JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Every week, Action News Jax investigates local child care centers to show you how they measure up to state guidelines. In this week’s Kid Care report, Letisha Bereola shows you an after-school program that was tagged for what was in the bathrooms.
According to the Department of Children and Families inspector, the after-school program at Highlands Elementary, which is operated by Wayman Community Development Corporation, was tagged with eight violations, including four class 2 violations, which could pose a threat to the health and safety of a child, according to the state.
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The class 2 violations include a harmful cleaning chemical in the boys' bathroom sink, the bathroom having urine on the floor, fecal matter smeared on a toilet seat, a cigarette butt in a urinal and a bad odor in the bathroom.
In addition, the after-school program was operating without a credentialed director (it’s on a provisional license for now), and a background check was missing for an employee.
A spokesperson told Action News Jax the care is working to fill the director position, is in direct communication with DCF about the matter and is working to get caught up on some paperwork.
Wayman Community Development Corporation officials sent Action News Jax this statement:
"As an After-School Provider, we are partners with the school district and share the responsibility of the cleanliness and safety of the schools. At the time of the DCF inspection, no students were in the bathroom, as this was during the transition of the students from the school day program to the after school program.
"During this transition time, the school's maintenance staff performs final inspection and cleaning before turning the responsibilities over to the after school program staff. DCF's inspection took place during that transition time, when no students were using the bathroom facilities. Based on the after school schedule and protocols, the bathrooms are always cleaned prior to use by the students.
"The partnership that we have with the school is designed to ensure quality educational and enrichment programs for our students, which includes safe and sanitary conditions. We love our students, and what we do, and we constantly work to ensure that we provide them with the proper tools, experiences and environment for success."
Duval County Public Schools officials sent this statement:
"There were no children using those restrooms at the time because they were scheduled to be cleaned before being available for use. The bathrooms are always cleaned prior to use by the students. Custodial teams maintain the restroom throughout the day and as an additional protocol, will increase their inspections."
The class 3 violations, which are the least serious citations, were for training and record keeping-issues.
The second day care in this week's Kid Care report is All About Kids day care on North Pearl Street. Action News Jax's Letisha Bereola asked its supervisor about its most serious violation.
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“The class 2 violation, it says staff was not on-site and not hearing all of the children during nap time. What happened there?” Bereola asked.
The supervisor said there was someone in the class during nap time—but there are supposed to be two people.
“It was just a couple of minutes,” she said.
The day care was also tagged with two class 3 violations.
“Yes, we follow the rules, but we live in the real world. Things happen,” she said.
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KID CARE REPORT: It sounds like something you'd see in a bar, but it was found at a LOCAL AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM. Letisha Bereola Action News Jax reveals the serious violations that the inspector says is a threat to local children's health.
Posted by Action News Jax on Tuesday, May 7, 2019
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