LEHIGH ACRES, Fla. - A mom picking up her infant daughter from a Southwest Florida daycare says her daughter was so sick, she had to be rushed to the hospital.
“When I went home and took her temperature, she was 103.8 degrees,” said Kalie Kelly.
“She looked distraught and out of it. Her mouth was opened, cheeks were flushed.”
Kelly says her daughter Aryana is only 13 months old. She took her to Grace Community School in Lehigh Acres last week. What she discovered broke her heart.
“I went to change her diaper and realized she still had feces on her which was just heartbreaking.”
And that’s not the only thing she noticed. “I took off her socks and realized these sores on her feet, really red and irritated. I took her to the hospital that night and she ended up having hand, mouth and foot disease.”
While the illness is common among kids, Kelly says she wishes the daycare would have communicated with her. “If they have a fever, you shouldn’t have to worry about being called, that should be the first thing that they do is contact the parent, not find out how I did”
Kelly posted about her daughters high fever and shared pictures of the sores on Facebook, generating a lot of discussion amongst other parents.
When 4 In Your Corner reached out to Grace Community School Thursday, a supervisor declined to comment.
A Department of Children and Families spokesperson says Grace Community Schools is a religiously exempt facility, which means they aren’t licensed or inspected by the state. As a religiously exempt school, Grace Community School is still accredited and deemed safe by an outside organization.
But that’s not enough for Kelly, who’s pulling her daughter out of the daycare. “I will definitely do my homework better and believe reviews,” she said.
The Lee County Health Department tells 4 In Your Corner they followed up with the Grace Community School after an anonymous complaint was filed earlier this week. We’re told the daycare is cooperating.
For a list of daycares licensed by the state for your child, visit this website >> http://www.myflfamilies.com/service-programs/child-care/parent-resources
