In a harrowing incident that speaks volumes about the importance of child safety in care facilities, a daycare in Cedar City, Utah, has been ordered to shut down following a series of safety violations. The Utah Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) issued a notice to Chandara Childcare LLC, mandating the cessation of its operations by December 4. The enforcement action comes after a distressing event in mid-October where a child suffered the loss of several toes to a lawnmower while under the daycare's supervision, as reported by KSLTV.
Further violations were uncovered during an inspection on October 18, when the DHHS discovered that the facility failed to protect children adequately. Notably, the daycare had insufficient staffing levels, maintaining a ratio of one staff member to up to 13 children throughout the day, contrary to the rule requiring one caregiver per eight children. In addition, the daycare was negligent in not using designated sleeping equipment for infants, allowing them to sleep in baby bouncers, as obtained by both KSL and ABC4.
The incident that triggered the crackdown took place on October 15. According to state records, while a staff member was mowing the lawn, 14 children under the age of six were in the yard, and it was during this time that the lawnmower incident occurred. Following this tragic event, emergency surgery was required for the injured child. "Critical failures in supervision and compliance with state regulations" was what DHHS cited in their notice to revoke the daycare's license, as stated by KSLTV.
The DHHS's inspection revealed that the daycare wasn't maintaining "active supervision" of each child, as the staff member responsible was engaged with mowing the lawn rather than watching over the children. Additionally, parents were not informed in writing about incidents involving their children, nor minor injuries sustained in accidents, as required by state regulations, according to ABC4. The daycare was given a 10-day period to provide the names and addresses of the parents of each child enrolled, and it was advised that it had the option to request an administrative hearing if there was "a disputed issue of fact."
