• Violation

  ............ ............ ................................................................................. ..... ..................................... ...... MCL 722.120 Investigation, inspection, and examination of conditions, books, records, and reports; access by department; ... failure of licensee to cooperate with investigation, inspection, or examination. (1) The department may investigate, inspect, and examine conditions of a child care organization and may investigate and examine the books and records of the licensee. The licensee shall cooperate with the department's investigation, inspection, and examination by doing all of the following: (c) Providing accurate and truthful information to the department, and encouraging witnesses, such as staff and household members, to provide accurate and truthful information to the department.

  On 10/06/2022, I conducted an unannounced onsite inspection at Ms. Channing Sutton's group child care home. I arrived at 8:03 AM and observed that the home was unoccupied. At 8:14 AM, Ms. Sutton arrived at the home in a vehicle with her toddler son. I informed Ms. Sutton that there was a concern she was not residing in the home and that she was not truthful with me during the onsite renewal inspection on 09/26/2022. During the renewal inspection, I specifically asked Ms. Sutton if she was operating a short-term rental. Ms. Sutton stated, "I would say this is my primary residence. I stay here on Mondays, Tuesdays, and sometimes Wednesdays." Her young son also stays with her in the home. She did not stay in the home last night. Ms. Sutton sleeps in the basement, which she identified as her living space. She created a space in one of the bedrooms on the main level where her son can sleep. Since August, Ms. Sutton only cared for children on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. Prior to that, she operated Monday through Friday from about 7:30 AM until 6:00 PM. Ms. Sutton is married, but her husband does not live in the home with her, nor is he listed as a household member in the Child Care Background Check System (CCBC). They own another home in Leelanau County where he resides. Ms. Sutton and her family are gone every weekend, so she decided to operate a short-term rental in the basement. Almost all the people she has rented to were friends from out of town or referrals from friends. Her tax person told her that if she was going to rent, she needed to do it legally as a 3 Vacation Rental by Owner (VRBO). She acknowledged that she should have said they rented out the basement in the past when I asked her about it, but it only happened over the summer months, and it never overlapped with child care hours because she only rents from Thursday through Saturday nights. I pointed out her VRBO page stated that check in time was after 4:30 PM on Thursdays, but her child care hours go until 6:00 PM and that one VRBO week showed availability Wednesday through Sunday morning. Ms. Sutton stated that the information on her VRBO page was incorrect and that no renters have ever arrived while children were in care. Ms. Sutton has a renter coming tomorrow, which is Friday, and staying through the weekend. She has a girlfriend staying at the home soon, then after that she is done with renting. During the onsite inspection, Ms. Sutton showed me a dresser in an unfinished room in the basement with a door labeled "Private." The dresser contained a small amount of clothing that Ms. Sutton identified as belonging to her. No other clothing was hanging up, nor did I see shoes, socks, clothing for her son, or other evidence indicating that she permanently resided in the home. I observed that the basement living area was set up to receive guests with a handwritten message on a dry erase board welcoming the Laugheed family, along with posted directions and rules for staying in the home. The only bed in the space was made up with no indication that it had been slept in recently. The basement rental space has its own entrance door that provides access to the back yard of the home. Stairs from the basement leading to the main level provide direct access to the child care space. There is no lock on the door to prevent guests in the basement from accessing the child care area on the main level. The living room, kitchen, and two bedrooms on the main level have been converted to child care space with a child-sized table and chairs in the kitchen. There is no adult dining table, nor is there evidence to suggest that the main floor of the home is used for anything other than child care. Note: During the onsite renewal inspection on 09/26/2022, I noticed a yard sign near the outdoor play area with the words "Studio Leland" written on it, along with an arrow pointing toward the back of the home. When I asked Ms. Sutton about the sign during the renewal inspection, she stat

Ms. Channing Sutton is operating a short-term rental in her child care home. She does not reside in the home where she is providing care.

Disposition: Substantiated