A Whiteland day care is being more closely watched by the state after a child got out of a classroom unnoticed for several minutes.
The state issued a probationary license to Childtime Learning Center, at 565 Tracy Road, this month.
The probationary license was issued after the day care center was cited when a child left a classroom unnoticed.
The child was unsupervised for several minutes inside the building before a worker noticed him, according to the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration inspection report website.
The child was not harmed, stayed inside and is still being cared for at the Whiteland center, said Lydia Cisaruk, spokeswoman for Michigan-based Childtime Learning, which operates the Whiteland center.
“We provide our staff with extensive training, and we have strict policies and procedures to help ensure the safety and well-being of our children,” Cisaruk said in an email.
“Unfortunately, despite our precautions, a situation recently arose in which a child was separated from the classroom for a matter of minutes.”
After the incident, the center took corrective actions, including additional staff training, Cisaruk said.
She said the center is working with the state to meet licensing requirements and to make sure this does not happen again.
After the incident, the day care was cited for two violations of requirements: that all children must be supervised by a caregiver at all times, and that the director is responsible for supervision of the program.
The director was at the center when the child left the classroom, according to the state.
The state issued a probationary license, which lasts until June 30, according to a notice.
The Whiteland center had no violations in a previous visit in September but had been cited in prior inspections for issues such as a child who received a sunburn, missing documentation, untrained staff, and issues with the center, such as water temperature and damaged floor tiles, according to the state website.
Childtime Learning operates three centers in Indiana, with the others in Avon and Camby, according to the company website.
The center in Whiteland has space for 130 children, between 6 weeks and 12 years old.
