ABC & LOL Child Care Center & Preschool

Regulation 6.2.4.8: Trainees between fifteen (15)- seventeen (17) years of age shall be under the direct supervision of a staff member who meets teacher associate or higher qualifications as in rules in section 7.3.2 of these regulations and may not be left alone with children.

“The director acknowledged they were made aware that a staff member went to the bathroom and left a trainee, who was under the age of seventeen (17) years old, alone with children. There is conflicting information about how long the trainee was left alone and whether it occured more than once. Corrective Action: Please create a written policy that informs staff that they may never leave a trainee under the age of seventeen (17) alone with children. The policy will include the language in this regulation and each teacher associate must be aware that when a trainee under the age of seventeen (17) is in their classroom they are responsible for direct supervision of that trainee. Have each staff person sign that they have read the policy. Send a copy of the policy with staff signatures to Stacey.Guertin@vermont.gov. Ensure moving forward that all new staff review this policy when they are hired.”

Correction date in the state record: Jul 1, 2026

Regulation 6.2.6.1: Staff shall be able to hear all children of pre-kindergarten age and younger at all times, shall be able to see the children with a quick glance, and shall be able to physically respond immediately.

“On 12/10/2026 eighteen (18) month old Child A and thirty-three (33) month old Child B, were found unattended outside, on the stairs that exit from the second floor classroom. Child A and Child B did not have shoes or jackets. Staff statements indicate the children were outside alone for less than five (5) minutes, but an exact time was not confirmed. Another staff person, not assigned to their group, noticed them and brought them back to the classroom, where staff expressed they were not aware they had left the room. After the incident occurred the director required all staff to complete Supervision : Teamwork a training provided through Better Kid Care. This is a serious violation. Corrective Action: Please email the training certificates to Stacey.Guertin@vermont.gov. A Parental Notification Letter (PNL), which is a copy of the licensing report, must be provided to each parent of every child enrolled within ten (10) days of the report submission. Please also email parent contact information to Stacey.”

Correction date in the state record: Jul 1, 2026

Regulation 6.2.5.8: Nurturing activities performed by staff, including diapering, toileting, feeding, dressing, and resting; shall be performed in a relaxed, reassuring and individualized manner that is developmentally appropriate and promotes the child's learning, self-help and social skills.

“Staff interviews confirm that children who refuse to comply with remaining on their cot during rest time, at times, have been physically prevented from getting up from their cot for up to (30) minutes. Corrective Action: Immediately cease the practice of restricting childrens movement during rest time. Children who do not rest and/or refuse to comply with remaining on their rest cot during rest time, shall be given a quiet play item on their cot or optional quiet activity away from cot.”

Correction date in the state record: Nov 20, 2024

Regulation 6.2.7.3: Staff shall use positive methods of guidance and behavior management that encourage self-control, self-direction, self-esteem, and cooperation.

“Staff interviews confirm the lack of individualized response to childrens need for variation in behavior management techniques based on knowledge of a childs background and current lived experience. Corrective Action: Effective immediately, instruct staff to use individualized, developmentally appropriate expectations of children's behavior. Staff member behavior expectations and responses shall be developmentally appropriate to each child's level of understanding and meets the individual needs of each child. Develop and submit a training plan to this licensor by 12/20/2024, that includes the program's management team ensuring training with all staff about individualizing for children and positive guidance of children, providing ongoing observations of each staff members work with children to ensure positive guidance, and ongoing mentor time to support current and future staff in positive guidance of children. The plan should identify specific training that will be provided, the name and position of staff that will provide guidance, support, observation and mentorship. The frequency of observation and mentorship time to existing staff, as well as onboarding plan and mentoring plan of new staff.”

Correction date in the state record: Dec 15, 2024

Regulation 5.4.3.2: Children shall not be required to sleep. Children who do not nap shall be provided space and equipment for quiet play.

“Staff interviews confirm that children who do not sleep at rest time and/or refuse to comply with remaining on their cots are still required to be on their cots with no quiet play items for up to thirty (30) minutes daily. Corrective Action: As discussed, children who do not sleep are not required to be on their mats without items for quiet play. Develop and submit for approval to licensing, a written rest time policy for the program that meets the requirements of this rule. This plan will clarify best rest practices for children over 12 months of age and provide various developmentally appropriate technique options for staff when transitioning children to rest time and during rest time, to include what options will be available to children and staff, how arrangement of children's mat placement can be used to allow for quiet play, and what revisions are needed in staff handbook and/or parent handbook regarding rest time practices. Upon approval of the plan, staff are to be trained in the policy.”

Correction date in the state record: Dec 15, 2024

Regulation 6.2.6.1: Staff shall be able to hear all children of pre-kindergarten age and younger at all times, shall be able to see the children with a quick glance, and shall be able to physically respond immediately.

“During a field trip, a three (3) year old child exited the business the program was visiting. Program staff did not see the child leave the room and the child was unsupervised within a strip mall for approximately three (3) to five (5) minutes before being returned to the group by good samaritans, while the program looked for the child. This rule was previously cited in violation on 3/16/2022. This is a serious violation. Corrective Action: Effective immediately, ensure required supervision is maintained. A copy of this licensing report shall be sent no later than 08/01/2022 to the guardians of each child currently enrolled. A list of enrolled families and their contact information shall be sent to this licensor. It is required to develop and implement a program improvement plan that describes new field trip supervision procedures and strategies implemented to ensure supervision of all children. The plan will include how it will be implemented and how staff will be trained on the new field trip procedures.”

Correction date in the state record: Jul 29, 2022

Regulation 6.2.6.1: Staff shall be able to hear all children of pre-kindergarten age and younger at all times, shall be able to see the children with a quick glance, and shall be able to physically respond immediately.

“Video footage shows Staff B enter the bathroom in the classroom, closing the door, leaving four (4) children without supervision for up to 2 minutes. This is a violation because children were left unattended and staff would not have been able to respond immediately. Corrective Action: Effective immediately, ensure children are supervised at all times. It is required to add to the improvement plan, a system for staffing to ensure any necessary breaks are taken and supervision is maintained.”

Correction date in the state record: Mar 13, 2023

Regulation 6.2.6.6: The program director shall ensure that no person be left alone with children without approval from the Division based on the results of a background check that includes fingerprinting; with the exception of a parent may be left alone with his/her own child(ren).

“A staff member has been left alone with children before completing the required fingerprint supported background clearance with the Child Development Division. This is a violation because no individual may be left alone with children, for any length of time, until the fingerprint supported background clearance process is completed with the Child Development Division. Corrective Action: Effective immediately, ensure no staff is left alone with children prior to receiving Child Development Division approval through the Fingerprint supported Background clearance process. It is required to develop a program improvement plan that details the process and staff roles and responsibilities for hiring new staff and process for completing the fingerprint supported background clearance. Detailed in this improvement plan shall be the the steps taken, and a communication plan for how necessary information around who may not be left alone with children is shared with staff.”

Correction date in the state record: Mar 13, 2023

Regulation 6.2.7.3: Staff shall use positive methods of guidance and behavior management that encourage self-control, self-direction, self-esteem, and cooperation.

“Video footage shows Staff A to restrict a child's movements for over a continuous eight (8) minute timespan. Staff A restricted a child's body movements by holding a child's arms over their head for four (4) minutes while the child moved about, arched their back and attempted to pull away from Staff A . Staff A then kicked the child's leg out from under them, had the child sit on the floor and then Staff A wrapped their arms around the child's torso. Next, Staff A placed their leg over the child's body while seated on the floor to prevent the child from moving. Staff A then sat with their arms wrapped around the child while rocking back and forth. Staff statements confirm that other staff at the program have held children in a manner that restricts movements or have seen staff restrict movement as a behavior management strategy, which is not a positive guidance practice. Corrective Action: It is required to develop a Program Improvement Plan that identifies specific training, and the dates the trainings will be conducted on the topic of positive guidance practices for all staff at the program. The Program Improvement Plan will describe how staff will receive support in improving positive guidance practices and how the leadership staff and Director will supervise staff to ensure practices are effectively implemented and maintained.”

Correction date in the state record: Mar 27, 2023

Regulation 7.2.2: The licensee shall ensure that all new staff and auxiliary staff, prior to working with children in the CBCCPP; and any new individual designated as the representative of the licensee shall submit a Records Check Authorization form to the Division and shall submit to fingerprinting at a location designated by the Division after having received the Fingerprinting Authorization Certificate by the Division.

“Eight (8) staff were issued Fingerprint Authorization Certificates ranging from three (3) months ago to ten (10) months ago and had not yet completed the Fingerprint Supported Clearance that is required. Corrective Action: It is required to have staff complete the fingerprint supported clearances and develop a system to monitor the Fingerprint Supported Clearances of staff. This system shall detail staff roles and responsibilities and ensure compliance going forward. The description of the developed system and an update on completion of fingerprint supported clearances shall be sent to this licensor for review.”

Correction date in the state record: Mar 9, 2022