As a state investigation into alleged child abuse at a Wilmington-area daycare continues, families of Holly Oak Child Care Center have been left scrambling to find alternative care.
While some parents at Holly Oak were forced to find alternative placements after the center closed toddler and infant rooms due to a lack of staff, others opted to seek services elsewhere given the reported abuse unfolding at the center.
Concerns about a Holly Oak employee's handling of children came to light in recent months, sparking a state investigation into the matter and other issues at the Wilmington-area child care facility located on Philadelphia Pike.
Since the over half-dozen complaints were received by state authorities in mid-to-late May, the Office of Child Care Licensing – which oversees daycare and childcare facilities in Delaware – has substantiated some of those claims, including that Holly Oak staff failed to report suspected child abuse or neglect to the state's child abuse hotline and that "improper discipline" was used in the infant and toddler rooms, among nearly a dozen confirmed issues at the child care center.
Movement on the state's investigation into Holly Oak has been welcomed by parents and former teachers who feared a formal, thorough investigation would not take place. They shared texts, emails, recordings and other documentation with Delaware Online/The News Journal because of those concerns, while also putting those records in the hands of state investigators.
Typically, learning such details would be impossible. Concerns that are unreported, ultimately unsubstantiated or under active investigation are normally not made public.
INVESTIGATION:This Delaware child care center failed to report abuse concerns
In fact, Delaware’s Department of Education – charged with the oversight of these facilities through its Office of Child Care Licensing – would not confirm it had been notified of any of these incidents, nor started an investigation at Holly Oak. The department also would not make anyone available for an interview, asking Delaware Online/The News Journal to email questions.
Since early June, the Office of Child Care Licensing's database for Holly Oak has periodically been updated as the state agency substantiated several complaints received between May 17 and May 31 about the childcare facility. The office most recently confirmed that Holly Oak staff failed to report potential child abuse or neglect, among others.
The Holly Oak Child Care Center Board of Directors said in a prepared statement they are cooperating with Delaware officials in the investigation but would not comment on the specifics.
“We have taken steps to address the allegations, and until all investigations conclude, we are unable to make specific comments about them,” the volunteer parent board wrote to Delaware Online/The News Journal when seeking an interview on the allegations. “Pending the results we will make appropriate decisions about those involved.”
With these many dynamics at play, how can parents and families ensure they are selecting the best facility for their children?
The process for investigating complaints
All employees at childcare facilities are expected to report signs of abuse to the state, according to state regulations. Each staff member should have attestations of their role as a mandated reporter in their employee files.
While just last year, Holly Oak was cited in a routine review for lacking complete employee files and health and safety training confirmation, among other issues, the citations did not specifically mention the facility lacking documentation from staff about mandated reporting.
The state Office of Child Care Licensing received over 400 complaints of noncompliance last year, according to the Department of Education.
Allegations of child abuse and neglect should be reported to the state’s Abuse and Neglect Report Line at 1-800-292-9582, where they are investigated by the Delaware Department of Services for Children, Youth & Their Families’ Institutional Abuse Unit and law enforcement, if applicable, said education department spokesperson Alison May in emailed responses to questions.
SUSPECT CHILD ABUSE?: Submit reports of child abuse or neglect online.
The Office of Child Care Licensing only has authority to probe regulation violations, not alleged abuse, she said.
The Division of Family Services received 24,390 reports of child abuse, neglect and dependency last year compared to 23,599 reports in 2022, an increase of 3.4%, according to data from the division. About 18% of cases investigated were substantiated, according to the data, which is a 2% increase from substantiated cases in 2022.
This data encompasses all reports of child abuse or neglect, including those coming from child care facilities, foster care and private homes.
Delaware State Police confirmed that the Office of Child Care Licensing is investigating Holly Oak but has not asked for law enforcement assistance. The latest substantiated report from the licensing office indicates seven complaints were called into the state's Child Abuse and Neglect Report line about Holly Oak, but the Institutional Abuse Unit within the state Department of Services for Children, Youth & Their Families did not accept them for investigation. They were forwarded to the child care licensing office.
“If they do uncover any potential criminal activity during their investigation, they will promptly contact Troop 2 Criminal Investigations Unit,” said state police spokesperson India Sturgis.
Sturgis said if complainants prefer to contact state police first, they should contact their local troop. Each location handles reports of child abuse, mistreatment, or neglect, and will “ensure that the complaint is properly investigated” and coordinate with the appropriate agencies, she said.
Finding safe, reliable child care
Emily Hunter thought she and her wife Serene Hunter had done their research.
Before ultimately enrolling their 15-month-old daughter at Holly Oak, the couple had visited several other facilities.
The first, a block away from their home, was in a church basement but the energy was off and “it smelled funny,” the couple said.
The next option appeared promising, but a month before their daughter was set to start, “something was off. Our mom instincts were clicking,” they said.
The couple would later discover that child care center, Bellevue Learning Center, faced claims of child abuse within its Wilmington facility from May 2023.
Education department officials advised families researching child care centers to use the state Office of Child Care Licensing’s online database to review the facility’s licensing monitoring visits, which include inspection reports and substantiated complaints.
Reports from the last three years are available for all licensed facilities in Delaware, which can help aid in the search for a reputable center.
May said “unannounced full compliance monitoring” visits are conducted annually at all facilities, along with investigating any noncompliance complaints received through the office.
Emily Hunter, who acknowledged she’s not a child care worker or expert on the matter, said it seems like handling the matter at Holly Oak would be “pretty straightforward.”
“Get the person away from the kids, fire them, communicate with the families, involve them in the solution and take steps,” she said. “Concrete steps, like put cameras in the rooms, do training on how to report issues like this so that staff aren’t confused and feel like they’re going to be in trouble if they report it to the state.”
Sen. Kyle Evans Gay introduced a package of bills in May aiming to give families greater assurance that Delaware's child care facilities "are being held to the highest standards of safety and accountability."
Two parts of the package looked to help strengthen state oversight of such facilities, while another aimed to help the same outfits better protect the safety of the young children they serve.
One of the provisions aimed to bring more transparency and knowledge to the industry by creating an electronic system to track early childhood care teachers and flag for other providers any concerning behavior by the employee.
"This is something that honestly providers have asked for. They feel they need more tools," Gay said. "This is a community of caregivers that wants to, in most respects, serve families and kids, and anyone who is not living up to that high standard distracts from that ecosystem."
But the bills never made it through this year's legislative session. The bills will need to be reintroduced, potentially by another lawmaker given Gay's pursuits for the Democratic nomination for Delaware's lieutenant governor this year.
Families can also connect with a child care search resource specialist at 800-734-2388 who can provide a list of providers based on your child care needs.
My Child DE also has resources for families on child care, along with connections to AccessCare, which provides free child care referrals and links parents to child care specialists.
Once families have identified their top choices for child care, visiting the locations and asking questions about cost, staffing and general operations will help parents narrow down their pick.
After all, infants and toddlers often can’t articulate what is going on around them, which was why Hunter reached out to Holly Oak staff and board members to find out more about the issues there.
“I felt like I was annoying them, or I was doing the wrong thing,” she said. “I feel like people are focusing on just keeping the center open at all costs and missing the bigger picture, which is the kids’ safety. There are still kids there.”
Got a tip? Contact Amanda Fries at afries@delawareonline.com, and contact Kelly Powers at kepowers@gannett.com or (231) 622-2191.
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