Some parents in the Jamestown area are scrambling to find a new child care provider after the state Office of Children and Family Services filed a notice to limit and eventually revoke the child care license of the Jamestown YWCA.

The first thing that will affect parents will be the closing of what is known as the Dandelion Hall at the YWCA, which houses a universal pre-kindergarten program. According to a letter to parents from YWCA officials provided to The Post-Journal, as well as notice from the state Office of Children and Family Services, the YWCA’s license to operate the Jamestown YWCA Day Care Center was limited effective Oct. 18 , while the state OFCS sought to revoke the state license for the entire center.

“The YWCA plans to appeal both decisions, and we are cooperating fully with OCFS to resolve these actions,” YWCA Executive Director Amanda Gesing wrote in a letter to parents that was posted at the YWCA’s Fourth Street center.

State officials inspected the YWCA on Oct. 2-3, Oct. 10 and Oct. 15, finding that daycare staff had taken a group of preschoolers to a playground and discovered on the way back that a child had been left behind of play. The group was gone 4 or 5 minutes when it was found hiding under a slide. On Oct. 8, according to state officials, day care staff allowed a child to leave the 3-year-old universal kindergarten classroom and enter a staff lounge unattended for two minutes. Staff also did not immediately report the incident to the state center’s registry. Then, on Oct. 9, a child was left alone in the UPK3 classroom for 19 minutes, with the incident not immediately reported to the child’s parent, the Office of Child and Family Services, or the statewide central registry.

“Effective immediately, your day care program has been removed from the office’s day care provider referral list,” the state’s violation notice reads. “Your program will be reinstated on this list if you successfully appeal the office’s decision to limit and revoke your license if the office decides to remove you from the limited and revoked category.”

Gesing’s letter to parents said YWCA staff believe the problems are caused by systemic challenges in its facilities, which include classroom layout, bathroom locations and the lack of an enclosed outdoor play area on site. A full review of the Day Care Center is underway and Gesing said YWCA officials will revise the program if necessary.

Over the past 12 months, the YWCA has been working to secure additional funding and is working on a plan to remodel its facilities. Changes are coming in the next 18 months, Gesing wrote.

“In the meantime, YWCA Jamestown is implementing immediate changes to ensure the safety and well-being of all children in our care,” Gesing wrote. “We have replaced our day center director with an interim director and will conduct a national search for a new director who is fully qualified and able to address any remaining staffing and facilities issues. We have made additional personnel changes and adjustments and will continue to do so as necessary or requested by OFCS.”

The Jamestown YWCA is still listed late Monday as having a license revocation pending as of Oct. 18. The site is listed as having a capacity of 59 children, including eight infants, 12 toddlers and 39 preschoolers. The daycare agency’s license was first granted in 1991 and was scheduled to remain in effect until 2028.

Joining the list in Chautauqua County is YWCA Westfield, which lost its state license in July. That site had a capacity of 143 children.