8VAC20-780 Administration. 8VAC20-780 Staffing and Supervision. 8VAC20-780 Programs.
Technical Assistance:
Situations may arise that do not fit the descriptions of circumstances listed in the parent handbook - and which might necessitate disenrollment for other reasons and / or without the ability to provide two weeks notice to families. Staffing shortages can happen without notice and without fault. Therefore, the ability to care for a given number of children could become compromised and require disenrolling children in order to maintain a safe environment and stay in compliance with state standards. It would be pertinent to add a clause to the termination policies in your parent handbook to address such situations.
Comments:
A complaint inspection was initiated on 8/23/2022 and concluded on 9/7/2022 regarding dis-enrollment procedures and policies. The inspector reviewed compliance in the areas of administration, staffing and supervision, and programming. Policies were reviewed in the facility's parent handbook and the owner / Director was interviewed.
Information gathered during the inspection determined non-compliance with applicable standards or law and violations were documented on the violation notice issued to the program. Therefore, the complaint was deemed valid.
Based on a review of documentation to include the facility's parent handbook, the licensee did not ensure that the center's activities, services, and facilities are always maintained in compliance with the state standards, the center's own policies and procedures that are required by these standards, and the terms of the current license issued by the department.
Evidence: 1. The owner / director disenrolled two sibling children, due to staffing shortages, with less than 24 hours notice given to the children's parent. 2. The parent handbook states that children may be disenrolled "due to excessive late payments, inability to adjust, behavioral issues or parental inconsistencies". 3. In addition, the parent handbook states that the center "will give you 2 weeks? notice whenever possible" but that "immediate termination may be required if behavior presents a danger to staff or children". 4. The children were not disenrolled for late payments, inability to adjust, behavioral issues or parental inconsistencies. 5. The license did not adhere to the center's own written policies when disenrolling the 2 children.
Plan of Correction:
The following plan of correction was received from the licensee on 9/7/2022: "A clause will be added to the handbook stating that we, Lighthouse Preschool LLC, reserve the right to immediate termination of preschool services if discontinuation of services is in the best interest of Lighthouse Preschool, LLC."
Disclaimer:
This information is provided by the Virginia Department of Social Services, which neither endorses any facility nor guarantees that the information is complete. It should not be used as the sole source in evaluating and/or selecting a facility.
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