Auburn child care center director arrested, center facing loss of license

The director of an Auburn child care center has been placed on leave following her arrest on shoplifting charges in Seneca Falls last week.

The center, meanwhile, is facing the revocation of its license by the state Office of Children and Family Services for unrelated reasons.

Cayuga Community College Child Care Center Director Colette TenEyck, 38, of Seneca Falls, was arrested Nov. 3 by the town's police department after investigations into complaints of thefts at the Walmart in Waterloo. The investigations found that TenEyck was stealing items from the store by scanning less expensive ones in place of them at the self-checkout machine on three separate occasions.

TenEyck has been charged with three counts of first-degree falsifying business records, a Class E felony, and three counts of petit larceny, a misdemeanor. She was release on an appearance ticket.

Andrew Poole, the college's director of public relations, told The Citizen on Monday that TenEyck has been placed on leave. She is an employee of the Faculty Student Association, which is affiliated with the college but a separate entity. TenEyck's status was also confirmed in a letter to parents by the association's interim executive director, Elizabeth Gallo. The acting director of the center is Lisa Fredette.

"We are confident in our current staff and their ability to provide excellent care for your child(ren)," Gallo said in the Monday letter, a copy of which was obtained by The Citizen.

Gallo's letter to parents separately notes that the 81 Wall St. center's license is pending revocation by the state "related to an incident this fall" and not to TenEyck's arrest.

According to the Office of Children and Family Services website , inspectors found several violations during an Oct. 28 visit that was prompted by a complaint. They include:

Not providing children with competent supervision at all times.

Not following the maximum group size of 12 for children ages 18 to 36 months old.

Not immediately reporting suspected incidents of child abuse or maltreatment to the state.

Not keeping children clean and comfortable at all times, including properly changing diapers when wet or soiled.

Not clearly marking containers of breast milk, formula or other individualized food items with the child's full name.

Not immediately notifying the parent and the state upon learning of serious incidents that occurred while the child was in the center's care.

Not maintaining daily attendance records in a current and accurate manner.

Gallo said the center expects the matter to be "positively resolved and (not) result in significant changes to our operations. We have already addressed the violations, implemented corrective action, and are currently working with OCFS to follow any and all additional actions they suggest. This can be a lengthy process, so I am asking for your patience as we work with them."

The center previously faced license revocation in 2022, but months later the violations were resolved . It has a capacity of 132 children, making it one of the largest child care providers in the city.

The Office of Children and Family Services does not comment on active investigations.

Executive Editor David Wilcox can be reached at (315) 282-2245 or .

Executive editor