Georgia day-care stars stayed high after serious child safety incidents

An Atlanta Journal-Constitution investigation found that about 350 centres retained or improved their state ratings after incidents involving serious harm or risks to children, prompting scrutiny of Georgia’s publicly funded system.

Georgia’s star-based child care rating system has come under fresh scrutiny after an Atlanta Journal-Constitution investigation found that roughly 350 day-care centres kept their Quality Rated status over the past decade even after state investigators cited them for seriously harming or endangering children. In some instances, the newspaper found, ratings improved after major incidents, raising questions for parents who have long used the stars as a quick way to judge safety and quality.

The system, run by Georgia’s Department of Early Care and Learning, was created in 2012 as a voluntary programme that awards one to three stars. According to the AJC, centres are judged on a single unannounced classroom visit and a portfolio of staff qualifications, while reviewers examine only rule violations from the previous 12 months. More than two-thirds of the state’s roughly 4,200 licensed day-care providers take part. Because a rating can remain in place for up to three years, the newspaper said, the programme can present a reassuring picture that does not always reflect a centre’s full history.

The AJC said it reviewed state citations carrying DECAL’s most serious labels, “high” or “extreme”, and filed more than 40 open-records requests beginning in February. Among the cases highlighted was Oxford Academy Preschool in Powder Springs, where a 1-year-old suffered chemical burns from bleach left in a classroom in 2023. Records cited by the newspaper said the director told staff to lie about the incident. The state later imposed a $5,000 fine, and the centre’s rating rose from one star to two.

Another example involved Childtime Childcare in Kingsland, where a 7-month-old suffered a skull fracture in 2022. The centre was fined $10,000 the following year and had a three-star rating within two years, according to the AJC. In 2023, the centre also received $341,000 in subsidies, including $56,000 in bonuses. Excell Preparatory Center in Lithonia, meanwhile, had been cited at least nine times for severe safety violations, with separate incidents including a worker pushing a thumbtack into five toddlers and another slapping a 3-year-old boy. Three employees were arrested and two went to prison, the newspaper reported, yet the centre’s rating increased to two stars in 2025 before its licence was later suspended.

The investigation also pointed to a fatal case at Easterseals Child Development Center-Sylvan in Atlanta, where a 7-month-old died in 2021 after being placed to sleep on pillows. The state fined the centre $499, and it still holds two stars, according to the AJC. The American Academy of Pediatrics says babies should sleep on their backs on a flat surface in a crib or bassinet, without pillows, blankets or soft toys.

According to the newspaper, the ratings system is closely tied to public funding. Since 2016, Georgia has paid $2.47 billion in subsidies to Quality Rated day-care centres and $444 million in star-based bonuses. But changes planned for 2027 could tighten the link between safety and status: DECAL has proposed stripping ratings from centres that break rules or are involved in a “major incident involving harm to a child”, forcing them to repeat the rating process and potentially lose bonuses or, in extreme cases, subsidies. A department spokesman told the AJC the proposal is still open for public comment and is not yet policy.

DECAL Commissioner Amy Jacobs declined an interview, but in a written statement she said children’s health and safety remains the agency’s highest priority. “I am grateful that serious incidents are uncommon,” she wrote. “We recognize that no system or program is ever perfect.” State Senator Brian Strickland, a Republican from McDonough, told the newspaper the ratings still serve working families, while Penn State research psychologist Rick Fiene said bluntly: “We cannot put kids in harm’s way.”

For parents, the AJC urged checking far beyond the number of stars. Its guide recommends confirming that a centre is licensed, reading monitoring reports, reviewing fines and enforcement actions, and searching court records. Georgia parents can also use DECAL’s family portal to look up providers and inspection reports, and they can ask about staff-to-child ratios, incident reporting, camera use and where infants sleep. Georgia does not require day-care centres to have cameras. Families concerned about abuse can report it to the Georgia Division of Family and Children Services at 1-855-GACHILD, which takes calls around the clock.