A Westbrook detective and the state are investigating the death of a 3-year-old boy, who was pronounced dead after being found face down in an indoor pool at Koala Child Kare Monday.

The death of Andrew Thurston has been ruled an accidental drowning, the Maine Medical Examiner’s office said on Tuesday.

The boy is the son of Audrey Thurston of Cumberland, said Westbrook Police Chief Paul McCarthy, who called the incident “heart-wrenching.”

A ceremony honoring the child’s life will be held Saturday at noon at the Falmouth Congregationalist Church on Falmouth Road in Falmouth.

Located on Spring Street, Koala Child Kare is licensed to service 154 children up to 12 years old.

A parent, Andy Bulger of Buxton, said Tuesday his son, Liam, knew Andrew Thurston. “He was one of his little friends,” Bulger said. “They shared Cheez-Its together.”

Alex Stone, of Clifford Street in Westbrook, has two sons, ages 1 and 5, at Koala. He said he has kept his kids home since the accident. “I felt more comfortable having my sons at home,” he said.

Detective Sgt. Steve Lyons is investigating the incident along with Michelle Robertson, an investigator with the licensing division of the state’s Department of Health and Human Services. “It’s terrible. My heart goes out to mom, dad and family members,” Lyons said. “It’s every parent’s nightmare.”

Bulger took Liam to the day-care center Tuesday. Bulger continued to support Koala and said it has a good reputation. “It was a tragic accident,” Bulger said.

Most parents declined comment Tuesday after dropping off their children at Koala. One woman, who remained unidentified, sobbed as she turned onto Spring Street from the driveway.

Another parent, Brenda Raifsnider of Hollis, and

Bulger both described Koala as a “somber” place. “They’re going through a hard time,” Bulger said.

Stone said he isn’t sure if he is going to send his sons back to the center. “I keep going back and forth and grappling with it,” he said.

For Stone, this has been an emotional week. He said he has dealt with emotions ranging from sadness to anger and frustration. “I always get mad when I hear about something happening to a child,” he said.

Stone said his oldest son is coping with the tragedy well, though Stone did bring the boy to Koala to speak with a grief counselor because the boy was asking questions about what happened.

Stone said he felt Koala Child Kare was “a good place,” but he wants to make sure he feels his kids are safe there before allowing them to return.

McCarthy said Westbrook Rescue rushed Andrew Thurston to Maine Medical Center in Portland after Westbrook dispatch received a call at 10:38 a.m. Monday that a child at Koala wasn’t breathing.

Police said the boy was pronounced dead at 11:15 a.m. at Maine Medical Center.

McCarthy said a class of students was using the pool when the attendant discovered the boy face down in the water. He said the attendant pulled the child from the water and asked for someone to call 911. The attendant then commenced CPR, McCarthy said.

When police arrived, Westbrook Rescue workers were removing the boy and resuscitation continued en route to the hospital. Staff at Koala contacted the boy’s family.

McCarthy described the pool as about 3-feet deep with a flat bottom, and dimension of 16-by-30 feet. He said the pool is part of the recreation program at Koala.

Bulger said his son was learning to swim at Koala. The pool was one of the reasons Bulger chose Koala as a day-care center for his son who had a close call last year. Bulger jumped into a pond where he owns property and pulled his son to safety. “He was under,” Bulger said.

John Martins, spokesman for the Department of Health and Human Services, said Koala Child Kare was licensed through the state, and under the terms of the license was inspected by the department on an annual basis.

Cathy Cobb, director of the state Department of Health and Human Services’ division of licensing and regulatory services, said Koala Child Kare’s license was renewed in November 2006 and the facility was inspected sometime shortly before then.

Cobb called the incident a “terrible tragedy.”

According to Cobb, the owner of the center is Kim Cairns. Cobb said Cairns has a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and she also participates in annual training sessions as required by the state. Attempts to reach Cairns for this story were unsuccessful.

Martins said department records show that since 1998, the state has logged 13 complaints against the center. “That’s a low number,” he said.

Cobb agreed with Martins. “We really don’t get many complaints on this facility,” she said.

He described 12 as licensing complaints, which he said could range from complaints about the facility to the food served to the children. Only one of the 13 complaints rose to the level of abuse or neglect, Martins said. He added that the state investigated that complaint and found it to be untrue.

Martins said to the best of his knowledge, at the time of the accident, there were five children in the pool supervised by one staff member. He said the normal ratio of children to staff members is 6 children to 1 staff member.

Martins said the department is investigating the incident to make sure all regulations were followed. “From what we see so far, (they’ve got) a pretty solid record,” Martins said.

When reached by phone Monday night, Koala Child Kare staff members declined to comment on the incident. The facility did release a statement by director Laurie Nicholaus.

“We’ve had a tragic accident,” said Nicholaus. “We have the Center for Grieving Children working with staff this evening and will be open tomorrow with counselors in place.”

Anne Lynch, executive director of the Center for Grieving Children, said while she was unable to address any specifics regarding Koala Child Kare, she said in cases like this, the center has someone who meets with staff and helps them talk to the kids about what has happened. “The important thing is that children are with people that they trust,” Lynch said.

The center has been fielding calls from concerned parents about this incident since the news about the accident, Lynch said. She said that in this case, it’s best for parents to be honest about what has happened.

“I think the important thing is to be open with the child about what has happened,” Lynch said, adding that it’s best to deal with the situation directly, using simple words and avoiding euphemisms.

Penny Esposito, director of transportation for the Westbrook School Department, said the Westbrook schools have been transporting children to and from Koala Child Kare ever since the center opened in Westbrook. She said she has never had a problem with the center, adding that the staff there has always been accommodating and appropriate with the children.

McCarthy is making counseling available to Westbrook Rescue workers and police. “This was a tough one,” McCarthy said.

Lyons, the primary investigator, was assisted at the scene Monday by Detective Patrick Lally along with Sgt. Mike Sanphy, officers Kirt Bossy and Fred Monson, and evidence technician John Hanlon.

Raifsnider took her 2 1/2-year-old to Koala Tuesday and she continued to support the facility.

“This place is great, the whole place is great. They’ve always been good to us,” she said.

Conroy-Tully Crawford Funeral Home is handling the funeral arrangements, which had not been finalized by American Journal dealine Wednesday.

Somber day at Koala Child Kare in Westbrook.“It’s heart breaking,” said Brenda Raifsnider of Hollis about the death of three-year-old Andrew Thurston Monday at Koala ChildKare. Raifsnider continued to support the daycare and dropped off her two-and-a-half year-old there Tuesday.