The "Facility Detail" page includes basic information about the daycare, and also a record of inspections, complaints, and citations. Here are some examples: childcare center ... home-based daycare
- At the top left:
- Daycares: This will always be the owner's (licensee) name. The name of the daycare is never displayed on the license.
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Preschools & Childcare Centers: The name of the preschool or center (the licensee name is under that)
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At the top right:
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Status: We're looking for "Licensed". If "Pending" that means they have applied for a license and completed some or all requirements but the license has not yet been finalized. In very rare cases you may see "Revocation pending."
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Lic. Date: This is the date for the most recent license. Previous licenses, at a different address or for a different capacity, are not in the online database.
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- Address:
- Small daycares (max=8) will say "unavailable" - no address is displayed, not even the city, since this is someone's home
- Large daycares (max=14) will say "unavailable" - only the city and zip code are displayed
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Preschools & Centers: displays full address
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Phone: The phone number they provided to DSS - might not be the contact for parents!
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Facility Number: The license number used on BPN's profile page
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Facility Capacity: The maximum number of children allowed at the site.
- Facility Type:
- Daycares = "family day care home"
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Preschools & Centers = "day care center" or "infant center" or "school age day care center"
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State Licensing Office Contact Information This is the address and phone number where you can get the details over the phone or in person about this facility.
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Tabs at the bottom: All Visits ... Citations ... Inspections ... Complaints ... etc.
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Complaints: Most home daycares that are reviewed on BPN do not have any complaints. Large preschools and childcare centers often have a complaint or two. You can find out the details by reading the Inspection Reports or by phoning or visiting the State Licensing Office. More than one or two substantiated complaints would be a strong signal that there's a problem with the facility.
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Citations: Type A citations are serious, such as a hazardous play area, or more children on site than the license permits, or teachers that have not had a background check. Type B citations are typically paperwork violations, such as not ensuring that each child is signed out every day or failing to have an emergency contact form on hand for every child. It is not unusual to see one or two Type B citations for a facility, but multiple Type A violations are not common, and should be a strong warning sign that further research is needed.
- Inspection Reports DSS attempts to do one unannounced visit every year. Full reports are available online for inspections that took place after April 2015. If you want to view reports before April 2015, you'll need to call or visit the State Licensing Office shown on the Facility Detail.
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