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Pulling inspections, violations, and complaints.
Home › MI › Kalamazoo › Starting Point Preschool
2345 N 10th St, Kalamazoo MI 49009 · License #DC390019144 · Center
When they operate
Ages served
R 400.8161(4) · R 400.8161(4) Maintenance of premises. (4) Floors, interior walls, and ceilings must be maintained in sound condition, good repair, and maintained in a clean condition. Bureau
Open Not marked corrected in the state record
Open / not marked corrected.
A child was recently left on the playground alone. Children can easily leave the classrooms. Children are going outside without proper clothes. There are child care staff members without CPR training. Incident reports are not provided to parents. The classrooms are not properly cleaned after an illness. Parents are not notified of communicable diseases. Classrooms are out of ratio.
Disposition: Substantiated
Child A has obtained numerous marks and bruises while in care and staff do not know how they happened. The Young Preschool classroom has more children than they are supposed to have and not enough teachers. The facility does not allow parents inside the building.
Disposition: Substantiated
Disposition: Substantiated
Generated from this facility's specific inspection record
Data synced from Michigan MiLEAP, Child Care Licensing Bureau on Jul 9, 2026 · Source records · Report an error
R 400.8125 · R 400.8125 Staff; volunteer; requirements. (1) All staff and volunteers shall provide appropriate care and supervision of children at all times.
On March 1, 2023 I completed an unannounced onsite inspection at the facility and interviewed Licensee Designee/Program Director, Melanie Ahrens, and Child Care Staff Member(CCSM) 1 and CCSM 2. Ms. Ahrens reported that CCSM 1 told her about the playground incident on February 16, 2023. The toddler room's lead caregiver was out sick and they had staff filling in for that room. The classroom was on their way in from outdoor play and they had three staff members. They were in a line headed inside with CCSM 2 in the front, a trainee in the middle, and CCSM 3 at the back. Ms. Ahrens said the staff reported they counted the children before they started walking inside. CCSM 3 was helping two children who were having behavioral problems and she believes she missed Child A getting out of the line. When they were inside the entryway taking off their coats and boots, CCSM 1 brought Child A in from the playground. Ms. Ahrens reported that CCSM 1 was walking out with her class and saw Child A standing by the fence and the rest of her class walking in. She got Child A and brought her back to her class. Ms. Ahrens said the policy is to count the children again when they get into the classroom, but they did not make it there before Child A was brought to them. Ms. Ahrens said they had a staff meeting for the toddler room following the incident to discuss how to better handle behavior issues, so staff are not distracted. CCSM 1 reported that on the day Child A was left on the playground CCSM 1 was walking out with her class and she saw CCSM 3 at the back of the line trying to get two children to listen and go inside with the class. CCSM 1 opened the gate for the toddler class to head inside and once they were through, she noticed Child A standing by the gate. She walked Child A to the door where the toddler room was taking off their outdoor gear and returned her to the toddler teachers. CCSM 1 said the toddler staff did not appear worried that it had happened, so she followed up with an email to Ms. Ahrens to let her know Child A had been left behind on the playground. She was not unsupervised at any time. CCSM 2 reported she was at the front of the line when Child A was left on the playground. She was not aware the incident happened until they talked about it at a staff meeting. On April 5, 2023, I made telephone contact with CCSM 3 and Child A's mother. CCSM 3 reported when bringing the children inside they line them up, count them, and then they hold hands to create a train walking in. She was at the back of the line and was practically carrying two children who did not want to go inside. When they got inside the door CCSM 1 brought Child A to them saying she was by the fence. CCSM 3 said they count the children when they get back into the room, but they were still in the entry way taking off their winter gear. 3 Child A's mother reported that she was not aware of the incident regarding Child A, but after discussing it she feels the staff handled it appropriately. She does not have concerns with the staff's supervision of the children.
Open Not marked corrected in the state record
Category: supervision. Open / not marked corrected.
R 400.8125 · 1 R 400.8125 Staff; volunteer; requirements. (1) All staff and volunteers shall provide appropriate care and supervision of children at all times. 4
Ms. Ahrens reported that children do get out of the classrooms from time to time, but there is always a staff member following behind to bring them back. She reported the toddler class has a couple children who like to open the door, but staff are working on the issue and no children have gotten out of the room without their knowledge. CCSM 1 reported the younger classrooms do have children leave the room sometimes, but the staff know they're leaving and get them back right away. CCSM 2 said they have a few children who know how to open the door, but they see it happen and chase after them right away. Children have never been gone from the room without staff knowing. CCSM 3 said they have had toddlers open the door, but they see it happening and catch them. They are not unsupervised in the hallway.
Open Not marked corrected in the state record
Category: supervision. Open / not marked corrected.
R 400.8125 · R 400.8125 Staff; volunteer; requirements. ................................................... ................................................................................. (1) All staff and volunteers shall provide appropriate care and supervision of children at all times.
Ms. Ahrens reported that many children come to the facility without proper winter gear, but they have a closet full of extra boots, coats, pants, hats and gloves. They do have some kids who refuse to keep their hats and gloves on, but the items are taken outside, and an effort is made to get them to wear the appropriate items. CCSM 1 said it is not an issue in her room, but in the toddler classroom she has seen kids refuse to wear gloves, but the staff are trying to dress them appropriately. CCSM 2 reported many parents do not provide all the winter gear or they take it home and forget to bring it back. They are constantly sending messages in the application they use (HiMama) reminding parents to bring winter items. CCSM 2 said they do find items in the donation bins, so children are properly dressed. CCSM 3 said some of the children in the toddler room refuse to wear gloves, but they bring the gloves outside, so they are available when they are ready to put them on. They often put them on, but then take them back off. Child A's mother said she has received a lot of messages asking for proper gear and when she forgets they have extra items at the facility. Child B and C's mother said she provides her children's winter gear, but they don't always agree to keep it on. She feels the staff are doing their best. Child D and E's mother reported she has no concerns with the children wearing proper winter gear. Child F's father reported his child puts up a struggle to wear his gloves, but the staff try to make him wear them. He realizes it is tough to make children keep gloves on.
Open Not marked corrected in the state record
Category: supervision. Open / not marked corrected.
R 400.8131 · R 400.8131 Professional development requirements. (10) All child care staff members who work directly which children are required to be trained in first aid and pediatric, child, and adult cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) within 90 days of being hired. Prior to issuing a license to operate a child care center, and prior to the renewal of a license, the department shall verify that at least 50% of the child care staff members who work directly with children are currently certified in first aid and pediatric, child, and adult CPR. Each of these child care staff member's first aid and CPR certificates must be valid and retained on file in the center.
During my onsite inspection Ms. Ahrens reported there are two staff members who have not had their CPR training, but they have been at the facility less than 90 days. On April 12, 2023, Ms. Ahrens provided documentation that all child care staff have competed their CPR training.
Open Not marked corrected in the state record
Category: health medication. Open / not marked corrected.
R 400.8155 · R 400.8155 Child accidents and incidents; child and staff illness. (1)A center shall have a written plan for how and when a parent is notified when personnel observe any of the following: (b) A child experiences an accident, injury, or incident.
Ms. Ahrens provided a copy of the center's written plan for how and when a parent is notified of an accident, injury or incident. The plan reads: In the event of an injury while at school, our staff will provide a verbal or written report to notify you of the incident. Verbal reports are done via phone or in person (at pick up) and written reports are communicated via HiMama. Ms. Ahrens reported that the staff still complete incident reports, and they are kept on file, but parents are not given a copy. She reported the staff send messages through HiMama or tell the parents at pick up, unless it is a serious injury, then they are called immediately. Ms Ahrens showed me on an IPad notifications in HiMama to parents regarding accidents or injuries.
Open Not marked corrected in the state record
Category: health medication. Open / not marked corrected.
R 400.8155 · R 400.8155 Child accidents and incidents; child and staff illness. (3) Items and facilities used by an ill child or adult must not be used by any other individual until washed, rinsed, and sanitized. 7
Ms. Ahrens reported that the center has a cleaning crew that cleans the rooms every night and if there is a reported case of Covid in a room, they do an ultra-sonic cleaning using specialized cleaners. She said a few staff have complained about the floors not being clean, and it was discovered a couple rooms were locked and the cleaning crew did not have a key. The issue has been addressed and there have been no further complaints. CCSM 1 said her room was not cleaned a few times because it was locked and the cleaning company did not have a key, but it has been clean since they discovered the issue. CCSM 1 said she regularly cleans the room using the 3-step process (wash, rinse and sanitize). CCSM 2 reported that every evening at closing they 3-step all the toys, surfaces, and door handles trying to be proactive because there are always runny noses. She feels the center is cleaned properly. CCSM 3 said the center has a cleaning crew and when she arrives everything appears clean. The staff also clean the room continuously throughout the day.
Open Not marked corrected in the state record
Category: health medication. Open / not marked corrected.
R 400.8155 · R 400.8155 1 Child accidents and incidents; child and staff illness. (4) If a center becomes aware that a staff member, volunteer, or child in care has contracted a communicable disease, then the center shall notify parents and provide all of the following information: (a) The name of the communicable disease the children were exposed to. (b) The symptoms of the disease. (c) Prevention measures as recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) at the following website: https://www.cdc.gov/DiseasesConditions.
Ms. Ahrens stated when they become aware of communicable diseases, they send a message with all the required information to parents through HiMama and they post a notice on the bulletin board. She showed me past notification in the application. CCSM 1 said communicable disease notifications are sent through HiMama and posted on the bulletin board. She said she does not see many notifications, but she can only see HiMama for her room. CCSM 2 said messages are sent to parents through the app and posted on the board in the entryway. CCSM 3 said she is not aware of the notification process because the lead caregivers or Ms. Ahrens handle them, but she sees the messages on HiMama. Child A's mother said she regularly sees messages on HiMama regarding all illnesses going around the room. Child B and C's mother said she feels sometimes they are notified a little late of illness because her children have already caught it, but she does receive the messages through HiMama. Child D and E's mother said she has not seen any notifications because they have not been attending for very long. She has not had any concerns and said the center has great communication with the parents. Child F's father reported they do get notified of illness all the time.
Open Not marked corrected in the state record
Category: health medication. Open / not marked corrected.
R 400.8182 · 1 R 400.8182 Ratio and group size requirements. (3) In each room or well-defined space, the maximum group size and ratio of child care staff members to children, including children related to a staff member or the licensee, must be as shown in Table 4: Child Care Staff Member to Child Ratios: (a) Infants and toddlers, birth until 30 months of age 1 to 4, 12 max group size. (b) Preschoolers, 30 months of age until 3 years of age 1 to 8, 16 max group size (c) Preschoolers, 3 years of age until 4 years of age 1 to 10, 30 max qroup size. Z (d) Preschoolers, 4 years of age until school age 1 to 12, 36 max group size. (e) School-agers, 1 to 18, 36 max group size
Ms. Ahrens reported that they work very hard to make sure they are within ratio. They sometimes run into issues in the mornings and have to move staff to another room until another staff member arrives. If extra staff are not available, Ms. Ahrens works in rooms to keep within ratio. CCSM 1 said if she is out of ratio, she calls the office to let them know and either children get shifted to another room or an extra staff member comes in. She is not aware of it happening in other rooms. CCSM 2 said the only time she can remember ratio issues was in January of 2023 when seven or eight kids started coming in earlier than expected, but they were able to adjust staff to help and changed schedules to make sure the toddler room staff came in earlier. CCSM 3 said she not seen the toddler room out of ratio, but they are taught to pull staff from the office or another room if needed. Child A's mother said she is usually one of the first parents to drop off and her husband picks up. She has never had concerns with ratio. Child B and C's mother said she has seen the toddler room out of ratio when she is dropping off, but they pulled in staff from the office to fix the problem. Child D and E's mother said she feels the center has a lot more staff than other facilities and she has not heard any issues with ratio. Child F's father said he has seen staff members go out into the hallway while he's there, but they go right back into the room. He believes the room is within ratio.
Open Not marked corrected in the state record
Category: ratio. Open / not marked corrected.
R 400.8125 · R 400.8125 Staff; volunteer; requirements. (1) All staff and volunteers shall provide appropriate care and supervision of children at all times.
On July 19, 2021, I completed an unannounced onsite inspection and interviewed the Licensee Designee/Program Director Melanie Ahrens and Child Care Staff Members Drea Youngblood and Kamie Stowe. Ms. Ahrens reported that Child A was dismissed from their program on July 15, 2021, due to ongoing issues with biting. She reported that after he was dismissed from the program Child A's mother reached out through the facility's parent communication tool and questioned 2 how Child A got a scratch on his face the day before. Ms. Ahrens checked with staff members from that room, and they reported Child A had mosquito bites near the scratch, so they assumed he scratched himself while scratching the bites. They also reported that Child A had a severe biting incident that day and the scratch may have been from the other child defending themselves, but Child A did not cry or bring attention that he had been injured. Ms. Ahrens reported she was only aware of one other incident from April of 2021 that Child A had a scratch on his face, and staff were unaware how it happened. She again provided the notes from the parent communication tool that showed Child A's mother asking how he got the scratch and Ms. Ahrens reporting that staff did not see any incidents to cause a scratch and Child A never indicated he was hurt. Ms. Youngblood reported that she is the lead caregiver in the Young Preschool room that Child A was in. She was working on the day of the alleged incident and did not see any incidents that could cause a scratch. She stated that he did bite another child that day and it could have been the other child's reaction to scratch Child A, but she did not see any marks at the time. She does not recall Child A having any other injuries. She stated he was watched very closely due to him being physical towards the other children. Ms. Stowe reported that she was working in the Young Preschool room on the day the scratch occurred. She noticed what appeared to be two mosquito bites on Child A's face, but she did not see a scratch or hear Child A get upset indicating he was hurt. She was not aware of any other complaints about unexplained injuries. On August 18, 2021, I made telephone contact with Child B's mother, Child C and D's mother, and Child E and F's mother. They reported they are notified when injuries occur, and they have no concerns about supervision. I made telephone contact with Child G and H's mother on August 19, 2021. She reported she is notified when injuries happen. On August 18, 2021 I attempted telephone contact with Child A's mother and the phone number on file no longer belonged to Child A's mother.
Open Not marked corrected in the state record
Category: supervision. Open / not marked corrected.
R 400.8110 · 1 R 400.8110 Applicant; licensee; licensee designee; requirements. (5) The actual number and ages of children in care at any time must never exceed the number and ages of children for which the center is licensed.
During my onsite inspection the Young Preschool room had 10 children and two staff. The children in the classroom range in age from 2.5 to 3 years of age; therefore, they should follow a ratio of one staff for eight children. The capacity of the room is 14 children. I reviewed attendance records and did not have any concerns with capacity or ratio. Ms. Youngblood and Ms. Stowe reported that on average they have 8-10 children a day and two staff members. Child B's mother, Child C and D's mother, Child E and F's mother, and Child G and H's mother reported no concerns with capacity or ratio.
Open Not marked corrected in the state record
Category: ratio. Open / not marked corrected.
R 400.8182 · R 400.8182 Ratio and group size requirements. (3) In each room or well-defined space, the maximum group size and ratio of child care staff members to children, including children related to a staff member or the licensee, must be as shown in Table 4: b) Preschoolers, 30 months 1 to 8 of age until 3 years of age
Ms. Ahrens reported that the facility has been following the recommended guidelines of the department due to Covid-19 and recommends that parents drop children off and pick up at the door. She stated that if parents request to come in, they are not denied entrance. Ms. Ahrens reported that Child A's mother has never asked to come in and seemed to enjoy that staff brought Child A out to her car because she has an infant. Ms. Youngblood and Ms. Stowe reported that Child A's mother never asked them if she could come into the building. Child B's mother reported that when her child started at the facility, she could walk her into the classroom and stay for a while to help her get comfortable. She has never been told she cannot come inside the building. Child C and D's mother stated that she has been inside the building and does not have any concerns. Child E and F's mother reported that she does not go inside, but she does not have any concerns. Child G and H's mother stated she enjoys that the staff pick her children up from the car, and bring them out to her car, but she has been inside to check things out a few times. She has no concerns.
Open Not marked corrected in the state record
Category: ratio. Open / not marked corrected.
R 400.8179 · R 400.8179 Program. (13) Parents may visit the center during hours of operation for the purpose of observing their children. 5
The facility has been following the department's recommended guidelines due to Covid-19 and minimizing the number of people entering the building; however, there is no evidence that parents have not been allowed to visit the facility and observe their children.
Open Not marked corrected in the state record
Category: ratio. Open / not marked corrected.
R 400.8125 · 1 R 400.8125 Staff; volunteer; requirements. (1) All staff and volunteers shall provide appropriate care and supervision of children at all times.
The staff report not being aware of any injuries or accidents that occurred that could cause a scab on Child A's arm. There is no evidence that an injury occurred at the child care. Appropriate supervision was provided.
Open Not marked corrected in the state record
Category: supervision. Open / not marked corrected.