Child-care operator says city health department shut her center without clear evidence; calls for formal review

Christina Hale, founder of Tiny Heroes Academy, told Cleveland City Council that the Cleveland Department of Public Health ordered her childcare center to cease operations after inspections and charged the business with operating a food shop without a license. Hale said she received 10 charges and no prior corrective-plan discussions, that families and employees lost income and stability, and that the case was dismissed on March 26, 2026.

"I was treated like a criminal," Hale said, describing the economic and reputational harm she says followed the shutdown. She asked the council for a formal review of the department’s inspection and enforcement process to protect small providers and families who lack resources to challenge orders in court.

Council President Griffin called for the health director to address the council; the transcript records that the health director was asked to discuss the situation but provides no extended response in the public record of this meeting.

Hale said the closure came after an inspection dated Feb. 26 and that she later received multiple charges characterizing a daycare as operating a food shop. She told the council the criminal charges were ultimately dismissed but that dismissal had not restored the business or repaired lost incomes and families’ stability.

What’s next: Hale asked that the council request a formal administrative review of the public-health process used in her case and consider procedural changes to ensure providers receive notice, clear remediation plans and timely appeal rights before emergency orders are finalized.