Complaints

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• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/14/2025

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  July 30, 2025, we found bruising on my sons arm that looked like fingerprints from someone grabbing him. We reached out to the owner of the daycare to find out if something happened that maybe was forgotten about. The owner, ***** ********** was not aware of anything that occurred, but said she would review the cameras. A picture of the bruising was sent to her that night, which she said herself looked suspiciously like fingerprints and said that there is an older child that is a bit rough and maybe he grabbed my son, that she was going to send it to the doctor *** is contacted by her to see what she thought. The following day ***** messaged saying that her doctor, Dr. ******* did say to contact or pediatrician to check on it. We followed exactly what ***** instructed us to do, which our doctor sent him to the emergency room, *** in turn, called the police to open up a child abuse investigation because of the marks. It was found that another student at the facility did in fact hit my son multiple times causing the injury, however; now ***** is saying she never told us to go to the pediatrician and she kicked my two children out of the daycare because of the investigation that we did not initiate, nor wanted. We followed what ***** said to do, and now we have to find new care for our children because we just wanted to know what happened. She is now not answering calls to set up a return for items we have there, or to refund money that was paid in advance.I have all messages saved and receipts of payment to show my proof of what occurred. At no time did we ever accuse her staff of hurting our child, we assumed it was probably another kid that did it, and all we truly wanted to know was, what happened, nothing more, nothing less, ***** told us what to do, we listened, and we are now being punished for doing exactly what she told us to do.

  Business Response

  Date: 08/29/2025

  Tell us why hereIn response to complaint # ********
       On July 30th,2025, at 6:12 pm I ****** ********* received a call from the mother of a Three-year-old child who was enrolled in the Up-Side-Down Town ELC program. The childs mother voiced concerns about two bruises, I asked if the child was in pain or if the mother believed there may be any breaks in the arm and she responded with; no, he is running around playing like normal I just want to know what caused the bruises. I then asked her to send me a picture of the childs arm. I received the text on Wednesday July 30th at 6:17 pm that included a photo of the childs arm with two bruises, one being the size of a dime, the other the size of a pencil eraser, both shaded brown and closer to the underside of his left forearm. I did note that there were two bruises,however I never said the bruises looked suspiciously like fingerprints! I did mention another child in the center who was a little rough and may have taken him by the arm to lead him, but I stated I still did not believe a child could make bruises by taking another child by the arm. I explained that I am very involved in my childcare center, and I take all parent concerns seriously.
        Up-Side-Down Town takes pride in the fact that after almost twenty years we have never had parental contact with any institute regarding the care and education we provide for the children of our community.I explained that we do have cameras throughout our facility and that I could view the camera footage and get back to her with answers as soon as I was done.I did tell her that if I was watching the video in real time, it would take a while since the child was in attendance for over eight hours. I also explained that with her expressing the need to understand how the bruises happened I would need to watch the video footage closely to ensure I did not miss any incident that may have occurred. The mother of the child also told me that the family had just purchased a trampoline for the children the past weekend, but she did not believe the marks were caused by the trampoline because they were not on her childs arm at bath time on Monday July 28th, 2025. The mother and I ended the call on a good note, and I felt I had the time needed to address her concerns.
        The call ended at 6:38 pm, lasting 26 ********** 7:53 on July 30th, 2025, I received a text from the mother of the same child which included a picture of the child lying on a changing table while the mother held his arm showing a small bruise on his right forearm,again smaller than a pencil eraser.  At 7:54 pm I received a text which said This is his other arm again, grabbing pattern whatever is going on needs to stop immediately. This is not OK. He is covered in bruises. (I believe this statement to be accusatory). The next text at 7:54 said If it is another kid, he cannot play with them. The next text at 7:54 said I appreciate you taking this seriously.  (I again believed I had the time to review the video). After reading the text messages and putting some thought into the situation I felt I needed to attempt to put the childs mother at ease. I texted the mother at 8:23 pm and explained our center is a four-star center and we have a contract with a local doctor which allows us to ask for advice regarding rashes, bumps, and bruises. I explained that I was going to get the doctors opinion on the bruising and that I only wanted to be thorough. I had no further contact with the family on July 30th,2025.
       On July 31st,2025, I walked into my childcare center and immediately looked for the child in question because I wanted to look at the bruises before I began to view the video footage. I asked one of my staff members if the children were in attendance and I was told no they were not. (Accusatory action by not sending children to care) I never said the children could not return to care at this point.
       On July 31st at 9:24 am I was sent a video of an adult sized hand using a grab like motion while placing their middle finger and ring finger over the two bruises. At 9:24 I was sent two separate pictures of the bruises with a text; These are xxxxxx right now. At 9:27 I responded to the text; Wouldnt there be 4 fingerprint bruises and a thumb bruise if his arm was grabbed so hard that it left such a bruise? I received a text 9:28 in response to my question stating, Actually, now it depends on the position that he was being pulled from. It makes sense that it would be the pointer finger in the middle finger, mostly showing, especially with the anatomical make up. At 9:29 another text stated, Thats his forearm.Theres more muscle there than in his upper arm. At 9:29 Especially at his age hes at right now thats why we still check for brachial artery the muscle mass in the upper arm is not developed enough to block the ability to check for it. At 9:30 another text stated, if you look yesterday, you will see there were other bruises in those pictures. They werent near as dark, but they were there.
      At 9:31 I responded with, I did consult my doctor, and she doesnt think it looks like a handprint. Dr ****** said you should take him to his pediatrician. At 9:31 I received a text; Did you review the tapes?  At 9:32 I responded with; I am in the process of watching the video but its an all-day watch so it will take time. At 9:33 I texted; The kids were here all day, and I am looking for anything that could have caused it.  
       At 9:33 a.m. I received a text from the childs mother stating; Ive spoken with multiple drs pas and nurses unfortunately not a single one has told me that Im wrong they all agreetheyre grab look like grab marks. (I believe this text is accusatory!)
       At 9:34 a.m. I received a text from the childs mother stating; I would love to be proven wrong I truly do not want an issue I would love for them to continue in your program but its both arms both the exact same pattern and placement so I cant believe it would just be an accidental toy injury. I want to point out that the left arm had two bruises and the right arm had only one very small bruise, so I do not believe there was any kind of pattern. I did, however, feel very upset with this text because clearly this mother is accusing someone of leaving the marks on her childs arms and clearly stating that she does not believe the marks to be accidental without allowing me the time I needed to review the video footage.
       At 9:45 a.m. I ***lied to the message stating; Okay it seems you have your mind made up even before I am through the video. I will say my teachers have all their clearances and have worked for me for years!!! We have taken care of children from birth to preschool graduation, and we have NEVER had this complaint. I have had my childcare center for almost 20 years, and I have always taken all parent concerns seriously. We will continue to watch the video for everyones peace of mind.
       At 10:02 a.m. I received a call, the mother of the child in question explained that she was just very concerned about the fact that she felt as though the bruises looked patterned.I assured her I was watching the video and trying to come to a conclusion. The mother stated that she would give me the rest of July 31st and August 1st to finish watching the video and we would discuss my findings over the weekend, we both agreed that this was an acceptable amount of time needed to allow me to be as thorough as possible.
       At 1:23 p.m. I received a call from the father of the child in question. The father asked me if I would be watching the video from July 29th and on 30th I told him that I would be. The father spoke to me about the fact that he is an *** and that at one point he was investigated for causing an injury to his son from a previous relationship, but he was the *** who was working and responded to the 911 call, so thats where the confusion came in to the investigation so it was unfounded and he continued to explain that to be the main reason for his call to me.
        The father also told me he has been in law enforcement for years and he knows how these things go. I explained that I understand how these things go because we just had a case where a child came into daycare with an absolute, no doubt, handprint on the face and we had no choice but to ***ort the family because we are mandated ***orters and children must always be our number one priority. We discussed the fact that my mother had just passed away the week prior and he offered his condolences. I explained that I would be through when watching the video because I too want to know how the child got the bruises. The call ended after 13 minutes.
      On July 30th I received a text at 3:06 p.m. from the childs mother stating; I dont know if x** updated you or not, but I called his pediatrician explained was just expecting pics to be take or something and they u dusted we go to the er to document this so just giving you that update Insisted*
       I responded at 3:06 p.m. **** thank you for the update.
  
       At 4:31 p.m. on July 31st I received a second call from the father of the child informing me that an investigator will be coming to the center to speak to us. I responded with well thank you for giving me the time to investigate the situation, have a good night.
       On August 1st at 1:33 I received a text from one of my employees informing me I needed to make a return call to our DPW Inspector. I returned the call at 1:34 p.m. and explained the current situation. I was told that the *** Inspector would be out to view the video footage, and I was asked to forward any texts, pictures,videos or letters to her e-mail. I spoke with the inspector about the parents keeping the children home from care on Thursday and Friday, and they were questioning if the children could return on Monday. The *** Inspector advised me not to take the children back into care until the investigation was complete because it would be a conflict of interest. I did exactly what I was advised to do. This call lasted 36 minutes. I received a second call from my DPW Inspector at 2:24 p.m. to explain that I would need to type up a written plan of action for the **************************** and the Department of Children and ***** stating that any staff working in the older toddler room would be always supervised until the investigation was completed. This call lasted 15 minutes.
       On August 4th a detective from the ********************************************************** came to UP-Side-Down Town to interview staff and view the video footage. By this time, I had gone through the footage and found several instances which could have possibly been the cause of bruising on both arms. The child ran back and forth, stopping himself using both forearms against a low wooden shelf which held small manipulative toys. The child used both arms to close fisted pound on a stack of mats making a drumming motion. (The mats are made of hard plastic framing and mesh in the middle) The childs forearms hit the hard plastic about three times before the teacher asked the children to stop. The child crawled using his forearms to crawl over blocks, cars, and plastic little people as though he was army crawling. There was one instance where two children, him,and another child the same age rolled around on the floor playing and the child he was playing with picked up a toy and hit the child in question twice on the left forearm in a kind of driving matchbox car motion.
       The detective viewed the video footage and agreed the children were playing in accordance with age-appropriate play. After viewing the video, the detective concluded that the instance when the other child hit the child in question on the left forearm with the toy was most likely what caused the bruises on the childs arm. The detective said he will inform the parents of the findings, and the investigation will be closed.
       On august 4th the investigation by the ************************** may have been closed, but Up-Side-Down Town still had to take part in two more investigations, the Department of Public Welfare and ************** of Children and *****.
       On August 6th,2025, the inspector from **************************** came to Up-Side-Down Town to investigate the complaint. During this investigation she reviewed the video footage and came to the same conclusion as the investigator pointing out that the child was bruised during normal age-appropriate play. The inspector spoke with staff and assured us the allegations would most likely be unfounded. The Inspector also told us we will most likely receive a visit from Children and ***** before the case is closed. To this date, 8/28/2025 we have not had a visit from Children and ***** services, and we have not received anything in writing stating the case is closed.
       On August 8th at 11:55 a.m. I received a call from the mother of the child in question. During this call the mother explained that she wanted to bring both children back to Up-Side-Down Town for childcare and learning. I explained that the investigation was not yet complete and that both the Investigating officer and the *** inspector told us not to accept the children back until the investigation was complete because it would be a conflict of interest. I did explain that I had a staff meeting on Friday August 8th and I would discuss the children returning after the investigation was over with my staff and teachers and contact the mother as soon as possible to let her know the outcome of the meeting. This call lasted 6 minutes.
       On August 12th at 4:42 p.m. I received a text from the mother of the child stating; Hi ******,its Tuesday last we spoke you had said you had a meeting with your staff on Friday and you were going to speak to them about xxxxx and xxxx returning and get back to me Monday I havent heard from you either way just looking for an update thank you.
       On August 13th at 11:43 I responded, hi xxxxxxx, Im sorry I wasnt able to get back to you sooner, but I was in court yesterday for the child abuse case that we ***orted and subpoenaed to testify at. I did meet with my staff, and unfortunately (as I expected) they do not feel comfortable taking care of xxxxx and xxxx. Everyone loves them, but they are just afraid that every time they fall or get a boo boo we will be right back in the same position. We have been cleared by the police and state licensing *** who both watched the surveillance videos. Both the state inspector and the police officer agreed that we should part ways as it would be a conflict of interest. Having said that, I must ask you to find alternate care for the kids. I wish you all the best. Thank you.
       On August I received a message from the father of the child, some of the voice message did not come through accurately but I will type what I have; That ****, we were ****, we were following your guidance on everything and all we wanted to know all the bruises happen and we did everything you told us to do. Well that being said I need to make arrangements with you to pick up all of our stuff have there and get the money back that we paid ahead on and the two days that we paid on for the end of the week that they werent there please give me a call back five xxxxxxxxx I would greatly appreciate it so that we could arrange this and get this taken care of and we can move on. Thank you.
       At 2: 52 p.m. on August 13th, 2025, I responded to the message left by the father of the child via text which said, I am sorry I was unable to answer xxxxxxx call I am working on testing the children, so I leave my phone on my desk. I was told that I would have the weekend to review the video footage, and we would discuss the findings at that time during a phone conference. I was sent accusatory texts stating that you spoke with several doctors, nurses, and pas and all of them agreed it looked like handprints!! This was before I had the chance to view the footage. I was sent accusatory texts that you could not believe that the marks could be from an accidental toy injury. I was sent a text (whatever is going on there needs to stop) and (this is not okay).
        I responded to every text and every call in a professional way because I too wanted to make sure everything was okay!! I texted Dr ****** to get her opinion and she said she did not believe the bruises resembled an arm pulling pattern but if the parents are concerned, they should call their pediatrician. I shared that information with you around 9:30/10:00 in the morning and spoke with you about watching the video and discussing the findings on the weekend. You did not give me the time I needed to do what I needed to do. I am the easiest person to get along with, but when it comes to children and their well being I dont play games, and my employees know that.
       You did what a parent needs to do and now I need to do what a childcare provider needs to ***** staff are very caring, understanding and supportive, and if they do not feel comfortable in their position I stand behind them. I also do not want to go through all of this again. I will have the childrens items ready for *********** far as the money for the two days of care is concerned, the children were not in attendance, and it will not be reimbursed because you decided to keep the children home those two days. I expected to see them at school, and I had teachers available for them. I really enjoyed working with your children and I truly hope you guys find a childcare provider that meets your needs. You can stop by for the kids things anytime we will have them ready.
       On August 13th at 3:13 p.m. I received a call from the father of the childrens phone, and I let it go to voice mail because I wanted no further undocumented communication with the family in question. The father left a message that states. Hi ******,this is xxxxxx xxxxxx calling you can reach me at xxxxxxxxxx so I just spoke with xxxxxxx about the message you just sent her as far as a refund. Yes it will be expected because you told us that the kids were not allowed to return until after everything was resolved so how is that different than from you know Tuesday or Thursday and Friday, Im not being allowed to be allowed to be there all of a sudden which we do have all the messages. We would be expecting a full refund of any and all money that was paid ahead as well as the two days that they were not there. I really really want this to work out nice we never at any point made any accusations against any of your staff however for whatever reason youve seem to feel that we did that please dont let this escalate to the point where we need to contact attorneys and file legal action against you.I really dont feel like going through that. We just simply wanna get our money back and move on and have this behind us. Fortunately, you are now changing the story we have everything documented again I did inform you I was in law enforcement for many years we document every single thing we do. My wife is an RN.I am in healthcare myself. We document everything we take childcare very seriously as well as you do, we are covering RN (I think this should say) our end just like you are trying to cover your end. However now you are backstabbing, and we have all documentation to prove otherwise thats like like that bar, so please contact xxxxxxx make arrangements to get our money back and the items that (the message ends here)
       On Wednesday August 20th I received a letter from the Better Business Bureau which stated that there was a complaint made against Up-Side-Down Town Early Learning Center.  First and foremost, I asked the mother if the child needed immediate medical care, she responded no he was acting and playing like usual. Second, the mother herself suggested I take the time to watch the video and discuss the findings on the weekend.  I was watching the video surveillance, while responding to calls and text messages by both parents. Even after I explained I needed time to carefully watch the video in real time I received a text asking if I viewed the video at 9:31 a.m. the morning after I received the non-emergent call from the mother. Third I NEVER said the bruising looked suspiciously like fingerprints, in fact in one message I question the fact that there should be four bruises for the fingers and one bruise for the thumb. As all this was taking place I felt as though the parents had already made up their mind because of all the accusations in text, videos sent, and during calls. I did text the family that the doctor did not believe the bruises looked like pulling type bruises and I was rebutted with the mother stating that she talked to many doctors, nurses and pas that all agreed with her. So, I advised her to call her pediatrician like the doctor suggested.
       I believe the parents choose to take the child to the emergency room and ***ort that one of my staff members is suspected of abusing their child with two very small bruises on the childs forearm. I was backed into a corner before I even had time to respond properly to the accusation. In the complaint they wrote they only wanted to know what happened, nothing more, nothing less.
        My response is, if I was given the proper amount of time to watch the video, I could have found out what happened to their child and invited them in to watch the video as well. I could have come to a conclusion without Investigators, Children and *****, The **************************** and Now the Better Business Bureau. Unfortunately, they could not put their trust in me even knowing we have a clean record and video surveillance to protect the children and teachers from any wrongdoing. I cannot serve a family that does not trust me, my teachers, and my staff. The family also believes there was to be a refund of money for services not provided.
        The children were in care until Wednesday of the week in question. The mother chose to keep them home on Thursday and Friday.I did not tell them the children could not return until after it was advised through the investigator and the Inspector which was the week starting August 4th,2025. I did not charge the family on August 1st  for the week beginning on August 4th, and I do not owe the family for the two days in question because they chose to keep the children at home. The family does in fact owe Up-Side-Down Town the amount of $23.00 as every payment was made late. I waved the first late fee because they were new to the program but the signed agreement states: All payments are to be made the Friday prior to care. I am willing to waive $23.00 in late fees in good faith to put an end to this situation.
  
  
       I have had the childrens items as well as a letter explaining the final costs ready and waiting to be picked up since August 13th 2025 and the items were not picked up until August 26th, 2025. After I received a text from the father on Friday August ******* at 5:08 p.m. stating; When can we get the kids stuff xxxxx and xxxxx xxxxxxx.
       I responded at 5:15 August 22nd, 2025, In the text message I sent on August13th at 2:52 p.m. the very last sentence states; you can stop by anytime for the kids things, we will have them ready.
       I received a response from the father that states: OK, considering I didnt see that text is why I am asking?
     I responded to the text stating; Who is this asking? Would you rather we set up a time for you to come for the kids things?
       I received no response from the mother or the father. On Tuesday August 26th at 3:57 p.m. I received a call from one of my staff members to inform that the father of the children was at Up-Side-Down Town Early Learning Center to pick up his childrens belongings and asked me if I wanted the father to sign anything as proof that he did in fact receive his childs items.
       I told my staff member to be sure to give him the letter explaining the final expense and ask him to sign the envelope the letter was in and put it on my desk. The father read the letter and looked at my staff member and said Im not signing this. My staff member explained that it is only to say that you did pick up the childrens items. The father looked at my staff member and said, Its nothing against you but Im not signing it. He then left the center.
       My staff member then called me a second time to ask if two pillows were a part of the items to be returned to the family. I responded yes, they are. My staff member was upset because she understood all the problems we are having with this family. I assured her I would send a text message to the father to let him know the two pillows were still at the center.
       On August 26th at 5:53 p.m. I sent a text message to the father stating, I have to apologize but the teachers forgot to include the two pillows that were sent with the ******** can stop by for them anytime or if it is more convenient, I can bring them to you.
     It is August 29th at 1:42 p.m. and I have not yet received a response.
  
       Throughout this difficult process, I have maintained detailed records of every exchange and action taken to ensure complete transparency. My only intention has been to resolve the matter professionally and fairly, prioritizing the well-being of the children and upholding the integrity of Up-Side-Down Town Early Learning Center. Despite the challenges posed by misunderstandings and escalating accusations, I remain committed to open, documented communication and a resolution based on facts and agreements signed by all parties. It is my hope that this experience serves as a reminder of the importance of trust, clear procedures, and respectful dialogue in the partnership between families and care providers. Moving forward, I will continue to uphold these values for all families in our care. Thank you for your cooperation in this matter. If you have any further questions please contact ****** ********* at ************* suggesting I take the time to watch the video and discuss the findings on the weekend.  I tried to watch the video surveillance, while responding to calls and text messages by both parents. Even after I explained I needed time to carefully watch the video in real time I received a text asking if I viewed the video at 9:31 a.m. the morning after I received the non-emergent call from the mother. Third I NEVER said the bruising looked suspiciously like fingerprints, in fact in one message I question the fact that there should be four bruises for the fingers and one bruise for the thumb. As all this was taking place I felt as though the parents had already made up their mind because of all the accusations in text, videos sent, and during calls. I did tell the family that Dr ****** did not believe the bruises looked like pulling type bruises and I was rebutted with the mother stating that she talked to many doctors, nurses and pas that all agreed with her. So, I advised her to call her pediatrician like Dr ****** suggested. I believe the parents acted irrationally by choosing to take the child to the emergency room and ***ort that one of my staff members is suspected of abusing their child because of two very small bruises to the childs forearm. I was backed into a corner before I even had time to respond properly and watch the video surveillance. In the complaint they wrote they only wanted to know what happened, nothing more,nothing less. My response is, if I was given the proper amount of time to watch the video, I could have found out what happened to their child and invited them in to watch the video as well. I myself could have come to a conclusion without Investigators, Children and *****, The **************************** and Now the Better Business Bureau. Unfortunately, they could not put their trust in me even knowing we have a wonderful record and video surveillance to protect the children and teachers from any wrongdoing. I believe the childs parents have trust issues with leaving their children in the care of others, and there is nothing wrong with feeling the way they do however I cannot serve a family that does not trust me, my teachers, and my staff. The family also believes there was to be a refund of money for services not provided. The children were in care until Wednesday of the week in question. The mother chose to keep them out on Thursday and Friday. I did not tell them the children could not return until after it was advised through the investigator and the Inspector which was the week starting August 4th, 2025. I did not charge the family for that week,and I do not owe the family for the two days in question because they chose to keep the children at home. The family does in fact owe Up-Side-Dwon Town the amount of $23.00 as every payment was made late. I waved the first late fee because they were new to the program but the signed agreement states: All payments are to be made the Friday prior to care. I am willing to waive $23.00 in late fees. If needed I will send copies of all-time stamped text messages, phone messages, phone calls, videos, and letters from all involved in this investigation as proof of my statements in this letter. Thank you for your cooperation in this matter.
  
  
  
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