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The Learning Tree
1183 Parkway Drive, Howell MI 48843 · License #DC470304013 · Center
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- (517) 545-3440
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- Address
- 1183 Parkway Drive, Howell MI 48843 · Directions
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When they operate
Ages served
- Licensed for 157 children
How this facility compares
Violations per inspection, 3-yrInspection history & violations
Source: Michigan MiLEAP, Child Care Licensing Bureau- Violation
R 400.8213(1)(a) · R 400.8213(1)(a) Staff; volunteer (1) All staff and volunteers present at the center shall: (a) Provide appropriate care and supervision of children at all times.
On 5/04/2026, Teacher did not provide appropriate care and supervision of Child A. The vape pen fell out of Teacher’s pocket and was found by Child A, who inhaled from the vape pen. This was also confirmed through video footage.
- Violation
Attendance records for 03/02/2026 show Toddler 2 (Room 4) was out of ratio numerous times throughout the day between 9:45am and 3:33pm and over maximum group size from 9:45am until 10:51am. Attendance records for 03/05/2026 show Toddler 1 (Room 3) was out of ratio for 17 minutes, between 7:32am and 7:57am.
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On 11/12/2025 and 11/20/2025, all infant and toddler classrooms maintained a child care staff member to child ratio of 1 to 4.
- Violation
On 11/12/2025 and 11/20/2025, the Transitional Preschool classroom maintained a child care staff member to child ratio of 1 to 8.
- Violation
On 11/12/2025 and 11/20/2025, the Preschool 1 and Preschool 2/Young Preschool classrooms maintained a child care staff member to child ratio of 1 to 10.
- Violation
On 11/12/2025 and 11/20/2025, The Pre-K 1 and Pre-K 2 classrooms maintained a child care staff member to child ratio of 1 to 12.
- Violation
The child care center maintained required child care staff member to child ratios in every classroom during nap time on 11/20/2025.
- Violation
The child care center maintained required child care staff member to child ratios in every classroom during nap time on 11/20/2025.
- Violation
On February 18, 2025, the Infant #1 classroom exceeded the maximum group size with four child care staff members and thirteen children, the Toddler #1 classroom was out of ratio with one child care staff member and twelve children, the Toddler #2 classroom was out of ratio with one child care staff member and twelve children, and the Toddler #3 classroom was out of ratio with one child care staff member and twelve children. On March 10, 2025, the Toddler #1 classroom was out of ratio with one child care staff member and twelve children, and the Toddler #2 classroom was out of ratio with one child care staff member and twelve children.
- Violation
On March 10, 2025, at approximately 12:55 pm, the TPS classroom was out of ratio with one child care staff member alone with sixteen children.
- Violation
On 08/03/2022, I received an incident report from Randi Buell, program director of The Learning Tree. The incident report stated that on 08/02/2022 at 3:00 PM Child A was crawling across the playground, and while crawling, Child A burned the palm of his hands on the surface. The incident report stated that Child A's mother took Child A to Joyful Pediatrics where the child was diagnosed with second degree burns on both palms. On 08/03/2022 after receiving the incident report, I spoke to Ms. Buell about the incident, and she stated Child A was on the playground and had crawled across the poured rubber surface. Ms. Buell stated that all five of the Learning Tree Facilities have the poured rubber, and in the past 15 years of having this, they have never had this type of injury happen before. She stated they are taking this incident very seriously and are working diligently to create a plan so that this never happens again. She stated that they are having someone from the company come look at the grounds to see if it was faulty in any way. Ms. Buell stated that all video footage has been saved and will be able to be viewed. On 08/03/2022, I spoke to Child A's mother via phone, and she stated on 08/02/2022 around 3:00 — 3:30 PM she received a call from Stacey Ruby, assistant program director at The Learning Tree, stating that the incident had just happened with Child A outside on the playground. She was informed that Child A had crawled to an area on the playground that was not watered down by the splash pad and may not have been shaded. Child A's mother stated she does not know exactly where on the playground Child A was, as she has only been on the playground one time and does not know exactly where the children were during this time outside and which staff members were with Child A. Child A's mother stated she knows the children go outside often, and in the afternoon are almost always on the splash pad. Child A has just started crawling a few days prior to this incident. She stated when she took Child A to the doctor, the burns were only on his hands and not on his legs or any other part of his body. Child A's mother stated she has never had any concerns with The Learning Tree prior to this and always felt like they took great care of Child A. She stated her only concern right now is just knowing exactly what happened on the playground, and if Child A was properly cared for. She stated the center did not allow her to watch the camera footage of the incident, so it concerned her with what really happened. Child A's mother stated Child A is still enrolled at the center; however, he will not be there this week. On 08/05/2022, I completed an onsite inspection at The Learning Tree and interviewed Randi Buell, program director;Taylor Fournier; lead caregiver in Infant 1 and Emily Allen; lead caregiver in Infant 2. 3 In my first interview with Ms. Buell, she showed me the video footage of the playground when Child A was injured on 08/03/2022. The footage starts at 2:00 PM on the infant/toddler playground. The Infant 1 children are outside, and the Infant 2 children are coming out; some children were outside, and some were still getting sunscreen on by a staff member. Altogether, there were three staff members outside with 11 children; Infant 1 had 7 children and Infant 2 had 4 children. Child care staff member Emily Allen was taking children from the red buggy and putting sunscreen on each child. At 2:26 PM, all of the children in the Infant 1 class are outside. At 2:45 PM the children from Infant 2 are outside with Infant 1. Child A is in the Infant 2 group. Initially, Child A is placed at the water table, and he plays at this for a while. Then at 3:00 PM, Child A is leaving the splash pad and crawling on the blue poured rubber ground by the green slide structure. Child A then started to crawl on the mat and he gets about halfway and starts crying and sits up. Staff member, Emily Allen runs to Child A and picks him up. The time Ms. All
- Violation
All playground equipment is in safe condition and inspected daily before use by the staff members. The rubber grounding had no damage to it and was still under warranty.
- Violation
On 07/12/2022, I made an unannounced onsite inspection at The Learning Tree Child Care Center, and upon arrival I spoke to Stacey Ruby, assistant program director and Andrea Majewski, regional manager. I asked Ms. Ruby and Ms. Majewski about the allegations, and Ms. Ruby stated she was not aware of any incidents that have happened in the Pre-K classroom recently. Ms. Majewski stated she is aware who Child A is and that they had been working with Child A and Child A's mother in the past due to some family issues this family was having due to Child A's father recently coming back into Childs A's life. Ms. Majewski stated they do not have any documents of the meetings as they were support meetings for the family and to make sure Child A was getting the right support he needed in the classroom and at the center. Ms. Majewski provided me a copy of the center's behavioral management plan and Ms. Majewski stated she did not feel Child A's behavior required a behavioral plan to be developed at this time. Ms. Ruby stated that Child A is in the Pre-K classroom and the classroom has 16 children enrolled, but 12 children are there daily. In the classroom there are about four boys that get "rowdy together". She stated they are all friends, and no one bullies or intentionally hurts each other; it is just a group of very active boys that can cause disruption in the classroom sometimes. Ms. Ruby stated that she has not had any parents come to her with any concerns about any of the children in the classroom, and no one has been disenrolled from the classroom all summer. Ms. Ruby stated that Child A has never been sent home for his behavior and did not have a behavior plan due to his behavior. Ms. Ruby and Ms. Majewski provided me with Child A's file. Child A had four incident reports in the file. The dates on them were 05/23/22, 05/24/22, 06/23/22 and 06/28/22. Three out of four of the incidents involved Child A and another child going through the 6-steps of conflict resolution to solve a problem. None of the parents were called. On 06/23/22 Child A's mother was called, and a meeting was scheduled to discuss Child A's behavior. This meeting was not documented, and Ms. Ruby stated they just met with Child A's mother to go over some strategies for Child A to control his emotions in the classroom. Next, Program Director Randy Buell called and spoke to me on the phone while I was at the center. Ms. Buell stated that she has not had any staff member or parent come to her about Child A kicking another child in the classroom. She stated Child A transitioned to the Pre-K classroom in March, and immediately after, Child A was struggling in the classroom. Ms. Buell stated she met with Child A's mother to discuss the concerns of Child A's behavior, and together they decided that Child A 3 moved up too quickly and he was moved back to the preschool classroom where he did much better. Then in June, Child A was moved to Pre-K with everyone in the classroom and he did have a dip in is behavior until he was used to the classroom. Child A struggles with transition and change, and this was communicated to Child A's mother. Ms. Buell stated Child A has gone through a lot with his family and parents; however, Child A's mother was very active in making sure Child A transitioned well and was getting any assistance he needed. Child A was never violent or destructive in the classroom. He just had a hard time regulating his feelings. Ms. Buell stated approximately two weeks ago, she was unsure the exact date, she had met with Child A's mother, and it was discussed how much better Child A was doing in the classroom. No concerns were presented at that time either. Ms. Buell stated the lead caregiver in Pre-K is Alexx Manny and she is usually the only staff member in the classroom, if another staff member is needed, Morgan Talmage will work in the classroom. I then interviewed Alexx Manny, lead caregiver in Pre-K, privately. Ms. Manny stated she mostly works alone and ha
- Violation
R 400.8170 · R 400.8170 Outdoor play area. (9) Children shall only use age-appropriate equipment.
The composite structure located in the preschool play area has a 5-12 years of age requirements on it. The center was allowing children under 5 years old to play on it, resulting in a child getting injured.
- Violation
On 10/05/202 from 11:50 AM to 12:44 PM, I conducted an onsite inspection at The Learning Tree. At this time, I interviewed multiple staff members and observed the playground. First, I spoke to Cynthia Roberts, program director of the facility. She stated she sent an incident report yesterday morning via email to me. Ms. Roberts also had left a voicemail for me the day prior with the information regarding the incident as well. Ms. Roberts stated she was not at the center when the incident occurred as she was off for the rest of the evening. Assistant program director Stacy Ruby called and requested she pull video footage of the incident due to none of the staff members seeing firsthand what happened to Child A. Ms. Roberts stated she told Ms. Ruby she would pull the footage once she arrived at her destination, and it would be about 45 minutes. Ms. Roberts stated when she pulled the footage, she observed on 10/01/2021 at 4:02 PM Child A was seen on the back of a climber and fell back. She landed on her knees, and instantly child care staff member Ayllisia Eggleton turns around and walks up to her and picks her up and carries her towards another staff member, Hilary Smith. At 4:57 PM Child A was carried inside the building with Ms. Smith to get her water bottle. At 5:00 PM Child A was picked up by her mother. On 10/05/2021, I was able to observe the footage on Ms. Roberts phone and was able to confirm all times and events listed above. While viewing the footage, I saw four staff members on the playground at this time: Hilary Smith, Ayllisia Eggleton, Paige Lloyd and Breana Jerry. All staff members were seen walking around the playground supervising children. None of the staff were viewed talking to each other or not assisting a child. It is unknown who was observing the climbing structure specifically due to staff members walking around simultaneously. Child A and B's mother attempted to call Ms. Roberts on her personal phone Friday evening through Facebook Messenger; however, Ms. Roberts stated she was out of town and unable to answer. She stated she sent Child A and B's mother an email at 7:40 PM on Friday (10/01/2021) and then called her on Monday but did not speak to her. Ms. Roberts stated she attempted to call her again Monday evening but did not make contact. Ms. Roberts provided me a copy of the incident report that was provided regarding Child A. The report stated on 4:02 PM Child A fell off the green climber steps on the outside play structure. Ms. Eggleton picked Child A up off the ground and carried her to Ms. Smith. Child A was held until Child A and B's mother arrived. Next, I spoke to Hilary Smith, lead transitional preschool caregiver. This is the classroom Child A was in. The ages are 2.5 to 3.5 years of age. She stated she 3 took her classroom of eight children outside at 3:45 PM on 10/01/2021. Ms. Smith stated she did not see Child A fall because she was near the picnic table with a few other children. She stated she does not know exactly where all staff members were when the incident occurred. The child care staff members are to walk around the playground and supervise children and assist them if needed. The staff do not have specific places to stand, they just have to stay spread out. Ms. Eggleton brought Child A to her and told her that she did not know exactly what happened, but she may have slipped off of the climber. Child A was crying at this time and when asked what hurt, Child A stated her knee. Child A was beathing heavy from crying, so Ms. Smith tried to calm her down and told her they would go get an ice pack and something to drink. Ms. Smith took Child A inside and into the bathroom and checked her legs to make sure she was not bleeding. Child A had no bruising or bleeding on her knees or chest. Ms. Smith stated after this, she held Child A until she stopped crying, which was about 10 minutes. Child A never complained about any other pains in her body or that her leg continued to hurt. Child A cont
- Violation
On 10/21/2021, I spoke to Child A and B's mother via telephone, and she stated when she arrived to pick Child A and Child B up on 10/01/2021 at around 5:00 PM, Child B was outside with his classroom; Toddler 2 room. Outside she observed 11 infants with one child care staff member outside with them. The staff member outside was believed to be Katie Smith. She stated Child B was being held by Ms. Katie Smith, and other children were eating snack at the table or playing on the infant playground. Child A and B's mother did not have any further information regarding this situation. On 10/26/2021, from 11:32 AM to 12:15 PM I made an onsite inspection at the Learning Tree. I spoke to Ms. Roberts, and she stated at this time Infant 1 is closed due to Covid. She stated the Infant room has not been out of ratio. When the children go outside, they go out in buggies, which only hold eight children, and that is all they take at a time. Katie Smith does not work at the center consistently as she works at all Learning Trees and helps out when needed at each facility. Ms. Roberts provided me a copy of attendance sheets for Infant 1 for the dates of 09/27/2021- 10/01/2021. I also had her provide me with Infant 2, Toddler 1 and Toddler 2 for 10/01/2021. The attendance sheets read as follows: 09/27/2021: Infant 1 9:05 AM- 9 children and 2 staff members Out of ratio from 9:05 AM- 9:15 AM 9:45 AM- 11 children and 3 staff members 10:40 AM- 12 children and 3 staff members 3:15 PM- 10 children and 3 staff members 4:10 PM- 9 children and 3 staff members 4:35 PM- 4 children and 1 staff member 8:07 AM- 7 children and 2 staff members 8:21 AM- 11 children and 3 staff members 9:30 AM- 13 children and 3 staff members Out of ratio and over capacity until 3:15 PM This classroom has a capacity of 12 with a required ratio of 4:1. From 3:15- 5:20 PM The classroom was in ratio and capacity. 8:10 AM- 7 children and 2 staff members 8:28 AM- 9:00 AM 10 children and 2 staff members Out of ratio during this time 10:00 AM- 12 children and 3 staff members From 10:00 AM — 5:38 PM the classroom was in ratio 09/30/2021: Infant 1 8:15 AM —6 children and 2 staff members Out of ratio from 8:15 AM- 8:30 AM 8:50 AM- 9 children and 3 staff members 9:15 AM -12 children and 2 staff members Out of ratio from 9:15 AM — 10:30 AM 7 10:50 AM — 12 children and 3 staff members 12:30 PM- 12 children and 3 staff members 2:50 PM- 5:00 PM classroom was in ratio iI']bl f+ 1i1mnhl 8:31 AM- 8 children and 2 staff members 11:00 AM- 8 children and 2 staff members 3:15 PM —4 children and 1 staff member 4:15 PM- 4 children: 2 children went to Toddler 1 and 2 children went to Infant 2 Children in ratio all day 10/01/2021: Infant 2 8:15 AM- 7 children and 1 staff member Out of ratio from 8:15AM — 8:30 AM 8:30 AM- 7 children and 2 staff members 4:15 PM —6 children and 2 staff members 4:45 PM — 5:26 PM class was in ratio 10/01/2021 Toddler 1 8:16 AM —4 children and 1 staff member 8:50 AM — 7 children and 2 staff members 9:35 AM — 9 children and 2 staff members Out of ratio from 9:15 AM — 11:00 AM 11:00 AM — 8 children and 2 staff members Class in ratio the remainder of the day 10/01/2021 Toddler 2 8:16-8:18 AM —7 children and 1 staff member. A second staff member arrived at [.%Iilt\i•I 9:50 AM- 11 children and 3 staff members 4:30 PM- 8 children and 2 staff members Classroom was in ratio all day I then spoke to Makayla Williams, lead Toddler 2 caregiver, and she stated on 10/01/2021, she was outside with Ms. Smith and does not recall who else was outside with her at that time. She stated they had 8 children with two staff members. She stated there were other classrooms outside when they went out, and she can recall the Pre K classroom lining up to go inside when they were coming outside. Ms. Williams stated she does not recall how many other children were outside, but the preschool classroom was outside with her classroom. She stated she did have to take children in to use the bathroom, but when she do
- Violation
On July 19, 2021, I completed an unannounced on-site inspection. I interviewed program director, Ms. Cynthia Roberts, and Child care staff member 1, Child care staff member 2, Child care staff member 3, Child care staff member 4, Child care staff member 5, Child care staff member 6, Child care staff member 7, Child care staff member 8, Child care staff member 9, Child care staff member 10, Child care staff member 11, Child care staff member 12, Child care staff 2 member 13, Child care staff member 14, Child care staff member 15, Child care staff member 16 and Child care staff member 17, separately. Ms. Roberts said the child care center completed a renewal inspection on July 13, 2021, and there were no ratio violations. Ms. Roberts said the center is never out of ratio and that the child care staff member to child ratio is always maintained. During the inspection, I observed the following: • In Infant 1, there were three child care staff members with eleven children in care. • In Infant 2, there were two child care staff members with eight children in care. • In Toddler 1, there were two child care staff members with eight children in care. • In Toddler 2, there were three child care staff members with eleven children in care. • In Pre-K1 (ages 4 years through 5 years old), there was one child care staff member with eleven children in care. • In Pre-K3 (age 3), there was one child care staff member with eight children in care. • In Pre-K2 (age 4), there was one child care staff member with twelve children in care. • In Day Camp 1 (school-age), there was one child care staff member with eleven children in care. • In Day Camp 2 (school-age), there was one child care staff member with twelve children in care. • In Preschool 1 (ages 3 years through 4 years old), there was one child care staff member with nine children in care. • In Preschool 2 (ages 3 years through 4 years old), there was one child care staff member with ten children in care. • In the Transitional Preschool (TPS) Classroom (ages 2 through 3 years 1/2 1/2 old), there were two child care staff members with sixteen children in care. I interviewed Child care staff member 1, Child care staff member 2, Child care staff member 3, Child care staff member 4, Child care staff member 5, Child care staff member 6, Child care staff member 7, Child care staff member 8, Child care staff member 9, Child care staff member 10, Child care staff member 12, Child care staff member 13, Child care staff member 14, Child care staff member 15, and Child care staff member 17 who all said they have never been out of ratio. If there is a concern regarding ratio, they call for help. The staff and directors provide support and coverage including lunch breaks. Child care staff member 1, Child care staff member 5 and Child care staff member 17 all said that drop-off time in the mornings are busy and hectic. However, the 3 administration team and substitute caregivers assist with maintaining ratio and providing coverage. Child care staff member 6 said the administration team assists with coverage in the mornings. The toddler-age children are in one room and the older children are in another room. When the child care staff members arrive at the center, the children are split up and taken to their respective classrooms. Child care staff member 6 said the administration team keeps track of the classroom attendance hourly. Child care staff member 7 said child care staff members call the administration team when they need assistance in the classroom. According to Child care staff member 7, the program director and administration team set staff's schedules based on children's schedules. They are always in ratio even when a child care staff member is absent or running late. Child care staff member 9 and Child care staff member 10 both said if they don't have enough people to provide coverage then they can't leave the classroom for a lunch break. Child care staff members can eat and take lunch breaks in
- Violation
On 12/02/2020, I spoke to program director Randi Buell via telephone. She stated that she had sent an incident report via email on 11/23/2020 and left a voicemail reporting Child A was left alone in a classroom for 18 minutes without supervision. She stated Child A and the staff members involved are from the South Lyon Learning Tree facility and were using a few of their Howell location classrooms until repairs to their building were complete. The South Lyon staff and children had used three classrooms: Infant/Toddler classroom, Preschool/Pre-K room and the virtual school age classroom. She stated they were at the center from 09/14/2020 — 11/23/2020 and have since returned to their building. On 12/04/2020, I made an onsite inspection at The Learning Tree in Howell. Ms. Buell took me to the classroom that Child A was in when she was left unsupervised. The classroom is the first classroom on the right in the main hallway and is usually used as a GSRP classroom. On 11/23/2020, the classroom was used as a combined preschool/ pre k classroom and had 16 children and 3 staff members. Ms. Buell provided me a copy of the attendance sheet for this day to confirm there were 16 children signed in for 11/23/2020. Ms. Buell stated a little after 10:00 AM, child care staff member Grace Favor brought Child A to the office and stated that she found her in the preschool classroom by herself. Ms. Buell then took Child A outside where her class was and returned her back to the caregivers in the preschool/pre-k classroom. Ms. Buell stated she then went back and watched the video surveillance of the classroom and stated that the incident occurred in the morning, around 9:40 AM; lead caregiver Emily Allred had taken half of the children to the hallway to get their boots on, and the other half of the children stayed in the classroom with Tara Abner and Tracy Underwood. Ms. Allred and the children that were in the hallway never came back to the classroom, and then the other half of the class lined up and went outside. Child A was sitting in the library area the entire time when the class left. Child A was looking at a few books, walked over to the play area and then back to the couch to look at more books. Child care staff member Grace Favor walked by the classroom at 10:08 AM and saw Child A in the room alone. She then brought her to the office. Ms. Buell stated Child A was alone in the classroom from 9:50 AM to 10:08 AM. She stated she does not have the video footage anymore due to it being over a week old and she did not have it recorded. Ms. Buell stated she wrote up all three staff members and had them complete the centers name to face policy training and their supervision policy training. She then 3 called Child A's mother to inform her and then spoke with her at pick up as well. Ms. Buell stated Child A's mother was upset about the situation; however, Child A is still enrolled at the center. On 12/10/2020, I spoke to child care staff member Tara Abner via telephone. She stated she mostly works in the school age room at the Learning Tree at the South Lyon location. While working at the Howell location on 11/23/2020, she was subbing in the preschool/pre-k room. She stated she does not remember exact details of the incident due to it being a few weeks ago, but she remembers she was getting coats and gloves on children and had put Child A's gloves and coat on specifically. Ms. Abner stated Ms. Allred took nine children out in the hallway to get them ready for outside. She could not remember if Child A was with Ms. Allred or still in the classroom with her. Then, Ms. Underwood came into the classroom and relieved her to go home. Ms. Underwood stayed in the classroom with the remaining children and helped get them ready for outside. Ms. Abner stated she was working with a child when Ms. Underwood came in for about 30 seconds and then she gathered her belongings and left for the day. She stated she only worked in the classroom from 9:00 AM- 9:45 AM. M
- Violation
On September 24, 2020, 1 called and spoke with the Complainant. The Complainant said Child A (male, 26 months old) ate a rock. Child A does not play outside at home, so the complainant is assuming he ate the rock at the child care center. Child A passed a rock in his stool on September 14, 2020. It was the size of a dime. The Complainant has observed child care staff members talking and not paying attention to the children when they are on the playground. She believes Child A may have swallowed the rock during outside play. In addition, the Complainant has observed children with runny noses and the child care staff members are not wiping the children's noses. She does not feel that the children are being cared for appropriately. Child A is no longer enrolled at the child care center. On September 29, 2020, I completed an unannounced on-site inspection. I interviewed program director, Ms. Maranda Buell, child care staff members, Ms. Sara Brumfield, Ms. Taylor Fournier, Ms. Melissa Wallace, Ms. Alexsis Scott, and Ms. Shannon Lakey, separately. Ms. Buell is the program director and the coordinator of quality care. As the coordinator of quality care, she reviews videos outside as well as inside the building. The child care staff members are alert and active when they are on the playground. Ms. Buell is not aware of any incidents of a child eating a rock. Ms. Buell believes the child care staff members are providing excellent care of the children. They are constantly wiping children's noses and doing the best that they can to keep up. There are wipes located inside the classrooms and at the door leading to the playground. I interviewed Ms. Brumfield, Ms. Fournier, Ms. Wallace, Ms. Scott, and Ms. Lakey, separately. 3 • Ms. Brumfield is the lead child care staff member in the Infant Classroom. • Ms. Fournier is a child care staff member in the Toddler 2 Classroom. • Ms. Wallace is a child care staff member in the Toddler 2 Classroom. • Ms. Scott is the lead child care staff member in the Toddler 1 Classroom. • Ms. Lakey is the child care staff member in the Toddler 1 Classroom. Ms. Brumfield, Ms. Fournier, Ms. Wallace, Ms. Scott, and Ms. Lakey all said child care staff members are spread out on the playground. There is one person at each of the play areas: The sand box, the play structure, the tunnel and by the table. Ms. Brumfield, Ms. Wallace, and Ms. Scott all said there are no rocks on the playground. There is a sandbox and the rest of the playground is turf. Ms. Fournier and Ms. Scott both said there are a few children that like to eat sand. Ms. Scott said if a child eats sand, they rinse their mouths out with water. Ms. Fournier, Ms. Scott, and Ms. Lakey all said there is always a child care staff member at the sandbox to supervise and to prevent children from eating sand. Ms. Fournier, Ms. Scott, and Ms. Lakey all said child care staff members talk to one another from across the playground; they do not huddle in one group. They are usually supervising the children or playing with them. Ms. Lakey said they engage the children with activities such as balls and blowing bubbles. Ms. Brumfield, Ms. Fournier, Ms. Wallace, Ms. Scott, and Ms. Lakey all said they are constantly wiping children's noses. Ms. Wallace and Ms. Scott both said wipes and gloves are brought outside to the playground. Ms. Fournier, Ms. Wallace, and Ms. Scott all said they wipe noses outside as much as they do inside the classroom. Ms. Fournier said she checks the children every ten minutes or so. During the inspection, I inspected the playground. I observed the Infant Classroom outside with two child care staff members and seven children. The child care staff members were standing by the sand box and the play structure. The playground was made up of turf and concrete. There was no grass or dirt observed on the playground. On October 20, 2020, I called and spoke with Child D's Mother and Child E's Mother. I left messages with Child F's Mother and Child G's Mothe
- Violation
On September 24, 2020, I called and spoke with the Complainant. The Complainant said on September 14, 2020, Child B (male, 26 months old) had a soiled diaper during pick up time. She does not believe the child care staff members are changing the diapers as often as needed. The Complainant does not believe that Child B's daily record is accurate. On September 29, 2020, I completed an unannounced on-site inspection. I interviewed program director, Ms. Maranda Buell, child care staff members, Ms. Sara Brumfield, Ms. Taylor Fournier, Ms. Melissa Wallace, Ms. Alexsis Scott, and Ms. Shannon Lakey, separately. Ms. Buell said the child care center uses KidsReport. KidsReport is an application that records a child's food intake and when a diaper is changed. Parents can log on to the application and review their child's daily records. The application had a software update and it automatically sent blank reports to families. Ms. Buell said that diapers are checked every two hours and changed as needed. Ms. Buell said the child care center uses a matrix called Top Bananas. Child care staff members are given bonuses based on the reports. Ms. Buell can pull up the matrix that shows if a diaper is changed on time, green for on time and red for late. Ms. Buell checks the matrix weekly. The Infant Classroom had all green on their matrix for the week of September 14. 5 '• i • i - f - f • fl •I • .• •" 1 11 I• :• - • • ~~ .:• fr • • r
- Violation
On September 24, 2020, I called and spoke with the Complainant. The Complainant believes the Toddler 2 Classroom was out of ratio on September 10, 2020. The Complainant was also concerned that the Infant and Toddler Classrooms are out of ratio. The classes are combined in the morning and at the end of the day. There appears to be too many children and not enough child care staff members. No specific dates were mentioned. The Complainant said the Learning Tree Child Care Center in South Lyon had a fire incident. All the children were brought to the Howell location. On September 29, 2020, I completed an unannounced on-site inspection. I interviewed program director, Ms. Maranda Buell, child care staff members, Ms. Sara Brumfield, Ms. Taylor Fournier, Ms. Melissa Wallace, Ms. Alexsis Scott, and Ms. Shannon Lakey, separately. Ms. Buell said the Toddler Classroom and Infant Classroom are combined in the morning and at the end of the day when the numbers are low to meet ratio. According to Ms. Buell, Ms. Brumfield is usually alone in the Infant Classroom with four children. If there are more than four children, she, Ms. Cynthia Roberts (Assistant Director) or Ms. Tracey Underwood (child care staff member from South Lyon) will assist in the classroom. Ms. Underwood is the floater and is assisting in the classrooms. Ms. Buell said on September 10, 2020, the Learning Tree Child Care Center in South Lyon had a fire incident in the kitchen. The center was closed for 60 days. The South Lyon families and staff were offered to come to the Learning Tree Child Care Center in Howell. Ms. Buell said there were no concerns regarding room capacity or ratio. I interviewed Ms. Brumfield, Ms. Fournier, Ms. Wallace, Ms. Scott, and Ms. Lakey, separately. • Ms. Brumfield is the lead child care staff member in the Infant Classroom. • Ms. Fournier is a child care staff member in the Toddler 2 Classroom. • Ms. Wallace is a child care staff member in the Toddler 2 Classroom. • Ms. Scott is the lead child care staff member in the Toddler 1 Classroom. • Ms. Lakey is the child care staff member in the Toddler 1 Classroom. Ms. Brumfield said she works Monday through Friday from 8:30 A.M. — 5:30 P.M. There are four children in the Infant Classroom on most days. Today, she had eight children with a second child care staff member. In the mornings and the evenings, the infants and toddler age children are combined in her room. There are usually 7 four child care staff members present in the mornings. Ms. Brumfield said if there are more than 12 children present then one child care staff member takes four children to another classroom. Ms. Brumfield, Ms. Wallace, and Ms. Lakey all said they have support from Ms. Buell and Ms. Richards, in the main office. Ms. Buell and Ms. Richards assist in the classrooms to help with coverage. Ms. Fournier and Ms. Wallace both said they work in the Toddler 2 Classroom. They have eight children in the classroom and sometimes only four children on Friday. The enrollment has been low due to COVID 19. Ms. Fournier said child care staff members are split into two shifts: 7:30 A.M. — 4:30 P.M. and 8:30 A.M. — 5:00 P.M. Ms. Brumfield and Ms. Fournier said in the mornings the toddlers and infants are combined in the Infant Classroom. At 8:30 A.M., the children go to their respective classrooms for breakfast. Ms. Scott said that in her classroom, there are ten children enrolled but only eight children attend daily. She has never been out of ratio in the morning or in the evening; there are always enough child care staff members to help with coverage. Ms. Brumfield, Ms. Fournier, Ms. Wallace, Ms. Scott, and Ms. Lakey all said there has never been an issue with ratio. During the inspection, I reviewed the attendance record for Toddler 2 Classroom on September 10, 2020. • From 8:30 A.M. to 9:00 A.M., there were seven children with Ms. Fournier and Ms. Wennberg. Based on the time cards, Ms. Fournier and Ms. Wennberg worked from 8:30 A.M. to 5
- Violation
On September 24, 2020, I called and spoke with the Complainant. The Complainant is concerned that the children are not given enough food or water to drink at the center. Child C (female, 26 months old) had a dry diaper for several hours after coming home from the child care center. Child C cried and was hungry and thirsty. On September 29, 2020, I completed an unannounced on-site inspection. I interviewed program director, Ms. Maranda Buell, child care staff members, Ms. G Sara Brumfield, Ms. Taylor Fournier, Ms. Melissa Wallace, Ms. Alexsis Scott, and Ms. Shannon Lakey, separately. Ms. Buell said water is available to the children at all times. Water cups are kept in a bin on the counter for each child. The child care staff members are responsible for filling it up every morning. The cups are washed and cleaned in the dishwasher daily after 5:00 P.M. I interviewed Ms. Brumfield, Ms. Fournier, Ms. Wallace, Ms. Scott, and Ms. Lakey, separately. • Ms. Brumfield is the lead child care staff member in the Infant Classroom. • Ms. Fournier is a child care staff member in the Toddler 2 Classroom. • Ms. Wallace is a child care staff member in the Toddler 2 Classroom. • Ms. Scott is the lead child care staff member in the Toddler 1 Classroom. • Ms. Lakey is the child care staff member in the Toddler 1 Classroom. Ms. Buell, Ms. Brumfield, Ms. Wallace all said the child care center offers two meals and three snacks: Breakfast at 8:30 A.M., A.M. snack at 10:00 A.M., lunch at 11:30 A.M. and afternoon snacks at 3:00 P.M. and at 5:00 P.M. Ms. Brumfield, Ms. Fournier, Ms. Wallace, and Ms. Scott all said the water cups are filled every day and offered to the children during meals and snack time. Ms. Wallace said the children are also offered milk during the meals. The cups are always kept on the counter in the classroom and available for the children. The cups are also taken outside to the playground. Ms. Fournier said Mr. Matt Angers is the cook. He gets a head count from each classroom every morning to prepare the meals. All meals and snacks are recorded in the KidsReport application. Ms. Brumfield, Ms. Fournier, Ms. Wallace, Ms. Scott, and Ms. Lakey all said there is plenty of food for the children. Ms. Brumfield said there's always leftover food. Ms. Wallace and Ms. Lakey both said the children are given full portions and if they want more food, there's extras in the kitchen. During the inspection, I reviewed the menus for August and September. The child care center offered two meals and three snacks: Breakfast at 8:30 A.M., A.M. snack at 10:00 A.M., lunch at 11:30 A.M. and afternoon snacks at 3:00 P.M. and at 5:00 P.M. An example of a meal is as follows: On September 14, 2020, the child care program served: Breakfast — Cereal, fresh organic fruit, and organic milk Snack — Fresh organic fruit and water 10 Lunch- Cheese mostaccioli (wheat pasta, organic marinara and parmesan cheese), organic vegetables, fresh organic fruit, and organic milk Afternoon Snack — Strawberry and Cream Cheese Roll Ups (Organic strawberry preserves, cream cheese, rolled up in a wheat tortilla) and water Snack — Homemade snack and water On October 20, 2020, I called and spoke with Child D's Mother and Child E's Mother. I left messages with Child F's Mother and Child G's Mother. Child D's Mother and Child E's Mother both said do not have any concerns or complaints regarding the amount of food or water given to the children. Child D's Mother said the child care center has a chef who cooks the meals on-site. There's always enough food for the children.
- Violation
There is enough food for all the children in care. The child care center offers two meals and three snacks: Breakfast at 8:30 A.M., A.M. snack at 10:00 A.M., lunch at 11:30 A.M. and afternoon snacks at 3:00 P.M. and at 5:00 P.M.
Questions to ask on your tour
Generated from this facility's specific inspection record
- 1The Jul 7, 2026 inspection noted: “On 5/04/2026, Teacher did not provide appropriate care and supervision of Child A. The vape pen fell out of Teacher’s pocket and was found by Child A, who inhal…” — what has changed since then?
- 2The Apr 24, 2026 inspection noted: “Attendance records for 03/02/2026 show Toddler 2 (Room 4) was out of ratio numerous times throughout the day between 9:45am and 3:33pm and over maximum group si…” — what has changed since then?
- 3The Dec 22, 2025 inspection noted: “On 11/12/2025 and 11/20/2025, all infant and toddler classrooms maintained a child care staff member to child ratio of 1 to 4.” — what has changed since then?
Data synced from Michigan MiLEAP, Child Care Licensing Bureau · Source records · Report an error