Rutland County Head Start - Meadow Street

Regulation 2.4.1: When violations are found to exist, the Division will offer the licensee the opportunity to develop a program improvement plan whereby the violations will be corrected within a time period mutually agreeable to the Division and the licensee.

“On 10/25/2021 the program was found not in compliance to rule 3.4.7.3, which required corrective action to be completed by 12/10/2021. On 02/04/2022 the program was requested to attend a meeting to discuss the overdue corrective action. As of 2/11/2022, the program had not meet compliance to BFIS Quality and Credential accounts being up-to-date. Corrective Action: Ensure all required documents are submitted to Northern Lights at CCV by the due date. In addition to submitting documents to Northern Lights at CCV, provide a program improvement plan on the system the program will use to ensure documentation is collected, submitted and reflected in staff BFIS Quality and Credential accounts as required by rule 3.4.7.3.”

Correction date in the state record: Mar 28, 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.

“Staff B, upon arrival to the playground noted that Child D, who was previously present was no longer there. Staff B went back inside to look for Child D, while Staff C went out the gate to look for Child D. Child D was found in a different playground with an unknown adult, accessed by walking through a parking lot, which is next to a busy intersection. Child D was unattended up to five (5) minutes. This is a serious violation. Corrective Action: Immediately ensure that all staff members are visually supervising and accounting for the whereabouts of each child in care as specified in the rule. By 1/30/2022 submit a program improvement plan to this Licensor that identifies how staff members will coomunicate when transitioning children from one group to another, and how staff will maintain effective supervision that accounts for each child. Mail or e-mail this site visit report to all parents of children enrolled in the program. Provide this Licensor a list of parents names, their childs name and their contact information after they've been provided the site visit report.”

Correction date in the state record: Mar 4, 2022

Regulation 3.7.1.2: The licensee shall ensure that all staff are trained on the Emergency Response Plan and are aware of where to find the written plan in the CBCCPP.

“Child A was left behind during an evacuation drill. Interviews with staff found that the Emergency Response Plan was not followed as outlined; staff did not refer to the attendance and account for children prior to leaving the building, staff were unable to identify their specific duties during a drill, a sweep of the classroom was not done to ensure that all children were evacuated, staff and children re-entered the building prior to Child A and Staff B evacuating resulting in the evacuation not being complete. Corrective Action: Ensure that the Emergency Response Plan identifies the system for handling children with special needs, and that all staff are trained on the Emergency Response Plan. As part of the training, ensure staff understand what their specific duties include when evacuating. Once staff are trained on the Emergency Response Plan, conduct an evacuation drill ensuring that all staff and children are evacuated in three (3) minutes or under. If the required evacuation time is not achieved, continue to do additional evacuation drills until everyone is out of the building in three (3) minutes or less.”

Correction date in the state record: Mar 3, 2022

Regulation 3.4.7.3: Within six (6) months of the initial date of employment; staff and auxiliary staff left alone with children and/or counted in staff/child ratio as specified in the rule 6.2.1.8 of these regulations, and the program director 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 in sections 7.3 and 7.4 of these regulations shall be submitted to Northern Lights at CCV to be verified and maintained in BFIS.

“Upon review of staff BFIS Quality and Credential accounts, they were found not up-to-date as required by this rule. Eighteen (18) staff were missing one (1) or more required documents in their BFIS Quality and Credential accounts. Confirmation was received from Northern Lights at CCV that the missing documentation had not been received by the program. This is a repeat violation. Corrective Action: Submit documentation to Northern Lights as required by this rule. Submit a program improvement plan on how ongoing compliance to this rule will be maintained. A follow up focus compliance visit will be conducted to assess compliance to rules unable to be assessed due to documentation not being available.”

Correction date in the state record: Dec 10, 2021

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.

“A self-report from the program was made to the Division on 02/10/2020, informing that Child A was out of the classroom unsupervised on 02/07/2020 for an undetermined amount of time. Upon interviews with Staff, it was determined that Child A was out of the classroom unsupervised between five (5) and twenty (20) minutes. Staff A confirmed that Child A left the classroom while she was responsible for his whereabouts. Prior to this event, the program began documenting concerns with Staff A's ability to appropriately interact and supervise children, starting on 09/05/2019, through 01/29/2020. Twenty-one (21) notes regarding Staff A were documented. Eleven (11) of the twenty-one (21) notes were of feedback provided to management from Staff, or Partner Staff, in which they raised concerns with Staff A's supervision, professionalism, and interactions with children. Nine (9) of the twenty-one (21) entries noted supervision that Staff B held with Staff A. Of those nine (9) supervision entries, one (1) entry identified action steps for Staff A to improve her performance, while seven (7) entries documented gathering information from Staff A on her side of situations, and/or management stating their expectations of Staff A. Lastly, one (1) of the supervisions was to conduct the New Hire Onboard meeting, which occurred two (2) months after Staff A began work at the program, and the remaining one (1) entry documented a training Staff A participated in related to positive interactions and relationship building with children and staff. Though immediate corrective action occurred; Staff A was terminated, and gates were placed in the doorways of the classroom, the steps taken prior to this incident were inadequate to address concerns with Staff A's supervision of children. The program did not identify a plan to ensure that Staff A increased her skill building, nor was there a solid mentoring plan identified, as well as a lack in planning to ensure in the absence of another teacher in the classroom, Staff A would not be left solely responsible for the children in care. While no harm occurred during this incident, it was aggreges due to the length of time Child A was unsupervised, that Child A had the ability to exit the program to the outdoors without staff being aware, and the programs lack of Staff A obtaining skill building, mentoring or planning for Staff A to not be left alone with children. Corrective Action: Submit a program improvement plan identifying how supervision will be used to actively provide staff with skill building techniques and trainings to address areas identified as needing improvement.”

Correction date in the state record: Jul 15, 2020

Regulation 7.1.2: First Aid and CPR Staff who are counted in the staff/child ratios shall obtain training in pediatric first aid and infant and child CPR within six (6) months of beginning work in the CBCCPP and remain currently certified.

“Upon review of staff quality and credential accounts and on-site files, it was found that two (2) staff have not obtained CPR/First Aid certification. Corrective Action: Staff who have been employed three (3) months or longer, who have not completed a CPR/First Aid training, must do so by 12/02/2019, or prior to working with children, if after 12/02/2019. Develop a system to ensure all staff required to have CPR/First Aid certication do so within three (3) months of beginning work, and maintain ongoing certification.”

Correction date in the state record: Dec 2, 2019

Regulation 3.3.5: The licensee, staff, and auxiliary staff shall be trained in prevention, identification and mandatory reporting of child abuse and neglect.

“Upon review of staff quality and credential accounts within BFIS and on-site files, it was found that two (2) staff have not completed a training in prevention, identification and mandatory reporting of child abuse and neglect. Corrective Action: Ensure existing staff who have not completed the abuse and neglect training do so by 12/02/2019, or prior to working again in the program if after 12/02/2019.”

Correction date in the state record: Dec 2, 2019

Regulation 5.10.4.5.5: Hard surfaces accessible to children shall be smooth, non-porous, and easy to clean. See the rules in section 5.2.6 of these regulations for a schedule for cleaning, disinfecting and sanitizing of specific surfaces and items.

“Bookcases and shelves in Classroom A and B were found to have peeling paint or surface area without paint. Twenty-eight (28) of the forty-two (42) nap mats assessed were found to have rips and tears. Corrective Action: Repair bookcases and shelving units no longer having a non-porous surface. Replace nap mats that have rips or tears. Develop a system to monitor the programs materials to ensure compliance to this rule.”

Correction date in the state record: Dec 27, 2019

Regulation 5.10.4.5.2: All interior and exterior walls, roofs, chimneys, floors, doors, ceilings, windows, skylights, stairways, ramps and porches shall be maintained in good repair.

“Rust was found in each bathroom stall, within each bathroom used by children. Additionally, in each bathroom the radiators had areas of exposed rust. Within classroom A and B, rust was found on the radiators as well as on outlet boxes by the sink. Corrective Action: Repair areas that expose rust, to create a non-porous barrier. In the meantime of remedying this issue, restrict children's ability to access the rusted areas within the bathrooms and classrooms.”

Correction date in the state record: Dec 27, 2019

Regulation 5.10.4.5.1: The program director shall ensure that the CBCCPP, its furnishings, and toys are kept in a clean and orderly condition.

“In classroom A and B, the window sills were found to have dust and dirt. Book cases, toy buckets, step stools, chairs and baseboards were found with dirt and grime. Tables and book cases had sticky residue on them. Classroom A's toy sink had dirt and grime build up, and Classroom B had a toy cash register tray containing dirt particles. The insect rug in Classrom B had several dark spots, confirmed by Staff B as stains. Corrective Action: By 11/30/2019, ensure all classroom furnishings and toys are cleaned as required by these regulations. Develop a system to ensure ongoing compliance to this rule is met.”

Correction date in the state record: Nov 30, 2019

Regulation 5.10.2.3.2: All food shall be stored in containers that are dated. Food items used by or intended for specific children shall be plainly labeled.

“Upon review of the two (2) kitchen refrigerators, the following items stored in containers were not labeled or dated: pineapples, cottage cheese, apples, celery, ham, unknown meat cubes, and unknown food in a tin container. Corrective Action: Develop a system to ensure all perishable food intended to be served to children, is dated and labeled. For food not intended to be served to children, develop a system to identify it as such.”

Correction date in the state record: Nov 13, 2019

Regulation 3.4.7.3: Within six (6) months of the initial date of employment, staff working with children and the program director 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 in sections 7.3 and 7.4 of these regulations shall be submitted to NLCDC to be verified and maintained in BFIS.

“Upon review of staff quality and credential accounts within BFIS, they were found to be incomplete. Twenty (20) staff had missing or incomplete documentation of qualifications. Of the twelve (12) staff missing documentation of Orientation training, seven (7) staff had documentation on site. Of the twenty-seven (27) staff missing documentation of the Reporting Abuse & Neglect training, twenty-five (25) staff had documentation on site. Of the twenty-four (24) staff missing documentation of CPR/First Aid certification, twenty-two (22) staff had documentation on site. Of the eight (8) staff missing documentation of fifteen (15) hours of professional development hours, four (4) staff had documentation on site. Corrective Action: Submit documentation of staff qualifications and professional development certificates to Northern Lights as required by this regulation. Develop a system to ensure any future documentation is submitted to Northern Lights as required.”

Correction date in the state record: Dec 12, 2019

Regulation 2.3.11.5: The licensee shall be responsible for compliance with all applicable state and federal laws even when they are more stringent than the rules in this set of CBCCPP regulations.

“The Vermont Department of Health sent an email to the program on 09/04/2019 in regard to submitting water test samples, and a phone call was placed on 10/03/2019 as the second reminder. As of 11/13/2019, Staff A stated that the water samples had not yet been submitted. Corrective Action: Submit water samples to the Vermont Department of Health.”

Correction date in the state record: Nov 13, 2019

Regulation 3.4.6.1: The licensee shall maintain a record of the date of each evacuation drill as required in the rules in section 3.7.2 of these regulations that includes the number of children and staff evacuated, time taken to evacuate, and notation of the drill conducted while children were sleeping or resting. Evacuation records shall be kept for two (2) years.

“Upon review of fire drill records, it was found that the program is not meeting all required components to this rule. The program has identified that they practice one (1) or two (2) annual fire drills involving the entire program, and that all other drills are done by classroom. Of the classroom fire drill documents, it was found that two (2) of the five (5) classrooms didn't identify if the drill was done during rest time. Of the fifty-six combined drills from all classrooms, it was found that the length of time to evacuate the building was only documented thirteen (13) times, and the number of children and staff present were not accounted for. Corrective Action: Develop a system to ensure that monthly evacuation drills are conducted and fully documented as required by this rule.”

Correction date in the state record: Nov 30, 2019

Regulation 7.1.3: Orientation of Staff The licensee, in consultation with the program director, shall establish written program policies and procedures and provide these to staff during an orientation training session approved by the Division prior to being left alone with children. Trainees under eighteen (18) years of age shall complete the orientation training within at least one (1) month of their first date of working with children. Complete written information and the orientation training session shall include: * Basic knowledge of child growth and development; * Routine and emergency health protection of children including health related exclusions; * Safety and sanitation requirements including handling and storage of hazardous materials and disposal of bio contaminants; * Positive behavior management; * Supervision of children; * Child accident and injury procedures including building and physical premises safety; * Safe sleep practices; * Administration of medication requirements; * Emergency and evacuation requirements; * Nutrition and food safety including prevention of and response to emergencies due to food and allergic reactions; * Recordkeeping; * Transportation and child passenger safety; * Release of children; * Respectful engagement of families; * Preventing, recognizing, and reporting child abuse and neglect; including information about the signs and symptoms of sexual abuse, sexual violence, grooming processes, recognizing the dangers of child sexual abuse, and other predatory behaviors of sex offenders; * Recognition of and response to the symptoms of common childhood illnesses; * Preventing the spread of infectious disease; * Providing developmentally appropriate activities and experiences for children; * Inclusion of children with special needs; * Guidelines for volunteers, partner staff, auxiliary staff, and business managers; * Responsibility to comply with current applicable licensing regulations; * Staffing requirements to include opening and closing; and * Ensuring children have extra clothes and diapers available.

“Upon review of staff quality and credential accounts within BFIS, and on-site files, it was found that five (5) staff have not completed the Vermont Orientation training. Corrective Action: Staff who have not completed the Vermont Orientation training, must do so by 12/02/2019, and submit documentation to Northern Lights. Develop a system to ensure all staff complete the Orientation training prior to working with children.”

Correction date in the state record: Dec 12, 2019

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 A was observed holding Child A by the wrist while in the hallway transitioning back into the classroom. Child A was observed trying to free himself from Staff A's hold. Staff B was observed picking Child B up by the torso and removing Child B from the classroom when the child wouldn't talk to Staff B. Child B was observed fighting against being held, and was seen grabbing the door case while exiting the classroom, trying to stay in the room. Staff B pulled on Child B until he lost hold of the door case. Staff A, C, D and F stated that it is common practice for children to be held against their will while being removed from a space in the program, or while being disciplined. Staff E stated that it is common for staff to be hands on with children when addressing challenging behaviors. Corrective Action: Submit the programs guidance and discipline policy, ensuring it encourages self-control, self-direction, self-esteem and cooperation. Identify alternative techniques staff can use when addressing challenging behaviors in children, that do not rely on physical contact, unless to protect children from immediate harm. Review the guidance and discipline policy, as well as the identified techniques to address challenging behaviors in children with all staff to ensure understanding.”

Correction date in the state record: Nov 15, 2019