A day care center operated by Center Grove schools is on probation after a staff member fell asleep while supervising toddlers.
Bright Beginnings Early Learning Academy was cited for not following child/staff ratios and not reporting an incident of neglect to the state promptly, according to the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration, which oversees day cares.
The state put the day care on probation for three months. Bright Beginnings is the eighth Johnson County day care center to be put on probation by the state this year.
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Click here to purchase photos from this galleryThe violations stemmed from an incident reported by a parent who came to pick up a child during nap time. The parent found that the caregiver who was supposed to be supervising the 2-year-olds was asleep, and reported it to the day care staff, said Allison Chance, coordinator of special education for Center Grove schools. She also oversees Bright Beginnings.
Because the caregiver was sleeping and not supervising the children, that put the day care out of compliance with child/staff ratios, Chance said.
Day cares also are required to report any incidents of abuse or neglect to the state within an hour of the incident being discovered. Bright Beginnings reported the incident to the state the same day it happened, but the time it was reported was slightly more than an hour later, Chance said.
The day care primarily includes children of Center Grove staff members, but also has some children from the community, Chance said. It is housed in Center Grove Schools’ professional resource center, which formerly was Maple Grove Elementary School. Center Grove schools runs the day care as a benefit to staff members.
Since the incident, the employee involved was terminated, and the day care has changed its procedures to ensure a similar incident does not happen again, Chance said.
During nap time, the director and assistant director now walk the center to check on the children and their supervision, and cameras are being installed in each room, Chance said.
“We continue to be committed to providing this benefit to our staff members and also committed to the safety and well-being of all the children there,” Chance said.
Parents of the children in that room were notified of the incident, Chance said.
The center, which opened in January 2015, is nearing capacity, Chance said.
