Oklahoma City day care ordered to close
BY RANDY ELLIS
Comments 
54
Published: September 17, 2009
The Oklahoma Department of Human Services on Tuesday issued an emergency order closing a northwest Oklahoma City home day care after a 12-year-old child was found sitting alone in the back seat of a car in a dark garage.
Related content
Documents
Prev
Something to say about this topic? Submit a Letter to the Editor online
Thank you for joining our conversations on newsok. We encourage your discussions but ask that you stay within the bounds of our terms and conditions. Please help us by reporting comments that violate these guidelines. To review our rules of engagement, go to Commenting and posting policy.
Log in below or sign up (it's free).
And no, there were not too many children at the daycare. But again, thanks for asking.
If the place was as great as you say it is, then it shouldn't be hard for you and other parents to get it back up and running. So tell me, were there actually too many children at the daycare? That is a serious violation. I haven't heard anyone deny that one yet. If that is true, that is reason enough to shut it down. I'm sure you'll say there weren't too many children, but in my opinion, saying that there are too many kids when in fact there aren't would be an easy lie to blow out of the water.
"Complaints or violations against daycares = public record"...DHS lies and will lie to pad the case against you. DHS employees were responding the parents complaints yesterday but as soon as the story posted in the paper, they have remained completely silent. They only released the issue about the diapers and whatever else was in their statement yesterday to further pad their case...but that was not supposedly the original reason for shutting down the daycare. Why change your story now when nobody believed the allegation of a 12 year old locked in the car... The parents and I joked about the comments about her being handicapped. I am 5'4" and I had on heels yesterday. When I took off my shoes, she was taller than me; with the shoes on, she hit me at eye level.
That is great that you didn't have to put your children in daycare, neither have I. That is the reason why I am able to speak so highly of this daycare provider. She has cared for my children since birth. My oldest child is 9 years old. She is not a 'daycare provider' to them.
The paperwork also says the diaper area was dirty. That is the nastiest part of daycares...the diaper area. In any daycare.
You still don't understand that I'm not against you, do you Nerissa?
Yes, I'm bored. I get off work in 3 hours. After I get off work, I'm ready to go home and spend the weekend with my boyfriend and our son. Lucky for me, I never had to put my son in daycare, but I wouldn't have been able to if I had wanted to.
I have a child too, Nerissa. You aren’t the only mother on this earth. I’m not saying that DHS was right by shutting down your daycare. I’m saying DHS was wrong by NOT shutting down my boyfriend’s daycare. His son died as a result. You act like this little boy I am talking about was just some stranger. If you’re to slow to tell, my point is that DHS makes mistakes.
You have a lot of debt don’t you, Nerissa?
You think that I, by posting on a website, am the reason that kids in daycares get killed? Just like I said, are you kidding me? How the hell does that have anything to do with kids getting killed in daycares? Tell me how I am responsible. Because I type some stuff on a discussion board? Your logic is flawed, Nerissa.
Emancipation Proclamation? Funny! Do you know what race that I am?
No, but thanks for trying!!!
No, I am not new here either. I do not have time to sit around and post stupid comments that have absolutely nothing to do with me on an internet website just to rile up someone.
As to the child being killed in 1996, how do you know that this daycare was not being operated in 1996? How do you know that DHS could not have been harassing this daycare in 1996 or harassing another legit daycare in 1996 instead of investigating the 400+ complaints against the daycare that you referenced in your previous post?
Just like I said, YOU are part of the reason why children are killed in daycares!!! When you get on an internet website and post a ignorant comment to a story that you know absolutely nothing about while seeking sympathy for a child that was killed in a daycare, that shows that you are part of the problem and not the solution. You don't have to have anything to do with a daycare to be responsible for the well-being of our children. Before you take my statement out of context, I am not speaking of any child specifically when I speak of "our children", I am speaking of all children.
While we're in an English 101, Nerissa, H-A-R-A-S-S-I-N-G. Not "harrassing". You should shut your face until YOU learn how to spell. I transposed 2 letters. Thank the Lord Jesus you caught it.
Also, Nerissa, the proper statement would have been, "The reason why there are so many daycares that are ignored, where subsequently children are killed, is because of ignorant people like you." Not YOURSELF, Nerissa.
The reason is me? What did I do? I don’t work for DHS. I have nothing to do with daycares, period. Yet, I’m the reason children are killed. Are you f*cking kidding me? Get off your high horse. Go smoke some crack. HA.
Also, before you get offended because you had taken something out of context, you should reread what she wrote, "Adopt which means care for a child that was neglected by sorry parents and give them a better life, but what amazed me is the fact that this kid has been on the adoption list since birth and twice now he's been screwed out of a happy home with parents that wanted to give him LOVE AND A BETTER FUTURE due to the lack of inconsistency and communication and operation of SORRY DHS". Did you not notice that she stated, "a kid" and "this kid" so that means she was talking about someone specifically and referring to his parents specifically. She was not referring to all parents of adoptive children.
Out of respect for the children involved, please refrain from posting offensive and off topic comments. My children have been deeply hurt by the actions of DHS. Thank you!
They would NOT answer any questions about why the center was closed. They were very quick, however, to refer my daughter to another center. Only one! In all of OKC, they would only recommend one.
Sure makes you think.
You idiots with your smart remarks need to get a damn life and find something better to do besides bad mouth a situation you have no clue about. Yeah the newspaper will NEVER print a story right to begin with along with the people that actually give them the story will NEVER tell it right. Yes I've dealt with DHS when trying to ADOPT, hello, yes I said Adopt which means care for a child that was neglected by sorry parents and give them a better life, but what amazed me is the fact that this kid has been on the adoption list since birth and twice now he's been screwed out of a happy home with parents that wanted to give him LOVE AND A BETTER FUTURE due to the lack of inconsistency and communication and operation of SORRY DHS. How do you want the kids out of your system but sit on your azz when it's time to go thru the process and you have candidates which are more than well qualified, no criminal background records, jobs, healthy families and loving hearts. Anyone that has dealt with the illiteracy of DHS should know better than to listen to the hype of the dummies that side with them, but like I said they don't know any better cause they haven't experienced anything so their voice doesn't count. GOD IS AN AWESOME GOD, MY MOTHER IS A WONDERFUL PERSON AND GOD'S LEADING LADY, THE DEVIL IS A LIE AND IT'S GOING TO BE A GLORIOUS DAY IN COURT WHEN THE SHEETS COME OFF AND ALL ARE EXPOSED.
I was under the impression that I had a right to decide which daycare my children attended. As of Tuesday, I was informed by the 'oh so powerful and incompetent DHS' that I was obviously mistaken. I believe that I make appropriate decisions in regards to the care of my children while they are in my custody and the care of my children while they are not in my custody. My "track record" speaks for itself but I cannot say the same for DHS'. As a prior commentor stated, another daycare had 415 complaints but was still operating until a child died while attending the daycare. The daycare that my children were attending has not had any. DHS is just harrassing her because she wouldn't roll over to their demands. DHS is totally in the wrong like they usually are 99% of the time. They harrass the people that are legit while they totally ignore the people who are actually abusing children. DHS should not be able to dictate who does or does not care for your children. In my opinion, DHS is not qualified to do so. When DHS stops removing children from their home and placing them in foster care, where in turn they are abused, molested or murdered, then and only then can DHS tell me where my children can attend daycare. When DHS stops ignoring child abuse complaints and because of their ignorance, a child is either further abused or eventually killed, then and only then can they tell me where my children attend daycare.
When I drop off my children at Ms. Thompson's daycare facility, I do not have to worry about my children being abused, molested or killed. Mrs. Thompson treats these children as if they are her own. This is definitely not about money unlike other daycare providers. I am a single parent of 4 children. As you probably can imagine, the price of daycare to care for 4 children is significantly high. Well thank the Lord for blessing myself and other parents with Mrs. Vickie Thompson. She has provided care for our children at reduced rates and sometimes for free. Just like another poster commented, Mrs. Thompson invited all her daycare children to her 50th birthday party. There are not many woman that are celebrating their half century mark that would want to celebrate that occasion with a bunch of children, unless they were her grandchildren. She invited the children because the party wouldn't have been "her party" without them there. That is how much she loves the children.
The allegations that DHS has made were so far from true. The child in question that was being escorted FROM the bus stop was my child. If you take the time to look up the satellite image of the location of the daycare, you will see that the house sits on a cul de sac. Cul de sacs are not very big. The location of the bus stop is right outside of the daycare. Also, a 12 year old is old enough to step outside to supervise a 6 year old off the bus and inside the daycare. The 12 year old was supervised by the alternate caregiver the whole time (she was standing on the porch).
The issue about the 12 year old being left inside a car, in a dark garage is totally false!!! There is no need for me even to comment on that because DHS is making up more and more lies so that they can "pad" their case against the daycare.
Hopefully my comment is not edited or shortened in any way. If the OKLAHOMAN is going to post a story, they might as well post facts. I will be contacting the editor to ensure a proper rebuttal is posted, ON THE FRONT PAGE, to this story.
Ms. Vickie invited her daycare children and parents to her 50th Bday party because she feels like we are a part of her and her family. She had activities at HER BDAY party for her daycare children. She does so many things for these kids just like they are hers. It hurts all of us to know that DHS is messing with a woman who is doing nothing more than to be there for parents and children like myself. The Sorry DHS workers were very unprofessional, rude and are making a huge mistake. Now I could understand if Vickie had complaints or anything as such then its ok for them to wait around the corners to see who is coming in and out or to come to her house daily to ensure the children are not in danger however this wasn't the case. How terrifying is it to come to pick your children from daycare and see police officers outside and two terrible DHS workers out front for the smallest reasons. The children asking why the police is there and why are these woman being mean to Nanny. They could have went about things in a better manner. MS VICKIE WILL GET JUSTICE and every parent from her daycare will attend court with her and be behind her 100%. This woman has been nothing but good to us and our children and now we have to look for other care and that is a scary thing for me to even think about. I hope you two ladies are satisfied and I hope you enjoy your "COMFORT FOOD".
While restaurants are shut down every day for even minor hygiene violations, records show that day-care centers in America are rarely closed. Frequently, licensing authorities try to keep troubled facilities open so working parents won't be left in the lurch. In a recent case in Guthrie, Okla., outside Oklahoma City, a family day-care center had accumulated a staggering 415 complaints against it but was still operating when a young boy died at the facility last November. The victim was 2-year-old Michael Robinson III--known as Trey--who attended A Child's Place day-care center. Trey, inconsolable after his mother dropped him off, had walked out of the building undetected onto a highway. He was struck by a passing automobile. According to the records of Oklahoma's Department of Human Services, A Child's Place had violations against it that included children routinely left unattended, unsafe playground equipment, and in at least one instance an employee with a criminal record of child abuse. Yet the state allowed it to keep operating on six-month permits.
Run over, again. When police tried to reconstruct what happened prior to Trey's death, they turned to a 12-year-old named Anthony. By Anthony's account, written longhand on the police report, a staffer named Dale had asked him to help look for the missing boy. Anthony saw him first, lying on the busy road. "Dale told me to stay there and make sure he didn't get run over again," Anthony wrote. When a speeding car approached, Anthony jumped up and down to try to get it to stop, but the little boy was again run over. The center's owners deny any neglect; no criminal charges were filed. Judy Collins, the statewide licensing coordinator for Oklahoma's Department of Human Resources, says her agency had moved to deny the facility its license before Trey's death.