Skip to main content
Concerns in Child Care

Concerns in Child Care

Resources for Child Care Concerns

Once you choose a child care provider, there will be many positive experiences. You may also have some concerns. This page has resources for those special situations. You may also want to read our child care consumer statement.

Topics of Concern

File a Complaint

For all concerns related to child care settings — including licensed homes and centers, license‑exempt providers, child abuse or neglect, serious injuries or deaths, and suspension/expulsion practices — please visit our File a Complaint page.

Preventing Suspension and Expulsion

For guidance on reducing or preventing suspension and expulsion in early childhood programs, see Preventing Suspension and Expulsion in Michigan Early Childhood Programs.

Filing a Complaint Against a Child Care Home or Center

The Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential (MiLEAP) handles complaints against child care homes, centers or facilities operating without a license.1 To make a complaint, you can fill out the Online Complaint Form. You can also call 517-284-9730 option 4 to make a complaint or print and complete a paper Complaint Form. Your name will be kept private and will not be released unless ordered by the court. Mail or fax paper complaint forms to:

Mail:

Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential
Child Care Licensing – Complaint Intake
105 W Allegan, 2nd Floor
PO Box 30837
Lansing, MI 48933

Fax: 

517-763-0217

1 If you are making a complaint regarding a home, center, or camp operating without a license, you must indicate how you know they are operating without a license.

Child Abuse and/or Neglect Complaints

To make a complaint about the abuse or neglect of a child in a child care facility, call centralized intake at 1-855-444-3911.

Filing a Complaint Against a License Exempt Provider

The Child Development and Care (CDC) Office within the Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential (MiLEAP) handles complaints against license exempt providers. Call 1-866-990-3227 to make a complaint against a license exempt provider.

Serious Injuries, Deaths, and Substantiated Abuse in Child Care Settings

No matter what type of child care you choose, accidents can happen. The Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential tracks serious injuries, deaths, and abuse in licensed child care. Within 24 hours of a serious injury, or death, licensed child care providers must verbally report it to MiLEAP. Licensed child care providers must submit a written report of the incident to MiLEAP within 72 hours of the verbal report using the Incident Report form. A special investigation is often begun to assure the health and safety of the children in care at the location reported.

License exempt providers must report a serious injury or death of a child in child care within five days by completing a License Exempt Provider Serious Injury Report form and submitting it to the MiLEAP.

What is a Serious Injury?

A serious injury is an injury that requires medical attention from a healthcare provider. A serious injury includes, but is not limited to,

  • burns,
  • lacerations,
  • bone fractures,
  • substantial hematoma,
  • and injuries to internal organs.

What is a Death in Child Care?

Death in child care is the death of a child that occurred while the child was in a licensed home or center.

What is Substantiated Child Abuse?

Child abuse means harm or threatened harm to a child’s health or welfare that occurs through nonaccidental physical or mental injury, sexual abuse, sexual exploitation, or maltreatment, by a parent, a legal guardian, or any other person responsible for the child’s health or welfare, or by a teacher, a teacher’s aide, or a member of the clergy.

Substantiated means a child protective services case classified as a central registry case.  An individual substantiated for child abuse or neglect would be placed on central registry.  Central registry is the system that is used to keep a record of all reports filed with the department where child abuse and child neglect have been found to exist.

Child Fatality and Serious Injury Report in Child Care

Child Fatality and Serious Injury Report in Child Care - Fiscal Year 20252

October 1, 2024-September 30, 2025
Facility Type Number of Licensed Facilities Capacity of Children Deaths In Child Care Serious Injury
Broken Bones3		 Serious Injury
Stitches		 Serious Injury
Burns		 Serious Injury
Other		 Substantiated Child Abuse/Neglect
Family (DF)
1-6 children		 1,816 11,679 0 3 2 0 1 0
Group (DG)
7-12 children		 1,409 18,504 0 3 3 0 12 0
Center (DC) 4,598 369,855 0 136 250 0 183 0
License Exempt N/A N/A 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 7,823 400,038 0 142 255 0 196 0

Child Fatality and Serious Injury Report in Child Care - Fiscal Year 20242

October 1, 2023-September 30, 2024
Facility Type Number of Licensed Facilities Capacity of Children Deaths In Child Care Serious Injury
Broken Bones3		 Serious Injury
Stitches		 Serious Injury
Burns		 Serious Injury
Other		 Substantiated Child Abuse/Neglect
Family (DF)
1-6 children		 1,892 12,095 1 1 1 1 6 0
Group (DG)
7-12 children		 1,451 18,995 1 1 6 0 4 0
Center (DC) 4,571 358,281 0 99 164 1 152 2
License Exempt N/A N/A 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 7,914 366,191 2 101 171 2 162 2

N/A = Data not available

2All data are based upon incidents reported to Child Care Licensing. Licensing Rules require all child care facilities to make a verbal report to the department within 24 hours of a serious injury, accident, illness, or medical treatment or hospitalization at a health facility, or which results in a death.

3 Broken bones in child care are often the result of children either falling off of playground equipment or having other accidents. It is not uncommon for the number of broken bones to increase during warmer weather months when children are outside playing.

Older Fiscal Year Reports

  • FY 2023

    Child Fatalities and Serious Injury Report in Child Care - Fiscal Year 20232

    October 1, 2022-September 30, 2023
    Facility Type Number of Licensed Facilities Capacity of Children Deaths in Child Care Serious Injury Broken Bones3 Serious Injury Stitches Serious Injury Burns Serious Injury Other Substantiated Child Abuse/Neglect
    Family (DF) 1-6 children 1,944 12,359 0 5 5 1 8 1
    Group (DG) 7-12 children 1,468 19,169 2 5 7 0 10 1
    Center (DC) 4,526 352,679 0 130 166 3 149 6
    License Exempt N/A N/A 0 0 0 0 0 0
    Total 7,938 384,207 2 140 178 4 167 8

    N/A = Data not available

    2All data are based upon incidents reported to Child Care Licensing. Licensing Rules require all child care facilities to make a verbal report to the department within 24 hours of a serious injury, accident, illness, or medical treatment or hospitalization at a health facility, or which results in a death.

    3 Broken bones in child care are often the result of children either falling off of playground equipment or having other accidents. It is not uncommon for the number of broken bones to increase during warmer weather months when children are outside playing.

  • FY 2022

    Child Fatalities and Serious Injury Report in Child Care - Fiscal Year 20222

    October 1, 2021-September 30, 2022
    Facility Type Number of Licensed Facilities Capacity of Children Deaths in Child Care Serious Injury Broken Bones3 Serious Injury Stitches Serious Injury Burns Serious Injury Other Substantiated Child Abuse/Neglect
    Family (DF) 1-6 children 1,958 12,114 0 6 3 0 3 3
    Group (DG) 7-12 children 1,471 18,560 0 7 5 0 3 2
    Center (DC) 4,492 344,929 0 105 110 1 41 9
    License Exempt N/A N/A 0 0 0 0 0 0
    Total 7,921 375,603 0 118 118 1 47 14

    N/A = Data not available

    2All data are based upon incidents reported to Child Care Licensing. Licensing Rules require all child care facilities to make a verbal report to the department within 24 hours of a serious injury, accident, illness, or medical treatment or hospitalization at a health facility, or which results in a death.

    3 Broken bones in child care are often the result of children either falling off of playground equipment or having other accidents. It is not uncommon for the number of broken bones to increase during warmer weather months when children are outside playing.

  • FY 2021

    Child Fatalities and Serious Injury Report in Child Care - Fiscal Year 20212

    October 1, 2020-September 30, 2021
    Facility Type Number of Licensed Facilities Capacity of Children Deaths in Child Care Serious Injury Broken Bones3 Serious Injury Stitches Serious Injury Burns Serious Injury Other Substantiated Child Abuse/Neglect
    Family (DF) 1-6 children 2,001 11,975 0 1 3 0 0 0
    Group (DG) 7-12 children 1,468 17,556 0 6 3 1 0 2
    Center (DC) 4,468 336,660 0 93 104 3 23 2
    License Exempt N/A N/A 0 0 0 0 1 0
    Total 7,937 366,191 0 100 110 4 24 4

    N/A = Data not available

    2All data are based upon incidents reported to Child Care Licensing. Licensing Rules require all child care facilities to make a verbal report to the department within 24 hours of a serious injury, accident, illness, or medical treatment or hospitalization at a health facility, or which results in a death.

    3 Broken bones in child care are often the result of children either falling off of playground equipment or having other accidents. It is not uncommon for the number of broken bones to increase during warmer weather months when children are outside playing.

  • FY 2020

    Child Fatalities and Serious Injury Report in Child Care - Fiscal Year 20202

    October 1, 2019-September 30, 2020
    Facility Type Number of Licensed Facilities Capacity of Children Deaths in Child Care Serious Injury Broken Bones3 Serious Injury Stitches Serious Injury Burns Serious Injury Other Substantiated Child Abuse/Neglect
    Family (DF) 1-6 children 2,210 13,230 1 3 2 1 0 0
    Group (DG) 7-12 children 1,600 19,125 1 7 2 0 0 2
    Center (DC) 4,488 333,553 1 85 121 2 20 4
    License Exempt N/A N/A 0 0 0 0 0 0
    Total 8,298 365,908 3 95 125 3 20 6

    N/A = Data not available

    2All data are based upon incidents reported to Child Care Licensing. Licensing Rules require all child care facilities to make a verbal report to the department within 24 hours of a serious injury, accident, illness, or medical treatment or hospitalization at a health facility, or which results in a death.

    3 Broken bones in child care are often the result of children either falling off of playground equipment or having other accidents. It is not uncommon for the number of broken bones to increase during warmer weather months when children are outside playing.

Suspension and Expulsion in Michigan Early Childhood Programs

Adults and children both do their best at work and school when their own needs are met. When a child seems to misbehave, it is sometimes hard to understand. Their behavior may show that they need help dealing with their feelings, or don’t feel well, or learn in a different way. Challenging behaviors do not mean that a child is “bad” or unable to learn. Suspending or expelling a young learner may mean that parents and teachers aren’t meeting the child’s real need. So, it is important to use best practices to keep a child in the learning setting as much as possible.

The Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential (MiLEAP) believes that programs should only suspend or expel young children as a very last resort. Some programs, like Head Start and the Great Start Readiness Program, prohibit suspensions and expulsions. For more information, view the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) guidance for developing prevention of suspension/expulsion policies for children 0-8. Find resources related to suspension expulsion prevention on the alternatives to suspensions and expulsions page.