Apple Valley Daycare Chain Shut Down For Safety Violations

State officials shuttered a local chain of daycare providers for numerous safety violations on Monday, according to the Pioneer Press.

The newspaper reports the Department of Human Services issued 39 citations issued against Deqo Family Centers' St. Paul branch, 16 against its Minneapolis branch and 20 against its Apple Valley branch. Among the citations were charges staff mislead regulators over how many staff worked at its facilities and what kind of CPR and shaken baby syndrome training staff received. In addition, regulators claimed Deqo staff could not show they regularly checked the safety of cribs, and said that furniture was in disrepair.

Deqo served many families in Apple Valley's Somali community, according to the Star-Tribune. The newspaper also reports that state regulators received complaints that Deqo staff were beating children who failed to learn the Quran, but investigators could find no evidence to confirm the complaints.