Child care oversight in Maine: Complete coverage
An index of stories related to Maine's official oversight of day care centers and documented abuse at the Sunshine Child Care & Preschool in Lyman. Stories are listed below in reverse-chronological order.
Maine panel to probe DHHS inaction on child-abuse reports by Joe Lawlor, staff writer
Ex-DHHS inspectors say Maine managers ignored child abuse by Joe Lawlor, staff writer
Ex-inspectors for Maine DHHS likely to reveal flaws in day-care oversight by Joe Lawlor, staff writer
Maine's lax follow-up policy penalizes some day care sites, critics say by Joe Lawlor, staff writer
Maine may hire more inspectors after reports of abuse at Lyman day care by Joe Lawlor, staff writer
Maine day care allegations range from cruel to mundane by Ed Murphy, staff writer
Maine day care providers open to changes, supportive of state's efforts by Eric Russell, staff writer
Audio: DHHS conference call on Maine's day care center oversight policies
Maine official: State's response to day care abuse fell short by Ed Murphy, staff writer
DHHS stumbles on Lyman day care owner's abuse by Ed Murphy, staff writer
Maine website to help parents find day cares is riddled with errors by Ed Murphy, staff writer
Maine legislators to consider tighter oversight of child care centers by Joe Lawlor, staff writer
Our View: Maine DHHS misleads parents about quality of child care
Bill Nemitz: Child welfare is sad victim of Maine's neglect
Lyman day care gets high rating long after abuse allegations by Joe Lawlor, staff writer
Lyman day-care center closes after being accused of mistreating kids by Edward Murphy, staff writer
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List of Maine day care centers with conditional, surrendered or revoked licenses
The state Department of Health and Human Services has listed 21 day care centers or operators of home-based day cares who were given conditional licenses in 2013, and four whose licenses were revoked. Some of those centers and operators are listed on the website maintained by the DHHS to help parents find day care for their children (www.childcarechoices.me). There is no information on the website that indicates the operators have conditional or revoked licenses.
The website ranks day care centers on a 1-to-4 system, with a 4 being the best.
A 4 ranking means, among other factors, that the center has been operating for at least one year, meets state regulatory standards, has had no substantiated licensing violations in the past three years, and is nationally accredited.
A 1 ranking means the program has been in operation for at least a year and meets state regulatory standards.
Several of the day care centers have no indicated ranking. The website does not say why.
Note: Lyman's Sunshine Childcare &Â Preschool was listed on the state's website with a "3" rating until last week, when its listing was removed.
| Proprietor | Day care center name | Town | Ranking | License status |
| Barbara Barstow | ABC 123 Daycare | Norridgewock | None | Voluntarily surrendered license prior to revocation [PDF] |
| Charlotte Brennan | Lemon Grove Daycare &Â Preschool | Bangor | None | Voluntarily surrendered license prior to revocation [PDF] |
| Cheryl Dubois | Sunshine Childcare & Preschool | Lyman | 3 (see note above) | Conditional license issued in 2013 [PDF] |
| Cindy Lapoint | Â | Buxton | None | Conditional license issued [PDF] and subsequently revoked [PDF] in 2013 |
| Colleen Brown | Â | Presque Isle | None | Conditional license issued in 2013 [PDF] |
| Cynthia Doucette | Â | Van Buren | None | Conditional license issued in 2013 [PDF] |
| Elizabeth Rollins | Â | Hallowell | None | Conditional license issued in 2013 [PDF] |
| Julie Aube | Â | Augusta | 1 | Conditional license issued in 2013 [PDF] |
| Kareen Nelson | Ton of Fun Child Care | Boothbay | 1 | Conditional license issued in 2013 [PDF] |
| Karen Sachar | Â | Waterville | None | Conditional license issued [PDF] and subsequently revoked [PDF] in 2013 |
| Kelly Jean Nason | Â | Lincoln | 2 | Conditional license issued in 2013 [PDF] |
| Kristen McInnis | Â | Windham | None | Conditional license issued in 2013 [PDF] |
| Lisa Thornton | Â | Calais | None | Conditional license issued in 2013 [PDF] |
| Melissa Geaumont | Â | Gorham | None | Conditional license issued in 2013 [PDF] |
| Peggy Ouellette | Â | Fort Kent | None | Conditional license issued in 2013 [PDF] |
| Sharon Jackett | Bright Beginnings Child Care Center | Houlton | None | Conditional license issued in 2013 [PDF] |
| Sonya Richardson |  | Caribou |  | Conditional license issued [PDF] and subsequently revoked [PDF] in 2013 |
| Susan Bell | KuriouCity ChildCare and Learning Center | Presque Isle | None | Conditional license issued in 2013 [PDF] |
| Terri Arsenault | Â | Mechanic Falls | 1 | Conditional license issued in 2013 [PDF] |
| Terry Fourtier | Days of Wonder | Caribou | None | Conditional license issued in 2013 [PDF] |
| Tiffany Petronis | Watch Me Shine | Ellsworth | None | Conditional license issued in 2013 [PDF] |
| Tracey Ramsey | Â | Calais | None | Conditional license issued in 2013 [PDF] |
| Tracy Farrington | Â | Lisbon | 1 | Conditional license issued in 2013 [PDF] |
| Virginia Kenney | Riverview Learning Center | Bath | None | License revoked in 2013 [PDF] |
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