Unity Ridge Early Childhood Center
A licensed child care center in Denison, Iowa
Watch and the shortlist are kept with a free account, on every device. Your watch list. Iowa’s own record is on secureapp.dhs.state.ia.us.
The short answer
Each figure’s source sits beside it, in its section below.
What these words mean3
- 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.
What did inspectors find?
Iowa lists 9 reports: 5 compliance reports and 4 regulation checklists, the latest dated May 1, 2026.
On its 3 regulation checklists from the last three years, Iowa marked 13 rules not met, 5 of them on the latest, on May 1, 2026.
What its other reports found is in each one, linked with it; this page doesn’t count it.
Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, Childcare Compliance and Complaint Reports and Regulation checklists (PDF), Childcare Compliance and Complaint Reports. Checked Oct 19, 2026. Updated daily.
Each deficiency, in its source’s words
Grouped by visit, newest first, with the level its source gave it.
Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, Regulation checklists (PDF), Childcare Compliance and Complaint Reports. Checked Oct 19, 2026. Updated daily.
May 1, 2026: regulation checklist5 deficiencies
-
Children’s hand washing: Center shall ensure staff assist children in personal hygiene.
-
•Program structure that uses developmentally appropriate practices and written program of activities planned to the developmental needs of children served. •Program complements but does not duplicate school curriculum. •Schedule of program is posted in a place visible to parents.
-
•Sanitary and safe methods in food preparation, serving, and storage sufficient to prevent transmission of disease, infestation, and spoilage are followed. •Staff preparing food that have injuries on hands wear protective gloves. •Staff serving food use clean serving utensils and have clean hands/wear protective gloves.
-
Center directors and all staff have the required contact hours of training.
-
All files contain sufficient information and authorization to allow the center to secure emergency medical and dental services at any time child is in center’s care.
Sep 23, 2025: regulation checklist6 deficiencies
-
Emergency instructions, phone numbers, and diagrams for fire, tornado, and flood shall be visibly posted and documented at least once a month for fire and tornado. Records shall be maintained for current and previous year.
-
109.11(3)a
-
Program provides a curriculum or program of activities that promotes self-esteem and positive self-image, social interaction, self-expression and communication, creative expression, and problem-solving skills.
-
Each infant and toddler shall be diapered in a sanitary manner as frequently as needed at a central diapering area. Diapering, sanitation, and hand-washing procedures shall be posted and implemented in every diapering area. There shall be at least one changing table for every 15 infants.
-
All files contain: 1.Copy of a department criminal history record check form or any other permission form approved by Department of Public Safety for conducting an Iowa or national criminal history record check 2.Copy of a request for child abuse information form, when applicable. 3.Copies of results of Iowa record checks conducted through the SING for review by the department upon request. 4.Copies of national criminal history check results. 5.Any department issued documents sent to the center related to a record check, regardless of findings.
-
All files contain sufficient information and authorization to allow the center to secure emergency medical and dental services at any time child is in center’s care.
Apr 1, 2024: regulation checklist2 deficiencies
-
Center repeats Iowa record checks at a minimum of every two years or when aware of additional child abuse or criminal history that occurs.
-
Center repeats national criminal history checks at a minimum of every four years or when aware of additional history that occurs.
All 9 visits on record
| Date | Visit | What the record says |
|---|---|---|
| May 1, 2026 | Child Care Center Evaluation and Recommendation for License | Findings are in Iowa’s report |
| May 1, 2026 | Regulation checklist | 5 rules marked not met |
| Sep 23, 2025 | Child Care Center Evaluation and Recommendation for License | Findings are in Iowa’s report |
| Sep 23, 2025 | Regulation checklist | 6 rules marked not met |
| Aug 16, 2024 | Child Care Center Evaluation and Recommendation for License | Findings are in Iowa’s report |
| Apr 1, 2024 | Child Care Center Evaluation and Recommendation for License | Findings are in Iowa’s report |
| Apr 1, 2024 | Regulation checklist | 2 rules marked not met |
| May 18, 2023 | Child Care Center Evaluation and Recommendation for License | Findings are in Iowa’s report |
| May 18, 2023 | Regulation checklist | Findings are in Iowa’s report |
Is it licensed?
- Licensed Center, Iowa provider number 6319.
Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, Childcare Compliance and Complaint Reports. Checked Oct 19, 2026. Updated daily.
Has Iowa acted against it?
- Iowa’s report list doesn’t show enforcement actions; any are written in the reports themselves.
Who does the caring?
- Iowa’s report list doesn’t show staffing. State rules set staff-to-child ratios by age.
Who owns it?
- Iowa’s report list doesn’t name owners.
How is it rated?
- Iowa’s quality rating (IQ4K) isn’t in its report list, so it isn’t shown here.
How does it compare nearby?
- Providers aren’t compared: Iowa’s checklists don’t cover every visit, and complaint findings aren’t on them.
| Place | |
|---|---|
| Unity Ridge Early Childhood Center This child care provider | Not given |
What the record doesn’t say
- Findings here are the rules Iowa’s regulation checklists from the last three years mark as not met, in the checklists’ own words. What evaluations, letters and complaint investigations found is in those reports, linked with each one, and isn’t counted here.
- Iowa lists a report once it is written up: most within two weeks of the visit, some six weeks or more after it, so a recent visit may not be listed yet.
- Each report is dated the day Iowa created it, which can be weeks after the visit; a checklist is dated the day of the inspection it records.
- Iowa’s report list gives only a provider’s city and county, not its street address, ZIP code or phone number.
- Iowa’s report list doesn’t show quality ratings (IQ4K), capacity, ages served, hours, owners or enforcement actions.
Sources
-
Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, Childcare Compliance and Complaint Reports.
Checked Oct 19, 2026. Updated daily. No licence stated.
-
Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, Regulation checklists (PDF), Childcare Compliance and Complaint Reports.
Checked Oct 19, 2026. Updated daily. No licence stated.
If you believe something here is wrong, a correction starts with the agency whose record this copies: Iowa Department of Health and Human Services. Iowa’s own record is on secureapp.dhs.state.ia.us. 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 19, 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.