Officials said the incident happened on Dec. 20 at Little Sunshine’s Playhouse in Alpharetta.
ALPHARETTA, Ga. — An Alpharetta daycare has been temporarily closed for several weeks by state officials after a toddler died days after choking on fruit.
According to the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning (DECAL), an emergency closure of Little Sunshine’s Playhouse and Preschool at 12385 Morris Road in Alpharetta was issued on Jan. 3. DECAL said the daycare tried to appeal the emergency order to the Office of State Administrative Hearings (OSAH), and a hearing was held on Jan. 7.
DECAL said OSAH affirmed the decision and issued an emergency 21-day closure so that the daycare could not reopen. Officials added an investigation is underway to determine “any subsequent action” for the daycare.
DECAL officials said the incident happened at the daycare on Dec. 20, where a toddler choked on fruit served at the daycare. According to DECAL, the toddler died five days later– on Christmas Day.
According to an incident report obtained by 11Alive from the Alpharetta Police Department, the 911 call from Little Sunshine’s Playhouse came in at 8:25 a.m. and reported a child was choking.
When officers arrived, they saw the toddler lying on the floor “lifeless,” and his skin color was “ashen.” The report states one of the officers picked up the child and rolled him so he could give the toddler CPR.
According to the report, the officers looked in the toddler’s mouth to see if anything had dislodged but never saw anything.
“We both stopped back blows and chest compressions when we heard the child make noises. This happened several times and we also saw bubbles coming from his mouth. We continued the back blows and chest compressions until the fire department arrived and they took over care of this child,” the report added.
The report said the toddler was taken to Wellstar North Fulton Hospital ER, where DECAL said the toddler later died.
While investigating, officers spoke with the teacher, who said they were eating breakfast when the toddler started to “slap the table top with both hands,” according to the incident report.
The report states the teacher was in distress and called for help, and another staff member came and took the child and took him to the office.
An officer said in the report he also saw a first aid kit had been opened that had various face masks used for mouth-to-mouth. There was also a small suction device in the kit that did not appear to be used, the officer stated in the report.
“If subsequent action is determined, the action will be issued on/before the 21st day, which is January 25, 2025,” DECAL added in a statement.
For additional resources from DECAL, click here. You can also call its toll-free hotline at 1-877-ALL GA KIDS.
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