New Mexico state records reveal safety failures at Eubank daycare site
Inspectors documented unpermitted construction and staffing issues at the location that received children after the Tijeras branch suspended operations.
By Emmanuel Faure ·
State inspection records show that New Mexico Early Learning Academy faced multiple safety and licensing violations at its Eubank location in Albuquerque.
The New Mexico Early Childhood Education and Care Department visited the Eubank facility in mid-August and found that educators used abusive or profane language toward two-year-old children. The report noted that the center failed to maintain a calm environment and lacked empathy when children were crying. Inspectors also described the facility as unhygienic.
The city of Albuquerque shut down the Eubank location in August due to licensing and permit issues. Children from that site were subsequently moved to the Tijeras branch. On November 6, state inspectors returned to Eubank and documented physical defects, including bolts protruding from walls and missing baseboards in bathrooms. The report stated that the facility was only permitted to operate on the south side of the building.
City Planning Department official Deborah Rowley explained that a car collision with the neighboring Mayberry Senior Services Center triggered a review of the Eubank building. Rowley stated that the certificate of occupancy did not match the business use and that inspectors found unpermitted electrical, mechanical, and plumbing work. The city had not approved the daycare portion of the building for occupancy.
Rowley said the city could charge a double permit fee for the unpermitted construction, which included new interior walls, drop ceilings, and electrical wiring. The Eubank shutdown preceded the suspension of the Tijeras license by several weeks.
The Tijeras location had its license suspended this week after state inspectors found no running water, food stored at unsafe temperatures, and children in prolonged distress. One-year-old Micah Tran died at the Tijeras center 12 days after children were relocated from Eubank. He died after choking on food.
The organization's owners, Crystal Romero and Ricardo Romero, declined to comment on safety plans for relocating children from the suspended Tijeras site to either the Eubank or Central locations.
