JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – News4Jax is committed to keeping children safe at local day cares.
Counselors with the Department of Children and Families visited a dozen local day cares last week to make sure they're following the rules.
While several day cares received violations, many others were violation-free.
Out of about a dozen day cares, not one received any major violations, and nearly half of the day cares inspected received clean reports, including Franklyn Learning Center on Beach Boulevard in Jacksonville Beach.
The center serves children of all ages from babies to 5 year olds.
And workers were all smiles after earning a clean record during their last inspection.
Director Lisa Rodino has been with the day care for eight years and said the secret to their success is asking questions and having a good relationship with DCF.
"If we are going to make a change, I have no problem calling and asking 'Hey is this OK? Is there something you would do differently?' so it's never been an issue," Rodino said.
Everything from the paperwork to the playground is up to code according to DCF, and Rodino said she plays an active part to make sure of it.
"I'm in the classrooms. I'm with the teachers. I'm with the children. I'm involved, so I don't sit in my office," Rodino said. "I'm here and I know what's going on in the center."
Rodino said one thing that sets this day care apart from the rest is that they're family-oriented.
"We call ourselves the Franklyn family," she said, laughing. "All that I want is for the teachers to treat them like their own. And l think the children and staff feel that, and that's what makes us run so well."
Along with Franklyn Learning Center, located on 1851 Beach Boulevard, here is the list of other day cares that received zero violations during their inspections last week:
- Tutor Time Learning Center LLC - 8510 Watermill Boulevard S
- Mitchell Learning Academy LLC - 1210 Lee Road
- Honey Bear's Daycare Inc. - 1903 Fouraker Road
- Sunrise Day Care and Learning Center - 12422 Woodland Drive
The day cares that received violations during their inspection last week include:
- The Sunshine House - 3993 San Jose Park Drive (They received three violations including a violation for an expired shot record for a student.)
- Fort Caroline Learning Tree - 7440 Merrill Road (They received two violations for missing paperwork.)
- Discovery Childcare - 2890 Moody Road (They received two violations for missing paperwork.)
- Kidz Courtyard Learning Center - 1246 Park Avenue (Received one violation for an expired form.)
- KinderCare Learning Center - 12040 McCormick Road (Received one violation for an expired form.)
- All About Kids VPK Academy - 4204 Pearl Street North (Received one violation for an expired form.)
To report concerns or complaints about a child care facility, call 904-485-9564. You can also go to http://www.myflfamilies.com/service-programs/child-care/parent-resources and then select "Provider Search" to search for any local child care facility.