Chandara Childcare in Cedar City has had to shut down following an incident last month that cost a child several toes in a run-in with a lawn mower.
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This incident launched an investigation by the Utah Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), which allowed them to find other safety violations and concerns, according to KSLTV. The daycare has been shut until December 4.
On October 15, someone was mowing the lawn of the childcare with 14 children under the age of 6 playing outside. A child was run over by the lawn mower in a grizzly hit that cost the child several toes. The child required emergency surgery.
The state records don't provide great detail on the incident. The name and current state of the child is unknown, as is the exact nature of the hit. Such an event can only be caused by negligence of numerous parties, which spurred the investigation.
Childcare Shut Down And Investigated After Lawn Mower Hit Child
On October 18, DHHS launched its investigation.
Several violations were found, including the failure to protect children from harm and insufficient supervision due to a lack of staff.
Most pressingly, was the lack of communication. The school did not notify parents of incidents that involved their children. Additionally, infants were put to sleep in unsafe equipment, such as baby bouncers.
Such news would come to the distress of any parent.
Due to the investigation, Chandra Childcare has had its license revoked. It must cease operations, terminate services, and notify families of the closure before December 4.
This isn't the only time DHHS has had to step in and act against Chandra Childcare. Disturbingly, alongside revoking their license, two other actions have been taken by the DHHS since November 2019.
All information about daycares, including inspection reports, compliance histories, and notices of agency actions are available on the DHHS website. It's always worth keeping up to date with this sort of information, as you never know when information is being withheld from you.
I wish the child involved in the incident a swift recovery. Their life won't be the same again due to such gross negligence.
