Keizer child care center cited more than 100 times

A Keizer child care business had been cited 112 times over the last 11 years before being closed by state regulators last week, violations that includedunsatisfactory child to staff ratios, leaving children unaccompanied and allowing children to be in potentially dangerous situations.

Of the 112 valid findings of noncompliance against the Iris Valley Learning Center, 530 Dietz Ave NE, , 30 were a result of complaints received by the Office of Child Care. The remaining were violations observed by state officials during visits to the facility.

"We don’t take it lightly to shut down centers because we know it takes an impact on the families and children," said Dawn Woods, the child care director for the Early Learning Division. "Our goal is to help centers stay in compliance."

The Early Learning Division sent technical advisors to the center to provide feedback on how to improve conditions, but Woods said the issues escalated, and the state had exhausted their resources with no improvement.

"Any issues they ever found were always corrected immediately," said Connie Williams, director of the center.

An Office of Child Care report details incidents where the center violated Oregon Certified Child Care Center provisions including maintaining a balanced staff to children ratio, attentiveness to children at all times and appropriately planning for off-site activities like field trips.

On November 13, 2006, state officials conducted an announced visit and found one worker who had walked off the job entirely and three other workers who called out of work, leaving the staff to child ratio below state regulations. At one point, state officials observed 11 children cared for by one staff person for a couple hours.

Brenda Wanner, a former teacher who worked at Iris Valley from 2006 until 2014, said other daycare centers juggle the same ratio issues. She recalled the day where officials observed the 11 children in the care of one worker.

"Connie (Williams) left the room to get snacks together in the kitchen and one teacher had 11 children," Wanner said. "The state walked in at that very moment. I'm not going to say the center was perfect and always within ratio, but you're never going to see that - I don't care where you go."

The report did not specify the age of the children in this incident but state regulation child to worker ratios are determined by child age range including one to four for infants, one to five for children up to 35 months old, one to 10 for children attending kindergarten, and one to 15 for children older than kindergarten age.

Valid findings of noncompliance through the years 

2006: 6 valid findings (2 of the 6 were a result of complaints)

2007: 16 valid findings (2 of 16 from complaints)

2008: 20 valid findings (13 of 20 from complaints)

2009: 4 valid findings (2 of 4 from complaints)

2010: 13 valid findings (2 of 13 from complaints)

2011: 23 valid findings (4 of 23 from complaints)

2012: 2 valid findings

2013: 6 valid findings (1 of those from complaints)

2014: 3 valid findings

2015: 7 valid findings (3 of 7 from complaints)

2016: 8 valid findings (1 of those from complaints)

2017: 4 valid findings 

Note: Information compiled by the Oregon Department of Education Office of Child Care. Valid findings may result from visits that occur after OCC receives a complaint or due to observations of OCC staff during a routine or unannounced visit.

Richard Riggs, legal administrator for the Early Learning Division Office of Child Care, said staff attentiveness is a simple, yet critical responsibility of licensed early learning centers.

On August 13, 2009, the state conducted an unannounced visit to assess a complaint alleging a boy had recently slipped out of the playground area, walked through the center, escaped the front door and walked to a nearby Arby's restaurant drive-thru area. A person in the parking lot returned the boy to the center.

The staff member who was responsible for supervising children told officials they were not aware the child slipped away from the playground area.

"Staff attentiveness is pretty simple and it's critical to ensure that children are being cared for," Riggs said.

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In a similar incident on August 9, 2011, a child was lost during a field trip to the Oregon Zoo. Center staff informed zoo security staff that a child was missing and eventually located the child, but the center supervisor did not know where the child was located for an undetermined amount of time.

State officials found 23 violations in 2011, the highest number of noncompliance incidents in the center's history.

Woods said state officials continued to provide technical advising, but compliance violations continued.

The Early Learning Division typically first provides technical assistance, then issues a written noncompliance warning if conduct persists, then issues a civil penalty to the facility if the conduct continues, which can cost a business between $50 and $1,000 each time. The money goes toward the child care general fund.

Iris Valley received at least two civil penalties, which is the final, last-ditch effort to coax programs into compliance before resorting to licensing revocation.

The center was one of 96 licensed centers in Marion County as of March of this year. In 2016, roughly 189 new centers were licensed in the state; one was revoked.

Woods said the frequency in which the state revokes a child care center license is low.

"We do know the number of centers has been increasing," Woods said. "It’s actually a national trend and we believe that it has to do with supply and demand."

The center's closing has left roughly 330 children and their parents scrambling for child care.

James Dufor, of Keizer, said his daughter Brooklyn, 5, has attended day care at the center since she was three months old. Dufor said he was shocked when he learned of the center's closing.

"I'm stuck trying to find another place for daycare for five days a week," Dufor said. "My neighbor is watching her for one day a week."

For the remaining four days a week, Dufor said, a former Iris Valley teacher is providing free childcare "out of the kindness of her heart."

"The people that work (at Iris Valley) are very loving," Dufor said. "For the past five years, Brooklyn came in the world with these loving teachers."

How can parents learn about their child care service provider?

- The Early Learning Division of the Department of Education has a website that allows parents to search complaint and compliance history of facilities that are licensed, in the process of becoming licensed or that were found to be providing illegal child care.  

- The division recommends contacting the Office of Child Care's Central office at 503-947-1400 or 800-556-6616, to receive a full compliance history from a compliance specialist.

Where can parents find quality child care?

- Find Child Care Oregon provides resources for parents starting their search for child care and evaluating existing child care services.

Tips for evaluating child care services: 

- Find out the number of children in care and the number of caregivers. 

- Ask about the level of training and education of the caregivers. 

- Verify how long the child care center has been providing care, and if they're licensed. If they're licensed, check the complaint and compliance history.

- Visit the center in person to review sanitary conditions and any health or safety concerns before placing the child in care.

- Take note if children are constantly and appropriately supervised by caregivers. 

- Ask to see the type of food and drinks provided to children if meals are offered as part of the program. Are the meals nutritious?

- Does the program incorporate education opportunities to children? 

Tips compiled by Find Child Care Oregon.