EMPOWER
A day care center in Niagara Falls, New York 14304
9812 Lockport Road, Niagara Falls, New York 14304. (716) 297-1478.
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 Oct 30, 2026.
- 17 violations in the last three years
- Jul 162026 the latest visit on record
- 112 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 Jul 16, 2026.
17 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
17 violations in 7 months of the last 36. Last cited Jun 2026. The last 3 years, to Oct 30, 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.
New York State Office of Children and Family Services, Program pages: inspection and complaint history. Checked Oct 20, 2026. Updated daily.
Jun 15, 2026: monitoring1 violation
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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.
May 27, 2026: fire Safety - Renewal1 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: documentation from the local government authority having jurisdiction for determining compliance with the Fire and Building Code of New York State showing that the facility has been inspected and approved once every 12 months during the current license period for compliance with the applicable fire safety provisions of the Fire and Building Code of New York State;
Aug 14, 2025: complaint investigation3 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 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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Methods of discipline, interaction or toilet training which frighten, demean or humiliate a child are prohibited.
Feb 3, 2025: annual Unannounced1 violation
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Each program must hold two shelter-in-place drills annually during which procedures and supplies are reviewed. Parents must be made aware of this drill in advance.
Oct 29, 2024: fire Safety - Alternate Year2 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 government authority having jurisdiction for determining compliance with the Fire and Building Code of New York State showing that the facility has been inspected and approved once every 12 months during the current license period for compliance with the applicable fire safety provisions of the Fire and Building Code of New York State;
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The director or a designated qualified staff member must conduct monthly inspections of the premises to observe possible fire or safety hazards. Any such hazard must be corrected immediately.
Oct 23, 2024: complaint investigation5 violations
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No person other than a director, group teacher or assistant teacher may supervise a group independently even for brief periods of time, except in an emergency.
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Each staff person and volunteer must complete a minimum of thirty (30) hours of training every two years. The required thirty (30) hours of training every two years is subject to the following conditions:
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Each staff person and volunteer must complete a minimum of thirty (30) hours of training every two years. The required thirty (30) hours of training every two years is subject to the following conditions: Fifteen (15) of the required thirty (30) hours of training must be obtained during the person’s first six months at 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: a current daily schedule documenting the arrival and departure times of each staff person and volunteers;
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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.
Oct 15, 2024: self Reported Serious Incident1 violation
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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,
Aug 19, 2024: mid-Point2 violations
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Each staff person and volunteer must complete a minimum of thirty (30) hours of training every two years. The required thirty (30) hours of training every two years is subject to the following conditions:
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Each staff person and volunteer must complete a minimum of thirty (30) hours of training every two years. The required thirty (30) hours of training every two years is subject to the following conditions: Fifteen (15) of the required thirty (30) hours of training must be obtained during the person’s first six months at the program.
Nov 15, 2023: monitoring1 violation
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Evacuation drills must be conducted at least monthly during various hours of operation of the child day care center.
All 21 visits on record
| Date | Visit | What the record says |
|---|---|---|
| Jul 16, 2026 | Application - Renewal | No violations found |
| Jun 15, 2026 | Monitoring | 1 violation cited |
| May 27, 2026 | Fire Safety - Renewal | 1 violation cited |
| Feb 19, 2026 | Annual Unannounced | No violations found |
| Dec 19, 2025 | Monitoring | No violations found |
| Sep 15, 2025 | Monitoring | No violations found |
| Aug 14, 2025 | Complaint | Complaint (Substantiated); 3 violations cited |
| Jun 25, 2025 | Monitoring | No violations found |
| May 2, 2025 | Fire Safety - Alternate Year | No violations found |
| Feb 3, 2025 | Annual Unannounced | 1 violation cited |
| Dec 12, 2024 | Self Reported Serious Incident | No violations found |
| Dec 10, 2024 | Monitoring | No violations found |
| Oct 29, 2024 | Fire Safety - Alternate Year | 2 violations cited |
| Oct 23, 2024 | Complaint | Complaint (Substantiated); 5 violations cited |
| Oct 15, 2024 | Self Reported Serious Incident | 1 violation cited |
| Aug 19, 2024 | Mid-Point | 2 violations cited |
| Jun 13, 2024 | Serious Injury | No violations found |
| Jun 3, 2024 | Annual Unannounced | No violations found |
| Mar 19, 2024 | Other | No violations found |
| Dec 22, 2023 | Serious Injury | No violations found |
| Nov 15, 2023 | Monitoring | 1 violation cited |
Is it licensed?
- Day Care Center, open since Aug 7, 2012.
- School district: Niagara-Wheatfield.
- Capacity, in New York’s words: 112 Preschoolers.
- Approved by New York to give medication.
- Keeps epinephrine auto-injectors for emergencies.
- Licence 598901, issued Aug 7, 2026, expires Aug 6, 2030.
New York State Office of Children and Family Services, Child Care Regulated Programs. Released Oct 30, 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?
- 2 complaints in the last three years. New York’s status for each: Complaint (Substantiated) (2).
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 Oct 30, 2026. Updated daily.
| Date | What | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Aug 14, 2025 | Complaint (Substantiated) | New York’s status for this complaint: Complaint (Substantiated). |
| Oct 23, 2024 | 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 101 child care providers in Niagara County, the middle value for violations cited in the last three years was 2; this one had 17.
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 |
|---|---|
| Bunny Bunch Day Care, Inc. | 3 |
| Aunt Lisa’s Home Daycare | 1 |
| Depetris, Jamie | 1 |
| Niagara Falls Boys and Girls Club | 3 |
| LaSalle Early Childhood Center Inc. | 2 |
| Niagara Falls Boys and Girls Club | 34 |
| Niagara Falls Boys and Girls Club | 17 |
| Maikranz, Marlene | 0 |
| EMPOWER This child care provider | 17 |
| YWCA of the Niagara Frontier, Inc. | 1 |
| City School District of the City of Niagara Falls, NY | 1 |
| SPARKLES TINY TOTS HOME DAY CARE | 0 |
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
-
New York State Office of Children and Family Services, Child Care Regulated Programs (cb42-qumz).
Released Oct 30, 2026 and checked Oct 30, 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 Oct 30, 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.