I-Team: Multiple Violations At Montgomery County Daycare Where Infant Died
By Charlotte Huffman
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A Montgomery County daycare remains closed following the unexplained death of an infant last week.
Meanwhile, the Eyewitness News I-Team has learned this is not the first time there's been trouble at the daycare.
Following the five month-old girl's death, state officials immediately launched an investigation into the Wyndmoor Learning Center.
The investigation revealed more than a dozen violations, and authorities issued an emergency removal order to shut down the daycare.
Violations include the improper supervision of children in cribs and a child being placed in inappropriate rest equipment.
A review of surveillance video taken on the day of the child's death shows a staff member placing a blanket over the child's face while she slept. When paramedics arrived to resuscitate the child, the staff member was seen trying to hide the blanket.
The I-Team discovered the daycare has previously been cited for violations pertaining to the improper care of a sleeping child.
During a 2010 inspection, authorities cited the daycare because an infant was sleeping with a toy in his/her crib.
The cause of the infant's death has not been determined, and officials say it could take months for a final ruling.
The daycare is not commenting.
The school's owner has until February to appeal the DHS order.
"(It's) a major shock. I would've never expected anything like that happening at this school," said parent Angela Curtis last week during an interview with Eyewitness News' Walt Hunter.
In fact, the I-Team discovered inaccuracies in daycare data on the Department of Human Service's website.
We found the Wyndmoor Learning Center is listed as a STAR 4, which is the state's highest quality rating for daycares.
But officials with the Department of Human Services say the daycare is actually only a STAR 2.
The I-Team alerted the department to the error. Officials there say they've removed the information from their website and are reviewing it to determine if other daycare facilities are also listed incorrectly.
In the meantime, parents seeking child care information are directed by the Child Care Information Services to utilize COMPASS Provider Search for information on enrollment planning.
DHS officials say the information in the COMPASS site is accurate, including information on Certificates of Compliance and STAR ratings.
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