After a staff member severed a child’s toes with a lawn mower over a month ago, a Cedar City child care business is losing its license.
In a Nov. 21 letter, the Utah Department of Health and Human Services notified Amber Chandara of Chandara Childcare that the business’s license is being revoked for conduct “adverse to the standards required.” The business also failed to follow state administrative rules for noncompliance, the letter states.
The letter outlines that, when the mowing injury occurred on Oct. 15, there were 14 kids present on the lawn between the ages of 18 months and 5 years.
“The child required emergency surgery,” the letter states.
The situation constituted several rule violations, the letter notes. The staff member who was mowing was not actively supervising the children, and the resulting injury showed the facility didn’t appropriately protect kids from dangerous conduct. Staff also didn’t keep sharp objects that can cut or puncture skin inaccessible to children, the letter adds.
On the day the child’s toes were severed, the letter says there were several instances when only one staff member was with 13 children when there should always be at least one staff member per eight.
The letter also mentions other issues not related to the injury. For instance, child care regulations require that all providers “shall ensure that infants sleep in equipment designed for sleep.”
But, during an Oct. 18 inspection following the mowing situation, the facility was also cited because, after two infants fell asleep in bouncer chairs, they were “placed in a separate room where they continued to sleep in the bouncers.”
The letter stipulates that Chandara Childcare can only continue to operate until Dec. 4.
Chandara did not immediately respond to requests for comment from The Salt Lake Tribune.
