McHENRY – A McHenry child care center lost its license after an Illinois Department of Children and Family Services investigation uncovered numerous violations, including repeated instances when facility leaders failed to screen staff and cared for more children than law allows, state officials said.
Safari Childcare, 2214 W. Route 120, closed abruptly May 22 after a state probe into violations at the center, DCFS spokeswoman Veronica Resa said this week.
“They surrendered their license during enforcement proceedings,” Resa said. “Basically, their license was revoked. That would have been effective on Friday.”
A license compliance tracking report from DCFS shows the shuttered McHenry facility had been at the center of complaints since January 2011. Records reveal there have been more than a dozen complaints that the center violated state rules regarding class sizes and staffing. Staff was not equipped to properly discipline children and did not keep proper medical records for children, according to repeated violations noted last year.
Center staff also did not immediately report suspected child abuse or neglect on two occasions from 2013 to 2014, records show. One substantiated complaint from 2013 shows the center went against state law by allowing a child believed to have scabies to be included in daily activities.
Resa would not comment on which specific violations prompted the DCFS action that led to the hasty end.
The McHenry center opened in September 2010, less than a year after Safari Childcare opened its Cary location, 100 Cary Algonquin Road. President and owner James Ourth started the Arlington Heights-based company in 1991, according to information on the company website. Safari Childcare operates 10 centers in Illinois that offer programs for infants, toddlers and preschool- and kindergarten-aged children.
The sudden May 22 closure left parents such as McHenry resident Brandie Spencer in a crunch for child care. Spencer, who has sent her 3-year-old son Clayton there since August, said she found out the center was closing when the director called her Friday afternoon.
“She calls me and says, 'I want to let you know Safari is going to be closed indefinitely. You need to find something else for him as of Tuesday,'” Spencer said.
Spencer has secured other child care, but said Safari owes her $150. She said she was shocked to hear the allegations against the center, where she guessed about 60 children were enrolled.
“I had no issues with them,” Spencer said. “That's home to Clayton. We went there Tuesday to get his stuff, and he's banging on the door.”
Safari Childcare officials did not respond to requests for comment, but online reports show the agency has a lengthy past of violations at a number of its facilities. DCFS officials found several violations during a May 19 visit to the Cary location. Day care officials failed to conduct background checks and properly train staff, and did not have enough staff to monitor the number of children in the facility, DCFS officials alleged.
According to the online compliance report, state officials marked the Cary location as headed toward DCFS sanctions. Resa said the Cary location remains open.