State cited Belin preschool twice in April, records show

GEORGETOWN COUNTY, SC (WMBF) - The S.C. Department of Social Services cited Belin Creative Learning Center twice in April, state records show. More than six months later, the center fired a teacher’s aide accused of poking a 3-year-old with a pencil.

The center, in Murrells Inlet, is run by Belin Memorial United Methodist Church and is listed by the state as a child care center.

The church’s website says it serves children from 6 weeks to 4 years old.

The center said the aide it fired was not involved in either of the incidents behind the April citations.

The October incident

A Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office incident report stated that video showed an employee poking the child twice, lightly, in the hand with a colored pencil on Tuesday, Oct. 27.

The report stated there was no visible mark, but there was “some redness.” The child’s father told a deputy he noticed no marks and said his child’s mood seemed unaffected, according to the report.

The other teacher in the room told the deputy the employee poked the child to show that poking other students with a pencil causes pain, the report stated.

In a statement, the center said a review of classroom video “confirmed that the employee had poked the back of a student’s hand with a pencil.”

The report does not list an arrest or charges, and a sheriff’s office spokesperson said the investigation is active.

The April findings

DSS cited the center in response to complaints in April: for reporting problems April 9 and for a discipline-policy violation April 16.

DSS records show a licensing specialist visited the center April 9 after a complaint about how a teacher treated children.

DSS did not cite the center on those allegations, saying it had insufficient evidence.

State rules require child care centers to report suspected abuse right away. DSS did cite the center for failing to report the allegations to law enforcement and, immediately, to DSS child care licensing.

DSS records show the center’s director completed abuse-reporting training April 15, and the state’s public inspection page lists both citations from that visit as resolved.

The center said it should have reported the matter sooner. It said an employee reported the allegation April 3 to OHAN, the DSS unit that investigates abuse and neglect in child care and other out-of-home settings.

It also said it received written notice May 1 that the underlying allegation was unfounded. WMBF has not seen the notice.

A second complaint visit April 16 concerned an April 13 incident in which a caregiver yelled at and roughly grabbed two children off a slide by their arms, DSS records show.

DSS upheld the complaint, called it a violation of the center’s discipline policy, and said the problem was fixed during the visit that day.

The center said it reported that incident to DSS the same day, that the sheriff’s office, which investigated, told it May 1 it was closing the case, and that the employee was terminated.

When the center reported the October incident

A center leader told the deputy she learned of the incident Oct. 28, the day after it happened, then contacted DSS, fired the employee and informed the child’s parents, according to the report.

The other teacher in the room also told the deputy she meant to report it right away but was distracted by a Halloween party at the center, then thought about it after work and decided to report it the next morning, according to the report.

The center’s first statement said administrators learned of the incident Oct. 27 and reported it to the proper authorities that day. A sheriff’s office record shows the call from the center came in at 1:49 p.m. Oct. 28.

After WMBF asked about the difference, the center said its first statement “incorrectly identified October 27 as the reporting date.” It said its phone records show it called the sheriff’s office at 1:43 p.m. Oct. 28.

What the center says has changed

In the same follow-up statement, the center said it has strengthened its safety and reporting procedures since April, including:

• Installing eight additional cameras
• Adding procedures for documenting and reporting concerns
• Requiring reporting training for all employees
• Keeping an internal incident log
• Strengthening administrative oversight

DSS declined to comment on any investigations at the center, citing state confidentiality law.

Inspection records for registered child care centers are public on the state’s SC Child Care website.

Stay with WMBF News for updates.

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