High Country Head Start Center
A child care center in Crossnore, North Carolina 28616
129 Allen Circle, Crossnore, North Carolina 28616. (828) 733-1118.
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
- 7 violations in the last three years
- Apr 222026 the latest visit on record
- 18 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?
7 DCDEE visits in the last three years, the latest on Apr 22, 2026.
7 violations cited in the last three years, 7 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
7 violations in 1 month of the last 36. Last cited Oct 2025. 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.
Oct 7, 2025: unannounced7 violations
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A child was yelled at, shamed, humiliated, frightened, threatened or bullied.
“A teacher told children numerous times that they were acting like babies.”
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A safe indoor and outdoor environment was not provided for the children.
“A child opened a gate and rode the tricycle out, but a teacher got to him quickly.”
-
All stationary equipment, more than 18 inches high, was not installed over protective surfacing.
“Mulch was compacted, especially at the end of the slides measured a maximum of two (2) inches deep.”
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Children did not wash their hands upon arrival at the center, after each visit to the toilet, before eating, before and after water activity play, after outside play, and after handling animals or animal cages.
“Children did not wash hands before eating snack today.”
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Surfacing did not extend six (6) feet beyond the external limits of the equipment or 3 feet for equipment used only by children less than 2 years of age.
“All the dino climbers were moved to the end of one of the slides lined up side by side leaving no fall zone at the end of the slide or for each of the dino climbers.”
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The indoor and/or outdoor premises was not checked once a day, prior to initial use, ensuring debris, and broken equipment was removed and disposed of.
“There were broken toys on the playground that had not been removed.”
-
Vehicles used to transport children enrolled in the child care center did not comply with all applicable State and federal laws and regulations.
“The registration card and sticker for the tag were both expired as of August 2025.”
All 7 visits on record
| Date | Visit | What the record says |
|---|---|---|
| Apr 22, 2026 | Unannounced visit | No violations cited |
| Nov 13, 2025 | Unannounced visit | No violations cited |
| Oct 7, 2025 | Unannounced visit | 7 violations cited |
| May 6, 2025 | Unannounced visit | No violations cited |
| Sep 11, 2024 | Unannounced visit | No violations cited |
| May 14, 2024 | Announced visit | No violations cited |
| Mar 14, 2024 | Unannounced visit | No violations cited |
Is it licensed?
- Child Care Center, holding a Five Star Center License since Oct 9, 2025.
- Licensed for 18 children, ages 3 through 5.
- Enrolled in North Carolina’s subsidized child care program.
- North Carolina’s licence number: 06000075.
- Restriction: Other - Meeting 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 taken no action against this facility, for its current licence and location, in the last three years.
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: Intermountain Children’s 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 7.
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 |
|---|---|
| Crossnore Prekindergarten | 19 |
| High Country Head Start Center This child care provider | 7 |
| Riverside Pre-Kindergarten | 28 |
| Freedom Trail Pre-Kindergarten | 26 |
| Avery County Head Start Center | 5 |
| Newland Pre-Kindergarten | 28 |
| Children’s Castle | 8 |
| Kingdom Kids Childcare Center | 15 |
| 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.