PADUCAH — Easterseals West Kentucky Child Development Center is closed until further notice. The following an incident of a child left unsupervised for 12 minutes.

Easterseals leadership said two teachers took a class to the playground and one student was forgotten inside. The child did not have special needs. When the director walked the halls, 12 minutes later, she found the child unattended.

After reviewing security footage to determine what happened, Easterseals self-reported the incident to the Cabinet for Health and Family Services. The license was then suspended.

At Easterseals West Kentucky, transparency is a priority, only coming second to care they provide for the families they serve. In this incident, Easterseals president, Danny Carroll, said it's no different.

“We apologize. We always apologize to the families. We take ownership when we make mistakes. This was no exception, and we do our best to fix it. We did training. The employee was held accountable,” Carroll said.

Carroll said they expected a citation, but getting their license pulled for something they self-reported was a surprise. The center is working immediately to get that suspension lifted.

“Tonight, we'll be working on the citation, putting together a plan of correction. We will submit that tonight, and we could be reinstated as soon as early in the morning,” Carroll said.

If the license not reinstated by Wednesday morning, 130 kids will not receive the care they and their families rely on. Carroll said employees will still be in the building, working on ways to be better.

“We'll use it as an opportunity to do some training and to discuss what's happened. So our staff is they understand the ramifications of their actions, and they have to think more about what they're doing, and we will review our systems,” Carroll said.

While the outcome is frustrating for both Easterseals and families, Carroll stands on the decision to be transparent about mistakes.

Carroll said staff will be on standby to care for children as soon as the center's license is reinstated. Even if it happens in the middle of the day, parents will be able to bring their children in.