Kids Kastle Day Care and Preschool Fruitdale - Grants Pass OR Child Care Center

I would give a ZERO if i was able. My grand daughter was sexually abused by another child at this facility. The staff were aware of the other child's inappropriate sexualized behaviors. The staff and other children were aware of the things the other child was doing and you as a owner, a mother, and a human being, did nothing to protect the children who were abused in your daycare This was on your camera's, no denying this issue as it was founded. The police were called as well as children's services and YOUR FACILITY did not report this until the family called this matter in directly to the police and child welfare. DO NOT TRUST THIS DAYCARE>>>>>>>

IN RESPONSE TO THE SHERRI SMITH, OWNER OF KIDS KASTLE, WORD FOR WORD

"In response to Amber Deemer's review. I am the owner, I am not the director. I work out of an office in another building doing the paper work for my business's, and I do know what goes on at my business's. I am in-out all the time and in constant communication with my director and staff." 

In the seven weeks my child was enrolled at Kid Kastle located at ?1000 Fruitdale Drive?, I did not meet or encounter the owner, Sherri Smith, and never did the staff indicate that she was actively involved at the center on a regular basis. 

To address your review, I have emails from you saying that the immunizations that your child received , and you sent me the list of shots to be received over a period of time...was the suspected cause of his bottom rashes, and that you would be keeping him home to clear it up. 

Never did I say the the rashes on his buttocks were related to the immunizations my child received. Never did I express concern in writing about the rashes and raw bottom that caused bleeding. I did however address the issue directly with the lead teacher and asked they be more gentle and cautious when wiping his bottom and requested they use a diaper cream and provided a sealed container of Desitin for his use along with signing the proper paperwork to authorize use of the diaper cream. In my original review of your business, I clearly stated that I addressed this and did see improvement.

Emails sent 8/21/18*

Amber,
Thank you for getting back to  me so promptly.  
I didn't ask Kelsie prior to sending the note. It's just a process that I preform when updating records and preparing for Immunizations reports due around the end /beginning of the year.
If you are on track with immunizations, I can check the system in a few weeks for the ones just received. 
Then after the next set received in December, just send me a quick note after the shots are received and I will pull them up too.
Thanks again,
Sherri

On Tue, Aug 21, 2018 at 2:04 PM, Amber Deemer ?? wrote:
Good afternoon Sherri, 

I informed Kelsie the first week of enrollment that C* had a medical appointment for immunizations on 8/20 which was yesterday. 

He received all the immunizations required to bring him up-to-date. I requested a report following the late afternoon appointment but I was encouraged to follow-up today or later this week after they update the system to reflect the immunizations he received.  

I kept him home today because he had a mild fever of 99.7 and I thought the temp was related to his immunizations. I felt it best I monitor him myself today since its been less than 24 hrs. 

Thank you for your attention to this matter. If you have any additional concerns, please let me know. 

Thanks,

Amber :)

Sent from my iPhone

> On Aug 21, 2018, at 12:36 PM, Sherri Smith wrote:
> 
> Hi Amber,
> I am sending you an attached copy of C* immunization report. It looks like he is past due for his MMR shot 8-1-18, and then there are a few more due later in November...Hep A, Hep B and Varicella.
> Please make an appointment with your doctor, and let me know when you have updated so I can pull the report again for my files.
> Thank you,
> Sherri
>

Hi Sherri, 

Just realized that the immunizations you are concerned about may be his 18 month shots. I did set an appointment for ?December 12th? for those immunizations and a standard well-baby check-up. 

Yesterday, he received:

ProQuad MMRV
Prevnar 13 PCV
Infanrix DTaP
Havrix/Vaqta 
PedvaxHIB 

A total of five immunizations.

Thanks,
Amber

Sent from my iPhone

> On Aug 21, 2018, at 12:36 PM, Sherri Smith wrote:
> 
> Hi Amber,
> I am sending you an attached copy of C* immunization report. It looks like he is past due for his MMR shot 8-1-18, and then there are a few more due later in November...Hep A, Hep B and Varicella.
> Please make an appointment with your doctor, and let me know when you have updated so I can pull the report again for my files.
> Thank you,
> Sherri


"As for the Rotovirus and Hand-Foot & Mouth, those are communicable diseases that do not present symptoms until after the contagious state has passed. There is no way to prevent the spread and you could have gotten them anywhere and or could have been the one to bring it to the center. My staff are diligent about keeping the center clean and making sure that child are not in attendance when sick."

Unfortunately Sherri, your Director, already admitted that another child was showing symptoms of HFM a week before my child had symptoms and said "[she] had been vigilant ever since the fevers began last week." Your Director also stated that the first sick child "was out the day of the fever" which suggests the child possibly returned the very next day exposing the other children in the center. Per your sick child policy, "Child must be 24 hrs fever free, w/o using a fever reducer and should have a doctor's note stating that they are no longer contagious and can return to group care before being allowed to re-enter their group at the center." Do you have a record of the doctor's note provided by the parent of this child stating that the child was no longer contagious? Per the sick child policy, "Children, when sick should be kept home. Please notify the center each day that your child is absent by ?8:00 a.m.? and report any symptoms..." I notified the center on Monday 8/29/18 as required and reported his fever and kept him home. I sent an e-mail later that evening about the rash that developed and indicated I would be keeping him home for a full week. My son has not had any direct contact with any other children besides his 4 year old brother during his enrollment at the center. I am not aware of any other spread of HFM at his school or elsewhere as nobody I know also contracted HFM. Child care regulations state that "Parents must be informed if the child has been exposed to a communicable disease." If the unnamed sick child developed the HFM rash over the weekend, was it not reported? Why did I not receive proper notice of the communicable disease that my child was exposed to? Why did I only learn of it when I notified the center myself? Did you notify the Oregon Department of Health? When I contacted them, they said that all childcare centers are required to report. Clearly you are not doing your due diligence as a state licensed childcare provider. Your Director indicates in her email that she will "post a notice" if other children "end up with it." You have violated my rights as a parent and the other parents of the center and put our children at risk of contracting a communicable disease. Your inaction is nothing short of negligence.

Emails sent 8/29/18

Yes Amber thank you! We do deep cleans weekly as well as sanitizing daily and have been vigilant ever since the fevers began last week. We had only one other unconfirmed case of what was thought to be HFM, which that child was out sick the day of their fever and the spots didn’t show up until the weekend. You’re right as there is not much that we can do except keep them comfortable and hydrated. The class has already been exposed so we will see if any more children end up with it. We’ll post a notice if so, thank you for the heads up. Hope C* gets better soon! We hope to see you next Tuesday.

-Kelsie Williams

Get Outlook for iOS
 
From: Amber Deemer
Sent: Wednesday, August 29, 2018 8:46 AM
To: ?sherri@kidskastle.com?; ?kelsie@kidskastle.com?
Subject: HF&M Virus
 
Good morning Ladies, 

C* has not been seen by Ermshar yet to confirm but I believe he has contracted Hand, Foot & Mouth as he has a rash on his buttocks, feet, hands, mouth with blisters on his upper gums. He had a high fever starting Saturday evening and has continued to have a mild fever up to yesterday. 

At first, I thought it might be a reaction to his immunizations. Specifically, the MMR sometimes presents a rash a week later. Even so, I am not convinced it isn't HF&M. It's common in childcare, school settings and his recent enrollment in childcare suggests otherwise. 

Given this is the first I have witnessed this virus in my home, I plan to take him to get a medical evaluation on Monday or Tuesday after a full week of quarantine along with confirm he can return next Tuesday. 

As you know, this is a highly contagious virus and a deep clean at the center may be warranted to prevent further spread of HF&M. We will also be fully sanitizing our home with a bleach/water solution. Besides that, and providing him comfort, keeping him hydrated and quarantined, there is not much more any of us can do. 

All my best, 

Amber 

Sent from my iPhone 

"You sent me an email telling me how happy you were with our services, prior to the billing issue..."

Yes, I did state that your Director was "doing a great job" and did state that Caleb was "doing great at the center and all is well." I was referring to her effort to show some empathy towards me and the concerns I had as a customer. As for my son, I was simply stating that he was healthy again as he returned to the center that day after a full week of illness with HFM and also it was a general statement that he seemed to be doing OK from the standpoint that he was happy and playing and seemed to be doing well overall when he was not sick. I don't feel that his direct care providers were causing him any direct harm and felt overall he was safe from abuse. That does not mean you were not negligent.

Emails sent 9/4/18

Thank you Sherri! Kelsie is doing a great job! No need to apologize. Just a few things to take care of but nothing too critical. C* is doing great at the center and all is well. ????

Sent from my iPhone

On Sep 4, 2018, at 8:14 PM, Sherri Smith wrote:

Thanks for letting me know your choice of time slot. I apologize if things feel a little out of order. Kelsie is doing a great job, but she is new to directing, and there’s a lot to learn and a lot of learning going on , and she is directing two sites.

You can pay tuition through the website login in with a debt or credit card at:
 www.kidskastle.com

Chanteal can help set you up at the center through the procare terminal if you just want to pay while at the site too. 

Sent from my iPhone

On Sep 4, 2018, at 5:58 PM, Amber Deemer wrote:

Hi Sherri, 

Thank you for the follow-up. 

Kelsey and I discussed the ?7:30-5:30? and I thought I clarified to her it was a "window" for arrival/pickup; not for 10 hours care/day. I explained that I didn't know when completing the form what was expected. I will not be paying for additional time, so please adjust it to reflect ?8:00 - 5:30? and establish that as our 9.5 hour window for care. C* was never at the center for more than 9 hours/day in August.

Thank you for providing a copy of the enrollment forms. The only other request is to be setup for electronic payment. It would be great to have access by next month when payment is due for October. 

Thanks so much!

Amber

Sent from my iPhone

On Sep 4, 2018, at 10:29 AM, Sherri Smith wrote:

Amber,
Thanks for your input. I will post the majority vote hopefully mid to late this month after hearing from other parents at both of the centers.
I have adjusted your August billing to honor Kelsie's pro rate. Just so you know,  the 625.00 was the correct amount she should have billed, there were 20 days left in the month to attend (200) hours scheduled.
So in looking this up, I noticed that she also let you over schedule. Right now I see 10 hours a day ?7:30-5:30?. The monthly rate is for 9.5 hours.  How would you like me to adjust your schedule, so you don't get charged extra for that 1/2 hour daily?  
?7:45-5:15      7:30-5:00      8:00-5:30 ?

I have attached your completed enrollment packet asked for. 
Let me knoow if there is anything else I can help you with.
Sherri

On Sat, Sep 1, 2018 at 6:53 PM, Amber Deemer ?? wrote:
Hi Sherri,

The weekend is busy with back to school activity and hopefully some time outdoors before its over.???? Thanks for asking! :) A few quick housekeeping things - 

(1) The attached invoice shows a forward balance of $103. Could you please revise this as August was pro-rated at $522 per Kelsey.
(2) I mailed the tuition today to the Fruitdale address but I see on the invoice that mail is received elsewhere. Please let me know if it will be returned to sender. I would like to get setup for electronic payment ASAP please.
(3) Can you also please provide me copies of the enrollment forms? You can send them by email if that is easiest.

As for your original question - taking the last 2 days of that holiday week in December and not ?the 2nd of January? - is for me just another lost day of paid care and billable hours. So, boo, to that idea. ????

All my best,

Amber

Sent from my iPhone

> On Sep 1, 2018, at 3:12 PM, sherri@kidskastle.com wrote:
> 
> Hi, 
> Hope everyone is enjoying there holiday weekend!
> I have a question for up and coming closure:
> Our currently closure schedule is:
> Christmas    Dec  24-25-26  M-T-W   OFF
> New Years  ?Dec 31- Jan 1? -2   M-T-W OFF 
> 
> Would it be preferrable to  Close for the Christmas/New Years season:
> ?Dec  24- 28?  M-F
> And ?Tues.  Jan 1st? 
> 
> Please let me know your thoughts...staff have choosen the later, but I wanted to get feed back as to how you would feel about changing the dates.
> Sincerely,
> Sherri
>

"What really transpired was that you sent me an email telling me what you were going to pay at the end of services, and ending services because you were not getting good value for your money because your child was sick so much. I responded letting you know that your calculations were not correct and gave the right way to calculate your bill...in which is posted in every room by the phone. You responded that you were only going to pay x amount of that total, I told you that the remaining balance would go to collections. I sent you a copy of your signed contract with us. You then said you would pay the bill in full, in which you have not, and then retaliated by writing negative reviews to BBB, ?childcarcenter.us?, yelp, and who knows where else."

I did send an email giving notice to withdraw my child from the center and indicated I would be looking for alternative care after my son yet again contracted the highly contagious Roto Virus and was sick again for a full week. I indicated I calculated my final billing to be a specified amount which I based on my first months tuition which had been calculated using a pro-rated formula of three days less at $34 per day. I paid in full $522 in August for 17 days of scheduled care. $103 less than the fixed rate of $625. You did bill me in September for $625 along with a balance forward of $103. I asked that you credit my account for $103 as your Director provide me in writing the pro-rated amount the week prior to his first day of care when I returned his enrollment forms. You stated that she made a mistake and should not have gave me a discount even though I did not receive care the first three days of the month. You provided a confusing explanation as to why I should pay the full amount but honored the pro-rated amount which your billing statement reflects in October. I paid in full $625 for September mailing payment before the 1st of the month because I was not setup for online payment. I offered to pay the $213.75 for 5 days in October after you explained your formula or billing even though I disputed the additional $50+ only because you threatened to send me to collections without any consideration whatsoever. Not only have you only focused on monies owed but not once asked about the health of my child nor did you even reply to my notice of withdrawal. I have every intention of paying my bill in full as I have always paid my child care fees in full. I have done business with 4 other centers for children in Josephine County along with my sons private pre-k and all have been paid in full and I have no conflict with these businesses and would recommend every single one as I had and continue to have a good experience. Your care contract clearly states that payment is due no later than the 11th of the month. Today is the 3rd of October. I am not late in making my payment and suggesting I am going to skip-out on payment is you defaming my character once again. Yes, I am disgruntled that I have paid for 42 days of scheduled care and due to illnesses which you did not report and my son did not contract elsewhere along with a fear he would contract another illness at your center, we only received care for about 50% of those days and I lost upwards of 40 billable hours of my own income. I would have incurred a greater loss had I not had a flexible work environment that allows me to take my child to work. As for posting the same review on Yelp and submitting a valid complaint with the BBB, yes I did just that. 

Email sent 9/24/18

Kelsie WIlliams 
To:Amber Deemer
Cc:Sherri Smith

Sep 24 at 1:41 PM

Amber,
I'm so sorry to hear that you're wanting to pull C*! If your reasoning is because of how frequent he's gotten sick, I did want to let you know that this is normal within the first few months. Children who are exposed to new environments need a chance to build an immunity to said environment, especially if they have never been in child care before. If his health is not the reason for your withdrawal, I'm curious as this was sudden. We adore C*, and would hate to see him go.

Best,
Kelsie Williams
Director

On Mon, Sep 24, 2018 at 8:49 AM Amber Deemer wrote:
Good morning,

After careful thought and consideration, we have decided to not continue childcare as early as today. 

Please consider this official notice of my intent to withdraw my son C* from enrollment at Kids Kastle. Per our agreement, a two week notice is required. His last day will be Friday, October 5. 

Please send a final billing statement to reflect 5 days of care owed for October of which I approximate to be $155 at the most. 

I will stop by the center to pickup his personal belongings as soon as C* is healthy again. 

Thanks,

Amber 

Sent from my iPhone

"You are retaliating because you are upset, and I understand that, but your child's illnesses are not our fault, nor are they yours. I do know what happens in my business's, and you are lucky of that, because as often as your son was sick, I would have suspected neglect on your part and called the state to check on your family."

Suggesting that I myself have been neglectful and stating that you "know what happens in [your] business's...and "[I] am lucky of that, because as often as [my] son is sick, [you] would have suspected neglect on [my] part and called the state to check on [my] family" is going to cause you the most legal ramifications. This statement alone suggests you suspect I am a negligent parent but you failed as a licensed care provider and so did your staff to report this suspected neglect as required by law and your profession. You did not report any suspected neglect because I have been in no way neglectful nor are there any signs or evidence of my being neglectful to my child. This is defamation of character and a full-on attack against my family. I have been a parent for 23+ years and I have no record of neglect nor have I have been reported of neglected let alone actually neglected my four children ages 23, 16, 4 and 1. I have been on the Oregon Child Care Central Background Registry since 2014 and because I was a resident of another state the five years prior, I had a more extensive background check than the average resident who is looking to work or volunteer with children. As you know, this includes a background check through the OSP, DHSCP, and FBI. To publish claims that I was neglectful of my child almost two weeks after withdrawing my child due to illness is brazen and heartless. I am considering now taking legal action against you for defamation and making false reports.

"Staff reported that you asked to be called if your son was having a hard time at day care, being that he had never been in care prior to Kids Kastle. When staff called you, the majority of the time, you did pick up, like most good parents would, but that was your choice to pick up or let him stay."

Yes, I picked up my child and responded to his needs immediately in every sense of the word. Not "the majority of the time" but every single time. Again, where is the evidence of neglect you falsely make claim of in this reply to my complaint with the BBB. I am always responsive to the needs of my children and provide them with the best of care when they are in my care. Leaving him in the care of your center was the only parenting mistake I made. Was it my choice to pickup my child when he had a 102 degree fever? I think not. When I did pickup my child after learning he had a fever, again, on the last Monday of attendance, did you quarantine him from the other children in the center until my arrival. No. He was with all the other children even though regulations require that you quarantine him. More evidence of your negligence and how your failure to do your due diligence put other children and families at risk.

"My contract states that there are no consessions for absences...period. You knew that and acknowledged that at enrollment. This center does accept state paid child care vouchers, and with that I am under contract to charge all families the same and in the same manner. A breach of that for any reason would cause me to be in violation with the state. I explained this to you and you thought I was heartless, because I would not concede and bill you according to your calculations and what you wanted to pay. If you are going to centers that bill you less because you are private pay, they are in violation if they accept state paid child care vouchers and adjust billing in that way."

You adjusted billing in August and honored the pro-rated amount at $33 less per day which is how I calculated my final billing. So, I would go as far to say that you violated your contract with the State already. You did not make any effort to explain this when I disputed the forward balance and never did you inform me that the rates are posted at each phone in the center nor is it in the care contract where it obviously should be provided to all those entering into a contractual agreement with you. I do not use the center phones and have never given them a second of my attention because as a parent what use do I have of your center phones? I am pretty confident only your staff use your phones. I would argue this is obviously not proper notice of your billing rates or procedures. This matter is about your negligence and my child's multiple illnesses and how you failed to show any compassion or empathy for my bad experience not the measly $50 that you billed me above my approximated amount.  

"I am sad that you chose to use your communications degree in this manner. You have violated your sigined contract with this center on multiple levels and our signed grievance policy for parents in your display of what comes down to my billing practices."

I followed the grievance policy. I breached no contractual agreements. Your parental agreement to "not cyberbully" does not apply and even if it did, I did not violate my agreement to not name your business, your staff, or the children enrolled. In no way did I conduct myself in a way that would be considered unlawful. I simply told the honest, all be it ugly truth, about my bad experience doing business with you and informed other consumers in our community about it. Also, your "no liability" agreement is not enforceable in a court of law. Most courts invalidate these clauses in a negligence claim against a childcare. Parents sign these to some degree in duress as they are in need of care. Child care centers cannot waive liability nor can a parent waive a child's right to sue for negligence. Be forwarned.

In response to Sally Ross's review dated Apr 07, 2017. I have checked my database, and there is no such person ever being on any pick up lists for any child enrolled at Kids Kastle in Grants Pass, Oregon, at either of my sites, Fruitdale 97527 or Greenwood 97526...Please remove the post and or put it in it's correct designation, it does not belong under my reviews.
Thank you,
Sherri

My children have attended this facility since we have moved to southern oregon. My children have grown up at kids kastle. The teachers have been by my side advocating for both my childrens well being through mental health issues, and have been there to support me in become a single mom and deal with the issues that have aroused with my children. The Kids Kastle staff have become a big part of our family, and with out them my children would be as successful as they are in the elementary education.

There are child cares named Kids Kastle Day Care's all around the United Stares. My centers, unafiliated with the other named Kids Kastle is in Grants Pass, Or.
In response to Amber Deemer's review who was a customer at one of my centers...I am the owner, I am not the director. I work out of another office doing all the paper work for my business's, and I do know what goes on in my business's. I am in-out all the time, in constant communication with the director and staff. To address your review, I have emails from you saying that the immunization shot your son received was the cause of his bottom rash and that you were keeping him home to clear it up. As for the Roto Virus and the Hand-Foot& Mouth you say was contracted at the center, those are communicable diseases that could have been caught anywhere. Commuinicable diseases do not typically present themselves until they have already been in a cantagious state. Please check with the local Health Department. My staff staff are diligent about keeping the center clean and making sure that chihldren are not coming to day care sick. You wrote me a letter telling me how happy you were with our services, prior to the billing issue....What really transpired is that you wrote me a letter telling me what you were going to pay for end of services, I advised you that you did not have the right calculation and what the amount was, and you said you were only going to pay x amount of the bill. I then advised you that the remainder ofthe balance would go to collections.. I sent you a copy of the signed contract with us. You then told me you would pay your bill in full, in which you have not, and then you proceeded to write reviews in a retalitory manner on my facebook, yelp, BBB, childcarecenter.us, and I'm sure many more that I do not yet know about. You are retaliating because you are upset, and understand that...but, your child's illness's are not our fault, nor yours. You are lucky that I do know what is happening at my business's, because as often as your son was sick, I would have suspected neglect on yourpart and called the state to check on your family. Staff reported that you asked to be called if your child was javing a hard time adjusting, and when you got those calls, it was your choice to pick up or not. They reported that you picked up the majority of the time...like a good mother would. My contract states that there are no consessions for absences...period. This center does accept state paid child care vouchers, and with that I have an agreement with the state to charge all families the same and in the manner. A breach of that for any reason would cause me to be in violation with the state. If you are going to other centers that gives you a break because you are self pay, then thay are in violation of that rule, and could be sued for any monies that they have received from the state for child care. I am sad that you chose to use your communication degree in this manner. You have violated your signed contract with this center on multiple levels along with our signed grievance policy in the way that you aree displaying your dissatisfaction with my billing process.

My child was enrolled at this center on 8/6/18 for 7 weeks and in the first week his bottom was so raw he was bleeding and it took at least 3 days to heal. After another full week, on Friday I took him to the center with a healthy bottom, no rash or other concerns, and when I picked him up later that day his bottom was raw and bleeding again. We had to treat his bottom all weekend with extra care so as to not have him crying in pain. Within the month, he contracted Hand, Foot & Mouth disease and was out 7 full days in recovery. He returned healthy and only three weeks later he contracted Roto Virus which is another highly contagious disease "common" with children under age three. He was picked up early Monday due to fever, out Tuesday and again Friday and severely ill all weekend with 104-105 degree temps and severe diarrhea and a trip to the urgent care on Sunday. He was kept home again on Monday because it had not been a full 24 hours since he had been without fever. In total my child was out upwards of 2 full weeks combined days of illness and I like most childcare contracts, we paid for those days of care with no refund or credit; a cost upwards of $300+ in services not rendered due to illnesses contracted at this center. I have four children ages 23,16,4 and my infant son and in all my experience with childcare/school and risk of illness, I have never experienced this. When I provided notice to withdraw, I was told this is "normal" for an infant who has never been in childcare but I disagree. Never, ever have my children contracted these nasty diseases and we have received care from several other licensed centers in two plus decades. Also, when I delivered my final billing statement; instead of a pro-rated bill for private pay at the fixed rate, I was billed an additional $50+ based on an hourly rate which was not disclosed in the care contract but is the supposed rate the State pays for those receiving childcare assistance. I was told if I don't pay the disputed amount, I would be sent to collections. The owner of this center is never on-site and is not involved in the daily operations of the two centers she owns and operates. The staff are overall friendly but I would not recommend this center to anyone.

I would give this daycare a zero! They failed to to notify me or even write up a accident report on my grandchild. When I picked up my grandchild she had a chipped tooth, split bloody lip. When we asked about it nobody knew anything. To make matters worse she was in a messy diaper for what must have been hours because it was stuck to her and she was red and her skin was very irritated. When confronted once again they had no answers. The changing log proved that she had not been changed for hours. I would never trust this daycare with any child!!