Massachusetts AG announces over half a million in restitution and civil penalties concerning KinderCare Learning Centers

BOSTON—Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell announced a series of citations against KinderCare Learning Centers, LLC, totaling $543,091 in restitution and civil penalties. These citations are part of a settlement relating to KinderCare’s failure to provide access to paid sick leave and meal breaks, as well as failure to pay employees for all time worked.

“KinderCare demonstrated a pattern of denying their employees access to meal breaks, earned wages, and paid sick time,” said AG Campbell. “My office will continue to hold accountable those who violate our wage and hour laws.”

KinderCare Learning Centers is an Oregon-based company that operates 62 daycare centers in Massachusetts. The matter was initially referred to the Attorney General’s Office by a KinderCare employee.

An investigation by the AG’s Office revealed that employees at KinderCare’s Massachusetts locations were often unable to take meal breaks due to understaffing. Under Massachusetts law, employers must allow employees who are working a shift of more than 6 hours to take a 30-minute, uninterrupted meal break. Similarly, KinderCare was found to have violated wage laws by deducting breaks that were 20 minutes or less from employees’ paychecks. These short breaks are considered compensable time and therefore must be paid.

In addition, individual center directors were found to have violated the Massachusetts Earned Sick Time law by restricting employees’ ability to take paid sick leave or imposing extra barriers like doctor’s notes. Under the law, employees in Massachusetts are entitled to accrue an hour of earned sick time for every 30 hours worked and employees must be permitted to take job-protected sick leave after 90 days of employment. In addition, employers can ask for a doctor’s note or other documentation only in limited circumstances.

Workers who believe that their rights have been violated in the workplace are encouraged to file a complaint online at www.mass.gov/ago/fld. For more information about the state’s wage and hour laws, workers may call the AG’s Fair Labor Hotline at (617) 727-3465 or go to www.mass.gov/ago/fairlabor for materials in multiple languages. 

This matter was handled by Investigator Matija Zizanovic and Assistant Attorney General Kate Watkins, both of AG Campbell’s Fair Labor Division.