Before worker’s arrest, Port Royal preschool cited for incomplete background checks
Several months before an employee was arrested on child pornography charges, a Port Royal preschool was cited by state regulators for several incomplete employee background checks, according to records from the South Carolina Department of Social Services.
A Sept. 17 DSS inspection at the Sea Island Sprouts preschool found that three caregivers did not have legally required background check results from the FBI or South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, and one caregiver had not been subject to a mandated central registry check for child neglect and abuse. The inspection also found that one caregiver lacked “verification of education,” according to the DSS inspection records.
The DSS says it conducts one unannounced inspection per year at licensed child care facilities. Unannounced inspections are also performed when a “regulatory complaint” is submitted against a facility. Both 2025 inspections at Sea Island Sprouts were labeled as “complaint,” although DSS officials did not immediately answer questions from The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette about the nature of those complaints.
The school’s correction form, signed by a licensing specialist on Oct. 2, stated that the employees without complete background checks or verified education would not return to the preschool until those issues were resolved. Online DSS records show the background check deficiency was resolved Oct. 2, with a comment noting, “all laws are being adhered to.”
It was unclear if former Sea Island Sprouts employee Brandon Baker, 38, who was arrested at the school Jan. 27, was one of the caregivers the state found to be lacking a complete background check. He faces three charges of sexual exploitation of a minor and was released from the Beaufort County jail Thursday on cash bonds totaling $100,000, according to court records.
Sea Island Sprouts did not comment on how long Baker had been employed with the preschool, but a prospective parent told The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette Baker was present at a “meet the parents” event in May 2025, shortly after the school opened, The Island Packet previously reported.
South Carolina law requires all prospective employees at child care facilities to undergo fingerprint-based background checks from SLED and the FBI, among other screenings. For applicants who have lived outside S.C. in the past five years, employers must conduct out-of-state checks with child abuse and sex offender registries, according to the DSS.
Allegations against ex-preschool worker in Colorado
Baker, a resident of St. Helena Island, is under investigation for similar allegations in Telluride, Colorado, where he previously lived, according to a 2024 press release from the town of Telluride. In 2024, after receiving a tip from the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, Telluride police detained and questioned Baker and searched his home for evidence, according to The Telluride Times and the town of Telluride press release.
The Colorado case remains active and Baker has not been charged with a crime there, according to Chief Marshal Josh Comte of the Telluride Marshals Department.
Sea Island Sprouts claims to “personally verify employment histories and cross-check professional references” as part of its screening process, owner Joey Dunkle wrote in an email to a parent last year.
It is unclear whether the school contacted Rascals Rainbow Rockies, the Telluride preschool where Baker previously worked before he was hired at Sea Island Sprouts. He resigned “effective immediately” from the Colorado school after being detained by police, The Telluride Times reported.
Other issues at the preschool found during inspection
DSS records show nine of the preschool’s 10 deficiencies in the Sept. 17 inspection, including violations pertaining to child supervision and staff-to-child ratios, were resolved within three weeks. A citation related to its outdoor fencing — which is required to be at least 4 feet high and in good repair — remained pending as of Tuesday.
In a Dec. 10 inspection, the school’s three deficiencies appeared to be repeats of issues from the state’s previous visit. Online records show the preschool was cited for issues related to direct supervision, staff-to-child ratios and state law on “caregiver requirements,” which covers the diploma requirements, training and supervision necessary for new child care workers.
All three deficiencies from the Dec. 10 report remained unresolved as of Tuesday, DSS records show. They were labeled under a “high” severity level, meaning they “could pose a risk to the health and safety of children,” according to classifications on the DSS website. The full report from Sea Island Sprouts’ latest inspection was not available online as of Tuesday morning. The DSS also had not fulfilled The Island Packet’s request for the document or answered questions asking for clarification of the school’s citations as of Tuesday morning.
An administrator at the preschool declined to comment when an Island Packet reporter asked about the inspection reports, writing in an email that “any required information related to inspections is addressed through the appropriate regulatory processes.”
This story was originally published February 3, 2026 at 12:13 PM.
