UPDATE: This story was updated at 7:13pm on 10/7 with additional details after the daycare and operator were identified, as well as additional information contributed by our partners at KTVZ. Our original story can be found below this update.
Prineville, Ore. – State records have identified Tralina Fulton, 57, of Prineville as the operator of an unlicensed and unnamed daycare now under criminal investigation following the death of a 20-month-old child on September 9th. A state agency appears to have concluded part of its administrative investigation and released those details earlier today online via its Child Safety Portal.
According to the Oregon Department of Early Learning and Care (DELC), a fatality was reported that day at the same location, and a subsequent inspection found the operation to be in violation of state law. DELC issued findings on September 12th, citing Fulton for a “serious violation” of Oregon’s childcare regulations. DELC released the information in its online database earlier today.
The report states, “You are providing care for more children than allowed by law without a license from the Child Care Licensing Division (CCLD).” Investigators wrote that law enforcement informed them Fulton had admitted to caring for 14 children on the day of the fatal incident, and that several had been in her care “for one year or longer.”
Records indicate the unlicensed daycare’s actions involved two state statutes and five separate Oregon Administrative Rules governing childcare operations.
Alicia Gardiner, director of the state’s Child Care Licensing Division, explained that licensed programs face regular inspections and stringent water safety requirements. “We do inspect licensed facilities regularly to ensure the grounds and physical premises are a safe place for children,” Gardiner said, according to KTVZ News, which has contributed to this story.
Gardiner also stressed that families should check on the licensing and complaint history of their daycare providers online via the Child Safety Portal and require operators to show a copy of their physical license.
The Department of Early Learning and Care confirmed the case remains under active investigation in coordination with other agencies.
Public business filings show that aside from a separate, unrelated business jointly registered to Fulton and her husband, she has no other active business registrations with the Oregon Secretary of State.
Crook County Undersheriff Bill Elliott confirmed earlier today that the toddler’s drowning involved a “livestock” trough at the location.
Efforts seeking comment from Fulton were not successful. Nobody at the daycare location answered the door on Tuesday evening, but a voice was clearly heard from the inside saying, “Don’t answer the door”.
This is a developing story we will keep you updated on as we learn more.
EARLIER STORY:
State officials have confirmed that the Prineville daycare where an 20-month-old toddler died last month was operating without a valid child care license and is now the subject of an open investigation.
In an email early Tuesday morning to our partners at KTVZ News, Christina Cortez-Bannick, Public Information Strategist for the Oregon Department of Early Learning and Care (DELC), said the department issued findings on September 12th for “operating unlawfully without a child care license.” The facility remains under investigation, she said, and DELC is “currently partnering with other agencies” in connection with the case.
The incident happened on September 9th at a Prineville daycare, according to the Crook County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies and Prineville Police responded just before noon after receiving a report that an infant had fallen into water at the facility. Emergency responders performed CPR before the child was transported to St. Charles Prineville and later airlifted to OHSU Doernbecher Children’s Hospital in Portland, where the child did not survive. According to a GoFundMe page setup for the family, the child passed on September 12th.
Cortez-Bannick confirmed the site was not a licensed facility. “This case is under investigation, and [the Child Care Licensing Division] is unable to comment on any additional specific details related to cases under active investigation,” she wrote.
She said DELC routinely partners with other agencies, including the Oregon Department of Human Services and law enforcement, when child safety incidents occur, and that the department “assesses appropriate actions related to the facility” throughout its investigations.
When investigations are completed, DELC said any resulting findings will be posted publicly on Oregon’s Child Care Safety Portal, where the public can view inspection histories, complaints, and enforcement actions for licensed providers statewide.
In response to questions about state safety standards, DELC noted that licensed child care providers must follow strict water safety rules to ensure children are never able to access pools, ponds, hot tubs, fountains, or other bodies of water. These include keeping all such areas completely inaccessible to children, maintaining constant sight-and-sound supervision near water, and ensuring only wading (not swimming) is allowed in natural water for children ages three and older, with strict adult-to-child ratios and a certified lifeguard present.
Additional details on the state’s child care regulations can be found at:
oregon.gov/delc/providers/pages/child-care-rules.aspx.
The Crook County Sheriff’s Office said the incident remains under investigation in coordination with the Crook County District Attorney’s Office. Authorities have not publicly identified the daycare or any individuals involved.
Both the Prineville Review and our media partner, KTVZ News, first learned of the incident through anonymous tips and confirmed with the Sheriff’s Office that a child had been transported to a Portland hospital following an emergency at a Prineville daycare. The child’s death was confirmed by CCSO earlier this week after local authorities had originally told both publications that the incident was non-fatal.
It was not immediately clear if the unlicensed facility was conducting business under an assumed business name and registered with the Oregon Secretary of State.
Mr. Alderman is an investigative journalist specializing in government transparency, non-profit accountability, consumer protection, and is a subject mater expert on Oregon’s public records and meetings laws. As a former U.S. Army Military Police Officer, he brings a disciplined investigative approach to his reporting that has frequently exposed ethics violations, financial mismanagement, and transparency failures by public officials and agencies.
