Woodruff daycare under investigation after child found in middle of street

WOODRUFF, SC (WSPA) – The Learning Years Child Development Center on Hayne Street in Woodruff is under investigation by the Department of Social Services.

In a Facebook post on Monday, Cyndie Blikle Cooper, the owner of the daycare, wrote that she had originally told parents that DSS had closed her business, but wanted to change that statement. She wrote, in part:

“As of 10:00am, Learning Years has closed its doors. I sent a message to all my parents telling them that DSS closed us. Technically they didn’t, I myself did it because we didn’t have staff. We have had some staffing issues recently (not enough) and we cannot continue with this. It is not safe for the child or my staff. As soon as I hire staff, WE WILL reopen. If anyone is looking for a job, please let me know.”

The daycare center has been praised several times by the DSS since 2022.

According to public inspection records, the facility was censured for inadequate oversight in 2022, 2023 and most recently in March 2024. This year, the facility was also censured for having outdated personnel records and last year for not having an on-site staff member certified in CPR and first aid.

Records show that every complaint filed between March 2022 and March 2024 was ultimately “resolved.” However, on July 20, 2024, DSS again found the daycare to be out of compliance due to inadequate supervision throughout the facility and inadequate adult-to-child ratios in classrooms and on the playground.

According to Cooper’s previous Facebook posts, she made three public posts – one each in 2021, 2022 and 2023 – asking for more staff support.

All this follows an incident last month when a child from the daycare was caught running down Hayne Street unsupervised by a passing motorist.

According to Shawna Johnson, the driver who spotted the child, she and a co-worker were on their lunch break on June 19 when they saw a young boy walking down the middle of Hayne Street.

“So, we noticed him and watched him for a second to make sure the area was safe and someone would take care of him. No one was taking care of him, so we took him to a safe area, called the police and got him back to where he was supposed to be,” Johnson said.

Woodruff police told 7NEWS that the child was returned safe and sound and that DSS was later contacted. They added that DSS reached out again on July 1 to request more information for their own investigation.

Johnson said she also spoke to the DSS, but for the mother of four, it was a shocking sight.

“Something terrible could have happened if in this or a similar situation, someone responsible had not been there to help,” Johnson said.

She explained that the child ran across an intersection to a nearby playground before Johnson could reach him and that he appeared to be between three and four years old.

“When you take your child to a daycare, you expect that their safety will be taken care of. I know that things like this can happen, but that was a bit extreme,” Johnson said.

7NEWS also spoke with a family member of a currently enrolled child who said DSS staff were at Learning Years during drop-off time on Monday morning. She explained she heard daycare staff telling each other, “They’re going to shut us down,” and that some parents were forced to take other families’ children.

7NEWS was unable to verify whether DSS ordered the closure of the Learning Years Child Development Center because inspection records are still pending.

7NEWS also reached out to DSS and Cooper directly for comment, but had not received a response from either party at the time of publication.