More details surrounding the local childcare provider - accused in legal documents of hiding children from inspectors - are emerging following an order Friday shutting down the facility.

Just before 2 p.m. Friday Franklin Circuit Judge Thomas D. Wingate accepted an order closing Robin Tracy's in-home day care as an official business. Tracy can now care for no more than three children, but that operation is not licensed or sanctioned by the state and will function along the lines of babysitting.

The State Journal obtained records from the Cabinet for Health and Family Services Office of the Inspector General Friday afternoon detailing the allegations that Tracy, operator of Ms. Robin's Childcare, 225 Meadowview Drive, illegally operated a day care.

In addition to hiding nine children - ages one to six years old - in a crawlspace under her porch, allegations listed in the records include:

>March 7 Tracy sent a letter to the state saying she would not be providing care in her home. On March 13 Tracy sent another letter explaining why she was not closed " the same day inspectors found an additional two children enrolled in Tracy's care, placing her over the limit of children she could legally care for. Tracy explained the switch by saying parents were depending on her to care for their children.

>March 16 Tracy was not home when a child was dropped off at her facility by a school bus. Records say, "The provider was aware that all of the parents had not been notified of the home being closed and contacted the parent after the child had already been left at the home (40 minutes later)."

>Records say inspectors also found a 16-year-old supervising children alone and more than six children under the age of six at the day care.

Tracy arrived in court Friday wearing a white button-up blouse and floral print skirt. Her curly blonde hair was held back by a white headband. Before the judge entered the courtroom, Tracy along with several people her attorney identified as family and friends, took pictures and verbally bullied State Journal reporters and photographers.

Her attorney, Willie Peale Jr., took her into a private conference before Wingate took the bench.
Tracy repeatedly tried to turn away from photographers and a man who accompanied her in court put a sweatshirt in front of her to block her face from news cameras after the ruling was handed down.

Peale told The State Journal Tracy was not admitting to any violations by accepting the order and he questioned the accuracy of some of the information filed by the state.

Court documents say on Monday two inspectors from the state visited Ms. Robin's Childcare and found nine children ages one to six hidden in a crawlspace under the back porch of Tracy's home with Tracy's 16-year-old daughter telling the children "to be quiet."

Three other children " two toddlers and an infant " were found in the house also, court documents say. Tracy voluntarily gave up her certification in April and could no longer provide childcare to more than three children unrelated to her.

"That number could be a combination of related versus unrelated," Peale said. He also questioned the validity of the state's inspections.

"They made this raw sweeping general allegation," he said. "From the information I have received, she is a wonderful (childcare) provider."

Robert Hester, director for Division of Regulated Childcare for the Cabinet said he was pleased with the outcome.

"I think it's exactly what we wanted. All we wanted was for an illegal daycare to close," Hester said.
After speaking with The State Journal initially, Tracy has declined to talk about her case.