Find a program / Delaware / Wilmington / SMALLS STEPPING STONE DAYCARE & PRESCHOOL, INC.
Child care center · Wilmington, DE
SMALLS STEPPING STONE DAYCARE & PRESCHOOL, INC.
A licensed child care center in Wilmington, Delaware, with its state inspection and complaint history from the Delaware Office of Child Care Licensing (OCCL).
Program details
Program type: Licensed child care center
Address: 1408 CLIFFORD BROWN WALK, Wilmington, DE 19801
Phone: (302) 652-3011
Ages served: 6 months through 12 years.
Age group: Infant through School-Age
Licensed capacity: 250 children
OCCL license number: 250535
Current enforcement action (as published): none listed in the state's file
Injuries reported to the state (as published): the state's file lists injuries in the last 5 years that needed medical or dental treatment. No facility injuries reported. No facility deaths reported.
View the official record on Delaware's child care search (search for the program's name).
Inspection history
Last 3 years (November 12, 2023 to November 12, 2026, when the state's files were last updated)
- 2 visits where violations were cited (the state's file doesn't list visits where nothing was cited)
- 5 violations cited on these visits
- 4 complaint investigations completed (No Evidence to Substantiate: 4)
A violation means a licensing specialist found that a Delaware licensing rule wasn't met. The state gives the program a date to correct each one and records when it was corrected. Complaint results use the state's own terms, as published. Read the official record for details.
Visits with violations
All 2 visits with violations in the state's file (which starts November 12, 2021), newest first, with 5 violations in all. The state's file lists only visits where a rule was cited, so visits where nothing was cited are not shown. Each violation shows the state's short title for the rule, its regulation code, the date the state set for the fix and the correction status as published.
November 13, 2024 · Unannounced Full Compliance Review · 2 violations
Kitchen and Food Preparation
Regulation code 50U · Correct by December 13, 2024 · Correction status: Completed, November 26, 2024 · How the correction was shown (as published): Document
Licensing specialist's notes (as published)
Infant 1 & 2 refrigerators need to be replaced or repair due to not reading under 40'.
Sanitation
Regulation code 58U · Correct by December 13, 2024 · Correction status: Completed, November 26, 2024 · How the correction was shown (as published): Document
Licensing specialist's notes (as published)
Staff files need to be complete. Staff #2 annual safe sleep and annual abuse and neglect. Staff #3 need OCCL health and safety training, release of employment. Staff #4 needs release of employment and service letters.
November 15, 2023 · Unannounced Full Compliance Review · 3 violations
Personnel Files
Regulation code 30U · Correct by December 15, 2023 · Correction status: Completed, January 18, 2024 · How the correction was shown (as published): Document
Licensing specialist's notes (as published)
All staff files must be complete. Send the DEEDS certificate for three staff members. Send the health and safety training for eight staff members. Send the application for one staff member. Send the job description for two staff members. Send the references for one staff member. Send the updated fingerprinting receipt for ten staff members. Send the adult abuse registry for one staff member. Send the release of employment history for one staff member. Send the service letters for three staff members. Send the health appraisal for one staff member.
Child Files
Regulation code 40U · Correct by December 15, 2023 · Correction status: Completed, December 20, 2023 · How the correction was shown (as published): Document
Licensing specialist's notes (as published)
All child files must be complete. Send the documentation of the completed blood lead screening for four children.
License Renewal
Regulation code 8U · Correct by November 30, 2023 · Correction status: Completed, December 13, 2023 · How the correction was shown (as published): Document
Licensing specialist's notes (as published)
Send the completed and notarized renewal application.
Complaint investigations
All 8 complaint investigations in the state's file (which starts November 29, 2021), newest first, with the result and the state's summary as published.
Completed January 9, 2026 · Result: No Evidence to Substantiate
Type (as published): OCCL Standards Complaint
The state's summary (as published)
On December 3, 2025, the Office of Child Care Licensing (OCCL) received a complaint regarding failing to use appropriate behavior supports and use respectful communication with parents or guardians. An investigation was conducted on December 9, 2025. After separate interviews of center staff were conducted and documentation reviewed, it appears that respectful communication and appropriate behavior supports are used within the classroom and with communication to the families. There is no evidence to substantiate this complaint.
Completed July 8, 2024 · Result: No Evidence to Substantiate
Type (as published): OCCL Standards Complaint
The state's summary of this complaint may name a person, so we don't show it here. It's in the state's published file (see Sources).
Completed January 5, 2024 · Result: No Evidence to Substantiate
Type (as published): OCCL Standards Complaint
The state's summary of this complaint may name a person, so we don't show it here. It's in the state's published file (see Sources).
Completed January 2, 2024 · Result: No Evidence to Substantiate
Type (as published): OCCL Standards Complaint
The state's summary of this complaint may name a person, so we don't show it here. It's in the state's published file (see Sources).
Older than 3 years (not counted in the summary above)
Completed August 3, 2023 · Result: No Evidence to Substantiate
Type (as published): OCCL Standards Complaint
The state's summary (as published)
On June 21, 2023, the Office of Child Care Licensing (OCCL) received a complaint regarding not following the child health exclusions, not notifying the families of a communicable disease, and not properly sanitizing the classrooms. An unannounced visit was conducted on June 28, 2023, to investigate the complaint. There is no evidence to substantiate the complaint based on interviews with the administrator and two staff members, and observation of the center. The classrooms were observed being cleaned during this visit, and staff interviewed stated materials within each classroom are cleaned and sanitized throughout the day as required. The administrator stated she never received documentation from a doctor stating any of the children had been diagnosed with hand, foot, and mouth disease. The staff members that were interviewed stated they never observed any children in the classrooms with blisters or symptoms that appeared to be hand, foot, and mouth disease.
Completed July 6, 2023 · Result: No Evidence to Substantiate with Concern
Type (as published): OCCL Standards Complaint
The state's summary (as published)
On May 9, 2023, the Office of Child Care Licensing (OCCL) received a complaint regarding the center not following its expulsion or positive behavior support policies. The complaint investigation began on May 15, 2023, and concluded on May 19, 2023. There is no evidence to substantiate the complaint because the administrator confirmed she had not terminated the enrollment of any three-year-old children. The administrator reported the child was present in the center on May 19, 2023. The administrator also stated she and a staff member met with the child's parent to discuss the child's behavior. A concern noted is the center moved a three-year-old child from the three-year-old preschool classroom back to the two-year-old classroom because of the child's attachment to a staff member in the two-year-old classroom, and the staff in the three-year-old classroom could not control the child's behavior.
Completed May 22, 2023 · Result: No Evidence to Substantiate
Type (as published): OCCL Standards Complaint
The state's summary (as published)
On April 18, 2023, the Office of Child Care Licensing (OCCL) received a complaint regarding improper staff-to-child ratios, unqualified staff members, and improper discipline. An investigation was conducted on April 24, 2023. There is no evidence to substantiate the complaint because all the classrooms were following proper staff-to-child ratios, and no unqualified staff members were alone with children. Also, the staff members interviewed denied hitting the children and reported they had not seen any staff members hit children.
Completed May 2, 2023 · Result: No Evidence to Substantiate
Type (as published): OCCL Standards Complaint
The state's summary of this complaint may name a person, so we don't show it here. It's in the state's published file (see Sources).
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More programs in Wilmington · Delaware child care rules
Sources
- Licensed Child Care Providers and Facilities: program details, enforcement action and injuries report.
- Child Care Licensing Compliance Review Information: visits, violations, corrections and specialist notes.
- Child Care Licensing Complaint Reviews: complaint investigations, results and summaries.
All three are published by the Delaware Office of Child Care Licensing on data.delaware.gov as Public Domain and cover about the last five years. State files updated November 12, 2026. We show the state's text as published. Program details last checked October 21, 2026.