Home › MI › Sterling Heights › KinderCare Learning Center #821
KinderCare Learning Center #821
33300 Ryan Road, Sterling Heights MI 48310 · License #DC500018296 · Center
Contact
- Phone
- (586) 978-9099
- Website
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- Address
- 33300 Ryan Road, Sterling Heights MI 48310 · Directions
Hours
Care & schedule
When they operate
Ages served
- Licensed for 94 children
How this facility compares
Violations per inspection, 3-yrInspection history & violations
Source: Michigan MiLEAP, Child Care Licensing Bureau- Violation
Teacher1 used an inappropriate discipline method when she isolated Child A in the restroom by closing and locking the bathroom door when he refused to come out of the restroom on his own.
- Violation
R 400.8125(1) · R 400.8125(1) Staff; volunteer; requirements. All staff and volunteers shall provide appropriate care and supervision of children at all times.
Child Care Staff Members failed to provide appropriate care for Child A on 12/27/23 and 11/14/2023.
- Violation
According to interviews with staff, Ms. Baldwin did not use a means of punishment that is prohibited. She did not grab Child A in a manner consistent with corporal punishment when she redirected her to a cot.
- Violation
According to interviews with staff, Ms. Baldwin did not use punishment to inflict mental or emotional harm. She did not throw a blanket at Child A in an effort to humiliate, shame, or threaten Child A.
- Violation
On October 1, 2022, licensee designee/program director Laura Marsh reported via email that Child A had been left unsupervised on the outdoor playground by child care staff member Nicollete Sidorowicz on September 30, 2022. On October 3, 2022, I interviewed Child A's Mother. She arrived at the center at 5:15 pm and was greeted by Amanda Burke who was standing in the hallway. She entered the preschool room and child care staff member Nicolette Sidorowicz was the only child care staff member present in the room. Child A normally runs up to her when she arrives and when this did not happen, she looked around the room. When she did not see Child A, she asked Ms. Sidorowicz the whereabouts of Child A. Ms. Sidorowicz began calling out Child A's name while having a frantic look on her face. She told Child A's Mother to check the toddler room or outside. Child A is usually in one room or the other at pick up time. She exited the classroom and saw Ms. Burke and informed her that Ms. Sidorowicz told her to look in the toddler room because Child A was not in the preschool room. They went to the toddler room and the class was outside. When they looked outside, Child A was not with the toddler group. They began calling Child A's name while outside on the toddler playground and there was no response. She called Child A's Father on the telephone to see if he picked up Child A. He denied picking up Child A. She began looking around the bushes near the fence and walked around to the preschool play structure on the opposite side of the building. Child A was found under the preschool play structure. There was a faux door underneath the climber and this is where she was found. There were no other children or child care staff members present on this side of the outdoor play area. She kneeled down and asked Child A if she was alright and what was she doing. Child A reported she was building a fire in the faux fireplace. Child A was not crying and seemed unbothered. When she assisted Child A from the climber, she observed that Child A smelled of feces due to having wet herself. Child A's hands were slightly cold. Child care staff member Bianca Baldwin took Child A inside to change and clean the child. Child A's Mother estimated it took 15 minutes to find Child A from the time she arrived at the center. While Child A was being cleaned, she addressed her concerns with Ms. Marsh and inquired how long was Child A outside alone. Ms. Marsh would not answer the question directly with a time frame and informed her that she would investigate the matter to get some answers. Child A's Mother reported that the center has app for parents that gives information on the child's day. The last notification she received was at 1:18pm and reported what Child A had for lunch. On October 3, 2022, I interviewed child care staff member (ccsm) Nicolette Sidorowicz. She entered the room at 2:30 pm after naptime and there were ten children present. She was the only afternoon ccsm for the preschool classroom. She confirmed that Child A was in the room when she arrived at 2:30pm and was present when they transitioned outside at 4:00 pm. Ms. Sidorowicz reported the 3 number of children had dropped down to seven children remaining when they transitioned outside. Bianca Baldwin, ccsm was already outside with her PreK children as Ms. Sidorowicz was transitioning her group to the outdoor playground. Once Ms. Baldwin's numbers began dropping, she combined her group of children with Ms. Sidorowicz's group so she could leave for the day. The groups were combined while they were still outside playing. Ms. Sidorowicz explained that once Ms. Baldwin left from the outside play area, she became confused about how many children she had remaining. She did not recall how many children she received from Ms. Baldwin's group. She also reported Ms. Burke came and took a child from her and transitioned that child to another room. She denied that any parents arrived to pick up children when she was o
- Violation
On July 20, 2022, I interviewed Child A's Mother who reported that on July 19, 2022, child care staff member Ms. Baldwin had Child A remove wipes from the toilet with her bare hands as a form of punishment. Ms. Baldwin was upset that the toilet overflowed and verbally reprimanded Child A that the wipes do not belong in the toilet. Child A was crying and visibly upset about the incident. Child A's Mother reported it to the program director/licensee designee Laura Marsh who down played the incident and reported that they gave the child gloves. Child A's Mother is looking for alternative childcare. On July 27, 2022, I made an onsite investigation to the center and interviewed Ms. Marsh. Ms. Marsh was aware of the incident and denied that she tried to downplay the incident. When she spoke with Child A's Mother regarding her concerns, she reported that Child A was crying and felt that Ms. Baldwin had her to get the wipes out of the toilet as a form of punishment. After speaking with Ms. Baldwin, she acknowledged that she had the child get the wipes out of the toilet but denied it was done with any malice. Ms. Baldwin reported to Ms. Marsh that she put on gloves and she assisted the child in getting the wipes out of the toilet. Ms. Marsh denied any prior history of Ms. Baldwin using inappropriate discipline or having inappropriate contact with children. The center completed the required comprehensive background clearance check. There was nothing on the clearance that would indicate that Ms. Baldwin was not eligible to work with children. The center's discipline policy consists of redirection, giving the child a cool off period, using appropriate tones when speaking with children, and getting down on the child's level. If they are unable to resolve the behavior issues, they seek Ms. Marsh for assistance to come into the classroom. If child care staff members have to use redirection there are times when they will guide children by the hand and if they fall on the floor, they may attempt to pick children up from the floor. I interviewed Ms. Baldwin during the onsite investigation. Child A went to the classroom restroom and she saw Child A with the wipes in her hand. She told Child A not to use the wipes in the toilet. Child A told responded that her mother told her to use wipes. Ms. Baldwin heard the toilet flush. A few seconds later the toilet flushed again. Ms. Baldwin entered the restroom and saw the toilet overflowed. She said to Child A, "didn't I say do not use the wipes?" Child A was crying and kept saying, "My mom said to use the wipes." She squatted and got down on the child's level and said "this causes a mess and you are going to help me clean the mess." Ms. Baldwin denied that it was done in a manner to threaten or punish Child A and reported that Child A was probably crying/ upset because she was telling her something opposed to what she was told by her mother. The toilet was full of wipes and her packet of wipes were empty. There were wipes in the toilet, on top of the 3 toilet seat and on the floor clumped together in a wet pile. Ms. Baldwin did not see urine or feces inside of the toilet but noticed seeing something red on one of the wipes. Ms. Baldwin put on gloves and got the wipes out of the inside of the toilet. She had Child A pick up the wipes off the toilet seat and the ones on the wet floor. I asked if Child A had on gloves. She admitted that Child A did not have on gloves and reported that the reason was because they did not have child sized gloves. I asked Ms. Baldwin if she thought having Child A pick up the wet wipes after the toilet overflowed with her bare hands was appropriate. Ms. Baldwin reported that she did not feel her actions were inappropriate and replied, "children who spill things should be able to clean up after themselves." I explained to Ms. Baldwin that there is a difference between children cleaning/putting away toys or wiping up spilled water/milk is very different than a child being made t
- Violation
I interviewed Child A's Mother who reported that she has been told by her children that Ms. Baldwin is mean and yells at children. Child A's Mother made Ms. Marsh aware of her concerns pertaining to how Ms. Baldwin interacts with children in an aggressive manner. Ms. Marsh responded that she would address her concerns with Ms. Baldwin but the behavior has continued. There were two incidents of particular concern. The first incident she emailed Ms. Marsh on March 17, 2022, regarding her witnessing Ms. Baldwin aggressively grabbing an 5 unidentified female from the preschool room by the collar of her coat and aggressively calling the child's name because the child was not responding to Ms. Baldwin when she was speaking with the child. The incident occurred outside near the preschool classroom door. When Ms. Baldwin realized that the parent walked outside, she started pretending that she was adjusting and fixing the child's coat. This incident occurred near the end of the day during pick up time. The second incident occurred July 6, 2022, when she was informed by her other child, that he witnessed Ms. Baldwin pull the chair out from under Child B (male, age five) and he fell and hit his head on the floor. Child A's Mother believes that Ms. Marsh is not addressing the concerns and is making excuses for Ms. Baldwin's behavior. On July 27, 2022, during my onsite investigation I interviewed Ms. Marsh regarding the allegations. She acknowledged that Child A's Mother previously addressed concerns with her regarding how Ms. Baldwin treats children. It was reported that Ms. Baldwin is mean, yells and has a harsh tone with children. Ms. Marsh has never witnessed Ms. Baldwin use inappropriate discipline techniques or interact with children in an aggressive or inappropriate manner. Ms. Marsh's office is adjacent to Ms. Baldwin's classroom and she has never heard any yelling or threatening tones from Ms. Baldwin. There was one incident when Ms. Baldwin's tone got loud due to an activity, she was doing with the school age children. The tone was not a yelling or threatening tone it was just elevating. Ms. Marsh entered the room and asked Ms. Baldwin to lower her tone because her voice could be heard in the office. Ms. Baldwin was described by Ms. Marsh as being animated in her expressions and at times she will get excited and loud. There had been no further incidents with her tone being elevated after her discussion with Ms. Baldwin. During the March incident Ms. Marsh immediately discussed the concerns with Ms. Baldwin and she denied grabbing a child and tugging on their coat/clothing as a form of discipline. She had no idea why the allegation was made and did not recall touching the coat or clothing of a female child. When the second incident occurred, Ms. Marsh again discussed the concerns with Ms. Baldwin. She denied the incident occurred and only remembered the class getting loud at one point during the day but denied pulling Child B's chair out or that he hit his head. Ms. Marsh brought Child B into her office and discussed with him how he likes the class. He said he liked the class. She asked him if there was anything that happened in the class with Ms. Baldwin or him falling out of the chair and hitting his head. He denied falling out of his chair and hitting his head. I asked Ms. Marsh why she had not reported either of the allegations of inappropriate contact with Ms. Baldwin to the department, especially since there were at least two incidents of concern brought to her attention. Ms. Marsh responded that since Ms. Baldwin's employment began in August of 2021 there have been no concerns brought to her attention from other parents enrolled in the classroom regarding her interactions with children. She felt that there may be a personal issue between Child A's Mother and Ms. Baldwin. I reminded Ms. Marsh of her mandated reporting responsibilities and that she is required to report any A allegations of inappropriate discipline/contact...
- Violation
There is insufficient evidence to conclude that Child A was made to clean up the used wet wipes from the restroom floor as a means of inflicting emotional punishment by shaming or humiliating the child.
- Violation
There is insufficient evidence to conclude that Ms. Baldwin yells at children or interacts in an aggressive manner with children as a means of inflicting emotional punishment by shaming or humiliating the child.
- Violation
Ms. Marsh was made aware of two incidents alleging inappropriate contact between Ms. Baldwin and two children and she failed to notify the department within 24 hours as required.
- Violation
Ms. Marsh was made aware of two incidents alleging inappropriate contact between Ms. Baldwin and two children and she failed to submit a written report to the department within 72 hours as required.
- Violation
On October 22, 2021, I interviewed Child A's Mother. Child A was enrolled in the KinderCare Learning Center from June of 2021 through August of 2021. She disenrolled Child A because the entire time of her enrollment she was continuously ill. Child A was prescribed an antibiotic and seemed to get better. She became ill once again and was then diagnosed with thrush possibly in July of 2021 or August of 2021. She was given four different antibiotics to cure the thrush. Child A's Mother believes the reason Child A had thrush was due to the center not adequately cleaning the sippy cups they provide to children. I asked Child A's Mother why she thought the thrush came from an unclean cup. Since Child A has been enrolled in another center that also provides sippy cups, and she hasn't gotten thrush again. I informed Child A's Mother that thrush is very common in young children and asked if the pediatrician provided any information on possible causes of the thrush. Child A's pediatrician advised that the thrush came from a reaction from one of the antibiotics that was prescribed. Child A's Mother doesn't believe this explanation and feels it 2 came from the sippy cup not being properly cleaned. I asked if she made the program director Ms. Marsh aware of her concerns about the cups provided by the center not being properly cleaned/washed. She did not address her concerns with Ms. Marsh. She only advised the center that she will start providing her own cups for Child A. On various days she would observe on the KinderCare app, that Child A was still using the center's sippy cup and not the cup she provided as instructed. I inquired how many cups she provided daily for Child A to use. She only provided one cup daily. Child A was scheduled to attend Monday through Friday from 8am- 3pm. On October 22, 2021, I made an unannounced onsite investigation to the KinderCare Learning Center and interviewed Laura Marsh, license designee/program director. Ms. Marsh denied that the center caused Child A to be constantly ill from thrush due to not properly cleaning/sanitizing cups. The center provides sippy cups and they are cleaned continuously throughout the day. The center cleans and sanitizes dishes, utensils, and food service equipment in the kitchen. There was only one incident that Ms. Marsh was informed of that Child A had thrush. Child A's Mother was viewing on the KinderCare app that Child A was drinking from a cup that was provided by the center. She contacted Ms. Marsh and said that she no longer wanted Child A to drink from the center cup's because Child A had thrush. This was the first and only time that Child A's Mother notified them of the thrush. She informed Ms. Marsh that she put a sippy cup in Child A's bag. Ms. Marsh went to the classroom and found the cup in the bag and asked staff if Child A's Mother had informed them that Child A had thrush and her request about the cup. Staff denied that Child A's Mother informed them about the thrush or the cup stored in Child A's bag. Child A's Mother would only provide one cup for Child A and often times there wouldn't be a cup in the bag so they would revert back to providing beverages in the center furnished cups. During the onsite investigation on October 22, 2021, I interviewed child care staff member Zainab Khan. Ms. Khan was Child A's primary caregiver. She recalled when Ms. Marsh came into the classroom to inquire if they had been informed by Child A's Mother about Child A having thrush. Child A's Mother never notified her about the thrush and she was advised by Ms. Marsh to begin using the sippy cup that was in Child A's bag. They would use Child A's personal cup whenever the mother would put the cup in the bag. If there was no cup in the bag, she would use the cups provided by the center. Once the cups are used, they are rinsed in the classroom sink and sent to the kitchen for washing / cleaning. 3 This consultant inspected the kitchen area. The cook Jennifer Little was present. The
- Violation
On October 22, 2021, I interviewed Child A's Mother. Child A had diaper rash and thrush on her bottom. Child A's Mother provided diaper rash ointment and prescription medication for the center to use. The center failed to apply the ointment and said it was due to it being expired. She provided more ointment and they didn't apply the cream as instructed. She asked the center not to clean her bottom after 4 being wet only after a bowel movement because she wanted the ointment to remain. At pickup time Child A's bottom would be red, dry, and irritated. During the onsite investigation on October 22, 2021, I interviewed Ms. Marsh regarding the allegation. She denied that the center failed to diaper Child A causing her to get a diaper rash/ thrush. She wasn't informed by Child A's Mother that Child A had thrush on her bottom, only in her mouth. She denied the allegation that child care staff members caused Child A to get a diaper rash because they weren't diapering regularly. The center's policy is to ensure that children are changed on a regular basis every two hours. They are checked upon arrival and if they are wet, they are changed, if they are dry, they are checked and changed within the hour. They check diapers every two hours while the child is awake. When children awake from naps, they are checked and changed. They are checked again before they go home for the day. On average a child is changed a minimum of three to four times throughout the day. She recalled having a conversation with Child A's Mother regarding not being able to apply expired diaper ointment cream and that she would need to bring in cream that wasn't expired. Child A's Mother appeared irritated about the center's refusal to administer the expired ointment and she explained that licensing rules prohibit them from administering expired medication and topical creams. During the onsite investigation on October 22, 2021, I interviewed Ms. Khan. She wasn't aware that Child A had thrush on her bottom. She was aware that Child A had a diaper rash. She described the rash as mildly red and irritated. She wouldn't describe it as a bad case of diaper rash where it is blistered or with peeling skin. One day she arrived at the center with the rash. She couldn't recall the exact date. Child A's Mother brought in expired ointment and she was advised that the cream couldn't be applied due to it being expired. The parents are responsible for providing ointment. When she brought in ointment it was applied at every diaper change. Child A's Mother didn't want staff to use wipes because she felt it was drying out Child A's bottom and causing the rash to not properly heal. Ms. Khan honored the request and only used the wipes during a bowel movement. Children in general are checked and changed every two hours. Ms. Marsh provided this consultant with access to Child A's continuing care records which showed times of the diaper changes and whether she was wet, dry, or had a bowel movement. The sampling of records reviewed showed on average at least three different diapering times. On June 22, 2021, Child A arrived at 8:08am and departed at 3:33pm. Her diapering times were 9:30am, 11:30am, and 3:01p m. On June 23, 2021, Child A arrived at 8:37am and departed at 2:16pm. Her diapering times were 9:14am, 11:04am, and 1:40pm. On July 9, 2021, Child A arrived at 8:00am and departed at 3:25pm. Her diapering times were 9:08am, 11:26am, and 2:55pm. August 2, 2021, was her last day in care. She arrived at 8:04am and departed at 12:50pm. She was diapered at 9:11a m and 11:36am. 5
Questions to ask on your tour
Generated from this facility's specific inspection record
- 1The Apr 8, 2026 inspection noted: “Teacher1 used an inappropriate discipline method when she isolated Child A in the restroom by closing and locking the bathroom door when he refused to come out…” — what has changed since then?
- 2The Jan 25, 2025 inspection noted: “Child Care Staff Members failed to provide appropriate care for Child A on 12/27/23 and 11/14/2023.” — what has changed since then?
- 3The Oct 21, 2022 inspection noted: “According to interviews with staff, Ms. Baldwin did not use a means of punishment that is prohibited. She did not grab Child A in a manner consistent with corpo…” — what has changed since then?
Data synced from Michigan MiLEAP, Child Care Licensing Bureau · Source records · Report an error