The Peoria child care facility responsible for the 3-year-old who drowned July 17th is under investigation. Ravante Ward was found in the Illinois River after he reportedly wandered away from a the group of eight pre-k children. The children were visiting the Peoria RiverPlex and were on the outside playground under the care of two adults.
Myah’s Just 4 Kids has two locations in Peoria, at 415 SW Adams St. and at 1835 N Knoxville Ave. The state Department of Child and Family Services cited the Adams St. facility for three violations involving abuse and neglect.
The DCFS says it visited the center following the drowning incident Friday afternoon. It cited Myah's Just 4 Kids for violated the following codes:
"40790B: The day care center shall employ a qualified child care director to oversee the program and administer day-to-day operations. The child care director shall be responsible for the planning and supervision of the program and activities of the children; orientation to newly employed staff; on-site supervision of all staff; and in-service training totaling a minimum of 15 clock hours per year for each member of the child care staff.
407200P: Children shall not be left unattended at any time.
407200R: Children shall receive supervision appropriate to their developmental age at all times. All children in the facility shall be protected from exploitation, neglect, and abuse."
An open records search shows the day care center on Knoxville was cited for several violations in 2012. Most of those were minor, involving playground regulations, but another citation was for a lack of employee training.
The three-year-old boy was found unresponsive in the Illinois River near the RiverPlex Recreation and wellness Center on Friday during a day trip. Peoria Police are continuing to look into the incident. They have ruled out foul play.
A Myah Just 4 Kids’s employee declined comment for this story. Calls to the owner were not returned.