How it works
GoldiCheck pulls inspection reports directly from each state's official licensing database and translates them into plain English. No editorial judgment, no mystery algorithm. The source record is always one click away.
Data sources
Every state licenses and inspects its daycares through a regulator that publishes inspection results. We currently cover:
Illinois DCFS — DCFS Sunshine
DCFS doesn't grade violations, so we classify each citation by the rule it cites: rules tied to immediate child safety (supervision, background checks, discipline, and the higher-risk building and health rules) are red; administrative rules (ratios, training, paperwork) are yellow. Classification is per citation, so two findings in the same category can differ.
Citations are decoded against each state's published licensing rules, and every finding links back to the official record it came from.
Records are refreshed regularly. The "last updated" timestamp on each facility page shows when we last pulled that facility's record from its regulator — that date, not a promised schedule, is the thing to check.
Safety tiers
Each facility receives one of three tiers based on the violations in your selected lookback window. The tiers are our opinion, computed from the disclosed criteria on this page and shown alongside the underlying record they summarize. It depends on how serious the findings are and whether they were corrected. Every facility page includes a "How we rate this daycare" section with the exact criteria applied to that facility.
Clean record
No red-flag findings in the lookback window and nothing recorded as uncorrected — plus, where the regulator uses them, no active protective plan.
Watch carefully
Has red-flag violations in the lookback window (even if since corrected), or 3+ yellow-flag violations. Worth discussing with the facility directly.
Serious concerns
Uncorrected or repeat red-flag findings, a licence under an active state enforcement action, or — where the regulator uses them — an active protective plan or failed corrective plan. Consider these carefully before enrollment.
Violation severity
Where the regulator grades violations itself (California's Type A/B, the NYC Health Department's hazard levels), we use the regulator's own grade and never escalate above it. Where the regulator doesn't grade (Illinois, New York outside NYC), we classify each citation by the topic of the regulation cited:
- Red (high risk): supervision lapses, background-check failures, unsafe building conditions, and the health rules tied to immediate child safety
- Yellow (medium risk): ratios, training gaps, documentation issues, and lower-risk health findings
Classification is per citation, not per category — two findings in the same category can carry different severities, because the underlying rules do.
What we are not
GoldiCheck is a transparency tool, not a certification program. A "Clean" tier means the state record shows no serious findings — it doesn't mean we have personally visited the facility or evaluated the quality of care. Always visit in person and review the original state record (linked from every facility page) before making decisions.