Happy Place Day Care LLC
A licensed child care center in Newark, Delaware 19713
4638 Ogletown Stanton Road, Newark, Delaware 19713. (302) 737-3603.
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The short answer
Record last released by Delaware Office of Child Care Licensing on Oct 23, 2026.
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 visits with violations in the last three years, the latest on Jun 11, 2026; Delaware doesn’t list visits that found nothing.
12 violations cited in the last three years.
Delaware Office of Child Care Licensing, Child Care Licensing Compliance Review Information. Released Oct 23, 2026. Updated daily.
When those violations happened
12 violations in 4 months of the last 36. Last cited Jun 2026. The last 3 years, to Oct 24, 2026.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 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 violation, in its source’s words
Grouped by visit, newest first, with the level its source gave it.
Delaware Office of Child Care Licensing, Child Care Licensing Compliance Review Information. Released Oct 23, 2026. Updated daily.
Jun 11, 2026: unannounced Full Compliance Review1 violation
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Personnel Files
“Ensure staff files are complete. 1 service letter and two references or 4 references for Staff #1. 1 reference letter for Staff #2 or 1 service letter. 2 references or a service letter and OCCL Health and Safety training for Staff #3. OCCL Health and Safety training for Staff #4.”
Jun 17, 2025: unannounced Full Compliance Review2 violations
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Personnel Files
“Ensure staff files are complete. Staff #1 needs 1 reference letter.”
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Indoor Space
“Ensure vent in boy’s bathroom is in good repair. Send a picture.”
Aug 1, 2024: unannounced Full Compliance Review3 violations
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Parents Right to Know
“Ensure all children have a signed Parents Right to Know on file. Send copy of Child #11 to OCCL.”
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Indoor Space
“Ensure indoor space is in good repair. Vents cleaned in SA building (CAV) Cove in girls bathroom in good repair (CAV) Holes on the inside of the preschool door repaired (CAV) Repair ceiling tiles in SA bathroom and classroom near the closet. Send a picture to OCCL.”
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Toilet Facilities
“Ensure bathroom or classroom sinks are in good working condition. Preschool sink was not draining. This was corrected at the visit.”
Jun 13, 2024: unannounced Full Compliance Review6 violations
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Personnel Files
“Ensure staff files are complete. Staff #1 needs a physical with TB test.”
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Indoor Space
“Ensure indoor space is in good repair. Replace floor vents in classrooms.”
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Kitchen and Food Preparation
“Ensure freezer is at 0’ F or colder.”
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Toilet Facilities
“Repair toilet in SA building.”
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Outdoor Area
“Ensure fence post is repaired.”
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Administration of Medication
“Ensure children have medication permission. Send MAR forms for children #6, #8, #9, #19, #20, #21, #22, #23”
All 4 visits on record
| Date | Visit | What the record says |
|---|---|---|
| Jun 11, 2026 | Unannounced Full Compliance Review | 1 violation cited |
| Jun 17, 2025 | Unannounced Full Compliance Review | 2 violations cited |
| Aug 1, 2024 | Unannounced Full Compliance Review | 3 violations cited |
| Jun 13, 2024 | Unannounced Full Compliance Review | 6 violations cited |
Is it licensed?
- Licensed Child Care Center.
- Ages served, in Delaware’s words: 6 weeks through 12 years.
- Takes part in: Child Care Food Program (meals reimbursed), Purchase of Care (state-subsidized child care).
- Licence number 1034687.
- Capacity: 103 children.
Delaware Office of Child Care Licensing, Licensed Child Care Providers and Facilities. Released Oct 23, 2026. Updated daily.
Has Delaware acted against it?
- 7 complaint investigations in the last three years. Results, in Delaware’s words: No Evidence to Substantiate (4), Substantiated (2), No Evidence to Substantiate with Concern (1).
Delaware Office of Child Care Licensing, Child Care Licensing Complaint Reviews and Licensed Child Care Providers and Facilities. Released Oct 23, 2026. Updated daily.
| Date | What | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Apr 29, 2025 | OCCL Standards Complaint: No Evidence to Substantiate with Concern | On April 10, 2025, the Office of Child Care Licensing received a complaint regarding communicable diseases, child health exclusions, and indoor hazards, including cleanliness and mouse droppings. An investigation was conducted on April 15, 2025. Based on interviews conducted during the visit, there is no evidence to substantiate this complaint for staff being present with a communicable disease because all staff interviewed stated they do not come to work sick, and they are required to obtain a doctor’s note to return to work. Based on interviews conducted at the visit, there is no evidence to substantiate this complaint for not following child health exclusions because all staff interviewed stated they do not bring their child to work while ill and leave if their child becomes ill at the center. Based on observations at the visit there was no evidence of rodents or squirrels observed in the center and documentation was provided to show monthly pest control services are being provided. A concern noted at the visit was while there was no evidence it was caused by a rodent, part of a doorframe was observed to be damaged near the floor. |
| Feb 6, 2025 | OCCL Standards Complaint: No Evidence to Substantiate | OCCL s investigation of regulatory non-compliance began after clearance from other agencies was received. On January 8, 2025, the Office of Child Care Licensing (OCCL) received multiple complaints regarding improper discipline and unsafe equipment. An investigation was conducted on January 17, 2025. There is no evidence to substantiate this complaint for improper discipline because according to video footage and staff interviews, Child #1 s braids were stuck in a changing table and were pulled out accidentally when Child #1 was lifted from the changing table. There is no evidence to substantiate this complaint for unsafe equipment based on photos received. The changing table was not able to be observed to be broken unless there was a child on it and the break was not able to be seen from where a staff member would be standing while a child was on the changing table. The center immediately repaired the changing table upon becoming aware of the concern. |
| Aug 1, 2024 | OCCL Standards Complaint: No Evidence to Substantiate | On July 12, 2024, The Office of Child Care Licensing (OCCL) received a complaint regarding failing to notify OCCL of the arrest of a staff member. An investigation was conducted on July 18, 2024. There is no evidence to substantiate this complaint because while OCCL was not directly notified of the staff arrest by the provider, there may have been some confusion due to the return call being routed through the OCCL switchboard to another state agency. |
| Aug 1, 2024 | OCCL Standards Complaint: No Evidence to Substantiate | On June 20, 2024, The Office of Child Care Licensing (OCCL) received a complaint regarding allowing staff with a known contagious communicable disease to provide care to children. An investigation started on July 25, 2024, and ended on July 29, 2024. There is no evidence to substantiate this complaint for allowing staff with a known contagious communicable disease to provide care to children because based on staff interviews and documentation received, staff members were immediately sent home when they tested positive for COVID-19 and only returned to work after testing negative for COVID-19 in accordance with the Center for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines. |
| May 7, 2024 | OCCL Standards Complaint: No Evidence to Substantiate | On April 15, 2024, the Office of Child Care Licensing (OCCL) received a complaint regarding sanitation concerns. An investigation was conducted on April 24, 2024. Based on staff interviews and observations of the physical space, there is no evidence to substantiate this complaint. All staff interviewed stated the center is cleaned throughout the day and cleaned at night by an outside cleaning company. Licensing Specialists observed the trash to be covered, the facility to be free of dirt and pests, and the plumbing to be functioning properly. |
| Feb 22, 2024 | OCCL Standards Complaint: Substantiated | On January 31, 2024, a complaint was called into the Child Abuse and Neglect Report Line and not accepted for investigation by the Institutional Abuse Unit (IAU). The Office of Child Care Licensing received the complaint on January 31, 2024, and accepted it for investigation regarding lack of supervision. While the administrator had self-reported the incident, the complaint is substantiated for lack of supervision because OCCL received a complaint regarding this incident and video footage showed a child running out of the building and into a multi-lane road. Staff interviewed also stated they were unaware the child was not in the classroom or building until police officers returned the child six minutes later. An additional concern noted was the classroom the child was in was over proper staff-to-child ratio based on the age of the youngest child present. |
| Feb 6, 2024 | OCCL Standards Complaint: Substantiated | The Office of Child Care Licensing (OCCL) received a complaint on December 19, 2023, regarding not conducting monthly fire drills, staff being told to give false information to OCCL, unqualified staff, insect infestation, sanitation concerns, and lack of a security procedure for entering the facility. An investigation was conducted on January 4, 2024. The complaint is substantiated for leaving unqualified staff alone with children. According to documentation provided, there were three instances where an unqualified staff member was left alone with children between December 7, 2023, and December 12, 2023. According to documentation provided, another concern noted was the infant room was left out of correct staff-to-child ratio for a total of one hour and twelve minutes and six infants were unsupervised for three minutes the same day. There is no evidence to substantiate this complaint for not conducting fire drills because according to documentation provided and staff interviews, fire drills are conducted every month as required. There is no evidence to substantiate this complaint for staff being told to give false information to OCCL because according to staff interviews, they were never told to give false information to OCCL. There is no evidence to substantiate insect infestation as there were no insects present in the center at the time of the complaint, and based on documentation and staff interviews, a pest control company services the center at least once a month. There is no evidence to substantiate sanitation concerns because based on staff interviews and observations, trash is taken out consistently and the center is cleaned daily. There is no evidence to substantiate a lack of security procedures for entering the facility because according to staff interviews and observations, there is a security procedure in place for entering the facility for staff, parents, and visitors. |
Who does the caring?
- Delaware doesn’t publish staffing levels for individual providers.
Who owns it?
- Delaware’s open data doesn’t list owners.
How is it rated?
- 2025: 2 facility injuries. No facility deaths reported.
- 2024: 3 facility injuries. No facility deaths reported.
Delaware Office of Child Care Licensing, Licensed Child Care Providers and Facilities. Released Oct 23, 2026. Updated daily.
How does it compare nearby?
- Providers aren’t compared: Delaware lists only the visits that found violations, so a count can’t tell a clean record from one never visited.
Delaware Office of Child Care Licensing, Child Care Licensing Compliance Review Information. Released Oct 23, 2026. Updated daily.
| Place | Violations cited in the last three years |
|---|---|
| YMCA of Delaware/ Gallaher | Not given |
| Happy Place Day Care LLC This child care provider | Not given |
| Katherine Hernandez | Not given |
| Sunshine Kids Academy | Not given |
| Islamic Academy of Delaware | Not given |
| Pequenas Manitas Early Learning Center | Not given |
| Jan Hymes | Not given |
| The Learning Experience | Not given |
| Little Stars Learn & Grow Academy | Not given |
| Aamani Jardon DBA Little Roses Daycare | Not given |
| Delaware Technical Community College Cdc Stanton | Not given |
| Erin Goldberg | Not given |
What the record doesn’t say
- Delaware doesn’t grade violations by severity, so read what was cited.
- Delaware’s open data lists a visit only when a violation was cited there, so visits that found nothing aren’t shown.
- Delaware publishes five years of reviews and complaints; this page shows the last three.
- Delaware doesn’t publish staffing levels or owners for individual providers.
- Delaware lists only the visits that found violations, so a provider with none listed may not have been visited at all: no count of violations is used to headline, filter or compare its providers.
Sources
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Delaware Office of Child Care Licensing, Licensed Child Care Providers and Facilities (iuzd-3dbt).
Released Oct 23, 2026 and checked Oct 24, 2026. Updated daily. Public Domain.
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Delaware Office of Child Care Licensing, Child Care Licensing Compliance Review Information (wb83-pkcv).
Released Oct 23, 2026 and checked Oct 24, 2026. Updated daily. Public Domain.
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Delaware Office of Child Care Licensing, Child Care Licensing Complaint Reviews (pnbd-85r6).
Released Oct 23, 2026 and checked Oct 24, 2026. Updated daily. Public Domain.
If you believe something here is wrong, a correction starts with the agency whose record this copies: Delaware Office of Child Care Licensing. Delaware’s own record is on data.delaware.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 Oct 24, 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.