The Pumpkin Patch at The Putney Place

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.

“There was visible bathroom grime on the floor around the sink and toilet in the preschool bathroom. There was also visible grime on the potty-training toilet seat that sits on the toilet seat in the toddler bathroom. Corrective Action: Clean and disinfect bathroom surfaces including floors, toilets, sinks, and toilet learning equipment. Develop a system for cleaning and disinfecting of these items at the end of each day. Send a detailed description of the plan to Licensing Field Specialist Stark. Status: Appeal Period.”

Regulation 6.2.6.4: When children are outside playing, staff shall be outside visually supervising the children.

“Program reported that a preschool age child was unattended in the outside playground for approximately eleven (11) minutes on October 9, 2025. A community member walking in the shared motel/childcare parking lot observed the crying child and notified program staff who retrieved the child from the fenced in playground. This is a serious violation of supervision requiring a parental notification letter. Corrective Action: As reviewed during this visit, the program is to follow all steps outlined in the Transitional Safety Plan submitted via email on 10/13/2025. The accepted protocol includes: teachers conducting head counts at start of program day, before any transition of program spaces, using shape rope with line assignments to identify placement of each child during outside walks to/from playground, verbally confirming expected number and actual number of children across assigned staff persons following transitions, and follow the emergency procedures for contacting co-workers if count of numbers is off and/or child is identified as missing. A copy of this report is to be sent to the parent of each child enrolled in the program. Send the names and contact information for each parent to Licensing Field Specialist Crawford by 12/10/2025”

Correction date in the state record: Dec 3, 2025

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

“Three substitutes who have been associated with the program since 01/11/24, 02/28/25 and 03/12/25 have not completed Protecting Vermont's Children from Abuse & Neglect training which is required to comply with this rule. It was ackowledged that completing this training has not been asked of substitutes. Corrective Action: Develop a plan to have all current substitutes complete the required training. Include in this plan the due dates for each current substitute, who will verify completion of the training, and submission of the training to NL@CCV. Include in this plan, how/when new substitutes will be expected to complete this training. Send this plan to elaine.crawford@vermont.gov”

Correction date in the state record: Jun 30, 2025

Regulation 5.10.1.2.1: The licensee shall ensure that the CBCCPP is in compliance with Vermont Division of Fire Safety rules at all times. This includes but is not limited to: * Complying with Vermont Division of Fire Safety inspection reports; * Having regular fire systems inspected with violations identified during the inspection noted as corrected; and * Having fire extinguishers tagged with valid inspection tags.

“The inspection tag for the fire extinguishers has March 2024 as the date of inspection. As noted on the inspection tag, the inspection is valid for 365 days only. The extinguishers needed to be inspected by the end of the month in March of 2025. Corrective Action: Have the extinguishers inspected and appropriately tagged. Develop a reminder system to ensure that inspections are conducted within every 365 days. Send to elaine.crawford@vermont.gov what system is put in place for reminders.”

Correction date in the state record: Jun 30, 2025

Regulation 7.1.2.2: Staff who are counted in the staff/child ratios 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 shall obtain training in pediatric first aid and in infant and child CPR within three (3) months of beginning work in the CBCCPP and remain currently certified.

“Three (3) staff persons employed more than three (3) months and regularly counted in staff to child ratio do not have current CPR certification. It was acknowledged that CPR certification has not been expected of persons who substitute in the program. Corrective Action: Have the identified staff persons attain CPR certification. Develop a system to monitor and ensure that all staff persons including substitutes attain CPR certification within three (3) months of start date and remain certified. Send this plan to elaine.crawford@vermont.gov.”

Correction date in the state record: Jun 30, 2025

Regulation 5.6.5: All prescription medication administered by staff shall be in its original container, properly labeled for the child, and administered prior to the expiration date on the container.

“The only identification for a child's inhaler is the handwritten name upon the product. There is no label present in the storage area for the medication nor available within the child's file. Corrective Action: Have the required labeling in place for this medication. Develop a procedure for reviewing medications and ensuring all requirements of this rule are met before accepting medications for a child. Send to elaine.crawford@vermont.gov the procedure including how and when it was reviewed with staff.”

Correction date in the state record: Jun 30, 2025

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. When the CBCCPP counts lock-down drills as allowed in the rules in section 3.7.2 of these regulations, the licensee shall maintain a record of the date of each lock-down drill, the number of CBCCPP children and staff who participated, and note that the drill performed was a lock-down drill.

“The emergency evacuation drill log contains the required information for nine (9) of the previous twelve (12) months. No information is recorded for March, April, and May 2025. Corrective Action: Document all monthly drills are required by this rule. Send to elaine.crawford@vermont.gov what system is developed for ensuring documentation is complete and timely including who is responsible to document and where the documentation will be maintained on site.”

Correction date in the state record: Jun 30, 2025

Regulation 7.1.3: The licensee, in consultation with the program director, shall establish written program policies and procedures and provide these to staff and to 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 during an orientation training session approved by the Division prior to being left alone with children. Trainees under eighteen (18) years of age and other staff not left alone with children 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.

“Three (3) staff perons counted in staff to child ratio and each employed more than four (4) months have not completed orientation. Corrective Action: Develop a system to ensure staff persons to be counted in staff to child ratio complete orientation prior to being left alone with children. Send an email to Licensing Field Specialist Crawford by 07/15/2024 confirming the system put in place for new hires. The identified staff persons completed an approved orientation training as of 06/18/2024.”

Correction date in the state record: Jul 12, 2024

Regulation 3.4.7.5: The licensee shall maintain a current list of the licensee or designee, staff, auxiliary staff, and volunteers as in the rules in section 7.7.5 of these regulations, as applicable in BFIS. Any changes shall be reported through BFIS within five (5) working days of the change.

“The associate parties list for the program has ninteen (19) persons confirmed to no longer be involved with the program. It was confirmed that each person has not been involved with the program for more than fifteen (15) business days. Corrective Action: Remove all persons no longer associated with the program. Develop a system to ensure the timely removal of persons when involvement with the program ends. Send an email to Licensing Field Specialist Crawford explaining what monitoring system will be put in place.”

Correction date in the state record: Jun 13, 2024

Regulation 6.2.1.3: The program director shall ensure that the number of staff present meets requirements described in the chart below for ages of children, maximum group size, and staff/child ratios at any time of day.

“The group of ten (10) children that has one (1) child under the age of two years of age has two (2) staff persons with the group. Staff to child ratio for this group requires three (3) staff persons. This staffing pattern was reported to be regularly occurring for the Sun Room group. This is a serious violation of staff to child ratio requiring a parental notification letter. Corrective Action: As required during this visit, staff to child ratios are to be maintained. Send to Licensing Field Specialist Crawford the revised staff to child ratio plan for this group. By 07/25/2024, send a copy of this report, either electronically or by U.S. Postal Mail, to the families of all currently enrolled children. In addition, by 07/25/2024, email a list of all currently enrolled children along with their parent/guardian's names and contact information to Licensing Field Specialist Crawford.”

Correction date in the state record: Jul 7, 2024