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Department of
SOCIAL SERVICES

Community Care Licensing


COMPLAINT INVESTIGATION REPORT

Facility Number: 191591710
Report Date: 12/20/2024
Date Signed: 12/20/2024 03:20:53 PM

Substantiated


STATE OF CALIFORNIA - HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES AGENCY

COMPLAINT INVESTIGATION REPORT		CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES
COMMUNITY CARE LICENSING DIVISION
MONTEREY PARK CC RO, 1000 CORPORATE CNTR DR. 200-B
MONTEREY PARK, CA 91754
This is an official report of an unannounced visit/investigation of a complaint received in our office on
09/30/2024 and conducted by Evaluator Saul Valenzuela
PUBLIC
COMPLAINT CONTROL NUMBER: 33-CC-20240930120102
FACILITY NAME:PACIFIC FRIENDS SCHOOLFACILITY NUMBER:
191591710
ADMINISTRATOR:LAURENE HERRERAFACILITY TYPE:
850
ADDRESS:6210 TEMPLE CITY BLVDTELEPHONE:
(626) 287-6880
CITY:TEMPLE CITYSTATE: CAZIP CODE:
91780
CAPACITY:58CENSUS: 27DATE:
12/20/2024
UNANNOUNCEDTIME BEGAN:
01:15 PM
MET WITH:AdministratorTIME COMPLETED:
03:45 PM
ALLEGATION(S):
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Child sustained unexplained injuries while in care.
Staff left daycare child in soiled diapers resulting in a diaper rash.
Facility is operating beyond the scope of their license.
Staff did not ensure that the facility is free from pests.
INVESTIGATION FINDINGS:
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Licensing Program Analyst (LPA) Saul Valenzuela conducted an unannounced follow-up complaint inspection to deliver findings on the above allegations. LPA met with Administrator to whom the reason for the visit was explained. Per Administrator, Director Veronica Palomera is unavailable at this time. Administrator guided LPA on a tour of the facility. LPA observed 27 napping children, and 3 staff present at the facility during this inspection.

During this investigation LPA conducted interviews with Reporting Party (RP), six (6) Staff, and five parents. LPA also obtained documents related to complaint allegation, including but not limited to, a copy of the Children’s Roster (LIC 9040), Personnel Report (LIC 500), Injury Reports, Employee Handbook, Parent Handbook, Pest Control Quote, Diaper Logs, Sign in/out sheets, and Declaration Statement (LIC 855).

According to the allegations, child sustained unexplained injuries while in care.
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Substantiated
Estimated Days of Completion:
SUPERVISORS NAME: Brandi VanOosten
LICENSING EVALUATOR NAME: Saul Valenzuela
LICENSING EVALUATOR SIGNATURE:

DATE: 12/20/2024
I acknowledge receipt of this form and understand my licensing appeal rights as explained and received.
FACILITY REPRESENTATIVE SIGNATURE:

DATE: 12/20/2024
This report must be available at Child Care and Group Home facilities for public review for 3 years.
LIC9099 (FAS) - (06/04)
Page: 1 of 5
Control Number 33-CC-20240930120102
STATE OF CALIFORNIA - HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES AGENCY

COMPLAINT INVESTIGATION REPORT (Cont)		CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES
COMMUNITY CARE LICENSING DIVISION
MONTEREY PARK CC RO, 1000 CORPORATE CNTR DR. 200-B
MONTEREY PARK, CA 91754
FACILITY NAME: PACIFIC FRIENDS SCHOOL
FACILITY NUMBER: 191591710
VISIT DATE: 12/20/2024
NARRATIVE
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During staff interviews, Director stated that when a child sustains an injury that an Ouchy report is created, and the report is provided to the parents. Per Staff #1-6 they communicate with parents via Himama app and notify the parents if their child was injured or their child caused injury. Parent #3 and #5 disclosed that they have noticed several marks and scratches on their children's face and arms within the last year when picking their child up from school and there has been no Ouch report provided to them at the time of pick up. According to Parent #3 and #5 they had to ask their child’s teacher for clarification on their child’s injuries. Parent #5 stated “sometimes I would have to ask because I would get home and see marks”, and "sometimes I have to asked and they would tell me, but they would give me the same story". Parent #3 stated that they “would have to ask the school what happened”.

According to the allegations, staff left daycare child in soiled diapers resulting in a diaper rash.

During the investigation, LPA conducted interviews with staff and parents. Staff #2 and Staff #6 stated that children who wear diapers are changed every two hours or when necessary. According to Staff #6, they are "not exactly sure" if there is a diaper policy in place. According to Director and staff, diaper changes are documented on the Himama app and parents are notified of any bowel movement that the child has had during their time at school. Parents #4 corroborated with the allegation that their child had a “full diaper” during pick up time, and that this occurred “5 times” during a two-month period that resulted in the child having a rash. During record review, LPA observed the diaper log that on August 2,2024 diaper changes were occurring every 2 to 3 hours and Child #4 diaper changes were occurring every 3 to 5 hours.

According to the allegations, facility is operating beyond the scope of their license.

During the investigation, LPA reviewed children’s files and observed that Child #1 (C1) was enrolled and present in the school prior to their 2nd birthday. C1’s Identification and Emergency Information Card (LIC 700) corroborated that C1 was under the age of two at the time of enrollment. LPA requested to see sign in and sign out sheets for the month of August and September and noted that C1 was attending the school prior to their 2nd birthday and was amongst children that were above the age of 2 in the classroom. C1 was attending the preschool for a week prior to turning 2 years old. According to facility license it stipulates “age range 2 thru Kindergarten”, and LPA observed no Toddler component attached to their license that allows clients to be serve from the ages of 18 to 36 months. LPA notified Director Veronica Palomera of C1’s age at the time of investigation. According to the Director that C1 was enrolled to the school prior to her being hired as a director and was unaware of the age of C1.
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SUPERVISORS NAME: Brandi VanOosten
LICENSING EVALUATOR NAME: Saul Valenzuela
LICENSING EVALUATOR SIGNATURE:

DATE: 12/20/2024
I acknowledge receipt of this form and understand my licensing appeal rights as explained and received.
FACILITY REPRESENTATIVE SIGNATURE:

DATE: 12/20/2024
LIC9099 (FAS) - (06/04)
Page: 4 of 5
Control Number 33-CC-20240930120102
STATE OF CALIFORNIA - HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES AGENCY

COMPLAINT INVESTIGATION REPORT (Cont)		CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES
COMMUNITY CARE LICENSING DIVISION
MONTEREY PARK CC RO, 1000 CORPORATE CNTR DR. 200-B
MONTEREY PARK, CA 91754
FACILITY NAME: PACIFIC FRIENDS SCHOOL
FACILITY NUMBER: 191591710
VISIT DATE: 12/20/2024
NARRATIVE
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According to the allegations, staff did not ensure that the facility is free from pests.

During the facility tour, LPA observed mosquitoes in the Busy Bees and Caterpillars classroom. LPA asked if mosquitoes are prevalent in the school and Director stated that mosquitoes are “seasonal from July to August”, and that they have contacted a pest control company to obtain a quote. LPA observed that there were several puddles of stagnant water in the outdoor play area. LPA asked the Director the if they knew how long the standing water was there. Per Director, staff cleans the outdoor play area on a daily basis with a water hose. LPA observed a fish tank in the Caterpillars classroom that was filled with stagnant water, and a thin layer of algae growing on the side of the fish tank. During staff interviews, Staff #6 stated that there are children in the school that have had allergic reaction to mosquito bites. Per Staff #6 that there was a child in the Turtles classroom that would experience redness and swelling when bitten by mosquitoes. Staff #2 and Staff #3 corroborated that the school has mosquitoes primarily near the front office where the children and parents must sign in and out in front of the main office. According to Staff #1 – 6 that staff will apply mosquito repellant spray to children before and after outdoor play time. Per Director, they obtained parent permission to spray the children with bug repellant, and the permission forms are kept in the classrooms. During parent interviews, Parent #4 disclosed that their child would get “9 to 10 bites a day” during the summer and that the school would apply bug repellant spray to children.

Based on interviews conducted by the LPA and the staffs’ own statements, the preponderance of evidence standard has been met, therefore the above allegations are found to be SUBSTANTIATED. California Code of Regulations, (Title 22, Division 12 & chapter 1), are being cited on the attached LIC 9099D.

A notice of site visit was given and must remain posted for 30 days.

Failure to comply with posting requirements shall result in an immediate civil penalty of
$100.

An exit interview conducted, and the report was reviewed with Administrator.

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SUPERVISORS NAME: Brandi VanOosten
LICENSING EVALUATOR NAME: Saul Valenzuela
LICENSING EVALUATOR SIGNATURE:

DATE: 12/20/2024
I acknowledge receipt of this form and understand my licensing appeal rights as explained and received.
FACILITY REPRESENTATIVE SIGNATURE:

DATE: 12/20/2024
LIC9099 (FAS) - (06/04)
Page: 5 of 5
Control Number 33-CC-20240930120102
STATE OF CALIFORNIA - HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES AGENCY

COMPLAINT INVESTIGATION REPORT (Cont)		CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES
COMMUNITY CARE LICENSING DIVISION
MONTEREY PARK CC RO, 1000 CORPORATE CNTR DR. 200-B
MONTEREY PARK, CA 91754

FACILITY NAME: PACIFIC FRIENDS SCHOOL
FACILITY NUMBER: 191591710
DEFICIENCY INFORMATION FOR THIS PAGE:
VISIT DATE: 12/20/2024
Deficiency Type
POC Due Date /
Section Number
DEFICIENCIES
PLAN OF CORRECTIONS(POCs)
Type B
01/10/2025
Section Cited
CCR
101229(a)
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10129 Responsibility for Providing Care and Supervision
(a) The licensee shall provide care and supervision as necessary to meet the children's needs.
This requirement is not met as evidenced by:
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Administrator stated that they will conduct a staff meeting with an agenda on the importance of supervision and parent communication. Staff agenda and a staff roster will be sent to LPA via email.
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Based on record review and interviews, the licensee did not comply with the section cited above in 3 out of 5 parents stated that their children have had unexplained injuries. Which poses/posed a potential health, safety or personal rights risk to persons in care.
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Type B
01/10/2025
Section Cited
CCR
101223(a)(2)
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101223 Personal Rights
(a)(2) To be accorded safe, healthful and comfortable accommodations, furnishings and equipment to meet his/her needs.
This requirement is not met as evidenced by:
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According to Administrator they will conduct a staff meeting with an agenda that there must be some type of plan and scheduling diaper checks and changes prior to pick up. Administrator will send proof of agenda and staff roster to LPA via email.
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Based on record review, the licensee did not comply with the section cited above in 2 out of 5 parents stated that their child diapers were not changed resulting in a rash. Which poses/posed a potential health, safety or personal rights risk to persons in care.
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Failure to correct the cited deficiency(ies), on or before the Plan of Correction (POC) due date, may result in a civil penalty assessment.
SUPERVISORS NAME: Brandi VanOosten
LICENSING EVALUATOR NAME: Saul Valenzuela
LICENSING EVALUATOR SIGNATURE:

DATE: 12/20/2024
I acknowledge receipt of this form and understand my appeal rights as explained and received.
FACILITY REPRESENTATIVE SIGNATURE:

DATE: 12/20/2024
LIC9099 (FAS) - (06/04)
Page: 2 of 5
Control Number 33-CC-20240930120102
STATE OF CALIFORNIA - HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES AGENCY

COMPLAINT INVESTIGATION REPORT (Cont)		CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES
COMMUNITY CARE LICENSING DIVISION
MONTEREY PARK CC RO, 1000 CORPORATE CNTR DR. 200-B
MONTEREY PARK, CA 91754

FACILITY NAME: PACIFIC FRIENDS SCHOOL
FACILITY NUMBER: 191591710
DEFICIENCY INFORMATION FOR THIS PAGE:
VISIT DATE: 12/20/2024
Deficiency Type
POC Due Date /
Section Number
DEFICIENCIES
PLAN OF CORRECTIONS(POCs)
Type B
01/10/2025
Section Cited
CCR
101161(a)
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101161 Limitations on Capacity
(a) A licensee shall not operate a childcare center beyond the conditions and limitations specified on the license, including the capacity limitation.
This requirement is not met as evidenced by:
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According to the director children under the age of 2 will not be allowed to be present at the school. Director will ensure the ages of the children that are enrolled. Director will send proof of updated roster with the children ages.
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Based on record review, the licensee did not comply with the section cited above that C1 was enrolled and present in the school prior to their 2nd birthday. Which poses/posed a potential health, safety or personal rights risk to persons in care.
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Type B
01/10/2025
Section Cited
CCR
101238(a)(1)
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101238 Buildings and Grounds
(a)(1)The licensee shall take measures to keep the center free of flies, other insects, and rodents.
This requirement is not met as evidenced by:
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Administrator will send proof of pest control purchase via email.
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Based on observation and interview, the licensee did not comply with the section cited above due to mosquitoes were observed in classrooms and according to 2 out of 5 parents their children have been bit by mosquitoes. Which poses/posed a potential health, safety or personal rights risk to persons in care.
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Failure to correct the cited deficiency(ies), on or before the Plan of Correction (POC) due date, may result in a civil penalty assessment.
SUPERVISORS NAME: Brandi VanOosten
LICENSING EVALUATOR NAME: Saul Valenzuela
LICENSING EVALUATOR SIGNATURE:

DATE: 12/20/2024
I acknowledge receipt of this form and understand my appeal rights as explained and received.
FACILITY REPRESENTATIVE SIGNATURE:

DATE: 12/20/2024
LIC9099 (FAS) - (06/04)
Page: 3 of 5