Delaware day care that failed to report abuse concerns forced to close

Holly Oak Child Care Center is closing its doors.

Days after Delaware Online/The News Journal published an investigation into the reportedly "rough handling" of children at the Wilmington-area day care, the same center learned its license was suspended. Effective Wednesday, the center will cease all operations indefinitely, its board of directors alerted in a late-night letter to parents Tuesday.

This comes as the Office of Child Care Licensing — which oversees day care and child care facilities in Delaware — substantiated some 14 claims against the center in its investigations.

"Holly Oak Child Care Center has served our community for 24 years," the board wrote this week. "It is with heavy hearts that we share the news of our license suspension. We endeavor to make the right decisions at the right time for everyone involved — we hope in the interim you will do what's right for you and your family."

A Delaware Online/The News Journal investigation, fueled by interviews with parents, board members and former teachers, alongside a review of texts, emails and recordings obtained by this news organization and the state, published July 1.

It found that the state quietly substantiated a slate of complaints before June's end by publishing them to its online database after weeks of questioning from Delaware Online/The News Journal reporters. By July 2, additional claims were added to the state's database, alongside a slew of noncompliance citations. It is unclear whether more could be on the way.

Overall, this investigation has uncovered:

• Holly Oak educators failed to report concerns of rough treatment by one teacher, from yelling and cursing to yanking on arms and shoving, because it would mean losing staff and closing rooms.
• While the state's Institutional Abuse Unit indicated it "did not have enough evidence supporting the allegations of abuse," the Office of Child Care Licensing began investigating. It has since substantiated that Holly Oak staff members failed to report suspected child abuse or neglect and that "improper discipline" was used on children, among other confirmed reports.
• Holly Oak also failed to notify the Office of Child Care Licensing of injuries that required medical or dental attention. Investigators confirmed an administrator knew at least two children sustained injuries that required stitches, according to the licensing database, while in attendance.
• Investigators also confirmed all Holly Oak classrooms failed to maintain correct teacher-to-child ratios 98 times in one month, according to March 2024 records. More records appear to have been requested, according to the online database.
• Holly Oak has been hit with various other noncompliance citations over the years by licensing, but none had yet involved abuse, despite emails among staff that acknowledged previous issues.
• Other complaints included failure to notify the state of a change in the administrator, lack of supervision, not following state meal requirements, not following diapering procedures, poor sanitation of the facility and more.

The principal employee accused of roughly handling children had been on administrative leave since May 17. Bethany Hunt, the then-interim director, remained on leave since about May 21 for not reporting concerns, though the center told parents she continued work in the office. Nearly every then-board member resigned as initial reports reached the state.

Now, that center will close entirely.

So what exactly happened at Holly Oak?

READ OUR INVESTIGATION:This Delaware child care center failed to report abuse concerns. What happened next?

Next steps for Delaware parents

As the state probe into alleged child abuse at Holly Oak began, many parents were already left scrambling to find alternative care. Now, the same will be true of all families connected to the center off Philadelphia Pike.

Education department officials advise 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. The department said “unannounced full compliance monitoring” visits are conducted annually at all facilities, along with investigating any noncompliance complaints received.

My Child DE 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. Families can also connect with a child care search resource specialist at 800-734-2388 who can provide a list of providers based on child care needs.

Once families have identified their top choices, 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.

What else should parents know?Child safety in Delaware day cares is again under the spotlight

Got a tip? Contact Amanda Fries at afries@delawareonline.com and Kelly Powers at kepowers@gannett.com.