Rock Hill day care center with 96 DSS violations remains open. Here’s why
A Rock Hill day care center remains open while under investigation by the S.C. Department of Social Services.
DSS is South Carolina’s main regulator of day cares. All day cares must follow the statewide rules outlined by the agency.
In June, a center employee left a 3-year-old boy alone for two hours at a Fort Mill park. The day care center was identified as A Child’s Heart on a Fort Mill police report. The address listed for A Child’s Heart is off Carolina Avenue.
A Child’s Heart has 96 complaints listed from the S.C. Department of Social Services since late 2015. More than 30 are ranked as serious violations that can impact a child’s health and safety.
Some complaints against Rock Hill area day cares, as listed on the S.C. DSS website, include improper supervision, fire code violations, health and safety violations, over enrollment, and playground violations.
Before revoking a license, DSS is required to give a child care provider time to correct violations, said Marilyn Matheus, spokesperson for S.C. DSS. Providers are allowed to remain open during that process.
When DSS puts a child care provider on a Corrective Action Plan, the facility typically is monitored for three months, Matheus said.
DSS placed A Child’s Heart on a corrective plan in March 2016. The center received assistance from the South Carolina Child Care Resource and Referral Network, the Program for Infant and Toddler Care, and the South Carolina Child Care Inclusion Collaborative, Matheus said. The center violated the corrective plan in April 2016, but fixed deficiencies after receiving a final warning from DSS.
A Child’s Heart was placed on another corrective plan in January 2017, which it violated in February 2017, Matheus said. DSS again sent a final warning letter and again the center corrected all violations.
The Rock Hill day care is now under investigation for complaints made in July.
“The timeline to complete an investigation varies depending on the nature of the complaint,” reads a statement from DSS.
A Child’s Heart employee declined to comment earlier this week.
Parents and guardians can search for child care providers by zip code on the DSS Child Care division’s website. The site shows whether the day care is registered, licensed or exempt. The search lists violations a center has had and whether they have been resolved. Violations listed online date back three years.
Parents or residents who believe a day care is operating illegally, or is not following state regulations, can check with DSS or call their zoning department. Complaints can be filed with the South Carolina DSS Division of Early Care and Education.
This story was originally published August 14, 2018 at 12:13 PM with the headline "Rock Hill day care center with 96 DSS violations remains open. Here’s why."