We found, and then were sent, a press release this morning concerning a lawsuit filed yesterday against Children's World Stars and Tykes daycare center on Houston Street downtown. Jeremy Roden and his wife Tenille Docampo are claiming that on November 27 of last year, they went to pick up their 18-month-old daughter Delaney Roden-Docampo and noticed "a hand-shaped bruise" on her shoulder blade. They say they took her back to the center, asked staffers how she got the injury and were told, well, nobody knew what they were talking about.
They say they then took her to a hospital, where she was "diagnosed...with a broken clavicle and internal injuries based on elevated enzyme levels." The couple informed authorities, who investigated Stars and Tykes. Says the release: "In January, an investigation by the Texas Department of Family Protective Services concluded that Delaney was 'abused while in care at Children's World Stars and Tykes.'" The suit also says the couple has been cleared of any wrongdoing and that nobody has been arrested.
The daycare center says it's appealing the agency's ruling.
WFAA-Channel 8 ran a piece about the suit last night, but the story neglected to mention this isn't the first such allegation made against the daycare center. Indeed, Unfair Park has learned that on several occasions, the state's Department of Family and Protective Services has found Stars and Tykes in violation of state law.
Indeed, the DFPS Web site shows that six times last year the state investigated Stars and Tykes for various violations, among them inappropriate punishment of a child and the inability of employees to "demonstrate competency, good judgment [and] self-control." Of those six investigations, three turned up evidence of wrongdoing at the daycare center while the one involving Delaney Roden-Docampo is pending.
On April 13, DFPS reported that "based on information received, a staff [member] used inappropriate discipline by pinching a child. The staff [member] is no longer employed at the operation."
The same day, another report was generated that said: "Based on information gathered, it is determined that a staff [member] did not use good judgment by not contacting a physician or EMS after a child fell sustaining a serious cut on the face while running outside."
On June 23, DFPS employees were sent to investigate whether a child's "incident/illness report" was shared with the child's parents within the required 48 hours of the incident. The agency determined that it had not.
In the same statement released by Stars and Tykes' management, the daycare center says that one employee's been fired and that another's been rehired. "This is a parent's worst nightmare," Jeff Rasansky says in the press release. "They filed this lawsuit because they want to hold this facility accountable." This is also noted in the press release: "Stars and Tykes is located in the Dallas Federal Building at 207 South Houston Street in downtown Dallas. Many city employees and other area workers rely on Stars and Tykes to care for their children." --Robert Wilonsky
