Kindercare Learning Center (New Castle)
A licensed child care center in New Castle, Delaware 19720
327 Old State Road, New Castle, Delaware 19720. (302) 322-3102.
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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?
3 visits with violations in the last three years, the latest on Sep 3, 2026; Delaware doesn’t list visits that found nothing.
17 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
17 violations in 3 months of the last 36. Last cited Sep 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.
Sep 3, 2026: unannounced Full Compliance Review7 violations
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Personnel Files
“Ensure staff files are complete. -OCCL health and safety training for Staff #1, 6, and 8. -CPR and First Aid for Staff #2, 3, 5, 7, and 8. -Fingerprinting for Staff #4.”
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Children’s Attendance
“Ensure children are signed in upon arrival. -Attendance in two’s classroom was not accurate. -Corrected at visit.”
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Indoor Space
“Ensure all surfaces are clean and cleanable. -Repair/Repaint wall in PreK. Preschool and infant classroom. Ensure air fresheners are not used in child care spaces. -Remove air fresheners from bathrooms and other classrooms.”
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Toilet Facilities
“Ensure all toilets are working and operational. -Fix/Repair toilet in hallway bathroom.”
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Outdoor Area
“Ensure fall zones are covered. Both playgrounds need additional mulch. Clean the playgrounds and remove all trash and broken toys.”
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Lesson Plans
“Ensure lesson plans are complete. -No lesson plans were in the infant and school-age classrooms.”
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License Renewal
“Ensure the application is completed 60 days prior to expiration.”
Sep 8, 2025: unannounced Full Compliance Review5 violations
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Child Files
“Ensure children’s files are complete. Blood lead screening results needed for Child #4 and #10. Parent right to know, screen permission, and mat permission for Child #4.”
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Indoor Space
“Ensure surfaces are cleanable and safe. Repair floors in the toddler classroom.”
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Outdoor Area
“Remove hazards from both playgrounds. -Remove broken toys from the preschool playground and remove the stack of chairs from the toddler playground.”
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Diapering and Soiled Clothing
“Ensure the foot-operated trachcan is within arm’s reach in the two-year-old classroom.”
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Administration of Medication
“Ensure all medication has a completed MAR. -Update MARs or send home sunscreen and bug spray in two classrooms.”
Sep 6, 2024: unannounced Full Compliance Review5 violations
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Indoor Space
“Ensure walls and floors are cleanable and clean. -Clean dust off fan and corners in Infant classroom. -Clean vent on ceiling, attach molding back to wall, and replace or repair door in the two-year-old classroom. -Replace broken floor tiles in the preschool. PreK, and school age classrooms. -Patch/Repair wall in Pre-K classroom and Pre-School classroom. -Repair broken cabinet in pre-K classroom. -Remove water damage in the ceiling in preschool classroom. -Remove air fresheners are not used in the child care facility. -CAV-”
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Kitchen and Food Preparation
“Ensure stored food has labels with expiration dates and contents. -Remove all spoiled food-”
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Outdoor Area
“Ensure trash and broken toys are removed from the playground.”
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Sleeping Accommodations and Safe Sleep Environments
“Ensure mats are not rip/torn free. Replace torn mats in the one-year-old and two-year-old classroom.”
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License Renewal
“Ensure the license application is submitted 60 days prior to expiration.”
All 3 visits on record
| Date | Visit | What the record says |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 3, 2026 | Unannounced Full Compliance Review | 7 violations cited |
| Sep 8, 2025 | Unannounced Full Compliance Review | 5 violations cited |
| Sep 6, 2024 | Unannounced Full Compliance Review | 5 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 28035.
- Capacity: 90 children.
Delaware Office of Child Care Licensing, Licensed Child Care Providers and Facilities. Released Oct 23, 2026. Updated daily.
Has Delaware acted against it?
- 5 complaint investigations in the last three years. Results, in Delaware’s words: No Evidence to Substantiate (3), Substantiated (2).
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 8, 2026 | OCCL Standards Complaint: Substantiated | The Office of Child Care Licensing (OCCL) received a complaint on March 31, 2026, regarding concerns of failing to use appropriate behavior supports. An investigation was conducted on April 1, 2026. This complaint is substantiated for failing to use appropriate behavior supports based on the interview conducted and statements reviewed. Administrator #1 stated after reviewing Staff #1’s statement, Staff #1 was not using appropriate behavior support while in the bathroom with Child #1. Statements reviewed from two staff members, and one parent consistently noted Staff #1 did not use appropriate behavior support when Child #1 had a bathroom accident. |
| Mar 9, 2026 | OCCL Standards Complaint: No Evidence to Substantiate | The Office of Child Care Licensing (OCCL) received a complaint on February 27, 2026, regarding concerns of failing to use appropriate behavior supports and failing to provide an injury report to parents. An investigation was conducted on March 3, 2026. There is no evidence to substantiate this complaint for failing to use appropriate behavior supports based on interviews conducted and statements reviewed. Interviews or statements from Administrator #1 and five staff members consistently noted they all denied witnessing any staff not using positive behavioral supports and stated they only use positive behavior management. There is no evidence to substantiate this complaint for failing to notify parents of an injury based on staff interviews conducted. Administrator #1 and three staff members interviewed stated incident/accident reports are completed and families are notified of any incidents or accidents. An incident/accident report was provided for Child #1 within one business day as required. |
| Jun 2, 2025 | OCCL Standards Complaint: Substantiated | On May 22, 2025, the Office of Child Care Licensing (OCCL) received a complaint regarding concerns of improper use of screen time with one-year-olds, lack of supervision (one-year-old children unsupervised with a school-age child present), and not following the facility s food service policy. An investigation was conducted on May 29, 2025. This complaint is substantiated for concerns of improper use of screen time with one-year-olds based on classroom observations and an interview with Administrator #1. Administrator #1 stated the one-year-old classroom does watch shows from time to time. LS #1 observed a movie playing on a laptop in the one-year-old classroom. This complaint is substantiated for lack of supervision based on the attendance records reviewed. Attendance records showed on May 21, 2025, the discovery preschool classroom had no staff members signed in from 8:30 am to 1:30 pm and again from 2:30 pm until the last child was signed out. The preschool classroom had nine children signed in with no staff member signed in from 4:30 pm to 5:25 pm. There is no evidence to substantiate this complaint for concerns of not following the food service policy based on interviews conducted. While Administrator #1 noted a staff member offered a child a potato chip, they stated it was in front of Parent #1, and this did not break the facility s food service policy. An additional concern noted was attendance records showed staff members not signing out for breaks and not signing out of the classrooms when leaving the classrooms at the end of the day on multiple occasions. Another concern was improper staff-to-child ratios based on review attendance records. On May 22, 2025, the one-year-old classroom had one staff member with 8 children present. On May 23, 2025, Discovery Preschool had 9 children with one staff member for 45 minutes. |
| May 28, 2025 | OCCL Standards Complaint: No Evidence to Substantiate | On May 19, 2025, the Office of Child Care Licensing (OCCL) received a complaint regarding concerns of improper discipline and lack of injury reports. An investigation was conducted on May 20, 2025. There is no evidence to substantiate this complaint for concerns of improper discipline based on staff interviews. All staff interviewed stated Child #1 came into the facility with an injury to their index finger that appeared to be a blood blister/pinch, and they also stated no bruising was observed on Child #1 the day they had a rash on their inner thigh. There is no evidence to substantiate this complaint for lack of injury reports as Administrator #1 and Staff #1 indicated no injuries occurred to Child #1 while in care. |
| Nov 20, 2023 | OCCL Standards Complaint: No Evidence to Substantiate | The Office of Child Care Licensing (OCCL) received three complaints between October 27, 2023, and October 30, 2023, two of which were called into the Child Abuse and Neglect Line and accepted for investigation by the Institutional Abuse Unit (IAU) regarding indoor hazards, not contacting emergency services as required, lack of supervision, and improper discipline. An investigation was conducted by IAU and OCCL on October 31, 2023. There is no evidence to substantiate this complaint for indoor hazards based on observation of the classroom space and staff interviews conducted. The cubbies in the classrooms were up against a solid wall at the time of this incident, and not free-standing. The cubbies have since been bolted to the walls as an additional preventative measure. There is no evidence to substantiate this complaint for not contacting emergency services based on staff interviews conducted. Administrator Megan Williams and Staff #1 noted while they were aware Child #1 needed medical attention, they were unaware of the severity of the injury as Child #1 remained calm. Administrator Williams stated she was aware Parent #1 lives less than five minutes from the facility and she intended to call emergency services if Parent #1 was unable to arrive promptly. There is no evidence to substantiate this complaint for lack of supervision based on staff interviews conducted. Both staff members present in the classroom provided a detailed explanation of the events, and witnessed the cubbies fall on Child #1, but stated they were unable to stop the cubbies from falling as it happened very quickly. There is no evidence to substantiate this complaint for improper discipline based on staff interviews conducted and IAU notification to OCCL on November 6, 2023, that their investigation would be closed as no evidence to substantiate for abuse or neglect. |
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?
- 2023: 1 facility injury. 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 |
|---|---|
| Kindercare Learning Center (New Castle) This child care provider | Not given |
| Rebekah Mercer | Not given |
| Sherell Thomas | Not given |
| Joy Harvey | Not given |
| Boys & Girls Club @ New Castle | Not given |
| YMCA of Delaware/New Castle | Not given |
| Latoya Jackson | Not given |
| Brickhouse Care Academy Corporation | Not given |
| Sara Hayton | Not given |
| Comforts of Home Preschool LLC | Not given |
| Teachable Moments | Not given |
| Seeds of Greatness Early Learning Center | Not given |
| Lorraine Cali | 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
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Paid listing
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