VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES

AlphaBEST at Signal Hill Elementary
9553 Birmingham Drive
Manassas, VA 20111
(703) 453-7711

Current Inspector: Angela Dudek (804) 629-8167

Inspection Date: March 13, 2025

Complaint Related: No

Areas Reviewed:

8VAC20-780 Administration 8VAC20-780 Staff Qualifications and Training. 8VAC20-780 Physical Plant. 8VAC20-780 Staffing and Supervision. 8VAC20-780 Programs. 8VAC20-780 Special Care Provisions and Emergencies 8VAC20-780 Special Services. 8VAC20-820 THE LICENSE. 8VAC20-820 THE LICENSING PROCESS. 8VAC20-820 HEARINGS PROCEDURES. 8VAC20-770 Background Checks 20 Access to minor?s records 22.1 Early Childhood Care and Education 63.2 Child Abuse & Neglect During the inspection, the inspector reviewed the areas listed above to include standards found out of compliance during the previous inspection. Unless otherwise noted as a violation within this inspection report, the provider was in compliance with the standards reviewed. If there were any serious injuries or fatalities related to a violation, the details will be included in the description of the violation.

Comments:

An unannounced monitoring inspection was initiated and completed on 3-13-25 in response to a self-report received by the licensing office on 3/6/25 relating to Supervision. The inspector reviewed 4 children?s records and 3 staff records on-site. This inspection included document review, tour of the facility, interviews, and observations. Information gathered during the inspection determined non-compliance with applicable standards or law, and violations are documented on the violation notice issued to the program. Please complete the plan of correction (POC) and date to be corrected sections for each violation cited on the violation notice. Specify how the violation will be or has been corrected. Submit your POC within five (5) business days from today, which will be the close of business on 3/28/25. A POC submitted after this date will not appear on the public website.

Violations:

Standard #:	8VAC20-780-340-A
Description:	The Center is required to ensure the care, protection and guidance of all children in care. On 3/6/25, 3 children were involved in a physical altercation where the children began pushing each other which led to one of the children brandishing a knife approximately 3-4 inches long. During this 2-minute timeframe when the altercation took place, Staff #1, had left 7 children alone and went outside the building to make a phone call, and did not intervene to protect the children during the incident.
Plan of Correction:	Staff #1, Staff #2, and Staff #3 have been removed from their positions. Their actions represented a failure to exercise sound judgment, apply the active supervision techniques they had recently been trained in, and prioritize the safety and well-being of the children. Despite receiving comprehensive training and being fully equipped with the necessary tools, resources, and expectations, their actions did not align with the core values of our program. This decisive action was taken to ensure the continued safety of the children and to uphold the integrity of the program. In response, leadership, including the Area Manager, is currently on-site, working closely with a team of well-trained staff members to reinforce the structure, routines, and expectations of our program operations. This includes the immediate implementation of hands-on training and ongoing guidance to all staff to ensure that the safety and well-being of the children remain the top priority at all times. Additionally, an extra staff member has been assigned to this location to further strengthen oversight and ensure continued improvements in program structure. The hands-on training provided to staff includes, but is not limited to, the following critical areas: ? Communication between staff regarding whereabouts, transitions, attendance numbers, and current ratios ? Behavior monitoring and intervention strategies ? Exercising sound judgment when making decisions, such as determining when to make necessary phone calls, when to exit program space ? Promoting positive interactions and ensuring staff placement, engagement and Active Supervision ? Demonstrating urgency and maintaining attentiveness to all aspects of the program, particularly concerning the children?s safety and well-being To address the issue of staff leaving the program space to greet parents, we have relocated the AlphaBEST door to an exterior door (Door #11) directly connected to the program space. This ensures that staff can greet parents without leaving the child supervision area, maintaining constant sight and supervision, and preventing any risk to child-to-staff ratios. Furthermore, the Area Manager has proactively reinforced our daily expectations and routines with the children, including our Community Circle, where we focus on problem-solving, behavior expectations, and conflict resolution. Alongside this, the new staff on-site are receiving hands-on training from leadership in key areas such as guiding children's behavior, promoting problem-solving, and de-escalating challenging behaviors. Additionally, company-wide, all staff members are required to participate in in-person training scheduled for April 1, 2025, to further strengthen our commitment to maintaining the highest standards of safety, care, and supervision for the children in our program.
Standard #:	8VAC20-780-340-F
Description:	The Center is required to ensure that children under 10 years of age always be within actual sight and sound supervision of staff. 1)On 3/6/25, Staff #1 left the building to make a phone call leaving 7 children alone and out of sight and sound supervision in the gym for approximately 2 minutes. 2)On 3/6/25, Staff #2 left the gym off and on for approximately 8 minutes as they answered the door as children were arriving, leaving 7 to 9 children alone in the gym and out of sight and sound supervision. 3)On 3/6/25, Staff #1 left the building, closing the door behind them, to make a phone call leaving 21 to 24 kids alone and out of sight and sound supervision for approximately 3 minutes.
Plan of Correction:	Staff #1, Staff #2, and Staff #3 have been removed from their positions. Their actions represented a failure to exercise sound judgment, apply the active supervision techniques they had recently been trained in, and prioritize the safety and well-being of the children. Despite receiving comprehensive training and being fully equipped with the necessary tools, resources, and expectations, their actions did not align with the core values of our program. This decisive action was taken to ensure the continued safety of the children and to uphold the integrity of the program. In response, leadership, including the Area Manager, is currently on-site, working closely with a team of well-trained staff members to reinforce the structure, routines, and expectations of our program operations. This includes the immediate implementation of hands-on training and ongoing guidance to all staff to ensure that the safety and well-being of the children remain the top priority at all times. Additionally, an extra staff member has been assigned to this location to further strengthen oversight and ensure continued improvements in program structure. The hands-on training provided to staff includes, but is not limited to, the following critical areas: ? Communication between staff regarding whereabouts, transitions, attendance numbers, and current ratios ? Behavior monitoring and intervention strategies ? Exercising sound judgment when making decisions, such as determining when to make necessary phone calls, when to exit program space ? Promoting positive interactions and ensuring staff placement, engagement and Active Supervision ? Demonstrating urgency and maintaining attentiveness to all aspects of the program, particularly concerning the children?s safety and well-being To address the issue of staff leaving the program space to greet parents, we have relocated the AlphaBEST door to an exterior door (Door #11) directly connected to the program space. This ensures that staff can greet parents without leaving the child supervision area, maintaining constant sight and supervision, and preventing any risk to child-to-staff ratios. Furthermore, the Area Manager has proactively reinforced our daily expectations and routines with the children, including our Community Circle, where we focus on problem-solving, behavior expectations, and conflict resolution. Alongside this, the new staff on-site are receiving hands-on training from leadership in key areas such as guiding children's behavior, promoting problem-solving, and de-escalating challenging behaviors. Additionally, company-wide, all staff members are required to participate in in-person training scheduled for April 1, 2025, to further strengthen our commitment to maintaining the highest standards of safety, care, and supervision for the children in our program.
Standard #:	8VAC20-780-350-B-5
Description:	The Center is required to maintain the required supervision ratio of staff to children, 1 staff for every 18 children, whenever children are in care. On 3/6/2025, Staff #1 was alone with 38 to 50 children for approximately 3 minutes while Staff #2 was answering the door and assisting with breakfast and Staff #3 was assisting a child in the restroom.
Plan of Correction:	Staff #1, Staff #2, and Staff #3 have been removed from their positions. Their actions represented a failure to exercise sound judgment, apply the active supervision techniques they had recently been trained in, and prioritize the safety and well-being of the children. Despite receiving comprehensive training and being fully equipped with the necessary tools, resources, and expectations, their actions did not align with the core values of our program. This decisive action was taken to ensure the continued safety of the children and to uphold the integrity of the program. In response, leadership, including the Area Manager, is currently on-site, working closely with a team of well-trained staff members to reinforce the structure, routines, and expectations of our program operations. This includes the immediate implementation of hands-on training and ongoing guidance to all staff to ensure that the safety and well-being of the children remain the top priority at all times. Additionally, an extra staff member has been assigned to this location to further strengthen oversight and ensure continued improvements in program structure. The hands-on training provided to staff includes, but is not limited to, the following critical areas: ? Communication between staff regarding whereabouts, transitions, attendance numbers, and current ratios ? Behavior monitoring and intervention strategies ? Exercising sound judgment when making decisions, such as determining when to make necessary phone calls, when to exit program space ? Promoting positive interactions and ensuring staff placement, engagement and Active Supervision ? Demonstrating urgency and maintaining attentiveness to all aspects of the program, particularly concerning the children?s safety and well-being To address the issue of staff leaving the program space to greet parents, we have relocated the AlphaBEST door to an exterior door (Door #11) directly connected to the program space. This ensures that staff can greet parents without leaving the child supervision area, maintaining constant sight and supervision, and preventing any risk to child-to-staff ratios. Furthermore, the Area Manager has proactively reinforced our daily expectations and routines with the children, including our Community Circle, where we focus on problem-solving, behavior expectations, and conflict resolution. Alongside this, the new staff on-site are receiving hands-on training from leadership in key areas such as guiding children's behavior, promoting problem-solving, and de-escalating challenging behaviors. Additionally, company-wide, all staff members are required to participate in in-person training scheduled for April 1, 2025, to further strengthen our commitment to maintaining the highest standards of safety, care, and supervision for the children in our program.