A Trenton daycare that has been cited for a string of safety violations was temporarily shut down by state officials in mid-August.
Tiny Tikes Daycare on Bar Harbor Road was ordered to suspend its operations on Aug. 19 after an inspection revealed conditions that “immediately jeopardize the health and safety of the children” enrolled in the facility, according to the Department of Health Human Services order.
The daycare is owned and operated by Betsey Grant, whose facility accounted for more than 27% of Hancock County’s total safety violations among childcare providers between 2021 and 2024. The daycare, which is licensed for up to 60 children, has operated for 20 years, according to its website.
Tiny Tikes was operating Friday morning, and Grant said she was unavailable to speak with the Bangor Daily News because she was busy with her “lovely daycare kiddos.”
“Obviously, I’m not shut down,” she said.
The temporary suspension was set to expire at 6 p.m. Friday, according to the order.
On the day state officials inspected Tiny Tikes, there were no adults on-site who had undergone recent background checks, nor any adults who had valid CPR and first-aid certifications. Two adults at the facility did not have personnel records on file, and additional two had incomplete records, the order says.
Six of the 16 children did not have documentation demonstrating parents had granted the daycare permission to perform emergency medical treatment if needed, according to the order. The suspension order alleges Grant refused officials access to the facility and failed to cooperate with investigators.
Grant filed a federal lawsuit in September 2025 against the state agency, arguing the department had defamed her and retaliated against her business because of her advocacy around how the state manages funding for foster children, according to the Ellsworth American.
Republican gubernatorial candidate Bobby Charles and Sheriff Scott Kane visited the daycare Thursday, Grant said. Two state police investigators were also present, according to Grant.
“The DHHS is deceptive and destroys anyone who dares to report the deep level of corruption, fraud, exploitation [and] child endangerment that the very workers within the DHHS recklessly and knowingly commit,” Grant said. “For all victims out there, come out and vote this November. Vote for a new governor that fights corruption.”
A department spokesperson told the BDN that the state received a complaint on Aug. 18 about the childcare facility, which led to an unannounced inspection.
“The complaint included allegations of children being left unattended, inappropriate sleep positions and denying drinking water to the children at the child care facility,” a department spokesperson said Friday. “As a result of the inspection, and due to identified imminent health and safety risks, the Department asked the owner to either get sufficient qualified and vetted staff on site to provide care or call parents and caregivers to pick up the children and voluntarily close the facility until deficiencies could be addressed.”
Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly said the DHHS spokesperson had not responded to a request for comment, but they hadn’t been contacted. The story has been updated with the spokesperson’s comment.