A Rush Township day care was shut down by the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services after an inspection revealed that two children wandered away in late April.

All children were removed from the care of Kokinda’s Learning Center, 780 Claremont Ave. (Route 309), on June 17.

The department’s Northeast Region Office of Child Development and Early Learning staff conducted a complaint inspection at Kokinda’s between May 16 and June 13 and found “evidence of gross incompetence, negligence and misconduct likely to constitute an immediate and serious danger to the life or health of the clients.”

According to the inspection, two toddlers left the facility at 3 p.m. on April 25 and were unsupervised for 20 minutes. During the period, the employee assigned to supervise the children had no idea where they were.

The inspection noted that a homeowner found the children playing in their backyard, which is approximately 150 yards away.

The employee who was in charge of the two said she saw them leave but was unable to attend to them because she was breaking up a fight between two other children, the report said.

The employee said she yelled to the facility’s director, who was busy with a child on the changing table.

According to the inspection, the director and employee did not know where the children were until the neighbor contacted them.

The department noted that the facility is less than 100 yards away from a 4-lane highway and near a densely wooded mountain.

The investigation revealed that the parents of the toddlers were not told of the incident until May 16.

“The Department of Human Services takes the safety of all individuals in licensed childcare facilities seriously, and we work to ensure that any allegations and potential violations that put people at risk are investigated and handled urgently,” said Ali Fogarty, department spokeswoman.

After issuing the order, the department provided letters to parents notifying them of the closure.

Affected parents affected can contact the Early Learning Resource Center of Schuylkill County at 833-229-6927 to discuss other day care options for their child.