the center did not ensure the care, protection, and guidance of children in care. Evidence: The center failed to adhere to the health and safety guidelines established due to the COVID-19 pandemic of maintaining the same groups of children day-to-day and not combining classrooms, to help reduce potential exposure to COVID-19. 1) Staff stated that the infant, toddlers and twos are combined from approximately 6:30-7:15 am daily and that children in the threes, fours, fives and school age classrooms are combined daily each morning from approximately 6:30 am ? 9:00 am, until staff arrive and take children to their assigned classrooms; 2) A review of documentation revealed that classrooms are combined in the afternoons from approximately 4:00-6:00 pm; 3) The classrooms have been combined daily for more than six months; 4) Staff acknowledged being aware of the COVID guidance to not combine classrooms.
Plan of Correction:	With the current enrollment the children are divided into two cohorts (limited group of children and staff that do not intermingle): 2yrs and under and 3yrs and older. As additional children arrive at the school and additional staff are available the children are divided into smaller groups to provide more individualized learning and activities. As children begin to leave care the smaller groups return to their original cohort. As the children are consistent within their cohort, so are the teachers that work within that cohort. The transitioning of teachers is carefully thought out to reduce the potential exposure to COVID-19. Children are not intermingled between cohorts. We believe that we are compliant with the guidelines as we understand them.
Standard #:	22VAC40-185-550-D
Description:	Based on review of documentation, the facility failed to conduct a monthly practice evacuation drill and a minimum of two shelter-in-place drills each year. Evidence: documentation provided to the LI listed one fire drill dated: 2/26/21. There were no practice evacuation drills listed for January, March, April, May or June of 2021. The last documented shelter-in-place drill was dated: 3/13/20.
Plan of Correction:	Evacuation drill was completed (6-15-21) and shelter-in-place drill completed (6-18-21). New management will ensure that the drills happen in a timely manner moving forward.
Standard #:	63.2(17)-1720.1-B-3
Description:	Based on review of five staff records, it was determined that not all Out of State Child Abuse and Neglect Search requests were completed by the end of the 30th day of employment, and not all follow up was completed 45 days after the initial request. Evidence: the record for staff #1, (date of hire: 10/12/20) who indicated that they have lived out of the state of Virginia in the past five years, did not have documentation of an out of state search request for North Carolina or Kentucky. The record for staff #3, (date of hire: 7/1/19) who indicated that they have lived out of the state of Virginia in the past five years, did not have documentation of an out of state search request for Maryland.
Plan of Correction:	Staff #1 does have all of the out of state child abuse and neglect searches on file and they were completed in a timely manner, but they didn?t get scanned completely for the virtual inspection. Staff #3 had an out of state background submitted but results were not received until Oct 2, 2019. Staff did not have a criminal background.
Standard #:	63.2(17)-1720.1-B-4
Description:	Based on review of five staff records, it was determined that a sex offender registry check was not completed for each state outside of Virginia that staff has resided in within the past five years. Evidence: the record for staff #1, (date of hire: 10/12/20) who indicated that they have lived out of the state of Virginia in the past five years, did not have documentation of a sex offender registry check for all states they have resided in.
Plan of Correction:	Staff #1 does have all of the correct sex offender registries on file for each state that she resided in, and they were completed in a timely manner, but they didn?t get scanned completely for the virtual inspection.