Little Explorers Preschool
A child care center in Denver, Colorado 80211
2401 Alcott ST, Denver, Colorado 80211.
Watch and the shortlist are kept with a free account, on every device. Your watch list. Colorado’s own record is on coloradoshines.com.
The short answer
Record last released by Colorado Department of Early Childhood (CDEC) on Nov 2, 2026.
Each figure’s source sits beside it, in its section below.
What these words mean5
- Inspection (survey)
- A visit by state inspectors, often unannounced, who check a place against the rules it must meet. For nursing homes and other places Medicare pays, CMS calls these visits surveys: a standard survey of a nursing home comes at least every 15 months, and a complaint survey whenever a complaint calls for one. Source: CMS; 42 CFR 488.308.
- Deficiency, citation, violation
- What inspectors write up when a place didn’t meet a rule: the rule, what they saw, and when. CMS calls it a deficiency; states may say citation or violation. It is the inspectors’ finding, not a court’s, and the place is usually asked for a plan to correct it. Source: CMS, statement of deficiencies (Form CMS-2567); each state’s licensing agency.
- Quality rating
- Many states rate child care in a quality rating system that goes past the licensing rules, such as Texas Rising Star or Kentucky All STARS. Taking part is often voluntary, so a program with no rating hasn’t been rated low. Source: Each state’s quality rating system.
- Licence status
- Whether the state’s licence lets the place operate now, in the state’s own words: licensed, on probation (allowed to keep operating on conditions, after problems), provisional, pending or expired. Source: Each state’s licensing agency.
- Capacity
- The most people the licence or certification lets the place care for at once: residents, children, beds or apartments, as the state counts them. It isn’t how many are there now. Source: Each state’s licensing agency.
What did inspectors find?
CDEC’s file lists 20 inspections, investigations and complaints from Jan 1, 2023 to Oct 27, 2026, the latest on Oct 14, 2026 (Supervisory).
53 citations in all.
Where Colorado posts its reports: Colorado Shines.
Colorado Department of Early Childhood (CDEC), Data request 2026-967, delivered Oct 28, 2026 and each month since: licensing inspections, complaints and Stage II investigations from Jan 1, 2023. Released Oct 28, 2026. CDEC sends the previous month’s records in the first week of each month; a person saves each file and loads it.
When those citations happened
53 citations in 9 months of the last 46. Last cited Oct 2026. The last 4 years, to Nov 5, 2026.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
| 2024 | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
| 2025 | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
| 2026 | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct |
Hover or focus a month to read it.
Hearth Record drew this from the dates and levels in the source’s own records.
Each citation, in its source’s words
Grouped by visit, newest first, with the level its source gave it.
Colorado Department of Early Childhood (CDEC), Data request 2026-967, delivered Oct 28, 2026 and each month since: licensing inspections, complaints and Stage II investigations from Jan 1, 2023. Released Oct 28, 2026. CDEC sends the previous month’s records in the first week of each month; a person saves each file and loads it.
Oct 14, 2026: supervisory (case 266432)3 citations
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An admission record must be completed for each child prior to or at the time of the child’s admission. This record must be updated annually and when changes occur. The admission record must include: A dated, written authorization for emergency medical care signed and updated annually by the parent(s)/guardian(s). The authorization must be notarized if required by the local hospital, clinic, or emergency health care facility;
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There must be at least one (1) staff member on duty in each infant room at all times who holds a current Department-approved first aid and safety certificate that includes cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) for all ages of children.
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Toys, toy parts, furnishings, equipment, and any materials accessible to children under than three (3) years of age must not be a choke hazard or able to be inhaled. Any area of the facility accessible to children less than three (3) years of age must be free of any choke or inhalation hazards.
Oct 14, 2026: follow-up (case 280970)1 citation
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The time a child arrives and leaves the center each day must be recorded. Staff members must complete written attendance verification periodically throughout the day, including during transitions.
Dec 17, 2025: limited Supervisory (case 266106)1 citation
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Items labeled “keep out of reach of children” must be inaccessible to children.
Nov 19, 2025: supervisory (case 250272)12 citations
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The Trails child abuse or neglect records request must be made on the state-prescribed form, accompanied by the required fee within the following required time frames: Child care centers (less than 24-hour care), school-age child care facilities, family child care homes, and qualified exempt providers must meet the following:
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The Trails child abuse or neglect records request must be made on the state-prescribed form, accompanied by the required fee within the following required time frames: Child care centers (less than 24-hour care), school-age child care facilities, family child care homes, and qualified exempt providers must meet the following: Individuals who have obtained a successfully completed CBI or FBI record check may care for children, for no longer than ninety (90) calendar days, while waiting for all other required background checks to be completed. The individual must be supervised at all times by an individual who has successfully completed all required background checks.
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Each owner and employee sixteen (16) years of age or older of a facility or agency shall complete the fingerprint process at an approved vendor. Payment of the fee for the criminal record check is the responsibility of the individual being checked or the facility or agency. The results of the criminal record check, the CBI and/or Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) response letters, must be maintained at the home, center, facility, or agency and must be available for review upon request by a Licensing Specialist.
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The following background check requests must be submitted and successfully completed for each state an individual has resided in, in the past five years, prior to an individual caring for children or allowing the individual unsupervised access to children in child care centers (less than 24-hour care), school-age child care facilities, family child care homes, and qualified exempt provider homes:
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All facilities, except family child care homes must post in every room of the child care facility, excluding bedrooms and living areas, the license capacity of the room and the staff-to-child ratio required by regulation to be maintained for the age of children cared for in the room.
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An admission record must be completed for each child prior to or at the time of the child’s admission. This record must be updated annually and when changes occur. The admission record must include:Parent(s)/guardian(s) names; home and e-mail addresses; telephone numbers, including home, work, and cell numbers; employer name and work address; and, any special instructions as to how the parent(s)/guardian(s) may be reached during the hours that the child is in care at the center;
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An admission record must be completed for each child prior to or at the time of the child’s admission. This record must be updated annually and when changes occur. The admission record must include: Names, addresses, and telephone numbers of persons authorized to pick up the child from the center.
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An admission record must be completed for each child prior to or at the time of the child’s admission. This record must be updated annually and when changes occur. The admission record must include: Name, address, and telephone numbers of the child’s health care provider, dentist, and if applicable, their hospital of choice.
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Mattresses for cribs and futons must have a properly fitted, clean sheet.
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Items labeled “keep out of reach of children” must be inaccessible to children.
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Toys, toy parts, furnishings, equipment, and any materials accessible to children under than three (3) years of age must not be a choke hazard or able to be inhaled. Any area of the facility accessible to children less than three (3) years of age must be free of any choke or inhalation hazards.
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All climbing equipment eighteen (18) inches or higher must have resilient surfacing of at least six (6) inches in the use zone surrounding the equipment.
Nov 18, 2025: follow-up (case 265321)1 citation
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Items labeled “keep out of reach of children” must be inaccessible to children.
Oct 21, 2025: follow-up (case 264745)3 citations
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All children must be under the direct supervision at all times of a qualified adult who has been assigned the responsibility to supervise
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The time a child arrives and leaves the center each day must be recorded. Staff members must complete written attendance verification periodically throughout the day, including during transitions.
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Items labeled “keep out of reach of children” must be inaccessible to children.
Jan 14, 2025: capacity/Age/Exhibit (case 251163)1 citation
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Prior to the original license being issued, following the renovation of the facility that would affect the licensing of the facility and at least every two (2) years thereafter, all child care facilities except family child care homes and Neighborhood Youth Organizations must be inspected and obtain an approving inspection report from the local department of health or the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and from the local fire department. These reports must be maintained at the facility and be available for review upon request by a Licensing Specialist.
Dec 16, 2024: supervisory (case 216387)2 citations
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Within thirty (30) calendar days of employment, all employees and regular volunteers must be trained using a Department-approved training about child abuse prevention, which includes common symptoms and signs of child abuse, how to report, where to report, and when to report suspected or known child abuse or neglect. This training must be renewed annually.
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Within ninety (90) calendar days of employment, all staff required to register with the Colorado Shines Professional Development Information System (listed in rule section 2.208(D)) must complete the Department-approved Recognizing the Impact of Bias on Early Childhood Professionals training or other Department-approved training on implicit bias. This course is required once and will be counted towards ongoing professional development.
Jan 30, 2024: supervisory (case 198346)16 citations
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An operator of a licensed facility, guest child care facility as defined in section 26.5-5-303(10), C.R.S., or an exempt family child care home provider must submit a request to determine if an operator, applicant for employment or current employee has been found responsible for a confirmed report of child abuse or neglect in the Department’s automated system (Trails).
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Each owner and employee sixteen (16) years of age or older of a facility or agency shall complete the fingerprint process at an approved vendor. Payment of the fee for the criminal record check is the responsibility of the individual being checked or the facility or agency. The results of the criminal record check, the CBI and/or Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) response letters, must be maintained at the home, center, facility, or agency and must be available for review upon request by a Licensing Specialist.
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All facilities, except family child care homes must post in every room of the child care facility, excluding bedrooms and living areas, the license capacity of the room and the staff-to-child ratio required by regulation to be maintained for the age of children cared for in the room.
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All staff members must submit to the center a medical statement, signed and dated by a physician or other health care provider, verifying that they are in good mental, physical, and emotional health appropriate for the position for which they have been hired. This statement must be dated no more than six (6) months prior to employment or within thirty (30) calendar days after the first date of employment. Subsequent self-reported health histories must be submitted annually.
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All staff must complete a pre-service building and physical premises safety training prior to working with children. The training must include identification of and protection from hazards that can cause bodily injury such as electrical hazards, bodies of water, vehicular traffic handling and storage of hazardous materials and the appropriate disposal of biological contaminants.
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All staff must complete a Department-approved standard precautions training prior to working with children. This training must be renewed annually and will be counted towards ongoing professional development.
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Staff working with infants less than twelve (12) months old must complete a Department-approved safe sleep training prior to working with infants less than twelve (12) months old. This training must be renewed annually and will be counted towards ongoing professional development.
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Within thirty (30) calendar days of employment, all employees and regular volunteers must be trained using a Department-approved training about child abuse prevention, which includes common symptoms and signs of child abuse, how to report, where to report, and when to report suspected or known child abuse or neglect. This training must be renewed annually.
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Within ninety (90) calendar days of employment, all directors and assistant directors must complete the Department-approved training: Working with an Early Childhood Mental Health Consultant. This course is required once and will be counted towards ongoing professional development.
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Within ninety (90) calendar days of employment, all directors and assistant directors must complete the Department-approved training: Introduction to Child Care Health Consultation. This course is required once and will be counted towards ongoing professional development.
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An early childhood teacher, assigned responsibility for a single group of children and working under the supervision of a director, must be at least eighteen (18) years of age and meet at least one (1) of the following qualifications: A Bachelor’s, Master’s, or Doctorate degree from an accredited college or university with a major area of study in any area other than those listed at rule section 2.216(A)(1)(a), a, and an additional two (2) three (3)-semester credit hour courses in early child education, with one (1) course as the following: Introduction to Early Childhood Professions;
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Prior to being assigned a group of children, the infant program early childhood teacher must complete eight (8) hours of orientation in the infant program under the supervision of the infant program supervisor. The orientation may include, but not limited to, the following topics:
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There must be assigned at least one (1) qualified early childhood teacher supervising each group of children unless otherwise specified in rules. A director may be the assigned teacher for one (1) group of children.
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Staples must be inaccessible to children less than three (3) years of age.
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Indoor and outdoor equipment, materials, and furnishings must be sturdy, safe, and free of hazards.
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Loose fill resilient surface must be raked regularly to retain its resiliency and to retain a depth of at least six (6) inches.
Oct 11, 2023: capacity/Age/Exhibit (case 205485)1 citation
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Thumb tacks must not be used in areas accessible to children less than three (3) years of age.
Mar 30, 2023: supervisory (case 179433)12 citations
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Prior to caring for children, all staff must complete a State Department-approved training in emergency and disaster preparedness. For seasonal children’s resident camp programs, operating no more than 90 days per calendar year, at least one on site director must be trained in the State Department-approved training
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Emergency drills, lockdown and active shooter on premises drills must be held at least quarterly, but often enough so that all occupants are familiar with the drill procedure and their conduct during a drill is a matter of established routine. Fire drills must be held monthly and be consistent with local fire department procedures. Tornado drills must be held monthly from March to October. A record of all emergency drills held over the past twelve (12) months must be maintained by the facility or center, including date and time of drill, number of adults and children participating, and the amount of time taken to evacuate.
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The results of the abuse and neglect inquiry must be maintained at the center, facility, or agency and must be available for review upon request by a Licensing Specialist.
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The following background check requests must be submitted and successfully completed for each state an individual has resided in, in the past five years, prior to an individual caring for children or allowing the individual unsupervised access to children in child care centers (less than 24-hour care), school-aged child care facilities, family child care homes, and qualified exempt provider homes: a. State criminal history check b. State sex offender registry check c. State abuse and neglect registry check
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The admission record must include: A dated, written authorization for emergency medical care signed and updated annually by the parent(s)/guardian(s). The authorization must be notarized if required by the local hospital, clinic, or emergency health care facility.
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Staff working with children less than three (3) years of age must complete a Department-approved Prevention of Shaken Baby/Abusive Head Trauma training prior to working with children less than three (3) years of age. This training must be renewed every two (2) years and will be counted towards ongoing professional development.
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Within ninety (90) calendar days of employment, all staff required to register with the Colorado Shines Professional Development Information System (listed in Section 7.702.33, d) must complete the Department-approved training course: Introduction to the Early Intervention and Preschool Special Education Programs. This course is required once and will be counted towards ongoing professional development.
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Within ninety (90) calendar days of employment, all staff required to register with the Colorado Shines Professional Development Information System (listed in Section 7.702.33, d) must complete the Department-approved Recognizing the Impact of Bias on Early Childhood Professionals training or other Department-approved training on implicit bias. This course is required once and will be counted towards ongoing professional development.
-
Within ninety (90) calendar days of employment, all Directors and Assistant Directors must complete the Department-approved training: Working with an Early Childhood Mental Health Consultant. This course is required once and will be counted towards ongoing professional development.
-
Within ninety (90) calendar days of employment, all Directors and Assistant Directors must complete the department-approved training: Introduction to Child Care Health Consultation. This course is required once and will be counted towards ongoing professional development.
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Items labeled ?keep out of reach of children? must be inaccessible to children.
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Indoor and outdoor equipment, materials, and furnishings must be sturdy, safe, and free of hazards.
All 20 visits on record
| Date | Visit | What the record says |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 14, 2026 | Supervisory (case 266432) | 3 citations; no clearance date in CDEC’s file. |
| Oct 14, 2026 | Follow-up (case 280970) | 1 citation; no clearance date in CDEC’s file. |
| Oct 14, 2026 | Capacity/Age/Exhibit (case 280971) | No citations; cleared Oct 19, 2026. |
| Jul 24, 2026 | Follow-up (case 273408) | No citations; cleared Aug 14, 2026. |
| Jul 24, 2026 | Capacity/Age/Exhibit (case 276898) | No citations; cleared Aug 14, 2026. |
| May 7, 2026 | Limited Supervisory (case 272193) | No citations; cleared May 22, 2026. |
| Apr 10, 2026 | Limited Supervisory (case 270901) | No citations; cleared Apr 30, 2026. |
| Mar 11, 2026 | Limited Supervisory (case 269566) | No citations; cleared Apr 3, 2026. |
| Feb 10, 2026 | Limited Supervisory (case 268258) | No citations; cleared Feb 20, 2026. |
| Jan 15, 2026 | Limited Supervisory (case 267500) | No citations; cleared Jan 17, 2026. |
| Dec 17, 2025 | Limited Supervisory (case 266106) | 1 citation; cleared Jan 2, 2026. |
| Dec 17, 2025 | Follow-up (case 267499) | No citations; cleared Jan 2, 2026. |
| Nov 19, 2025 | Supervisory (case 250272) | 12 citations; cleared Dec 1, 2025. |
| Nov 18, 2025 | Follow-up (case 265321) | 1 citation; cleared Dec 15, 2025. |
| Oct 21, 2025 | Follow-up (case 264745) | 3 citations; cleared Nov 6, 2025. |
| Jan 14, 2025 | Capacity/Age/Exhibit (case 251163) | 1 citation; cleared Mar 3, 2025. |
| Dec 16, 2024 | Supervisory (case 216387) | 2 citations; cleared Feb 14, 2025. |
| Jan 30, 2024 | Supervisory (case 198346) | 16 citations; cleared Feb 29, 2024. |
| Oct 11, 2023 | Capacity/Age/Exhibit (case 205485) | 1 citation; cleared Jan 8, 2024. |
| Mar 30, 2023 | Supervisory (case 179433) | 12 citations; cleared Mar 31, 2023. |
Is it licensed?
- Colorado’s service type: Child Care Center; licensed by the Colorado Department of Early Childhood.
- Licensed for 82 children: 10 infants, 34 toddlers, 38 preschoolers.
- Colorado’s licence number: 1650981.
Colorado Department of Early Childhood (CDEC), Colorado Licensed Child Care Facilities Report. Released Nov 2, 2026. Updated monthly.
What did complaints and investigations find?
- CDEC’s file lists no complaints or Stage II investigations for this program from Jan 1, 2023 to Oct 27, 2026.
- Neither CDEC’s roster nor its file of inspections lists enforcement actions, such as fines or the revocation of a licence.
Colorado Department of Early Childhood (CDEC), Data request 2026-967, delivered Oct 28, 2026 and each month since: licensing inspections, complaints and Stage II investigations from Jan 1, 2023. Released Oct 28, 2026. CDEC sends the previous month’s records in the first week of each month; a person saves each file and loads it.
Who does the caring?
- Colorado doesn’t publish staffing levels for individual programs in this dataset.
Who owns it?
- Colorado’s dataset lists its governing body as NA.
Colorado Department of Early Childhood (CDEC), Colorado Licensed Child Care Facilities Report. Released Nov 2, 2026. Updated monthly.
How is it rated?
- Colorado Shines: Level 1 of five, as Colorado rates it.
Colorado Department of Early Childhood (CDEC), Colorado Licensed Child Care Facilities Report. Released Nov 2, 2026. Updated monthly.
How does it compare nearby?
- Programs aren’t compared with each other here: CDEC’s file doesn’t grade its citations by how serious they are.
| Place | |
|---|---|
| Little Explorers Preschool This child care provider | Not given |
What the record doesn’t say
- Inspections, investigations and complaints are from the file CDEC sent for a data request, from Jan 1, 2023, and the file it sends each month since. CDEC says its file may miss a program licensed during that time that is no longer licensed, and that its records may change as they are updated or finalized.
- CDEC’s file gives each rule cited, its category, and the days set to correct it and to clear the case, but not what the inspector wrote: Colorado Shines has each monitoring report. CDEC doesn’t grade citations by how serious they are.
- This page is built from the dataset of licensed child care facilities CDEC publishes monthly on data.colorado.gov, so a program licensed or closed since may be missing or still shown. It leaves out 24-hour licence types and care that is exempt from licensing.
- Colorado’s roster carries no enforcement actions, hours or staffing levels.
Sources
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Colorado Department of Early Childhood (CDEC), Colorado Licensed Child Care Facilities Report (data.colorado.gov, a9rr-k8mu).
Released Nov 2, 2026 and checked Nov 5, 2026. Updated monthly. Open Data Commons Public Domain Dedication and License (PDDL). data.colorado.gov’s terms ask for this disclaimer: “The data made available here has been modified for use from its original source, which is the State of Colorado. THE STATE OF COLORADO MAKES NO REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTY AS TO THE COMPLETENESS, ACCURACY, TIMELINESS, OR CONTENT OF ANY DATA MADE AVAILABLE THROUGH THIS SITE. THE STATE OF COLORADO EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, WHETHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. The data is subject to change as modifications and updates are complete. It is understood that the information contained in the Web feed is being used at one’s own risk.” Facts are extracted; monitoring reports are not republished.
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Colorado Department of Early Childhood (CDEC), Data request 2026-967, delivered Oct 28, 2026 and each month since: licensing inspections, complaints and Stage II investigations from Jan 1, 2023.
Released Oct 28, 2026 and checked Oct 29, 2026. CDEC sends the previous month’s records in the first week of each month; a person saves each file and loads it. No licence stated: CDEC sent this file for a data request that said it would be shown on a free public website. Its disclaimer says the data “is now subject to open records law”. Shown free, never sold.
If you believe something here is wrong, a correction starts with the agency whose record this copies: Colorado Department of Early Childhood (CDEC). Colorado’s own record is on coloradoshines.com. If Hearth Record copied something wrongly, it will fix it and log the correction publicly, with its date: how corrections work.
This copy of the record was made on Nov 5, 2026.
From the provider
The public record above comes first. Anything the provider adds will appear here, below it, and say who wrote it.
Replies
None. Replies aren’t open yet. When they open, the provider will be able to answer any finding for free, and the reply will show beside that finding, unedited and dated.
Paid listing
None. Paid listings aren’t open yet. When they open, anything paid for will say “Paid by the provider”, and paying will never change a finding, a rating or the order of results.