Mooresville Day Care Fined, 3 Workers Fired

MOORESVILLE, N.C.,None — The State of North Carolina has fined a Mooresville day care $2,000 and issued a special provisional license for a February incident when several children wandered from the playground into a busy street.

Minutes after the incident, several passing motorists told Mooresville police and the Tribune that they stopped their cars and safely ushered the children off the road and back to the day care center, The Learning Experience on Fairview Road.

During an investigation by the North Carolina Division of Child Development on March 2, a neglect/abuse complaint was filed. Agency investigators determined that the children were not adequately supervised and were neglected while in the care of employees.

The report states that eight preschool-age children got outside a fenced-in playground area, and that six of them wandered into nearby Fairview Road.

The report also concluded that staffers responsible for the children on the toddler playground did not check to assure the gate was latched properly.

A substantiation of neglect was also made by the Iredell County Department of Social Services.

Officials of The Learning Experience have said that three workers were supposed to be watching the children, but that the workers didn't notice the children were missing until they were ushered back by the passing motorists.

Officials of The Learning Experience did not return calls from the Tribune this week. On Tuesday, owner Michelle Montgomery told the Tribune's news partner, WSOC-TV, that all students at the facility are now safe.

"I'm going to do everything in my power and availability to make sure that it never happens again," she said.

Montgomery fired the three workers involved in the February incident and has notified all parents about the state's investigation and the day care's temporary license, the state report says.

The day care will pay the state $2,000 in fines, installed new locks and an alarm system on all the gates, and has developed playground and supervision policies to be reviewed with all staff members, the report said.

State officials said they will continue to make unannounced visits to the day care for the next six months to ensure it remains in compliance.

"The facility can then get back their star-rated license if they have completed all the necessary requirements," said Andrea Lewis, assistant section chief with the regulatory services section for the NCDCD.

The center previously had a five-star rating for meeting a higher level of enhanced standards.

Parents or anyone who would like to research child care facilities throughout the Mooresville/Lake Norman area and the entire state can visit www.ncchildcare.net.

WSOC