The Child Craft Company
A licensed child care center in Seaford, Delaware 19973
26396 Seaford Road, Seaford, Delaware 19973. (302) 628-1231.
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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?
2 visits with violations in the last three years, the latest on Oct 14, 2025; Delaware doesn’t list visits that found nothing.
14 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
14 violations in 2 months of the last 36. Last cited Oct 2025. 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.
Oct 14, 2025: unannounced Full Compliance Review8 violations
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Ratios, Group Size, and Supervision
“Ensure supervision is provided at all times. Upon arrival, a staff person was observed exiting the classroom of eight children to answer the door. Later, this Licensing Specialist observed a child exit the same classroom, walk down the hallway, and enter the kitchen, unsupervised. Retrain Staff #5 on proper supervision of children.”
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General Qualifications
“Ensure an eligibility determination from a comprehensive background check is received before the start of employment. Upon arrival, a new staff person was observed in the classroom with the Administrator without an eligibility determination on file. This was corrected at the visit when the new staff person left the center.”
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Personnel Files
“Ensure staff files are complete. Four staff need CPR/First Aid training. Three staff need an updated professional development plan. One staff needs a review of child abuse/neglect, orientation, job description, references, employee declaration/drug and alcohol statement, release of employment history, and service letters.”
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Parents Right to Know
“Ensure Parent’s Right to Know log is reviewed with and signed by each newly enrolled family and any family touring the center. Obtain signatures.”
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Child Files
“Ensure child files are complete. Two children need an updated health appraisal and immunizations. Two children need an updated health appraisal, immunizations, and blood lead level test result.”
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Indoor Space
“Ensure walls are in good repair. Repair hole around pipes in kindergarten girl’s bathroom.”
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Kitchen and Food Preparation
“Ensure refrigerators maintain a temperature of 41 degrees F or below and freezers maintain a temperature of 0 degrees F or below. Adjust the refrigerator in Room #1 and the left freezer in the kitchen to the proper temperature.”
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Sanitation
“Ensure a soap and water bottle is available in the classrooms for proper cleaning and sanitation. Add soap and water bottles.”
Oct 16, 2024: unannounced Full Compliance Review6 violations
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Personnel Files
“Ensure staff files are complete. One staff needs to complete CPR/First Aid and receive out-of-state background check. One staff needs a second attempt at obtaining a Service Letter.”
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Child Files
“Ensure child files are complete. Two children need an updated Health Appraisal, immunizations, and blood lead level test result. Two children need a blood lead level test result.”
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Indoor Space
“Ensure sinks supply both hot and cold water. This was corrected at the visit when the hot water was turned back on.”
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Kitchen and Food Preparation
“Ensure the refrigerator in each classroom and those in the kitchen are maintained at a temperature of 41 degrees F or below. Ensure the freezers in the kitchen are maintained at a temperature of 0 degrees F or below.”
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Toilet Facilities
“Ensure each bathroom has an operable ventilation fan.”
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Sleeping Accommodations and Safe Sleep Environments
“Ensure nap mats are non-absorbent and cleanable.”
All 2 visits on record
| Date | Visit | What the record says |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 14, 2025 | Unannounced Full Compliance Review | 8 violations cited |
| Oct 16, 2024 | Unannounced Full Compliance Review | 6 violations cited |
Is it licensed?
- Licensed Child Care Center.
- Ages served, in Delaware’s words: 3 years through 11 years.
- Takes part in: Purchase of Care (state-subsidized child care).
- Licence number 29816.
- Capacity: 137 children.
Delaware Office of Child Care Licensing, Licensed Child Care Providers and Facilities. Released Oct 23, 2026. Updated daily.
Has Delaware acted against it?
- 3 complaint investigations in the last three years. Results, in Delaware’s words: Substantiated (2), No Evidence to Substantiate (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 |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 1, 2025 | OCCL Standards Complaint: Substantiated | On September 8, 2025, the Office of Child Care Licensing (OCCL) received a complaint regarding accident/injury procedures, lack of positive behavior supports, hazards on the playground, not having water available, mixing children of various ages outside of allowed times, and using drugs that could adversely affect job functions in the workplace. An investigation was conducted on September 11, 2025. This complaint is substantiated for accident/injury procedures because although the injury to Child #1 was documented, the contact to the parent/guardian was not. There is no evidence to substantiate the allegations of lack of positive behavior supports because all staff interviewed stated they have never seen Administrator #1 flipping tables, grabbing and yelling at children, or locking children in the bathrooms. There is no evidence to substantiate the allegations of hazards on the playground because during a walkthrough in the outdoor play area, no glass was observed. There is no evidence to substantiate the allegation children are deprived of water, because Administrator #1 stated the children have access to the water fountain whenever needed. There is no evidence to substantiate the allegation children of various ages are mixed together, because there are no two-year-olds enrolled and children aged three, four, and five are able to be combined as long as staff-to-child ratio is maintained. There is no evidence to substantiate the allegation Administrator #1 is using drugs adversely affecting job function, because all staff interviewed denied this. |
| Aug 5, 2025 | OCCL Standards Complaint: Substantiated | On July 14, 2025, the Office of Child Care Licensing (OCCL) received a complaint regarding cell phone usage, photograph/video policies, beginning employment prior to eligibility determination, and not keeping the children safe by bringing turtles into the center. An investigation was conducted on July 16, 2025. This complaint is substantiated for beginning employment prior to receiving an eligibility determination because according to staff interviewed, Staff #1 began working at the center on June 17, 2025, but the eligibility letter was not received until July 7, 2025. This complaint is substantiated for not keeping children safe by exposing them to turtles because staff interviewed stated two box turtles were placed in a box and brought into the classroom to show the children. There is no evidence to substantiate the allegation that cell phones were used while performing child care duties. According to Staff #1, he/she took a picture of the turtles in the classroom prior to children being in the room or starting his/her work shift. There is no evidence to substantiate the allegation Staff #1 did not adhere to the center s policies on photographing and videoing children. Staff #1 stated he/she did not take any photos or videos of the children, then proceeded to show LS #1 a picture of the two turtles that was taken that day. A concern noted was Administrator #1 stated a two-year-old was enrolled in the three-year-old classroom because he/she was developmentally ready. Another concern noted was when LS #1 requested to review Staff #1 s complete file, Administrator #1 stated it was not on site and only a few documents were present. |
| May 6, 2025 | OCCL Standards Complaint: No Evidence to Substantiate | On March 25, 2024, the Office of Child Care Licensing (OCCL) received a complaint regarding lack of supervision, not being respectful, not following the termination policy in the handbook, and not having an administrator onsite at least 50 % of the hours of operation. An investigation began on April 1, 2025, and concluded on May 1, 2025. There is no evidence to substantiate this complaint, because all staff interviewed stated they take their entire classroom to the hallway for bathroom breaks unless there is another staff person to supervise the children in the classroom. Additionally, all staff interviewed stated Staff #1 was not being rude or disrespectful to a parent. There is no evidence to substantiate the allegation the center did not follow their own termination policy, because the parent handbook states they can terminate a child s enrollment for any reason. Lastly, there is no evidence to substantiate the allegation that the administrator is not on site at least 50% of the time, because although the administrator was out on medical leave, it was only for a limited time, and he/she has been cleared by medical professionals to return to work. |
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?
- No facility injuries reported. 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 |
|---|---|
| The Child Craft Company This child care provider | Not given |
| Sade Lankford | Not given |
| Little Sprouts Learning Academy | Not given |
| Lil Kritters Child Care | Not given |
| Little Miracles Preschool | Not given |
| Cozmic Kidz Learning Center LLC | Not given |
| Lindsey Smith | Not given |
| Charlene Wildonger | Not given |
| God’s Little Blessings Child Care | Not given |
| Valerie Horsey | Not given |
| Laura Messick DBA the Learning Tree, LLC | Not given |
| Precious Memories Childcare and Preschool | Not given |
| Children & Families First Head Start Seaford | 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.