TMCnet News
State revokes licenses of 2 Warner Robins child care centersJan 04, 2013 (The Macon Telegraph - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- WARNER ROBINS -- The state has revoked the licenses of two child care centers in Warner Robins. In late November, the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning ordered the emergency closure of Unique Tutoring and Individualized Children Academy, which had locations at 153 Evergreen St. and 1519 Russell Parkway. A judge upheld the closure on Dec. 3, and the emergency closure was good until Dec. 24. However, on Dec. 19 the licenses for both centers were revoked, according to an e-mail from Reg Griffin, chief communications officer of the Department of Early Care and Learning. The revocations are now final, Griffin said. The business had 10 days to appeal after Dec. 19, which it did not do. Then there is a 30-day waiting period for the revocation to become official, which means it goes into effect Jan. 18. However, the centers have remained closed since the emergency revocation. The owner, Venetta Taylor, declined comment when reached by phone Friday. The emergency order was issued because a state investigation concluded children at the facilities were in imminent danger. The state found violations related to rules of transportation, criminal background checks on employees, supervision of children and missing or incomplete files. The violations included hiring a man who turned out to have a criminal record. The center did not do a background check as required and fired him once the criminal conviction was discovered. The state also found children were transported in vans without the proper safety restraints and determined a special needs child left the Russell Parkway location on multiple occasions, as well as numerous other violations. On Oct. 3, the latest date of a head count, the state found 37 children at the Russell Parkway location. On Nov. 16, there were nine children at the Evergreen Street location. To contact writer Wayne Crenshaw, call 256-9725. ___ (c)2013 The Macon Telegraph (Macon, Ga.) Visit The Macon Telegraph (Macon, Ga.) at www.macon.com Distributed by MCT Information Services |