Racker
A day care center in Ithaca, New York 14850
3226 Wilkins Road, Ithaca, New York 14850. (607) 272-5891.
- Removed from the referral list (New York)
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 5, 2026.
- 55 violations in the last three years
- Sep 222026 the latest visit on record
- 104 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?
19 inspections in the last three years, the latest on Sep 22, 2026.
55 violations cited in the last three years.
New York State Office of Children and Family Services, Program pages: inspection and complaint history. Checked Oct 19, 2026. Updated daily.
When those violations happened
55 violations in 14 months of the last 36. Last cited Jul 2026. The last 3 years, to Nov 5, 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 19, 2026. Updated daily.
Jul 29, 2026: self-Report1 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.
Jul 21, 2026: self-Report1 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.
Mar 18, 2026: annual Unannounced2 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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All corridors, aisles, and approaches to exits must be kept unobstructed at all times.
Mar 6, 2026: self-Report1 violation
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A prospective director, employee or volunteer may begin to work or volunteer at a child day care center, small day care center, school-age child care program, group family day care home or family day care home after completing the check described in paragraphs (1) or (2) of subdivision (a) of this section.
Feb 24, 2026: complaint investigation4 violations
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Children must be kept clean and comfortable at all times. Diapers must be changed when wet or soiled. The diaper changing area must be as close as possible to a sink with soap and hot and cold running water. This area or sink must not be used for food preparation. Diaper changing surfaces must be cleaned and disinfected after each use with an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) registered product that has an EPA registration number on the label.
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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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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.
Feb 13, 2026: monitoring3 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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Food must be prepared and stored in a safe and sanitary manner and served at appropriate intervals.
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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.
Feb 11, 2026: complaint investigation9 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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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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The staff and volunteers must be in good health and be of good character and habits.
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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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Physical restraint is prohibited. Physical restraint is the act of using force to extremely limit a child’s body movements for a lengthy period of time. It involves holding a child against his/her will and putting pressure on the child’s chest and/or extremities in an effort to significantly restrict his/her movement, thereby making it extremely difficult for a child to move. It may also involve holding a child flat on the ground and restricting his/her body from movement.
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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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Withholding or using food, rest or sleep as a punishment is prohibited.
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Methods of discipline, interaction or toilet training which frighten, demean or humiliate a child are prohibited.
Oct 28, 2025: monitoring1 violation
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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: children’s individual health care plans; parental consents for emergency medical treatment; child’s medical statement, immunizations, and any available results of lead screening for children not yet enrolled in kindergarten or a higher grade only; the name and dosage of any medications used by a child, the frequency of administration of such medications, and a record of their administration by child care center staff; daily health check documentation; a record of illnesses and injuries occurring while in care; and any indicators of child abuse or maltreatment;
Aug 25, 2025: monitoring1 violation
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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: a copy of the evacuation plan, evacuation drills, and shelter-in-place drills conducted, on forms furnished by the Office or approved equivalents, as required in sections 418-1.4(b) and 418-1.5(b) of this Subpart;
Aug 5, 2025: complaint investigation6 violations
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Staff and volunteers must ensure that children thoroughly wash their hands or assist children with thoroughly washing their hands with soap and running water when they are dirty, after toileting, before and after food handling or eating, after handling pets or other animals, after contact with any bodily secretion or fluid, and after coming in from outdoors.
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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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All buildings used for day care centers must remain in compliance with the applicable provisions of the Fire Code and Building Code of New York State or other applicable fire and building codes when the Fire Code and Building Code of New York State is not applicable.
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Safety
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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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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.
Mar 12, 2025: annual Unannounced2 violations
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All containers or bottles of, breast milk, formula or other individualized food items must be clearly marked with the child’s complete name.
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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: children’s individual health care plans; parental consents for emergency medical treatment; child’s medical statement, immunizations, and any available results of lead screening for children not yet enrolled in kindergarten or a higher grade only; the name and dosage of any medications used by a child, the frequency of administration of such medications, and a record of their administration by child care center staff; daily health check documentation; a record of illnesses and injuries occurring while in care; and any indicators of child abuse or maltreatment;
Dec 9, 2024: complaint investigation3 violations
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Before any change is made, the Office must be notified and must approve the re-designation of a classroom to a different age group of children.
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Cleaning materials must be stored in their original containers unless the product’s use or the program’s health care plan indicates that the product be mixed with water before use. In this case, the container used for subsequent use of the mixed product must state the name of the cleaning material contained within. Cleaning 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 18, 2024: fire Safety - Other2 violations
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All buildings used for day care centers must remain in compliance with the applicable provisions of the Fire Code and Building Code of New York State or other applicable fire and building codes when the Fire Code and Building Code of New York State is not applicable.
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Operating carbon monoxide detectors and alarms must be located in accordance with applicable laws.
Oct 10, 2024: complaint investigation9 violations
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Each child day care center must operate in compliance with the regulations of the Office and all other applicable laws and regulations.
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The child day care center must report to the Office: immediately upon learning of any other change that would place the center out of compliance with applicable regulations;
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A temperature of at least 68 degrees Fahrenheit must be maintained in all rooms to be occupied by 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 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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Whenever the child day care center is in operation and the director is away from the premises, there must be a staff person designated to act on behalf of the director, who is knowledgeable about the programs operation and policies.
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When a child care center is in operation, an adequate number of qualified teachers must be on duty to ensure the health and safety of the children in care.
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for children between ages 18 months old and 36 months old: there must be one teacher for every five children;
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Except for Office approved continuity of care classrooms, infants may never be mixed with other age groups.
Aug 6, 2024: serious Injury2 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: serious injury,
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Children unable to sleep during nap time shall not be confined to a sleeping surface (cot, crib, etc) but instead must be offered a supervised place for quiet play.
Jun 14, 2024: annual Unannounced1 violation
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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: children’s individual health care plans; parental consents for emergency medical treatment; child’s medical statement, immunizations, and any available results of lead screening for children not yet enrolled in kindergarten or a higher grade only; the name and dosage of any medications used by a child, the frequency of administration of such medications, and a record of their administration by child care center staff; daily health check documentation; a record of illnesses and injuries occurring while in care; and any indicators of child abuse or maltreatment;
Mar 22, 2024: complaint investigation2 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: 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.
Jan 4, 2024: complaint investigation3 violations
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Children may not be placed in the crib with a bottle, food or drink.
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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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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.
Dec 7, 2023: complaint investigation2 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: children’s individual health care plans; parental consents for emergency medical treatment; child’s medical statement, immunizations, and any available results of lead screening for children not yet enrolled in kindergarten or a higher grade only; the name and dosage of any medications used by a child, the frequency of administration of such medications, and a record of their administration by child care center staff; daily health check documentation; a record of illnesses and injuries occurring while in care; and any indicators of child abuse or maltreatment;
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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.
All 28 visits on record
| Date | Visit | What the record says |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 22, 2026 | Self-Report | No violations found |
| Jul 29, 2026 | Self-Report | 1 violation cited |
| Jul 21, 2026 | Self-Report | 1 violation cited |
| Jul 9, 2026 | Application - Renewal | No violations found |
| May 20, 2026 | Monitoring | No violations found |
| Apr 17, 2026 | Monitoring | No violations found |
| Mar 25, 2026 | Monitoring | No violations found |
| Mar 18, 2026 | Annual Unannounced | 2 violations cited |
| Mar 6, 2026 | Self-Report | 1 violation cited |
| Feb 24, 2026 | Complaint | Complaint (Substantiated); 4 violations cited |
| Feb 13, 2026 | Monitoring | 3 violations cited |
| Feb 11, 2026 | Complaint | Complaint (Substantiated); 6 violations cited |
| Feb 11, 2026 | Complaint | Complaint (Substantiated); 3 violations cited |
| Oct 28, 2025 | Monitoring | 1 violation cited |
| Aug 25, 2025 | Monitoring | 1 violation cited |
| Aug 5, 2025 | Complaint | Complaint (Substantiated); 6 violations cited |
| May 2, 2025 | Serious Injury | No violations found |
| Mar 12, 2025 | Annual Unannounced | 2 violations cited |
| Dec 9, 2024 | Complaint | Complaint (Substantiated); 3 violations cited |
| Nov 18, 2024 | Change(s) to Site | No violations found |
| Nov 18, 2024 | Fire Safety - Other | 2 violations cited |
| Oct 10, 2024 | Complaint | Complaint (Substantiated); 9 violations cited |
| Aug 6, 2024 | Serious Injury | 2 violations cited |
| Jun 14, 2024 | Annual Unannounced | 1 violation cited |
| Mar 22, 2024 | Complaint | Complaint (Substantiated); 2 violations cited |
| Jan 5, 2024 | Documentation Review | No violations found |
| Jan 4, 2024 | Complaint | Complaint (Substantiated); 3 violations cited |
| Dec 7, 2023 | Complaint | Complaint (Substantiated); 2 violations cited |
Is it licensed?
- Day Care Center, open since Jul 5, 2012.
- School district: Ithaca.
- Capacity, in New York’s words: 8 Infants, 24 Toddlers, 72 Preschoolers.
- Approved by New York to give medication.
- Keeps epinephrine auto-injectors for emergencies.
- Licence 596161, issued Jul 5, 2022, with an expiration date of Jul 4, 2026, which has passed.
- Capacity: 104 children.
New York State Office of Children and Family Services, Child Care Regulated Programs. Released Nov 5, 2026. Updated daily.
New York State Office of Children and Family Services, Program pages: inspection and complaint history. Checked Oct 19, 2026. Updated daily.
Has New York acted against it?
- 9 complaints in the last three years. New York’s status for each: Complaint (Substantiated) (9).
- New York’s referral agencies won’t refer families to this program until its compliance issues are resolved.
New York State Office of Children and Family Services, Program pages: inspection and complaint history. Checked Oct 19, 2026. Updated daily.
New York State Office of Children and Family Services, Child Care Regulated Programs. Released Nov 5, 2026. Updated daily.
| Date | What | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Removed from the referral list | New York’s referral agencies won’t refer families to this program until its compliance issues are resolved. | |
| Feb 24, 2026 | Complaint (Substantiated) | New York’s status for this complaint: Complaint (Substantiated). |
| Feb 11, 2026 | Complaint (Substantiated) | New York’s status for this complaint: Complaint (Substantiated). |
| Feb 11, 2026 | Complaint (Substantiated) | New York’s status for this complaint: Complaint (Substantiated). |
| Aug 5, 2025 | Complaint (Substantiated) | New York’s status for this complaint: Complaint (Substantiated). |
| Dec 9, 2024 | Complaint (Substantiated) | New York’s status for this complaint: Complaint (Substantiated). |
| Oct 10, 2024 | Complaint (Substantiated) | New York’s status for this complaint: Complaint (Substantiated). |
| Mar 22, 2024 | Complaint (Substantiated) | New York’s status for this complaint: Complaint (Substantiated). |
| Jan 4, 2024 | Complaint (Substantiated) | New York’s status for this complaint: Complaint (Substantiated). |
| Dec 7, 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?
- Takes 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 19, 2026. Updated daily.
How does it compare nearby?
- Among 68 child care providers in Tompkins County, the middle value for violations cited in the last three years was 3.5; this one had 55.
New York State Office of Children and Family Services, Program pages: inspection and complaint history. Checked Oct 19, 2026. Updated daily.
| Place | Violations cited in the last three years |
|---|---|
| Racker This child care provider | 55 |
| Enfield School Age Program, Inc. | 28 |
| Northeast Kids Count, Inc. | 2 |
| Barber, Judy | 4 |
| Durfee, Melinda | 2 |
| Cornell Child Care Center | 29 |
| Coddington Road Community Center, Inc. | 24 |
| ITHACA COMMUNITY CHILDCARE CENTER, INC. | 21 |
| Downtown Ithaca Children’s Center | 41 |
| Ithaca Montessori School | 5 |
| YMCA SACC Year Round School’s Out Y Site | 7 |
| Community Nursery of Cayuga Heights, Inc. | 4 |
| Ithaca Community Childcare at Kendal | 0 |
What the record doesn’t say
- New York’s list of programs gives an expiration date that has passed, and doesn’t say whether the licence was renewed; New York’s own search has its current status.
- 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 5, 2026 and checked Nov 5, 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 19, 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 5, 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.