The Virginia Department of Social Services cited Minnieland Academy's Heritage Hunt day care center April 5 for an incident involving a staff member who did not use "appropriate discipline" with a four-year-old child.
According to the April 15 report, a staff member observed another staff member abruptly moving a child from the table, because the child began eating before he was told to start.
The inspection report revealed Minnieland Academy's corporate office dismissed the staff member involved in this incident. She was hired in Sept. 2012.
VDSS indicates that the incident was self-reported by the facility.
"The individual did not agree with our philosophy of how to discipline a child," Minnieland Academy District Director in Operations Michael Mohan said.
This is the third such incident at the Heritage Hunt facility to be reported by VDSS inspector Linda Reynolds in recent years. She investigated a case Nov. 13, 2012 where another staff member “roughly handled” a child and July 12 2011, two staff members were disciplined for "not demonstrating age appropriate expectations and demonstrating a general lack of patience."
Reynolds reported at the time of the November incident that a staff member viewed on an office monitor another staff member’s attempt to settle down a child. The report indicated that she entered the Pre-K classroom where the child was located, yanked him off his cot by his left arm causing him to land on the tile floor, hitting his elbow and both knees on the floor.
According to the report, administrative staff terminated the individual’s employment.
According to Mohan, the individual involved in the latest incident did participate in the mandatory reporting and professionalism training program that the company instituted after the November incident.
"This school was under a microscope and had more of a corporate presence," he said. "We wanted best practices in place."
Furthermore, a new management team was installed early April.
Mohan announced that in May, staff will participate in training on positive guidance and supervision.
"Overall, I want to see improvement to the center and take it to a new level," Mohan said.
Support Bristow Beat - Donate Today!