A Whiteland day care has been put on probation for three months after a state inspection found the center did not have enough staff members watching children.
In order to have its probationary license lifted, Childtime Learning Center, 565 Tracy Road, has to correct the violations cited in the recent inspection and can’t have any other violations within the three-month period. The day care also could undergo more inspections during the probationary period, according to the Family and Social Services Administration.
The violation happened in June when the center’s child-to-staff ratios did not meet state requirements, according to the state report. During the inspection, one caregiver was watching 19 pre-kindergarten-aged children. The maximum amount of pre-kindergarten-aged children that can be watched by one caregiver at any given time is 12, according to the state.
Childtime has conducted additional staff training and continues to work with the state to ensure the day care is meeting standards, Lydia Cisaruk, the spokeswoman for Michigan-based Childtime Learning which operates the Whiteland center, said in a statement.
This marks the second time in 14 months that the day care has been put on probation by the state. Last year, the day care was placed on probation after a child left a classroom and was unsupervised for several minutes, according to the state.
“We take our responsibility as caregivers very seriously, and remain committed to providing high quality early education and care,” Cisaruk said in the statement.
This is the fifth Johnson County day care placed on probation this year by the state.
When a day care is placed on probation, the Family and Social Services Administration will do random inspections regularly and often during the three-month probationary period, said Marni Lemons, Indiana Family and Social Services Administration deputy director of communications and media.
If a day care has been on probation more than once, such as Childtime Learning Center, the state can decide to revoke the center’s license but also can work with the day care, Lemons said. That decision is made based on the current and past violations, she said.
The state is not considering revoking Childtime Learning Center’s license, Lemons said.
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Rainbow Child Care Center, Center Grove area
Probationary license through August after state inspectors learned of seven violations at the daycare center since the beginning of the year, including one incident where preschool age children were unsupervised in the parking lot.
Canary Creek Head Start, Franklin
Probationary license through July after a child wandered from the playground and into the parking lot of a department store where a Franklin police officer found the child walking around. The toddler was gone for almost 15 minutes.
Country Kids Pre-School and Childcare, Trafalgar
Probationary license through Sept. 30 after state inspectors found five violations in June, including 21 children on the playground with one caregiver.
Building Bridges Early Learning Center, Greenwood
Probationary license until Sept. 30 after state inspections discovered a child was placed in a diaper changing room and left unsupervised with the door shut.
Childtime Learning Center, Whiteland
Probationary license until Sept. 30 after state inspectors discovered the day care had only one caregiver watching 19 pre-kindergaten-aged children. The maximum number of pre-kindergarten-aged children allowed to be watched by one caregiver is 12.
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