CHAFFEE COUNTY, Colo. — Two employees of a child-care facility in Poncha Springs have been criminally charged and the facility shut down in relation to an investigation of abuse or neglect.
The Schoolhouse is operated by the Chaffee Childcare Initiative, a nonprofit that's mission is to provide child-care options to people living in the county.
The Chaffee County Sheriff's Office started an investigation into the facility after some sort of "allegations" came to light. They have not said specifically what those allegations are.
A statement posted on The Schoolhouse's Facebook page says that the facility "became aware of a three-to-five-minute time period in one of our classrooms, during which the teacher-to-child ratio was not met, as required by Colorado Childcare Rules & Regulations. At no time were the children without adult supervision."
The statement goes on to say that the Chaffee Childcare Initiative reported the incident to the Department of Human Services.
The facility was then directed to close "pending an investigation into a complaint of Lack of Supervision," the statement reads.
“The Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office joined the Chaffee County Department of Human Services in a joint investigation based on the scope of the allegations” Chaffee County Sheriff John Spezze said in a release. “We take every allegation of this nature with the utmost seriousness and concern. Every Child's safety is always our number one priority.”
The Schoolhouse's license was suspended on Wednesday and the Sheriff's Office said the facility will be closed at least until the investigation is complete.
The two staff members are facing charges of failure to report child abuse or neglect and knowingly placing a child in a situation that poses a threat of injury. Both are misdemeanors.
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