KAREN VIBERT-KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette The Williamsport YMCA Child Care Center at the River Valley Regional YMCA was shut down by the state on Tuesday.

Parents and caregivers of children who had been in the daycare program at the Williamsport YMCA Child Care Center were notified Tuesday that the center would be closed after an investigation revealed alleged incidents of gross incompetence, negligence and abuse that endangered the health and safety of children.

The investigation was prompted by a complaint on the ChildLine hotline which is “part of a mandated statewide child protective services program designed to accept child abuse referrals and general child well-being concerns, and transmit the information quickly to the appropriate investigating agency,” according to the Department of Human Services.

The on-site investigation by DHS’s Central Regional Office of Child Development and Early Learning representatives was conducted Sept. 1 at the child center and through interviews with staff and review of video footage, several alleged violations relating to the supervision of children and general health and safety were verified.

In particular was an alleged incident which occurred on Aug. 31 when a staff member was witnessed using “excessive force and aggressive behavior towards a child.”

According to the report, on the same day, the staff member was seen picking up the child and slamming them to the ground several times. The employee, designated as staff #1, admitted during the interview with the representatives from DHS that they had been “aggressive” with the child.

There were incidents detailed in the report of staff allegedly not interacting or engaging with children in rooms; leaving a small child unattended on the outside playground; carrying a child by one arm and one leg; and placing a child facing a wall and physically keeping them from moving from the corner by blocking them in.

Another time, two children left the facility and were found on the sidewalk near the parking lot of the facility, according to the report.

Staff #1 also allegedly made “loud degrading statements to children regarding their behavior and whether or not their medication was working.”

Most of the allegations involved staff #1 and another member of the center’s staff. According to the report, their actions were verified by video.

“The repeated non-compliance related to supervision of children, and excessive volume of high-risk violations illustrates a deteriorating situation at the facility based on four verified complaints relating to repeated non-compliance in two high risk violation areas of child discipline and supervision in less than a three-month time period,” the report stated as the reasons for the shutdown.

These incidents, the report further stated, demonstrate “the provider’s disregard for the health and safety of the children and care and the conditions are likely to constitute immediate and serious danger to the life and health of the children in care.”

Tuesday night Rep. Jamie Flick, R-South Williamsport, said that he was made aware of “the deeply unsettling news” that the Y’s child care center was being closed by the state beginning yesterday.

“Allegations of negligence and misconduct are always troubling, especially so when it involves our most vulnerable — our kids,” Flick stated on social media. “I am concerned and upset for our local hard-working families who relied on this center to take proper care of their young children while they work.”

Flick noted that he would be making calls to learn more about the allegation and what the next steps would be for the facility and the families that have been impacted by the closure.

With the closure of two area daycares in as many months, the burden to find dependable, affordable childcare comes into focus.

One sector of the population that is particularly affected are families the United Way has labeled as ALICE.

The acronym stands for the Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed and represents the growing number of families who are unable to afford the basic needs such as housing, child care, food, transportation, healthcare and technology, according to Ron Frick, president of the

Lycoming County United Way.

“The closure of remaining child care facilities will continue to have an impact on hard working community members, especially ALICE,” Frick said. “ALICE needs child care to be able to work and there is already a shortage of affordable child care in our communities.”

Although he would not speak directly to the situation at the Y, County Commissioner Rick Mirabito said that the community “needs to find a way to commit resources to train child care workers and provide incentives to increase the compensation so that people can work in child care and have a living wage.”

“Generally, like any field, when we pay a fair compensation, you tend to get people who may be better educated and better equipped to handle whatever the job is,” he added.

Mirabito acknowledged that it is essential to have high, strict standards for staff who are caring for vulnerable populations, such as children and the elderly in nursing facilities.

“People who are vulnerable should not be left to the care and custody of people unless those people are properly trained and those people have the integrity and honesty to do what’s right,” Mirabito said.

“We can’t simply look to large institutions like the federal and state government,” Mirabito said. “Right here on the local level, we have to be creative. We have to commit resources and realize that part of making our community attractive for people to move here is what they look at the quality in the schools and the quality in the early learning, that’s going to influence their decision on whether to move here.”

Sen. Bob Casey, D-Scranton, said in a prepared statement, “reliable child care is hard enough to find, but when a center abruptly closes, too many families have nowhere to turn. This affects parents’ abilities to work, which in turn has negative impacts on businesses and local economies. It’s long past time for the federal government to step up and set up our kids and families for success by making a meaningful investment in child care and the child care workforce.”

Chad Eberhart, River Valley Regional YMCA CEO, in a prepared statement noted the Williamsport Branch received notification from the DHS on Tuesday.

He noted that River Valley Regional YMCA reported these incidents to DHS and immediately implemented measures to ensure these issues were corrected, including the discipline and/or dismissal of staff member(s).

“We are appealing the decision by the (DHS) regarding our child care license,” he said.

He remarked how safety and security of every child in the YMCA’s care “is and always will be our top priority.”

“We look forward to being able to reopen as soon as we can following the appeals process,” he said. “Upon reopening, we will ensure we provide a safe, nurturing environment for children. Unfortunately, we do not have an indication as to how long this appeals process may take,” he said.

“In the interim, we are working with finding child care options for our YMCA families in our other child care centers,” he said.

“River Valley Regional YMCA has proudly delivered child care for our community for more than 25 years, and we are privileged to serve 650 children and their families each year, throughout four counties,” he remarked.

“All other child care facilities and the YMCA branches are open, Walnut Street child care is the only program/service that is closed,” he said.