A local daycare is under fire from both the State of Ohio and parents. In March, the State Department of Education cited Lucasville Childcare Center for not having enough employees to properly supervise the children on hand.
In the report, the state notes that a child was injured during this time. According to the details of the report:
One child care staff member stepped out of the room, another didn’t show up to work on time, and another was unable to work. Additionally, two groups of children had been combined and there were not enough adults on hand to supervise the younger age group. The shortage of daycare workers is a problem across the U.S. According to EdSurge, 80% of childcare facilities report they are short-staffed.
A concerned mom contacted SCDN to report that her child was also injured after she left her at the facility last month. She said after her first day in daycare, she found her daughter with bite marks and scratches on her face. “She was there for just five hours. I’m the one who noticed the marks. No report was made, and I didn’t get a phone call.”
She said she felt compelled to speak out after seeing a report of a child escaping from the facility posted on Facebook. According to the post, a man found a little girl who had escaped from the daycare facility walking towards Rt. 104 all alone.
Other people chimed in on Facebook reporting other incidents of children escaping from the facility. Another mother said that her children were kicked out of the facility after she shared a post someone else had made about the center on Facebook. “With absolutely no notice whatsoever my kids are told THIS MORNING they are not to return to daycare due to the screenshot below and a comment that was not even referring to the Lucasville center let alone slandering anyone or a business.”
The mom who initially contacted SCDN said she’s worried sick a child will be hurt. “It’s been weighing heavy on my heart. I’m scared to death something worse is going to happen to one of these kids.”
Scioto County Daily News reached out to the Lucasville Childcare Center for comment, but we have not yet heard back.
However, we later learned the director had posted on Facebook about the incidents. Our inquiry for the owner has gone unanswered.