WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. — The Williamsport YMCA Child Care Center is now indefinitely closed after a series of state inspections by the Department of Human Services. According to a note passed out to families who had kids at the childcare center, the state is accusing the YMCA of gross incompetence, negligence and putting children's lives and health in immediate or serious danger.
It is unknown how many children or families are affected by the closure. The state claims that through staff interviews and video footage, an employee used excessive force on the children. The report states that kids were dragged by their arms and one child was even slammed to the ground twice.
The state also reported that children were left unattended on several occasions. In one instance, kids were left on their own on the playground. Those kids were later found on sidewalks near the parking lot after wondering off. Due to the repeated non-compliance over a half month period, the state shutdown the care center yesterday.
The River Valley Regional YMCA in Williamsport released a statement on Facebook shortly after the news broke. Part of the statement read, "We are truly sorry about the impact this closure will have on our families and the employees of businesses in our community. We will need to go through an appeal process and we are unsure of the time frame to hopefully reinstate our license and reopen our doors."
The Early Learning Resource Center is now assisting families in locating a child care program. Many of the local childcare centers that Newswatch 16 reached out to said they are full and have long waiting lists. We will provide information as this story develops.