Day care center where boy died ordered closed

BRUNSWICK, Ga. – Late Wednesday the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning ordered an emergency closure of Generation Kids Daycare, the Brunswick day care center where a 3-month-old died Tuesday.

"Emergency closures are used by the agency when it is determined that there has been a death of a child that was not medically anticipated," Reg Griffin, the agency's chief communications officer said. "In this incident DECAL found that rule violations may have contributed to the death of a child."

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation was conducting an autopsy on the child to help authorities determine why the infant was found unresponsive in his crib at Generation Kids. A preliminary report was expected Wednesday, but by late afternoon there was no word whether it was ready.

Brunswick police said staff at the Pinewood Drive day care were doing CPR when officers arrived about 10:15 a.m. The baby was taken to Southeast Georgia Health Center, but could not be revived.

The child's name has not been released, but authorities say he was from Brunswick. Detectives have interviewed the owner and staff at the center. They are awaiting results of the autopsy before proceeding with the investigation.

The center was open for business when News4Jax visited Wednesday, but the staff did not want to talk with reporters.

Research into the day care center's background found several previous violations, including a fence that was deemed hazardous twice -- once late last year and once earlier this year. Inspectors also noted that feeding chairs were missing safety straps and found that two of the four staff on duty didn't get required training in their first year of employment.

Parents impacted by the closure of the center can go online to allgakids.org or call 877-ALL-GA-KIDS to find other child care options.