DETROIT – A Detroit daycare’s license was suspended after an unexplained burn on a child’s leg sparked an investigation that revealed too many children were being cared for, officials said.
Mother finds burn on child’s leg
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Officials with the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs said they started an investigation after a mother found an unexplained burn on her child’s leg.
The mother said she picked up her child Sept. 15 from a licensed daycare on Roselawn Street in Detroit. As she was carrying the child to her car, the mother said the child started to cry.
Officials said the mother noticed a large red mark on the child’s leg, so she went back inside and asked the caretaker if something had happened during the day.
The caretaker told the mother that her child had fallen while playing outside, according to LARA.
Three days later, the child’s leg began to blister, and the mother realized the injury was a burn, not a bruise, officials said. She treated the injury at home until Sept. 20, when the skin came off and the burn began to “leak,” according to the investigation.
Officials said the child was taken to the Detroit Medical Center and diagnosed with a second-degree burn with partial thickness to the right thigh. The burn was about six centimeters by four centimeters in size, authorities said.
Daycare investigation
LARA officials went to the daycare Sept. 23 and interviewed the licensed caretaker, they said.
She told the investigators that the child in question had fallen while playing outside at her home on Sept. 15, the official report says. The caretaker said the child had been doing well upon arriving at the home earlier in the day, according to the investigation.
Officials said the caretaker denied knowing how the child was burned while in her care.
License suspended
Officials said that during the investigation, they looked at attendance records and determined there had been six children -- five under the age of 30 months -- at the woman’s home Sept. 15. They said she was the only caretaker present.
The license required a maximum ratio of four children under 30 months old per caretaker, according to LARA officials.
On Thursday (Oct. 7), LARA announced the suspension of the woman’s group child care home license. The suspension was effective Oct. 1.
“It was critical to take emergency action to protect the health, welfare, and safety of the children at this group child care home,” LARA wrote.
These are the rules LARA says were violated:
- Appropriate care and supervision.
- Caregiver suitability.
- Proper ratio of caregivers to children in care.
Officials said the woman can’t operate a child group home at any location while her license is suspended. She must also inform all parents of children in her care about the suspension, according to authorities.
A hearing will be scheduled before an administrative law judge, LARA officials said.
Click here to learn more about child care licensing and regulations, or to file a complaint.