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July 8, 2026 CERTIFIED MAIL St James Lutheran Church Attn: Stacey Sparkman 1000 7th Avenue Howard Lake, MN 55349 License Number 1093917 FCC ORDER OF CONDITIONAL LICENSE Dear Ms. Sparkman: Based on the recommendation from Wright County Health and Human services (Wright County), the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) is placing your license to provide family child care at 1000 7th Avenue, Howard Lake, MN on conditional status for one year beginning July 8, 2026. This means you must meet certain conditions to maintain your license, detailed below. This order is based on your level of noncompliance with family child care licensing requirements. Our next steps and your options are also provided below. REASON FOR THE CONDITIONAL LICENSE 1. Commissioner’s evaluation of program In determining whether a licensing action is warranted, DCYF evaluated the facts, conditions, and circumstances concerning your program’s operation. This includes consideration of the well-being of children in your program, available evaluations from consumers of your program, and information about the qualifications of caregivers working in your program. Specifically, because you failed to comply with previously issued correction orders and because you have a significant history of non-compliance outlined below. DCYF has determined that it is appropriate to place your license on conditional status based on the violations identified below and the program evaluation. Legal Authority: Minnesota Statutes, section 142B.10, subdivision 13. 2. Failure to comply with licensing laws and rules As a result of previous licensing visits, Wright County determined that your program failed to comply with the laws and rules for licensed family child care. DCYF has considered the nature, chronicity, and severity of these violations, which are provided below. Legal Authority: Minnesota Statutes, section 142B.16, subdivision 1. Nature, history and severity of violations License history The following violations summarize the nature of your previous licensing violations. Please refer to the previously issued correction orders for further details on these violations. If you do not have copies of these orders, contact your Wright County licensor for assistance. DCYF also considered this history as a factor when it determined that a Conditional License is appropriate. · June 2, 2026, Correction Order, which cited you for failing to comply with a previously issued correction order from April 24, 2026. · You did not seek reconsideration of this correction order. · April 24, 2026, Correction Order, which cited you for the following violations: · You failed to provide documentation for one child that you had obtained permission to administer medications. · You failed to submit documentation that you completed the March monthly fire drill as required. · You failed to provide documentation that you and an adult caregiver have completed the annual child development and behavior guidance training. · You failed to provide documentation of pediatric first aid training as required. · You failed to provide documentation of pediatric cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training as required. · You failed to submit documentation that you and an adult caregiver have completed the annual ongoing training as required. · You failed to submit documentation that you and an adult caregiver have completed the annual active supervision training. · You failed to obtain all required information prior to admission of one child. · You did not seek reconsideration of this correction order. · January 14, 2026, Order to Pay a Fine of $400 for training violations. · You did not submit an appeal of this fine order. · November 3, 2025, Correction Order, which cited you for the following violations: · You failed to maintain or store records in a way that allowed the licensor to review them. · You failed to provide documentation that one caregiver had pediatric first aid training prior to caring for children. · You failed to provide documentation that one caregiver had pediatric CPR training prior to caring for children. · You failed to provide documentation that one caregiver had abusive head trauma (AHT) training prior to caring for children. · You failed to provide documentation that one caregiver had Basics of License Family Child Care for substitutes prior to caring for children. · You did not seek reconsideration of this correction order. · October 6, 2025, Correction Order, which cited you for the following violations: · You failed to provide required supervision to children in care when you were asleep at the time the licensor arrived for the licensing visit. · You failed to obtain allergy information prior to admission of one child. · You failed to obtain all required information prior to admission of one child. · You failed to obtain documentation of immunization records for one child. · You failed to provide documentation that you obtained written consent from parents for emergency medical treatment for one child. · You did not seek reconsideration of this correction order. · June 6, 2024, Correction Order, which cited you for failing to provide documentation for one caregiver having obtained child development and learning and behavior guidance training prior to assisting with care. · You did not seek reconsideration of this correction order. · September 7, 2023, Order to Pay a Fine of $800 for training violations. · You did not submit an appeal of this fine order. · August 4, 2023, Correction Order, which cited you for failing to comply with a previously issued correction order on June 7, 2023. · You did not seek reconsideration of this correction order. · June 21, 2023, Correction Order, which cited you for failing to comply with a previously issued correction order on May 15, 2023. · You did not seek reconsideration of this correction order. · June 7,2023, Correction Order, which cited you for the following violations: · You failed to provide documentation that an adult caregiver had completed at least four hours of child development and learning and behavior guidance training prior to caring for children. · You failed to provide documentation you have completed the annual child development and behavior guidance training. · You failed to provide documentation that two caregivers had pediatric first aid training prior to caring for children. · You failed to provide documentation of pediatric first aid training as required. · You failed to provide documentation that two caregivers had pediatric CPR training prior to caring for children. · You failed to provide documentation of pediatric CPR training as required. · You failed to provide documentation that you and two caregivers had AHT training. · You failed to submit documentation you and an adult caregiver have completed the annual ongoing training as required. · You failed to provide documentation that two caregivers had obtained at least six hours of approved training on supervising for safety prior to caring for children. · You failed to submit documentation that you have completed the annual active supervision training. · You failed to provide documentation that one caregiver had Basics of License Family Child Care for substitutes prior to caring for children. · You did not seek reconsideration of this correction order. · May 15, 2023, Correction Order, which cited you for the following violations: · You failed to have an approved pet, when it was determined that you had a gecko as a pet. · You failed to provide documentation that all caregivers were provided training regarding the emergency preparedness plan. · You failed to provide documentation that all caregivers had a physician’s report prior to providing care. · You did not seek reconsideration of this correction order. · April 5, 2022, Correction Order, which cited you for failing to comply with a previously issued correction order on March 11, 2022. · You did not seek reconsideration of this correction order. · March 11, 2022, Correction Order, which cited you for failing to have documentation of the date and times fire and storm drills were conducted. · You did not seek reconsideration of this correction order. Severity of violations Due to the serious and chronic nature of these violations, and the conditions in the program, which impact the health and safety of children in your care, your license to provide family child care is placed on a conditional status. Conditional License Terms In addition to the licensing rules and statutes for family child care, you are required to comply with the following terms: 1. You must follow and comply with all applicable Minnesota Rules and Laws. 2. No variances to age distribution or capacity will be granted during the conditional period. 3. You must work with Wright County to obtain a mentor to work on ensuring you are following all family child care rules and laws. The mentor must be obtained within 30 days of the issuance of this order and must be approved by Wright County. The area of focus for the mentor should be in planning for training and paperwork compliance. Upon completion, you must submit to Wright County a plan of changes you have made to your program. 4. The primary provider of care and the second adult caregiver must each complete six hours of additional training within 90 days of this order in record keeping and business management. This training is in addition to the annual training requirements listed in Minnesota Statutes, section 142B.70. The training must be completed and documentation submitted to Wright County as follows: · September, October and November- submit by December 5, 2026 · December, January and February- submit by March 5, 2027 · March, April and May- submit by June 5, 2027 5. You must either provide a copy of the Order of Conditional License to parents of children in care or document that all parents have been given an opportunity to review the Order. You must obtain parent signatures of each currently enrolled child, indicating they have either received a copy of the Order or had an opportunity to review the Order. You must provide this documentation to Wright County within 30 days of this order. For new families, you must submit documentation of compliance with this term to Wright County within 5 days of any child’s admission to your child care program. If you close or temporarily stop services at license no. 1093917 during the conditional license period, you must complete any remaining duration and/or terms of this conditional license in the event you apply for and is approved for a new family child care license or resumes services at license no. 1093917. Ongoing Monitoring Your Wright County licensor will monitor your compliance with these terms and with all of the family child care rules and laws. This will include unannounced visits. If you fail to demonstrate substantial compliance with family child care requirements or with the terms of your conditional license that are provided above, DCYF may take an additional licensing sanction, including a revocation of your license. YOUR RIGHT TO REQUEST RECONSIDERATION You have the right to request reconsideration of this order and the cited violations. Your request must: · Be in writing · Clearly state that you are requesting reconsideration of the conditional license · List each citation you are challenging and identify what is inaccurate or incomplete about the information in the order · Supply information that is accurate or more complete · State why you believe your license should not be on a conditional status · Be made before the deadlines provided below If you are mailing your request, it must be sent by certified mail and postmarked within 10 calendar days from when you received this order. If you do not meet this deadline, you lose your right to request reconsideration. The timeline to appeal began when you received this order. Please send it to: Commissioner, Department of Children, Youth, and Families Office of Inspector General Legal Counsel’s Office Attention: Licensing Legal Unit PO Box 64953 St. Paul, MN 55164-0953 If your request is being personally delivered, it must be received by DCYF within 10 calendar days from when you received this order. Please bring it to: Commissioner, Department of Children, Youth, and Families Office of Inspector General Legal Counsel’s Office Attention: Licensing Legal Unit 444 Lafayette Road North St. Paul, MN 55155 Conditional license stayed pending reconsideration If you request reconsideration within the timeframes described above, the terms of the conditional license will not take effect until a decision is issued by DCYF. If the conditional license is affirmed on reconsideration, the terms would take effect on the date of the reconsideration decision, and run for one year from that date. You continue to be required to comply with all family child care laws and rules. Prohibition against providing legally unlicensed child care On September 7, 2023, DCYF issued an Order to Pay a Fine to your family child care program, which disqualified you from providing legally unlicensed child care. You remain prohibited from providing legally unlicensed child care even if you appeal this order. Posting of this licensing action You are required to place this Order of Conditional License in a place that is clearly noticeable to the people receiving services and all visitors to the facility for two years, even if you appeal. Legal authority for this licensing action · The timeline to request reconsideration of the order is provided in Minnesota Statutes, section 142B.16, subdivision 4. · Minnesota Statutes, section 142B.05, subdivision 4, provides that an applicant for licensure who has received a conditional license order that has not been reversed on appeal may not provide unlicensed child care to non-relatives. Operating a prohibited unlicensed family child care is a misdemeanor under Minnesota Statutes, section 142B.05, subdivision 5. · The requirement to post this order in a clearly visible location is required under Minnesota Statutes, section 142B.16, subdivision 5. · If a license holder files a timely reconsideration request, the terms of the conditional license are stayed pending a decision by DCYF under Minnesota Statutes, section 142B.16, subdivision 4. Questions If you have any further questions regarding this matter, you may contact me at 651-431-6565. Sincerely,
Beth Donahue, Supervisor Licensing Division Office of Inspector General cc: Becky Domjahn, Wright County Health and Human Services
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