Avery County Head Start Center
A child care center in Newland, North Carolina 28657
3280 Linville Falls Hwy, Newland, North Carolina 28657. (828) 733-7114.
- administrative action in the last three years
Watch and the shortlist are kept with a free account, on every device. Your watch list. North Carolina’s own record is on ncchildcare.ncdhhs.gov.
The short answer
- 5 violations in the last three years
- Feb 92026 the latest visit on record
- 16 children, its licensed capacity
Each figure’s source sits beside it, in its section below.
What these words mean5
- 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.
- Quality rating
- Many states rate child care in a quality rating system that goes past the licensing rules, such as Texas Rising Star or Kentucky All STARS. Taking part is often voluntary, so a program with no rating hasn’t been rated low. Source: Each state’s quality rating system.
- 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?
5 DCDEE visits in the last three years, the latest on Feb 9, 2026.
5 violations cited in the last three years, 5 of them marked corrected.
North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Child Development and Early Education (DCDEE), Child Care Facility Search (ncchildcare.ncdhhs.gov): licences, DCDEE visits and violations. Checked Oct 21, 2026. Updated daily.
When those violations happened
5 violations in 3 months of the last 36. Last cited Feb 2026. The last 3 years, to Nov 3, 2026.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 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 | Nov |
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.
North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Child Development and Early Education (DCDEE), Child Care Facility Search (ncchildcare.ncdhhs.gov): licences, DCDEE visits and violations. Checked Oct 21, 2026. Updated daily.
Feb 9, 2026: unannounced1 violation
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Equipment and furnishings were not sturdy, stable and free of hazards.
“There was a toy piano that was very wobbly and unsteady.”
Jul 18, 2024: unannounced2 violations
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All corrosive agents, pesticides, bleaches, detergents, cleansers, polishes, any product which is under pressure in an aerosol dispenser, and any substance which may be hazardous to a child if ingested, inhaled, or handled were not stored in a locked room or cabinet.
“The cleaners under the sink in the kitchen need to be locked with an approved lock which includes lock/key, combination lock or magnetic lock. This is especially important since the children walked by the kitchen entrance to go to/from the playground. The storage building outside has a bucket of paint inside, however the pad lock was not locked due to no key. Children walked through the office area to go to/from the playground. A container of aerosol snack cheese (cheese whizz) was on a teacher’s desk”
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Medication authorization, giving the caregiver standing authorization did not meet the specifications in rule.
“A diaper cream parent authorization was older than 12 months.”
Feb 14, 2024: unannounced2 violations
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Outdoor play area was not enclosed by fence with a minimum height of 4 feet.
“The top of the fence, less than six feet, was not free from protrusions. The playground fence was less than four (4) feet in several places throughout the play yard.”
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Plastic bags, materials that could be torn apart and toy parts small enough to be swallowed were accessible to children under three years of age.
“The diaper changing area had plastic items below five (5) feet. There is a gate separating this area, however the gate lock was broken preventing it from being opened by children.”
All 5 visits on record
| Date | Visit | What the record says |
|---|---|---|
| Feb 9, 2026 | Unannounced visit | 1 violation cited |
| Sep 4, 2025 | Unannounced visit | No violations cited |
| Feb 13, 2025 | Unannounced visit | No violations cited |
| Jul 18, 2024 | Unannounced visit | 2 violations cited |
| Feb 14, 2024 | Unannounced visit | 2 violations cited |
Is it licensed?
- Child Care Center, holding a Five Star Center License since Aug 19, 2026.
- Licensed for 16 children, ages 0 through 5.
- Not enrolled in North Carolina’s subsidized child care program.
- North Carolina’s licence number: 06000043.
- Restriction: Other - Meets Reduced Ratios.
North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Child Development and Early Education (DCDEE), Child Care Facility Search (ncchildcare.ncdhhs.gov): licences, DCDEE visits and violations. Checked Oct 21, 2026. Updated daily.
Has North Carolina acted against it?
- DCDEE says it has issued one or more administrative actions for this facility in the past three years; North Carolina’s page doesn’t say what they were, and shows one only after its 30-day appeal period.
North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Child Development and Early Education (DCDEE), Child Care Facility Search (ncchildcare.ncdhhs.gov): licences, DCDEE visits and violations. Checked Oct 21, 2026. Updated daily.
Who does the caring?
- North Carolina’s page gives a staff-to-child ratio policy as the provider reports it, unverified by DCDEE, so it isn’t shown.
Who owns it?
- Owner, as North Carolina lists it: Inter Mountain Children Services Inc..
North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Child Development and Early Education (DCDEE), Child Care Facility Search (ncchildcare.ncdhhs.gov): licences, DCDEE visits and violations. Checked Oct 21, 2026. Updated daily.
How is it rated?
- Star Rated License: 5 stars of five.
North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Child Development and Early Education (DCDEE), Child Care Facility Search (ncchildcare.ncdhhs.gov): licences, DCDEE visits and violations. Checked Oct 21, 2026. Updated daily.
How does it compare nearby?
- Among 11 child care providers in Avery County, the middle value for violations cited in the last three years was 15; this one had 5.
North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Child Development and Early Education (DCDEE), Child Care Facility Search (ncchildcare.ncdhhs.gov): licences, DCDEE visits and violations. Checked Oct 21, 2026. Updated daily.
| Place | Violations cited in the last three years |
|---|---|
| Riverside Pre-Kindergarten | 28 |
| Avery County Head Start Center This child care provider | 5 |
| Newland Pre-Kindergarten | 28 |
| Children’s Castle | 8 |
| Kingdom Kids Childcare Center | 15 |
| Freedom Trail Pre-Kindergarten | 26 |
| Crossnore Prekindergarten | 19 |
| High Country Head Start Center | 7 |
| Banner Elk Pre-Kindergarten | 12 |
| Littlefaces Childcare Center LLC | 17 |
| Hugh Chapman Early Learning Center | 14 |
What the record doesn’t say
- North Carolina doesn’t show a visit summary tied to an open child maltreatment investigation while the case is active, and shows an administrative action only after its 30-day appeal period, without saying what it was.
- DCDEE’s descriptions of violations are shown in its own words; a description that names or may name a person isn’t shown. Visit summaries, the consultants’ full reports, aren’t read.
- North Carolina’s page lists the provider’s own features (transport, ratios) as furnished by the provider and unverified by DCDEE, so they aren’t shown.
Sources
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North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Child Development and Early Education (DCDEE), Child Care Facility Search (ncchildcare.ncdhhs.gov): licences, DCDEE visits and violations.
Checked Oct 21, 2026. Updated daily. nc.gov terms: copying and distribution for non-commercial use, without alteration, citing the source. Shown free and never sold; DCDEE’s own words are quoted.
If you believe something here is wrong, a correction starts with the agency whose record this copies: North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Child Development and Early Education (DCDEE). North Carolina’s own record is on ncchildcare.ncdhhs.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 Nov 3, 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.