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Schools

Kids' Country Sites Allowed to Remain Open

The nonprofit center makes an agreement with the state.

The day care provider Kid's Country has been allowed to continue operating four sites in San Ramon and Danville while on probation.

for the non-profit organization's centers at Country Club and Bollinger Canyon elementary schools in San Ramon as well as Greenbrook and Green Valley elementary schools in Danville, after filing a formal accusation against Kids’ Country on March 28.

The complaint cited supervision problems, including four instances where children walked off campus without the staff’s knowledge.

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These "Type A" violations are the most serious for a child care provider, according to Oscar Ramirez, spokesman for the state agency.

Kids’ Country has agreed to the complaint’s allegations in a deal adopted by the state on July 28, with the revocation stayed for three years while the group operates under specific conditions.

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Ramirez told the Contra Costa Times this week it is not uncommon for such agreements to be made instead of revoking a license.

"We're not in the business of closing them down," he said.

The conditions, according to The Times article, include strict compliance with laws governing child day care operations, a documented head count of children every 30 minutes and a staff member to be stationed within eyesight of any unlocked perimeter gate where a child could leave.

There may also be unannounced visits.

Kids' Country executive director Chris Erbe could not be reached for comment.

Erbe told Patch reporters in June the employees who lost sight of the kids in the four cases at the San Ramon and Danville schools have been disciplined or fired.

San Ramon Valley Unified School District spokesman Terry Koehne said there's never been a problem with the nonprofit in the 25 years it’s done business with district schools.

“We continue to have confidence in Kids’ Country’s ability to provide child care services for our students,” he told The Times.

Kids' Country runs after-school child care programs at 13 of the 21 elementary schools in the San Ramon Valley school district.

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