Denise Perry

Regulation 5.10.5.4.3: The FCCP shall ensure that when children in care are swimming or playing in an in ground or above ground pool or natural or manmade bodies of water, the FCCP shall ensure that a lifeguard is present or shall maintain the following staff/child ratios: * One (1) adult: two (2) children for infants/toddlers and pre-kindergarten age children; * One (1) adult: six (6) children for school age children.

“The Provider was observed swimming in an above ground pool with five (5) children in care, ages four (4) to eight (8) at the FCCH. This is a serious violation. Corrective Action: Immediately ensure the adult to child ratio is one (1) adult for two (2) children when any of the children swimming are pre-Kindergarten age or younger. 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. Provide a list of parent's names, child's name and contact information for each enrolled child. Develop a plan to ensure children have adequate supervision ratios for swimming in the above ground pool at the FCCH or ensure a lifeguard is present. Send a detailed description of the plan to Licensing Field Specialist Stark. Status: Appeal Period.”

Correction date in the state record: Oct 5, 2026

Regulation 5.2.3.11: Each diaper changing procedure shall include: * Preparation: assemble supplies, staff member washes hands, prepares changing surface with either a disposable covering or ensure that the surface was recently cleaned and disinfected and bring the child to the diaper changing area. * Dirty Phase: remove soiled diaper and cleanse diaper area of the child. * Clean Phase: put on clean diaper, dress child, and wash the child's hands. * Clean up: clean and disinfect the diaper changing surface, dispose of diaper, and staff member washes their own hands. * Record diaper change.

“During outdoor playtime, the Provider was observed changing an infant on a towel, laid on the floor in the hallway of the FCCH. The Provider did not wash the child's hands after completing the diaper change and returned to outside playtime with the child. Corrective Action: Ensure diaper changing areas have a disposable covering or have been recently cleaned and disinfected prior to use. Ensure staff members and diapered children wash hands after each diaper change. Create a plan for diapering during outdoor play time that includes all of the steps for preparation, dirty phase, and clean-up. Include in this plan the location of the diaper changing areas. Send photos of the diaper changing areas and a detailed description of the plan to Licensing Field Specialist Stark. Status: Appeal Period.”

Correction date in the state record: Oct 5, 2026

Regulation 3.6.1.1: The FCCP shall develop and maintain a written Emergency Response Plan to respond to a full range of emergencies both natural and man-made. A complete plan shall include how the FCCP will address and manage the following situations and responsibilities: * Evacuations or other emergencies such as leaving the premises and lockdown situations; * Specific concerns related to the location of the program, such as proximity to a nuclear reactor, an area prone to flooding or power loss; * Notifying the local authorities of the emergency; * A system for notifying the parents of the emergency; * Notifying the local emergency planning committee regarding the location of the FCCH and using the committee as a resource in emergency planning for the program; * A system of identifying the children and staff present at the time of the emergency and maintaining knowledge of their whereabouts; * A system for handling infants, toddlers, and children with special needs; * An established evacuation meeting location within walking distance of the FCCH; * A system to account for all children and staff at evacuation meeting place; * An process for relocation if necessary including safe transportation; * A system for sheltering in place if the FCCP and children present need to remain in the FCCH for an extended period; and * Staff chain of command and individual staff roles and responsibilities, (if applicable) during emergencies.

“Provider was asked during site visit, as well as in site visit follow up email, to provider this Licensor with a current Emergency Response Plan. No Emergency Response Plan has been provided. Corrective Action: Submit to this Licensor an Emergency Response Plan that addresses all requirements of this rule.”

Correction date in the state record: Jun 24, 2024

Regulation 3.3.7.3: Within six (6) months of initial date of employment, the FCCP and all staff shall maintain an up-to-date BFIS Quality and Credential Account. Documentation, verification of qualifications, and all annual professional development activities as specified in the rules sections 7.3 and 7.4 of these regulations shall be submitted to NLCDC to be verified and maintained in BFIS.

“Mandated Reporter training certificate and VT Otientation training certificate for Staff A were found in staff file on site, however not found in BFIS Credential account. Staff A began working for program in June 2018. In addition, CPR/First Aid certificate for Provider from August 2022 not showing in BFIS credential account. Corrective Action: Email Staff A's training certificates as well as Provider's CPR/First Aid certificate to Northern LIghts at CCV using the required cover sheet by the corrective action due date given, making sure to CC this Licensor on that email as well.”

Correction date in the state record: Jun 24, 2024

Regulation 7.1.2.2: The FCCP shall ensure that at least one (1) responsible adult who has successfully completed and is currently certified in pediatric first aid and infant and child CPR is on the premises at all times children are present.

“A review of the providers BFIS Quality and Credential account and a review of staff files reflected that the provider did not have current certifications in infant and child CPR and pediatric first aid. The provided confirmed that she had not yet completed approved certifications. Corrective Action: Immediately plan to complete approved online and/or in-person infant and child CPR and pediatric first aid certifications. If you need assistance locating approved CPR and first aid certification courses, you may reach out to your Northern Lights at CCV resource advisor, [name], at 802-885-8374 or amelia.struthers@ccv.edu. In the Safety portion of the Program Improvement Plan, include details of your review and understanding of the CPR and first aid regulations and your new system for tracking your CPR and first aid expiration dates and ensuring that you renew those certifications prior to the date of expiry on the certificates moving forward. This means explaining how you will prompt yourself to renew these certifications and sign up for certification courses in a manner which will ensure compliance moving forward.”

Correction date in the state record: Aug 21, 2022

Regulation 6.2.1.7: In Option two (2): Summer Vacation, described in the chart below, the registered FCCP shall use this chart when providing care to their original six (6) children and up to an additional six (6) school age children and/or when providing care to any school age children over the original six (6) children that began care after May 1st of the current year.

“Upon arrival at the program there were 14 children in care, including 9 children under school age, and 5 children of school age. A review of attendance records reflected that the program operated over ratio on 11 additional days between 06/13-08/02/2022. On 06/15, 06/21, 06/23, 06/24, and 06/28/22, there were 11 children, including 7 children under school age signed into care. On 06/14/22, there were 12 children, including 7 children under school age, signed into care. On 06/16 and 07/19/22, there were 11 children, including 8 under school age, signed into care. On 06/29/22, there were 10 children, including 7 under school age, signed into care. On 07/20 and 07/21/22, there were 12 children, including 9 children under school age, signed into care. The maximum allowable number of children present at one time for a Registered Family Child Care Home with one qualified and approved staff member, is ten, including no more than 6 children under school age. This is a repeat serious violation. Corrective Action: Effective immediately, reduce the number of children in care at one time to ten or less and ensure that you are meeting the allowable ratios per the charts listed in regulation at all times moving forward. As this is a repeat serious violation and due to the number and scope of the violations listed in this site visit report, develop a program improvement plan and submit it for approval to amy.hall@vermont.gov prior to 08/12/2022. In the Ratio portion of your program improvement plan, include details of: 1. your review and understanding of the ratio charts listed in section 6.2.1 of regulation, 2. Your system for checking attendance and ensuring compliance with the ratio charts daily and prior to allowing additional children to attend care, 3. The letter written and provided to parents to notify them of these requirements and an explnation of how you will change your practice to notify families of the ratio requirements for your program in order to maintain compliance moving forward. This letter, along with a copy of this complete site visit report, shall be provided to each parent of each child in attendance on 08/02/2022 and to the parents of any other enrolled child who was not present on 08/02/2022 within 10 days of the receipt of this report.”

Correction date in the state record: Aug 12, 2022

Regulation 6.2.4.4: When children are outside playing, the FCCP and/or staff shall be outside supervising the children. If due to the mixed ages of the children and the need to step away to meet basic care needs of children, the FCCP and/or staff may supervise the school age children from inside the home provided that the children can be seen from inside and the outside play area is fenced to prevent the children from leaving the play area. Children younger than school age shall not play outside without the FCCP and/or staff person present at any time.

“Upon arrival at the program, there were 8 children, including at least 3 children under school age, on the playground without adult supervision. While the door was open to the playground, the provider was inside, assisting 6 additional children with toileting and preparation for outside play. It was assessed that the children outside could not be easily heard or physically responded to immediately if the need arose. The 8 children were outside without adult supervision for at least 10 minutes from Licensor [name] arrival at 2:45 PM until 2:55 PM when the provider and the other 5 children entered the playground. Corrective Action: Immediately plan to visually and physically supervise all children during outside play. Develop a system to ensure children do not exit the home without approved adult supervision moving forward. In the Supervision section of the Program Improvement Plan, include details of: 1. your review and understanding of the supervision section of regulation and 2. your new process for transitioning children from inside to outside space and vice versa, while maintaining visual and physical supervision at all times. This means that no child will be in either space without approved adult supervision moving forward.”

Correction date in the state record: Aug 15, 2022

Regulation 5.10.4.3.2: The FCCP shall ensure that safe and sturdy gates are used on stairways, accessible to children, at all times when children younger than thirty-six (36) months of age are present.

“During the visit, there was a set of at least 7 wooden steps leading from the home to the playground. The steps did not have a sturdy gate or other provisions to prevent access to children from the playground. There were 2 children in care under the age of three years. Corrective Action: Immediately plan to install a sturdy gate or other provisions at the bottom of the wooden stairs which are accessible to children while on the playground. In the Safety portion of your Program Improvement Plan, include details of the gate or other provisions that you have chosen, when the provisions were installed, and how you will ensure that the gate or other provisions are used in a consistent and effective manner moving forward.”

Correction date in the state record: Aug 15, 2022

Regulation 3.3.3: The FCCP shall establish a system for taking attendance, including documentation of the time when each child arrives and departs each day he/she attends the FCCH. The FCCP shall save all daily attendance records identifying the hours of children s attendance for at least twelve (12) months from the date that care is provided.

“Upon arrival at the program, there were 14 children in care and 12 children were signed in on the attendance sheet. This is a repeat violation. Additionally, the attendance record reflects first names or nicknames for children and no last names. There were at least two children in care with the same first name. Corrective Action: Immediately ensure that all children are signed into and out of the program in a timely manner. This means that within a minute or two of each child being dropped off or picked up, the time of drop off or pick up is recorded on the attendance record. In the Record Keeping portion of your program improvement plan, include your new system for prompting yourself to record attendance in a timely manner. Include details of: 1. how you will prompt yourself to record attendance at the time when a child arrives or is picked up from the program, and 2. how you will keep the attendance records nearby whether you are inside or outside to ensure ready access at the times of pick up and drop off, and 3. how you will clearly mark the first and last names of each child in attendance on any given day to ensure accurate records.”

Correction date in the state record: Aug 15, 2022

Regulation 5.2.1.1: The FCCP shall ensure that adults and children wash their hands: * Upon arrival at the FCCH; * Before they eat, prepare or handle food; * Before and after handling raw meat; * Before feeding children; * After toileting or diapering; * After cleaning; * After taking out the garbage; * After handling animals; and * After outdoor play.

“During the visit, 11 children were observed to be offered and eat snack without washing their hands. The children were on the playground and had visibly soiled hands while eating a snack consisting of grapes and varied types of crackers with no utensils. Corrective Action: Immediately plan to have all children and adults wash hands prior to serving, touching or eating food. In the Health portion of the Program Improvement Plan, include details of your review and understanding of the handwashing requirements within regulation and of the new process you will implement to ensure safe and healthy handwashing prior to serving, touching or eating food and all other required times moving forward.”

Correction date in the state record: Aug 21, 2022

Regulation 5.10.1.2.4: The FCCP shall ensure that each floor of the home, and in the corridor to access the home in an apartment building, has an operating smoke detector as well as a smoke detectors in the immediate vicinity where children sleep. The FCCP shall ensure carbon monoxide monitors are located outside of rooms were children sleep.

“During the visit, there was not a properly mounted CO2 detector in operating condition at the program. The provider presented a new smoke and CO2 combination detector that was still in the box but intended for use in the program. The device was not installed for proper operation. Corrective Action: Immediately plan to properly install the CO2 detector in a manner which complies with the manufacturers instructions. In the Safety portion of the Program Improvement Plan, include details of how you will ensure that a properly installed and properly functioning CO2 detector is present at the program at all times of program operation moving forward.”

Correction date in the state record: Aug 21, 2022

Regulation 6.2.4.7: The FCCP 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).

“During the visit, an adult individual was observed to be left alone with children for 4 to 5 minutes on several occasions. On three occasions, the provider stepped inside to gather snack or supplies, leaving the individual alone with 14 children on the playground. On one occasion, the individual was observed to be overseeing a child who was toileting inside while the provider was outside with the remainder of the children. The individual was listed as a volunteer on the program staff list. The provider confirmed that the individual currently lives in the home. The individual has not submitted to fingerprinting and does not hold a position title which would allow the individual to be left alone with children. Corrective Action: Effective immediately, ensure that no individual is left alone with children without approval from the Division based on a fingerprint supported background clearance, without having completed the required mandated reporter and orientation training, and without being qualified for and holding a position title which allows the individual to be left alone with children. Additionally, contact Child Care Business Technician, [name], to request a position title change for the individual who is currently living in the home to at least household member. Lacey can be contacted at 802-241-0818 or lacey.osborne@vermont.gov. Following this change and once receiving the fingerprinting acquisition letter from the Division, immediately ensure that the individual submit to fingerprinting. If the individual is qualified in a position title which allows for the individual to be left alone with children, you may request that Lacey change the title appropriately. This would require that the individual submit to fingerprinting and submit qualification documents, required training documents and a resume with a cover sheer to Northern Lights at CCV in a timely manner. Additionally, the individual would then be required to complete approved infant and child CPR and pediatric first aid certifications and submit those certificates to Northern Lights at CCV with a cover sheet within 3 months. In the Safety portion of the program improvement plan, include details of 1. your review and understanding of the records check and fingerprinting requirements within regulation, 2. the steps you will take to resolve the issues for the individual present during the visit, and 3. how you will ensure that no individual will be left alone with children without meeting the requirements moving forward.”

Correction date in the state record: Aug 12, 2022

Regulation 3.3.3: The FCCP shall establish a system for taking attendance, including documentation of the time when each child arrives and departs each day he/she attends the FCCH. The FCCP shall save all daily attendance records identifying the hours of children s attendance for at least twelve (12) months from the date that care is provided.

“Upon arrival to the program at approximately 12:30 PM, there were ten children present in care and 5 children signed in on the attendance sheet. Denise confirmed that all children present had arrived by 9:00 AM. Additionally, 5 children were signed in on 07/08/2021, but only 2 children were signed out. This is a repeat violation. This violation was cited during site visits on 12/03/2013, 03/31/2016, and 05/15/2019. Corrective Action: Immediately plan to document the time when each child arrives and departs each day. As this is a repeat violation, develop a program improvement plan. Include in the program improvement plan the details of a new system you will develop to ensure that accurate attendance is recorded in a timely manner moving forward. Include details of the resources you will access or call upon to gain insight into the development of a new attendance system, how you will assess which kind of system will work best for you, the tools and resources you will use to ensure accountability and follow through with the new system, and how often you will review the new system for accuracy and make changes as necessary to ensure the attendance system remains in compliance moving forward.”

Correction date in the state record: Jul 28, 2021

Regulation 6.2.1: Maximum Capacity and Staffing in a registered FCCH The registered FCCP shall ensure that the registered FCCH shall not exceed the limits described in this section, including the charts below.

“Upon arrival there were; two 1 year old, three 2 year old, two 4 year old and two 10 year old childen in care. Seven of the nine children were not of school age. Denise stated that she had been helping out a couple of families while they look for other providers and thought that this was allowed because of the altered summer allowances. She stated that she was not aware the the summer allowance only pertain to school age children. THIS IS A SERIOUS VIOLATION. Corrective Action: Immediately plan to reduce the number of children under school age to 6 or less each day. Create a program improvement plan which states how you will remain in ratio moving forward, as this is a serious violation.”

Correction date in the state record: Jul 26, 2019

Regulation 3.3.3: The FCCP shall establish a system for taking attendance, including documentation of the time when each child arrives and departs each day he/she attends the FCCH. The FCCP shall save all daily attendance records identifying the hours of children's attendance for at least twelve (12) months from the date that care is provided.

“The attendence log reflected five children signed in for the day. There were six children in attendence. Review of past attendance logs reflected inconsistant documentation of arrival and departure times. THIS IS A REPEAT VIOLATION. Corrective Action: Immediately develop a system for taking attendence, including arrival and departure times for each child. Include in your program improvement plan details of how you will prompt yourself to record times immediately upon the arrival and departure of each child and any other details of your system for taking attendance and how you will come into and maintain compliance with this regulation, as this is a repeat violation.”

Correction date in the state record: Jun 3, 2019

Regulation 5.1.4: The FCCP shall submit a Vermont Child Care Immunization Report at least once every 365 days to the Vermont Department of Health, Immunization Office as required by 18 V.S.A. SS 1120 - 1129.

“Between 11/5/2018 and 12/21/2018, CDD sent 2 separate emails to all programs, 1 reminder letter using US Postal Service, 1 reminder letter sent through the program's BFIS account, and a final email reminder. This communication provided the link to be used and CDD contact information for questions or challenges with submitting the report. Corrective Action: By 06/03/2019, submit a program improvement plan that identifies the steps that will be taken to ensure that the 2019 annual immunization report will be filed between 11/1/2019 - 12/31/2019.”

Correction date in the state record: Jun 3, 2019