The state is revoking the license of a Waterbury child care center, months after the drowning death of a young boy there.
The Department for Children and Families announced Friday that the license of Elephant in the Field day care will be revoked as of Aug. 8.
The department suspended the center’s license in February after the death of 3-year-old Parker Berry.
The boy was found face-down in a partly frozen stream near the day care after wandering away from a group. He died the next day after receiving medical care.
Earlier this month, Washington County State’s Attorney Scott Williams said he would not bring criminal charges against the para-educator who was caring for Parker at the time.
According to a DCF statement Friday, an investigation by the child development division, which is responsible for licensing child care centers in the state, turned up several licensing violations “of a serious nature.”
The center failed to supervise all children while they were playing outdoors and did not protect all children from threats to their safety and well-being, the department said.
Staff violated the number of children who could be looked after at a particular time, and the center was providing services in a location that wasn’t approved by the state agency.
It also violated the license by not ensuring that staff complied with the terms on the registration certificate, the state said.
DCF Deputy Commissioner Reeva Murphy, who heads the child development division, did not immediately return a call to her office for comment Friday. A call to a number associated with Elephant in the Field also was not returned.
Elephant in the Field has 30 days to appeal the decision to revoke its license to the Human Services Board. If the owner does not appeal or if the decision is upheld, the owner will not be permitted to work in regulated child care in the state again.
According to the statement, state law requires that Vermonters have a license or be registered in order to care for children from more than two families in addition to their own.
