A Toledo daycare facility is under intense scrutiny following the arrest of a 23-year-old Tommy Colbert accused of leaving multiple young children unattended overnight. The incident at Little Miracles Childcare Center on Monroe Street has raised serious questions about supervision practices, staff accountability, and regulatory oversight in facilities entrusted with the care of vulnerable children. Police records and state inspection documents outline a sequence of events that not only led to criminal charges against an employee but also placed the daycare’s operating license at risk of revocation.
The case unfolded in the early morning hours of Saturday, Jan. 17, when a parent arrived at the daycare to pick up her child and discovered no caretaker present. What initially appeared to be an alarming lapse in supervision quickly escalated into a broader investigation, revealing that three children ranging in age from 11 months to six years old had been left without proper adult oversight. The arrest of daycare worker Tommy Colbert and the subsequent disclosures about the center’s regulatory violations have drawn attention to systemic failures that extend beyond a single night’s events.
Police Investigation and Arrest of the Daycare Worker
According to Toledo police records, officers were dispatched to Little Miracles Childcare Center in the 4200 block of Monroe Street after receiving a call from the mother of one of the children enrolled at the facility. The mother reported that when she arrived around 2:30 a.m. to pick up her daughter, there were no staff members present to greet her. Instead, her young child opened the daycare door to let her inside, an action that immediately signaled a breakdown in supervision and safety protocols.
The mother told police that she had dropped her daughter off at approximately 6 p.m. the previous evening and was not scheduled to retrieve her until 4:30 a.m. After taking her child home, she contacted police to file a formal report. Officers then returned to the daycare to determine whether other children might still be inside the building unattended.
When police arrived at the center, they reported that no one initially responded to their knocks on the door. Through the windows, however, officers were able to see children sleeping inside the facility, confirming that minors remained in the building without visible adult supervision. Eventually, a staff member identified as Tommy Colbert opened the door.
Police noted that Colbert appeared visibly nervous and was sweating when he spoke with officers. He told them that he had been in the bathroom at the time the mother arrived to pick up her child. Colbert further stated that once he realized a child was missing, he contacted the daycare’s owner, Antoinette Cobbler, to report the situation. However, police later determined that Colbert did not contact law enforcement or attempt to reach the child’s parents.
A review of Colbert’s phone call log raised additional concerns. Records showed that his last call to Cobbler occurred at approximately 9 p.m., which was two hours before his scheduled shift was supposed to begin. Despite this, Colbert told officers that he had been at the daycare since 11 p.m. to start his overnight shift.
As the investigation continued, officers observed that Colbert’s vehicle was parked nearby and that the engine block was still warm, suggesting recent use. Confronted with this observation, Colbert admitted to leaving the daycare at some point during his shift to go see a friend. This admission directly contradicted his earlier statements and confirmed that the children had been left unattended.
Colbert was arrested and booked into the Lucas County Jail on three counts of child endangerment, one for each child found alone at the center. The charges are misdemeanors, and Colbert has pleaded not guilty. He later posted bond and was released. As part of a judge’s order, Colbert is prohibited from having any contact with the victims or returning to Little Miracles Childcare Center while the case proceeds.
Conditions and Violations at Little Miracles Childcare Center
The arrest of a daycare worker for child endangerment has drawn renewed attention to the operational history and regulatory standing of Little Miracles Childcare Center. According to the Ohio Department of Children and Youth, the facility is currently on a list of childcare providers facing potential license revocation.
An inspection report dated Jan. 14, just days before the incident involving unattended children, documented multiple serious violations at the center. One of the most significant findings was that an individual working at the daycare was not eligible to do so under state regulations. The report stated that this person needed to be terminated immediately and that parents should be notified of the “serious risk non-compliance” identified during the inspection.
The inspection also highlighted failures in basic health and safety practices. According to the report, children and staff members were not consistently washing their hands before meals or before administering medication, a violation that poses heightened risks, particularly in group childcare settings where illnesses can spread quickly.
Further deficiencies were found in the center’s record-keeping practices. The inspection noted that four children’s names were missing from the facility’s “Child Medical/Physical Care Plan.” This meant that essential information regarding food allergies, medical conditions, and other critical health data was not properly documented or readily available. Such omissions can have severe consequences in the event of a medical emergency.
Fire safety compliance was another area of concern. The report stated that Little Miracles Childcare Center failed to conduct required monthly fire drills during October, November, and December of 2025. Regular fire drills are mandated to ensure that both staff and children are familiar with evacuation procedures, especially in emergency situations where quick, coordinated action is essential.
Taken together, these violations paint a picture of a childcare facility struggling to meet minimum regulatory standards. The fact that the inspection occurred only days before children were found unattended overnight has intensified concerns about whether corrective actions were being taken or enforced in a timely manner.
Under state regulations, Little Miracles Childcare Center has been given until Feb. 4, 2026, to submit a corrective action plan to the Ohio Department of Children and Youth. This plan must address each of the violations cited in the inspection report and outline concrete steps the facility will take to come into compliance. Failure to do so could result in the revocation of the center’s license to operate.
Broader Implications for Childcare Safety and Oversight
The events at Little Miracles Childcare Center have sparked broader discussions about childcare safety, overnight supervision, and the effectiveness of regulatory oversight in protecting children. Childcare facilities are entrusted with the wellbeing of some of the community’s most vulnerable individuals, and incidents involving unattended children inevitably raise questions about accountability at both the individual and institutional levels.
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From a law enforcement perspective, the arrest of Tommy Colbert underscores the legal responsibilities placed on childcare workers. Leaving children unattended, particularly overnight and across a wide age range that includes infants, constitutes a serious breach of duty. Even when charges are classified as misdemeanors, such cases can carry lasting professional and personal consequences for those involved.
At the same time, the case highlights the role of facility owners and administrators in ensuring adequate staffing, training, and oversight. Questions remain about scheduling practices, supervision protocols, and whether sufficient safeguards were in place to prevent a single employee from leaving children alone. The inspection report’s findings suggest that problems at the center were not isolated to one incident but reflected ongoing compliance issues.
For parents, the situation serves as a reminder of the importance of transparency and communication between childcare providers and families. The inspection report specifically noted that parents needed to be informed about serious non-compliance issues, a step intended to allow families to make informed decisions about their children’s care. In this case, the discovery of unattended children by a parent rather than through internal monitoring or regulatory enforcement has fueled concerns about oversight gaps.
State regulators now face the task of determining whether Little Miracles Childcare Center can safely continue operating. The corrective action plan required by Feb. 4, 2026, will be a key factor in that decision. Regulators will likely examine whether staffing policies have been revised, whether ineligible workers have been removed, and whether health, safety, and record-keeping practices have been brought into compliance.
As the legal case against Colbert moves forward and the daycare’s licensing status remains under review, the incident stands as a stark example of what can happen when childcare systems fail. The combination of alleged employee misconduct and documented regulatory violations has left a lasting impact on families involved and has prompted renewed calls for vigilance in the childcare sector.