Freha Shahzad
A family child care home in Darien, Connecticut 06820
20 Greenwood Ave, Darien, Connecticut 06820. (203) 917-5427.
Watch and the shortlist are kept with a free account, on every device. Your watch list. Connecticut’s own record is on elicense.ct.gov.
The short answer
Record last released by Connecticut Office of Early Childhood on Nov 5, 2026.
- 13 violations in the last three years
- Mar 232026 the latest visit on record
- 9 children, its licensed capacity
Each figure’s source sits beside it, in its section below.
What these words mean4
- 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.
- 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?
4 inspections in the last three years, the latest on Mar 23, 2026.
13 violations cited in the last three years.
Connecticut Office of Early Childhood, Child Care & Youth Camp Licensing Inspections. Released Nov 4, 2026. Updated daily.
Connecticut Office of Early Childhood, Child Care & Youth Camp Licensing Investigations and Child Care & Youth Camp Licensing Violations. Released Nov 5, 2026. Updated daily.
When those violations happened
13 violations in 2 months of the last 36. Last cited Apr 2025. The last 3 years, to Nov 5, 2026.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 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 | Nov |
Hover or focus a month to read it.
Hearth Record drew this from the dates and levels in the source’s own records.
Each violation, in its source’s words
Grouped by visit, newest first, with the level its source gave it.
Connecticut Office of Early Childhood, Child Care & Youth Camp Licensing Violations. Released Nov 5, 2026. Updated daily.
Apr 22, 2025: announced inspection (full)1 violation
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Background Check: The applicant, provider, prospective employees, assistants, substitutes and each household member shall submit to a comprehensive background check. Such persons shall not have record that the Commissioner reasonably believes renders such person ineligible. The provider shall not employ program staff who have a record the commissioner reasonably believes renders such staff ineligible. The provider shall maintain at the family child care home evidence of compliance with the comprehensive background check requirements. The provider shall make available to the OEC any information obtained concerning comprehensive background checks upon request.
Apr 18, 2024: unannounced inspection (full)12 violations
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Flexible and Balanced Schedule: The provider shall develop and implement a written schedule that is flexible, with time for free choice play, outdoor play, snacks, meals and a rest period.
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Personal Articles: Blanket/Towel/Toilet Articles: For each child in care, there shall be individual bedding, towel and toilet articles appropriate to the needs of the child.
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Reqts for Sleeping Arrangements Posted/Discussed: The provider shall post in a conspicuous place in the family child care home the requirements pertaining to sleep arrangements and discuss with the child�s parent(s) the requirements prior to enrollment and reviewed as needed during the period of the child�s enrollment.
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Dev. Milestones: The provider shall post a copy of the developmental milestones document developed by the Office of Early Childhood in a conspicuous place at the program.
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License Posted: The license shall be displayed conspicuously in a location visible to the Office of Early Childhood staff and to parents whose children are in care or who are considering placing their children in the provider’s care.
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Safe Exits: There shall be two (2) readily accessible, passable, remotely located and safe means of escape from each room used for child care in the family child care home. Passageways leading to means of escape shall have adequate lighting and be kept free from barriers or obstructions. All means of escape shall be easily opened and kept free of obstructions at all times.
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Emergency Plan: The provider shall develop a written plan for the protection of children and staff in the event of emergencies.
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Emergency Evacuation Drills-Quarterly: The provider and staff shall be periodically instructed and kept informed of their duties under the plan and shall practice at least quarterly an emergency evacuation drill. A written log of the practiced drills shall be maintained at the family child care home for one year.
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Fire Extinguisher: The provider shall have easily accessible to the area of child care a minimum of one ABC multi-purpose fire extinguisher in operating condition that contains at least five pounds of fire extinguishing agent and shall have knowledge of its use and the ability to manage its use. Each fire extinguisher shall be installed according to the manufacturer�s instructions, at a height not to exceed five (5) feet above the floor. Extinguishers shall not be obstructed or obscured in order to allow for immediate access.
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Water Temperature: The water temperature at the tap shall be within a range of sixty degrees Fahrenheit to one hundred twenty degrees Fahrenheit.
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Working Telephone/Emergency Numbers Posted: The provider shall have a working telephone at the family child care home, with emergency numbers posted in a readily accessible location in an area where family child care services are provided which is known to the provider and all staff.
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First Aid Supplies: The provider shall have at least one portable, readily accessible first aid kit where children are in care, including field trips. Each kit shall be a closed container for storing first aid supplies, accessible to the provider and substitute at all times but out of the reach of children. First aid kits shall contain required supplies and shall be restocked after use.
All 4 visits on record
| Date | Visit | What the record says |
|---|---|---|
| Mar 23, 2026 | Unannounced inspection (full) | No violations cited |
| Apr 22, 2025 | Announced inspection (full) | 1 violation cited |
| Apr 18, 2024 | Follow-up visit | No violations cited |
| Apr 18, 2024 | Unannounced inspection (full) | 12 violations cited |
Is it licensed?
- Family Child Care Home, first licensed May 20, 2015.
- Licence DCFH.56631, valid Jun 1, 2023 to May 31, 2027.
- Capacity: 6 children, plus 3 of school age.
Connecticut Office of Early Childhood, Child Care & Youth Camp Licensing Program Data. Released Nov 5, 2026. Updated daily.
Has Connecticut acted against it?
- No investigations in the last three years.
Connecticut Office of Early Childhood, Child Care & Youth Camp Licensing Investigations. Released Nov 5, 2026. Updated daily.
Connecticut Office of Early Childhood, Child Care & Youth Camp Licensing Inspections. Released Nov 4, 2026. Updated daily.
Who does the caring?
- Connecticut doesn’t publish staffing levels for individual providers.
Who owns it?
- Connecticut’s open data doesn’t list owners.
How is it rated?
- Connecticut’s licensing data has no quality rating.
How does it compare nearby?
- Among 891 child care providers in Fairfield County, the middle value for violations cited in the last three years was 9; this one had 13.
Connecticut Office of Early Childhood, Child Care & Youth Camp Licensing Violations. Released Nov 5, 2026. Updated daily.
| Place | Violations cited in the last three years |
|---|---|
| First Cong Church Darien Nursery School | 9 |
| Noroton Presbyterian Nursery School | 3 |
| St Luke’s Parish School | 6 |
| St Thomas More Happiness Preschool | 13 |
| Holly Pond School | 35 |
| St John Pre School | 7 |
| Methodist Family Center Preschool | 2 |
| Noroton Presbyterian Child Care | 10 |
| Darien Nature Center | 11 |
| The Goddard School-Darien | 2 |
| Donna Gendreau | 12 |
| Freha Shahzad This child care provider | 13 |
What the record doesn’t say
- Connecticut doesn’t grade violations by severity, so read what was cited.
- Connecticut’s open data gives the rule behind each violation, not what the inspector saw.
- Connecticut doesn’t publish whether a complaint was substantiated, only how each investigation was resolved.
- Connecticut doesn’t publish staffing levels or owners for individual providers.
- This page shows Connecticut’s records from the last three years; its open data goes back to 2005.
Sources
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Connecticut Office of Early Childhood, Child Care & Youth Camp Licensing Program Data (h8mr-dn95).
Released Nov 5, 2026 and checked Nov 5, 2026. Updated daily. Public Domain.
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Connecticut Office of Early Childhood, Child Care & Youth Camp Licensing Inspections (6rnk-h6iy).
Released Nov 4, 2026 and checked Nov 5, 2026. Updated daily. Public Domain.
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Connecticut Office of Early Childhood, Child Care & Youth Camp Licensing Violations (ccit-2ev8).
Released Nov 5, 2026 and checked Nov 5, 2026. Updated daily. Public Domain.
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Connecticut Office of Early Childhood, Child Care & Youth Camp Licensing Investigations (tett-bw6q).
Released Nov 5, 2026 and checked Nov 5, 2026. Updated daily. Public Domain.
If you believe something here is wrong, a correction starts with the agency whose record this copies: Connecticut Office of Early Childhood. Connecticut’s own record is on elicense.ct.gov. 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.