GREENVILLE, N.C. (WITN) – A daycare center where a toddler wandered off into traffic Tuesday has past supervision problems, according to state regulators. This as the company says those involved have been placed on administrative leave.
Greenville police say they’re investigating the discovery of a 3-year-old boy out in traffic in front of KinderCare on Stantonsburg Road.
Officers say by the time they arrived, the child was already safely back inside the facility.
The state Department of Health and Human Services, which licenses daycare facilities, said this afternoon they were aware of what happened and are considering the next steps.
DHHS says daycares are typically inspected during annual unannounced visits, while other visits are made to investigate complaints.
So far this year, KinderCare has had two unannounced visits, while last year it had a total of 11.
In an August 9, 2023 visit, DHHS said it found that children were not adequately supervised at all times. “While I was present on playground at the facility, I observed that four staff members were grouped together facing each other talking while providing care to children,” wrote an inspection report.
Meeca Primus tells WITN that her son was on the playground yesterday when he was able to make his way onto Stantonsburg Road. “His second day, he didn’t even make it to 12 o’clock before all this happened, so complete shock,” said Primus. “I thought he was in the best of care and it’s just disheartening. It wasn’t exactly what I expected.”
KinderCare told WITN that the teachers involved with what happened have been removed from their facility and placed on administrator leave. The company says it is also retraining all teachers and staff on proper supervision measures.
“While we’re thankful the child wasn’t hurt, this incident should never have happened,” KinderCare said in a statement. “Although we have several safety protocols in place to prevent these types of issues, those policies were not followed.”
The DHHS website says KinderCare has been issued at least one administrative action during the past three years. WITN has requested more information from DHHS on exactly why that action or actions were taken.
Greenville police say they have no updates today on their investigation into what happened.