The Neighborhood Center, Inc.
A day care center in Utica, New York 13501
615 Mary St., Utica, New York 13501. (315) 272-2760.
What New York’s list coversOutside New York City
Programs New York State’s Office of Children and Family Services licenses or registers outside New York City, each county added once it is read in full. Programs in the city’s five boroughs, including the day care centers its Health Department regulates, aren’t here yet.
Watch and the shortlist are kept with a free account, on every device. Your watch list. New York’s own record is on hs.ocfs.ny.gov.
The short answer
Record last released by New York State Office of Children and Family Services on Nov 2, 2026.
- 56 violations in the last three years
- Jun 22026 the latest visit on record
- 122 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?
8 inspections in the last three years, the latest on Jun 2, 2026.
56 violations cited in the last three years.
New York State Office of Children and Family Services, Program pages: inspection and complaint history. Checked Oct 20, 2026. Updated daily.
When those violations happened
49 violations in 10 months of the last 36. Last cited Jun 2026. The last 3 years, to Nov 2, 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.
New York State Office of Children and Family Services, Program pages: inspection and complaint history. Checked Oct 20, 2026. Updated daily.
Jun 9, 2026: complaint investigation10 violations
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Staff and volunteers must be mature, of good character and possess suitable personal qualifications.
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Staff and volunteers must be mature, of good character and possess suitable personal qualifications.
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The child day care center must employ staff who will promote the physical, intellectual, social, cultural and emotional well-being of the children.
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The child day care center must employ staff who will promote the physical, intellectual, social, cultural and emotional well-being of the children.
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The program must establish and follow a written plan for behavior management that is acceptable to the office. This plan must include how the staff will approach challenging behaviors, help children solve problems and encourage acceptable behaviors.
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The program must establish and follow a written plan for behavior management that is acceptable to the office. This plan must include how the staff will approach challenging behaviors, help children solve problems and encourage acceptable behaviors.
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Corporal punishment is prohibited. For the purposes of this Subpart, the term corporal punishment means punishment inflicted directly on the body including, but not limited to, physical restraint, spanking, biting, shaking, slapping, twisting or squeezing; demanding excessive physical exercise, prolonged lack of movement or motion, or strenuous or bizarre postures; and compelling a child to eat or have in the child’s mouth soap, foods, hot spices or irritants or the like.
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Corporal punishment is prohibited. For the purposes of this Subpart, the term corporal punishment means punishment inflicted directly on the body including, but not limited to, physical restraint, spanking, biting, shaking, slapping, twisting or squeezing; demanding excessive physical exercise, prolonged lack of movement or motion, or strenuous or bizarre postures; and compelling a child to eat or have in the child’s mouth soap, foods, hot spices or irritants or the like.
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Methods of discipline, interaction or toilet training which frighten, demean or humiliate a child are prohibited.
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Methods of discipline, interaction or toilet training which frighten, demean or humiliate a child are prohibited.
Jun 2, 2026: monitoring3 violations
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All rooms, equipment, surfaces, supplies and furnishings accessible to children must be cleaned and then sanitized or disinfected, using an EPA registered product, as needed to protect the health of children, and in a manner consistent with the program’s health care plan approved by the Office.
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Suitable precautions must be taken to eliminate all conditions in areas accessible to children which pose a safety or health hazard.
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Protective caps, covers or permanently installed obstructive devices must be used on all electrical outlets that are accessible to children.
Apr 24, 2026: complaint investigation8 violations
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In accordance with the provisions of Sections 413 and 415 of the Social Services Law, child care center staff must immediately report any suspected incidents of child abuse or maltreatment concerning a child receiving child care to the Statewide Central Register of Child Abuse and Maltreatment, or cause such a report to be made, when such staff have reasonable cause to suspect that a child coming before them in their capacity as child care center workers is an abused or maltreated child. This must be done in the following manner:
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Staff and volunteers must be mature, of good character and possess suitable personal qualifications.
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Each applicant for, or individual in the position of director, teacher, or volunteer must complete Office-approved training that complies with federal minimum health and safety pre-service or three-month orientation period requirements. This training must be obtained pre-service or within three months of starting such position.
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The program must immediately notify the parent and Office upon learning of the following events involving a child which occurred while the child was in care at the program or was being transported by the program: serious incident,
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Children cannot be left without competent supervision at any time. Competent supervision includes awareness of and responsibility for the ongoing activity of each child. It requires that all children be within a teacher’s range of vision and that the teacher be near enough to respond when redirection or intervention strategies are needed. Competent supervision must take into account the child’s age emotional, physical, and cognitive development.
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The child day care center must employ staff who will promote the physical, intellectual, social, cultural and emotional well-being of the children.
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The program must establish and follow a written plan for behavior management that is acceptable to the office. This plan must include how the staff will approach challenging behaviors, help children solve problems and encourage acceptable behaviors.
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Physical intervention is permitted. Physical intervention is the act of using bodily contact as a short-term immediate response to prevent children from incurring substantial or serious injury to themselves or injuring others. It may involve: picking a child up and moving him or her away from danger or conflict, holding the child’s hands or gently touching the body to direct their movement, rocking a child to soothe them, blocking a child’s path when they are about to injure themselves or others or destroy property. This technique allows the child to regain self-control as quickly and safely as possible. A consultation with a child’s parent is required if the child is not receptive to physical intervention.
Feb 19, 2026: annual Unannounced1 violation
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Play equipment must be installed and used in accordance with the manufacturer’s specifications and instructions, be in good repair, and be placed in a safe location.
Jun 4, 2025: fire Safety - Other2 violations
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The program must maintain on file at the child day care center, available for inspection by the Office or its designees at any time, the following records in a current and accurate manner: documentation from the local health department or the New York State Department of Health showing that the facility has been approved in accordance with the requirements of the New York State Department of Health;
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The program must maintain on file at the child day care center, available for inspection by the Office or its designees at any time, the following records in a current and accurate manner: documentation from service personnel qualified to perform fire suppression systems maintenance, repair and testing showing that fire suppression equipment and systems have been tested and maintained during the current license period in accordance with the applicable requirements of the Fire and Building Code of New York State;
Mar 5, 2025: annual Unannounced3 violations
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The program must maintain on file at the child day care center, available for inspection by the Office or its designees at any time, the following records in a current and accurate manner: daily attendance records, which must be filled out at the time a child arrives and departs, and must include arrival and departure times;
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Suitable precautions must be taken to eliminate all conditions in areas accessible to children which pose a safety or health hazard.
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The child day care center must employ staff who will promote the physical, intellectual, social, cultural and emotional well-being of the children.
Mar 4, 2025: complaint investigation2 violations
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Staff and volunteers must be mature, of good character and possess suitable personal qualifications.
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The child day care center must employ staff who will promote the physical, intellectual, social, cultural and emotional well-being of the children.
Feb 13, 2025: complaint investigation10 violations
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The program must obtain a written statement from the parent of each infant in care setting forth the breast milk, formula and feeding schedule instructions for the infant and must be updated as changes are made.
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Child day care centers must review and evaluate the backgrounds of all applicants for staff and volunteer positions. All applicants whose backgrounds must be checked are required to provide the following: a sworn statement by the applicant indicating whether, to the best of the applicant’s knowledge, such applicant has ever been convicted of a misdemeanor or felony in New York State or any other jurisdiction and fingerprint images as required to comply with the requirements of 413.4 of this Title;
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The program must immediately notify the parent and Office upon learning of the following events involving a child which occurred while the child was in care at the program or was being transported by the program: serious injury,
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One of the required sinks will serve as a washbasin for bottles and dishes the other for diaper changing needs and hand washing.
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Suitable precautions must be taken to eliminate all conditions in areas accessible to children which pose a safety or health hazard.
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The program must take suitable precautions to prevent the following: serious injury of a child while in care at the program or being transported by the program; and
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Radiators and pipes located in rooms occupied by children must be covered to protect the children from injury when the heating system is in use.
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Children cannot be left without competent supervision at any time. Competent supervision includes awareness of and responsibility for the ongoing activity of each child. It requires that all children be within a teacher’s range of vision and that the teacher be near enough to respond when redirection or intervention strategies are needed. Competent supervision must take into account the child’s age emotional, physical, and cognitive development.
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The child day care center must provide supervision of the staff responsible for the care of children. Workloads and assignments must be arranged to provide consistency of care to children and to allow staff to fulfill their respective responsibilities.
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The child day care center must provide supervision of the staff responsible for the care of children. Workloads and assignments must be arranged to provide consistency of care to children and to allow staff to fulfill their respective responsibilities.
Oct 1, 2024: complaint investigation2 violations
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Children may not sleep or nap in car seats, baby swings, strollers, infant seats or bouncy seats unless otherwise prescribed by a health care provider. Should a child fall asleep in one of these devices, he or she must be moved to a crib/cot or other approved sleeping surface.
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The use of any type of personal electronic media device for social or entertainment purposes, including but not limited to, listening to music on headphones, playing screen games, surfing the internet, sending e-mails, or making personal calls while supervising children is prohibited. The use of mobile phones is permitted as necessary to promote the children’s safety and ensuring the orderly operation of the program.
Jun 20, 2024: complaint investigation4 violations
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The program must immediately notify the parent and Office upon learning of the following events involving a child which occurred while the child was in care at the program or was being transported by the program:
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The program must maintain on file at the child day care center, available for inspection by the Office or its designees at any time, the following records in a current and accurate manner: daily attendance records, which must be filled out at the time a child arrives and departs, and must include arrival and departure times;
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Except while sleeping, awaking or going to sleep, an infant must not be left in a crib, playpen or other confined space for more than 30 minutes at any one time. Other than at meals or snack time, a child must not be left in a high chair for longer than 15 minutes.
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Children cannot be left without competent supervision at any time. Competent supervision includes awareness of and responsibility for the ongoing activity of each child. It requires that all children be within a teacher’s range of vision and that the teacher be near enough to respond when redirection or intervention strategies are needed. Competent supervision must take into account the child’s age emotional, physical, and cognitive development.
Apr 19, 2024: complaint investigation1 violation
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Children cannot be left without competent supervision at any time. Competent supervision includes awareness of and responsibility for the ongoing activity of each child. It requires that all children be within a teacher’s range of vision and that the teacher be near enough to respond when redirection or intervention strategies are needed. Competent supervision must take into account the child’s age emotional, physical, and cognitive development.
Jan 25, 2024: complaint investigation3 violations
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The following items must be used and stored in such a manner that they are not accessible to children: handbags, backpacks or briefcases belonging to adults; plastic bags; and toys and objects small enough for young children to swallow.
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All matches, lighters, medicines, drugs, cleaning materials, detergents, aerosol cans and other poisonous or toxic materials must be stored in their original containers. Such materials must be used in such a way that they will not contaminate play surfaces, food or food preparation areas, or constitute a hazard to children. Such materials must be kept in a place inaccessible to children.
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Children cannot be left without competent supervision at any time. Competent supervision includes awareness of and responsibility for the ongoing activity of each child. It requires that all children be within a teacher’s range of vision and that the teacher be near enough to respond when redirection or intervention strategies are needed. Competent supervision must take into account the child’s age emotional, physical, and cognitive development.
Nov 14, 2023: complaint investigation7 violations
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The licensee must prepare a health care plan on forms furnished by the Office. Such plan must protect and promote the health of children. The health care plan must be on site, followed by all staff and available upon demand by a parent or the Office. In those instances in which the program will administer medications, the health care plan must also be approved by the program’s health care consultant unless the only medications to be administered are:
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The program must maintain on file at the child day care center, available for inspection by the Office or its designees at any time, the following records in a current and accurate manner: daily attendance records, which must be filled out at the time a child arrives and departs, and must include arrival and departure times;
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Adequate means of egress must be provided. Children may be cared for only on such floors as are provided with readily accessible alternate means of egress to other floors, in the case of fire-resistant buildings, and to the outside in the case of non-fire-resistant buildings.
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Children cannot be left without competent supervision at any time. Competent supervision includes awareness of and responsibility for the ongoing activity of each child. It requires that all children be within a teacher’s range of vision and that the teacher be near enough to respond when redirection or intervention strategies are needed. Competent supervision must take into account the child’s age emotional, physical, and cognitive development.
-
The child day care center must employ staff who will promote the physical, intellectual, social, cultural and emotional well-being of the children.
-
The program must establish and follow a written plan for behavior management that is acceptable to the office. This plan must include how the staff will approach challenging behaviors, help children solve problems and encourage acceptable behaviors.
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The staff must use acceptable techniques and approaches to help children solve problems.
All 18 visits on record
| Date | Visit | What the record says |
|---|---|---|
| Jun 9, 2026 | Complaint | Complaint (Investigation Pending); 5 violations cited |
| Jun 9, 2026 | Complaint | Complaint (Substantiated); 5 violations cited |
| Jun 2, 2026 | Monitoring | 3 violations cited |
| Apr 24, 2026 | Complaint | Complaint (Investigation Pending); 8 violations cited |
| Feb 19, 2026 | Annual Unannounced | 1 violation cited |
| Dec 3, 2025 | Monitoring | No violations found |
| Aug 26, 2025 | Monitoring | No violations found |
| Jun 4, 2025 | Fire Safety - Other | 2 violations cited |
| Jun 4, 2025 | Monitoring | No violations found |
| Mar 5, 2025 | Annual Unannounced | 3 violations cited |
| Mar 4, 2025 | Complaint | Complaint (Substantiated); 2 violations cited |
| Feb 13, 2025 | Complaint | Complaint (Substantiated); 10 violations cited |
| Oct 1, 2024 | Complaint | Complaint (Unsubstantiated); 2 violations cited |
| Jul 11, 2024 | Annual Unannounced | No violations found |
| Jun 20, 2024 | Complaint | Complaint (Substantiated); 4 violations cited |
| Apr 19, 2024 | Complaint | Complaint (Substantiated); 1 violation cited |
| Jan 25, 2024 | Complaint | Complaint (Substantiated); 3 violations cited |
| Nov 14, 2023 | Complaint | Complaint (Substantiated); 7 violations cited |
Is it licensed?
- Day Care Center, open since May 1, 1991.
- School district: Utica.
- Capacity, in New York’s words: 16 Infants, 30 Toddlers, 66 Preschoolers and 10 School-Aged Children.
- Approved by New York to give medication.
- Keeps epinephrine auto-injectors for emergencies.
- Licence 39953, issued May 1, 2023, expires Apr 30, 2027.
- Capacity: 122 children.
New York State Office of Children and Family Services, Child Care Regulated Programs. Released Nov 2, 2026. Updated daily.
New York State Office of Children and Family Services, Program pages: inspection and complaint history. Checked Oct 20, 2026. Updated daily.
Has New York acted against it?
- 10 complaints in the last three years. New York’s status for each: Complaint (Substantiated) (7), Complaint (Investigation Pending) (2), Complaint (Unsubstantiated) (1).
New York State Office of Children and Family Services, Program pages: inspection and complaint history. Checked Oct 20, 2026. Updated daily.
New York State Office of Children and Family Services, Child Care Regulated Programs. Released Nov 2, 2026. Updated daily.
| Date | What | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Jun 9, 2026 | Complaint (Investigation Pending) | New York’s status for this complaint: Complaint (Investigation Pending). |
| Jun 9, 2026 | Complaint (Substantiated) | New York’s status for this complaint: Complaint (Substantiated). |
| Apr 24, 2026 | Complaint (Investigation Pending) | New York’s status for this complaint: Complaint (Investigation Pending). |
| Mar 4, 2025 | Complaint (Substantiated) | New York’s status for this complaint: Complaint (Substantiated). |
| Feb 13, 2025 | Complaint (Substantiated) | New York’s status for this complaint: Complaint (Substantiated). |
| Oct 1, 2024 | Complaint (Unsubstantiated) | New York’s status for this complaint: Complaint (Unsubstantiated). |
| Jun 20, 2024 | Complaint (Substantiated) | New York’s status for this complaint: Complaint (Substantiated). |
| Apr 19, 2024 | Complaint (Substantiated) | New York’s status for this complaint: Complaint (Substantiated). |
| Jan 25, 2024 | Complaint (Substantiated) | New York’s status for this complaint: Complaint (Substantiated). |
| Nov 14, 2023 | Complaint (Substantiated) | New York’s status for this complaint: Complaint (Substantiated). |
Who does the caring?
- New York doesn’t publish staffing levels for individual programs.
Who owns it?
- New York’s open data doesn’t list owners.
How is it rated?
- Doesn’t take part in QUALITYstarsNY, New York’s quality rating program.
New York State Office of Children and Family Services, Program pages: inspection and complaint history. Checked Oct 20, 2026. Updated daily.
How does it compare nearby?
- Among 174 child care providers in Oneida County, the middle value for violations cited in the last three years was 2; this one had 56.
New York State Office of Children and Family Services, Program pages: inspection and complaint history. Checked Oct 20, 2026. Updated daily.
| Place | Violations cited in the last three years |
|---|---|
| Mohawk Valley Community Action Agency, Inc. | 3 |
| Mohawk Valley Community Action Agency, Inc. | 3 |
| Degrace, Kelly | 0 |
| Jewish Community Center Preschool | 0 |
| Pleasant Street Schoolhouse | 5 |
| Desantis, Elaine | 0 |
| Fanelli, Danielle | 1 |
| Junior Junction, Inc. | 4 |
| Masonic Care Community of New York | 6 |
| The Neighborhood Center, Inc. This child care provider | 56 |
| Upstate Cerebral Palsy, Inc. New Discoveries Learning Center | 48 |
| Bello, Ylonka | 11 |
What the record doesn’t say
- New York doesn’t grade violations by severity, so read what was cited.
- New York’s records give the regulation behind each violation, not what the inspector saw.
- New York’s program pages cover four calendar years; this page shows the last three years.
- New York doesn’t publish staffing levels or owners for individual programs.
Sources
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New York State Office of Children and Family Services, Child Care Regulated Programs (cb42-qumz).
Released Nov 2, 2026 and checked Nov 2, 2026. Updated daily. No licence stated.
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New York State Office of Children and Family Services, Program pages: inspection and complaint history.
Checked Oct 20, 2026. Updated daily. No licence stated.
If you believe something here is wrong, a correction starts with the agency whose record this copies: New York State Office of Children and Family Services. New York’s own record is on hs.ocfs.ny.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 2, 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.