The Next Step Learning Center, Inc.
A licensed child care center in Selbyville, Delaware 19975
2 E Church St, Selbyville, Delaware 19975. (302) 436-3633.
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The short answer
Record last released by Delaware Office of Child Care Licensing on Oct 23, 2026.
Each figure’s source sits beside it, in its section below.
What these words mean4
- Inspection (survey)
- A visit by state inspectors, often unannounced, who check a place against the rules it must meet. For nursing homes and other places Medicare pays, CMS calls these visits surveys: a standard survey of a nursing home comes at least every 15 months, and a complaint survey whenever a complaint calls for one. Source: CMS; 42 CFR 488.308.
- Deficiency, citation, violation
- What inspectors write up when a place didn’t meet a rule: the rule, what they saw, and when. CMS calls it a deficiency; states may say citation or violation. It is the inspectors’ finding, not a court’s, and the place is usually asked for a plan to correct it. Source: CMS, statement of deficiencies (Form CMS-2567); each state’s licensing agency.
- Licence status
- Whether the state’s licence lets the place operate now, in the state’s own words: licensed, on probation (allowed to keep operating on conditions, after problems), provisional, pending or expired. Source: Each state’s licensing agency.
- Capacity
- The most people the licence or certification lets the place care for at once: residents, children, beds or apartments, as the state counts them. It isn’t how many are there now. Source: Each state’s licensing agency.
What did inspectors find?
4 visits with violations in the last three years, the latest on Apr 15, 2026; Delaware doesn’t list visits that found nothing.
16 violations cited in the last three years.
Delaware Office of Child Care Licensing, Child Care Licensing Compliance Review Information. Released Oct 23, 2026. Updated daily.
When those violations happened
16 violations in 4 months of the last 36. Last cited Apr 2026. The last 3 years, to Oct 24, 2026.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Nov | Dec | ||||||||||
| 2024 | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
| 2025 | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
| 2026 | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct |
Hover or focus a month to read it.
Hearth Record drew this from the dates and levels in the source’s own records.
Each violation, in its source’s words
Grouped by visit, newest first, with the level its source gave it.
Delaware Office of Child Care Licensing, Child Care Licensing Compliance Review Information. Released Oct 23, 2026. Updated daily.
Apr 15, 2026: unannounced Full Compliance Review5 violations
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Personnel Files
“Ensure staff files are complete. One staff member needs a complete release of employment history and a corresponding service letter.”
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Indoor Space
“Ensure floors and walls are cleanable and in good repair. Repair the floor in the main hallway. Repair the walls in four classrooms. Discontinue the use of the oil diffuser. An oil diffuser was observed in use in the one-year-old classroom. This was discussed and corrected when the oil diffuser was removed from the one-year-old classroom.”
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Toilet Facilities
“Ensure toilet rooms have an operable window or ventilation fan. The ventilation fan in the bathroom located in the preschool classroom was observed not working. Repair the fan.”
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Sleeping Accommodations and Safe Sleep Environments
“Obtain written parent permission before swaddling an infant. An infant was observed swaddled and no written parent permission was on file.”
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Infant and Toddler Care
“Ensure children under three years old do not have access to plastic bags. Plastic bags were observed on the open diaper changing table shelves in children’s reach in a classroom with two-year-olds. This was discussed and corrected when the plastic bags were removed from the children’s reach.”
Apr 8, 2025: unannounced Full Compliance Review6 violations
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Staff Qualifications
“Ensure the Early Childhood Administrator has successfully completed 15-clock-hours of accepted training in infant and toddler development and curriculum and 15-clock-hours of accepted training in school-age care.”
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Personnel Files
“Ensure staff files are completed. One staff member needs two references. Two staff members need an adult health appraisal. One staff member needs one reference. One staff member needs CPR and first aid certifications.”
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Child Files
“Ensure child files are complete. Four children need blood lead test results.”
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Kitchen and Food Preparation
“Ensure the freezer is 0 degrees F or colder. The thermometer in the kitchen freezer read 20 degrees F. A second thermometer was placed in the freezer, it also read 20 degrees F.”
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Diapering and Soiled Clothing
“Ensure a non-porous surface is used for diaper-changes. The diaper-changing mat in the Busy Bees classroom is ripped and needs to be replaced.”
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Administration of Medication
“Ensure Medication Administration Records (MAR) are complete and signed by the parent/guardian. MAR’s were observed for diaper cream for multiple children in the Busy Bee’s classroom; however, the MAR’s were not signed by the children’s parent/guardians.”
Apr 18, 2024: unannounced Full Compliance Review4 violations
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Personnel Files
“Ensure staff files are complete. Staff #1, 2, 3 and 4 need two documented attempts in obtaining a completed service letter. Submit proof of attempts to OCCL.”
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Children’s Attendance
“Ensure attendance record includes exact arrival and departure times. Classrooms First Steps and Little Sprouts were combined. There 12 children present but only 11 children were signed in. Staff corrected it immediately.”
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Kitchen and Food Preparation
“Ensure refrigerators are 41 degree or colder and freezers are 0 degrees or colder. The refrigerator in the kitchen read 45 degrees Fahrenheit and the freezer read 4 degrees Fahrenheit. Please send a picture of correct temps. The refrigerator in the Beautiful Beginnings infant room read 48 degrees and the freezer read 20 degrees. Please send pictures of corrected temperature readings to OCCL.”
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Sleeping Accommodations and Safe Sleep Environments
“Ensure crib mattress sheet is covered with tight fitting bottom sheet. The Lil’ Cruisers classroom and Beautiful Beginnings classroom crib sheets were not tight fitting. Please send a picture of the correction to OCCL.”
Dec 11, 2023: complaint Visit1 violation
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Indoor Space
The inspectors’ words, 160 words
“Ensure the use of air fresheners is prohibited. The facility had 5 classrooms with air fresheners. Remove air fresheners and send OCCL verification that they are no longer in use. Ensure the facility has enough lighting to supervise children. LS observed a crib being occupied and a child could not be observed in the crib asleep. This was corrected when a night light was observed in the area and out of reach. Ensure trash is stored securely. LS observed trash accessible in the Discovery Classroom. This was corrected when the trash was placed in a receptical. Ensure weekly lesson plans are updated and posted. 3 classrooms needed a current weeks plan posted. This was corrected when updated lesson plans were posted in the Little Sprouts classroom, Discovery classroom, and Beautiful Beginnings classroom. The use of air fresheners is prohibited. The facility had five classrooms with air fresheners. Remove air fresheners and send OCCL verification they are no longer in use.”
All 4 visits on record
| Date | Visit | What the record says |
|---|---|---|
| Apr 15, 2026 | Unannounced Full Compliance Review | 5 violations cited |
| Apr 8, 2025 | Unannounced Full Compliance Review | 6 violations cited |
| Apr 18, 2024 | Unannounced Full Compliance Review | 4 violations cited |
| Dec 11, 2023 | Complaint Visit | 1 violation cited |
Is it licensed?
- Licensed Child Care Center.
- Ages served, in Delaware’s words: 6 weeks through 12 years.
- Takes part in: Purchase of Care (state-subsidized child care).
- Licence number 843590.
- Capacity: 196 children.
Delaware Office of Child Care Licensing, Licensed Child Care Providers and Facilities. Released Oct 23, 2026. Updated daily.
Has Delaware acted against it?
- 2 complaint investigations in the last three years. Results, in Delaware’s words: Substantiated (2).
Delaware Office of Child Care Licensing, Child Care Licensing Complaint Reviews and Licensed Child Care Providers and Facilities. Released Oct 23, 2026. Updated daily.
| Date | What | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Jun 6, 2024 | OCCL Standards Complaint: Substantiated | The Office of Child Care Licensing received a complaint on May 9, 2024, regarding unqualified staff alone with children, positive behavior supports, accident/injury procedures, and not having developmentally appropriate materials. An investigation was conducted on May 13, 2024. The complaint is substantiated for unqualified staff alone with children because a staff member under 18 was alone on two days with children during nap time. There is no evidence to substantiate the complaint for not using positive behavior supports, accident/injury procedures, and not having developmentally appropriate materials based on interviews and observations during the visit. |
| Jan 17, 2024 | OCCL Standards Complaint: Substantiated | The Office of Child Care Licensing received a complaint on December 5, 2023, regarding positive behavior supports, not meeting children s needs, staff communication, child files, development plans, indoor space, developmentally appropriate materials, diaper changing, health exclusions, lesson plans, and teacher/child interactions. The complaint is substantiated for lesson plans not being current because three classrooms did not have a current lesson plan posted. The complaint is substantiated for use of air fresheners because the specialists observed air fresheners being used in classrooms. There is no evidence to substantiate the complaint for not using positive behavior supports, not meeting children s needs, staff communication, incomplete child files, not doing development plans, indoor space requirements, not having developmentally appropriate materials, diaper changing, health exclusions, or teacher/child interactions based on observations during the visit, interviews conducted, and video footage reviewed. |
Who does the caring?
- Delaware doesn’t publish staffing levels for individual providers.
Who owns it?
- Delaware’s open data doesn’t list owners.
How is it rated?
- 2025: 1 facility injury. No facility deaths reported.
- 2024: 1 facility injury. No facility deaths reported.
Delaware Office of Child Care Licensing, Licensed Child Care Providers and Facilities. Released Oct 23, 2026. Updated daily.
How does it compare nearby?
- Providers aren’t compared: Delaware lists only the visits that found violations, so a count can’t tell a clean record from one never visited.
Delaware Office of Child Care Licensing, Child Care Licensing Compliance Review Information. Released Oct 23, 2026. Updated daily.
| Place | Violations cited in the last three years |
|---|---|
| Children & Families First Head Start Selbyville | Not given |
| YMCA of Delaware/Phillip C. Showell | Not given |
| Kathy M. Collins | Not given |
| The Next Step Learning Center, Inc. This child care provider | Not given |
| Beginner’s Choice Day Care Center | Not given |
| Lullaby Learning Center, Inc. | Not given |
| Tops Childcare LLC | Not given |
| Children’s Place Child Development Center | Not given |
| Beach Buddies School Age Program | Not given |
| Little Einstein’s Preschool - Millsboro | Not given |
| Gigglebugs Early Learning Center, LLC | Not given |
| Boys & Girls Club @ Milford | Not given |
What the record doesn’t say
- Delaware doesn’t grade violations by severity, so read what was cited.
- Delaware’s open data lists a visit only when a violation was cited there, so visits that found nothing aren’t shown.
- Delaware publishes five years of reviews and complaints; this page shows the last three.
- Delaware doesn’t publish staffing levels or owners for individual providers.
- Delaware lists only the visits that found violations, so a provider with none listed may not have been visited at all: no count of violations is used to headline, filter or compare its providers.
Sources
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Delaware Office of Child Care Licensing, Licensed Child Care Providers and Facilities (iuzd-3dbt).
Released Oct 23, 2026 and checked Oct 24, 2026. Updated daily. Public Domain.
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Delaware Office of Child Care Licensing, Child Care Licensing Compliance Review Information (wb83-pkcv).
Released Oct 23, 2026 and checked Oct 24, 2026. Updated daily. Public Domain.
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Delaware Office of Child Care Licensing, Child Care Licensing Complaint Reviews (pnbd-85r6).
Released Oct 23, 2026 and checked Oct 24, 2026. Updated daily. Public Domain.
If you believe something here is wrong, a correction starts with the agency whose record this copies: Delaware Office of Child Care Licensing. Delaware’s own record is on data.delaware.gov. If Hearth Record copied something wrongly, it will fix it and log the correction publicly, with its date: how corrections work.
This copy of the record was made on Oct 24, 2026.
From the provider
The public record above comes first. Anything the provider adds will appear here, below it, and say who wrote it.
Replies
None. Replies aren’t open yet. When they open, the provider will be able to answer any finding for free, and the reply will show beside that finding, unedited and dated.
Paid listing
None. Paid listings aren’t open yet. When they open, anything paid for will say “Paid by the provider”, and paying will never change a finding, a rating or the order of results.