Hearth Record

The Children’s Learning Tree Top

A family child care home in Chocowinity, North Carolina 27817

249 Old Mill Road, Chocowinity, North Carolina 27817. (252) 721-8180.

North Carolina’s own record, on ncchildcare.ncdhhs.gov

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

The last 24 months 6 violations in 5 months of the last 36. Last cited Feb 2026. Every month

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?

8 DCDEE visits in the last three years, the latest on Sep 29, 2026.

6 violations cited in the last three years, 6 of them marked corrected.

Source:

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

6 violations in 5 months of the last 36. Last cited Feb 2026. The last 3 years, to Nov 3, 2026.

6 violations by month over the last 3 years. Each cell is one month.
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
2023 Dec
2024 JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
2025 JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
2026 JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNov

Hover or focus a month to read it.

No visit on record Visited, nothing cited A stronger orange is more serious, on its source’s own levels, read onto four bands: from the least serious it publishes to the most
Source:

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.

Source:

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 26, 2026: unannounced1 violation

  • Operator has not completed ITS-SIDS training every three years from the completion date of the previous ITS-SIDS training.

    “A staff hired on 2/28/22, ITS-SIDS training expired on 4/26/25.”

    Rule Operator has not completed ITS-SIDS training every three years from the completion date of the previous ITS-SIDS training.. Correction date, as North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Child Development and Early Education (DCDEE) recorded it: Mar 10, 2026. Correction verified: by a letter from the provider.

Aug 13, 2025: unannounced1 violation

  • Sleeping infants, ages 12 months and younger were not visually checked every 15 minutes.

    “Sleep charts were not available for review for the week of August 11, 2025 for both infants in care. Two (2) individual sleep charts available for review for two (2) infants were not dated.”

    Rule Sleeping infants, ages 12 months and younger were not visually checked every 15 minutes.. Correction date, as North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Child Development and Early Education (DCDEE) recorded it: Aug 26, 2025. Correction verified: by a letter from the provider.

Mar 12, 2025: unannounced1 violation

  • Monthly check for hazards on the outdoor play area was not completed using a form supplied by the Division.

    “The last available playground inspection form is dated 11/20/24.”

    Rule Monthly check for hazards on the outdoor play area was not completed using a form supplied by the Division.. Correction date, as North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Child Development and Early Education (DCDEE) recorded it: Mar 24, 2025. Correction verified: by a letter from the provider.

Oct 3, 2024: unannounced2 violations

  • Operator did not successfully complete a CPR course as referenced in Rule.1702(b)(2) CPR training was not renewed on or before the expiration of the certification.

    “Staff CPR expired 3/2024, current certificate is dated 4/5/24.”

    Rule Operator did not successfully complete a CPR course as referenced in Rule.1702(b)(2) CPR training was not renewed on or before the expiration of the certification.. Corrected during the inspection.

  • Operator did not successfully complete a first aid course as referenced in Rule.1702(b)(2) First aid training was not renewed on or before the expiration of the certification.

    “Staff First Aid expired 3/2024, current certificate is dated 4/5/24.”

    Rule Operator did not successfully complete a first aid course as referenced in Rule.1702(b)(2) First aid training was not renewed on or before the expiration of the certification.. Corrected during the inspection.

Mar 26, 2024: unannounced1 violation

  • Operator has not completed ITS-SIDS training every three years from the completion date of the previous ITS-SIDS training.

    “The previous ITS-SIDS training certificate for the operator expired on 12/6/23. The current ITS-SIDS training was completed on 1/9/24.”

    Rule Operator has not completed ITS-SIDS training every three years from the completion date of the previous ITS-SIDS training.. Correction date, as North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Child Development and Early Education (DCDEE) recorded it: Apr 8, 2024. Correction verified: by a letter from the provider.

All 8 visits on record
Visits on record
DateVisitWhat the record says
Sep 29, 2026Announced visitNo violations cited
Jul 14, 2026Unannounced visitNo violations cited
Feb 26, 2026Unannounced visit1 violation cited
Aug 13, 2025Unannounced visit1 violation cited
Mar 12, 2025Unannounced visit1 violation cited
Oct 3, 2024Unannounced visit2 violations cited
Mar 26, 2024Unannounced visit1 violation cited
Dec 7, 2023Announced visitNo violations cited

Is it licensed?

  • Family Child Care Home, holding a Four Star Family CC Home License since Jul 25, 2017.
  • Licensed for 8 children, ages 0 through 12.
  • Enrolled in North Carolina’s subsidized child care program.
  • North Carolina’s licence number: 07000172.
Source:

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.
Source:

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: Ward, China G.
Source:

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: 4 stars of five.
Source:

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 21 child care providers in Beaufort County, the middle value for violations cited in the last three years was 9; this one had 6.
Source:

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.

11 of the 21 in Beaufort County, as the source lists them, same ZIP code first
PlaceViolations cited in the last three years
Crystal’s Day Care2
Little Rascals Daycare2
Chocowinity Primary Preschool3
The Children’s Learning Tree Top This child care provider6
Unity Christian Academy9
Care-O-World Early Learning Center of Chocowinity8
Beaufort County Child Development26
Care-O-World Enrichment Center15
Pungo Christian Academy Child Care Center9
Alice in Wonderland5
Totsland Preschool11
Washington Elementary Preschool13

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

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.

Source:

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.

How to read a record

Four things every record does, shown on an example record made up for this guide.

An example record, made up for this guide

An example nursing home

Made up for this guide: no real place is shown

Not fully inspected in over two years (CMS flag)

11 health citations at the latest inspection cycle

The state average is 14.3.

Source:

CMS, State and US Averages and Health Deficiencies. Released Oct 28, 2026. Updated monthly.

From the homeNone yet. Replies and paid listings aren’t open, and when they open they will sit here, below the record.

1 of 4

Every fact names its source.

Who published it, when, and how often it changes sit beside each fact, with a link to the agency’s own file.

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