Payton’s Playhouse
A child care center in Hudson, North Carolina 28638
1173 Dragstrip Road, Hudson, North Carolina 28638. (828) 726-1542.
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
- 21 violations in the last three years
- Sep 82026 the latest visit on record
- 12 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?
8 DCDEE visits in the last three years, the latest on Sep 8, 2026.
21 violations cited in the last three years, 21 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
21 violations in 5 months of the last 36. Last cited Aug 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.
Aug 20, 2026: unannounced11 violations
-
A current activity plan was not posted for each group of children for reference.
“I did not observe a current posted plan in the center.”
-
Center did not maintain a record of daily attendance.
“A child enrolled on February 1, 2019, attended child care but was not listed on the attendance roster for the week of August 4-7, 2026, and on the days of August 12, 2026, August 13, 2026, August 18, 2026, and August 19, 2026.”
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Each child did not have an opportunity to be outdoors daily, if weather conditions permitted.
“The Owner/Operator confirmed that children had not been going outside daily when weather permits.”
-
Incident logs were not completed and maintained as required.
“The incident log was incomplete and did not have all incident reports listed. The incident log was incomplete and did not have three incident reports listed that were observed to be on file.”
-
Incident reports were not completed each time a child was injured, it did not include all the information required in rule, it was not signed by the parent and/or it was not maintained in the child’s file.
“An incident report for a child enrolled on March 3, 2025, did not have the complete date of the incident, the location of the incident, the date and time the parent was contacted, who contacted the parent and the signature of the staff member who completed the report marked on the incident report.”
-
Menus for all meals and snacks were not current or posted where easily seen by parents and cook.
“The menu for the week of August 17, 2026, through August 21, 2026, was not complete and was not posted.”
-
Parent’s medication authorization did not include required information.
“One child enrolled on March 3, 2023, had a Medication Administration Permission Form on file dated August 25, 2025 through February 25, 2026, for Children’s Benadryl liquid.”
-
Refrigerator(s) did not maintain a temperature of 45 degrees F. or below.
“No thermometer was observed in the refrigerator used for children’s bottles and food.”
-
The activity plan did not include a daily gross motor activity which may occur indoors and outdoors.
“A lesson plan from July 2026, was on file for review and did not include daily gross motor activities for children in care.”
-
The child care center premises, including the outdoor learning environment, was not clean, drained to minimize standing water, free of litter and hazards, and/or maintained in a manner which does not create conditions that attract or harbor pests.
“I observed standing water approximately two inches deep in one small green turtle sandbox and there was high grass that was not mowed and maintained located on the playground.”
-
The trained staff did not review the EPR Plan annually or when information in the plan changed to ensure all information was current.
“The last review date on the EPR plan was dated February 2, 2025.”
Mar 3, 2026: unannounced4 violations
-
A child care operator did not notify the Division of any new child care providers, as defined in G.S.
“110-90.2(a)(2), who were hired or moved into the child care facility within five business days. No staff are listed in the ABCMS portal for you facility.”
-
A current activity plan was not posted for each group of children for reference.
“A daily activity plan was not posted for the children enrolled.”
-
Center has not passed required sanitation inspection and received an approved or superior rating.
“A sanitation inspection was conducted on February 8, 2025 and again on February 13, 2026.”
-
Each child did not have an opportunity to be outdoors daily, if weather conditions permitted.
“Children did not go outside for outdoor gross motor play as weather allowed.”
Mar 12, 2025: unannounced3 violations
-
Caregivers did not document compliance with visually checking on sleeping infants aged 12 months or younger and/or the documents were not maintained for a minimum of one month.
“One child enrolled on March 3, 2025, did not have a sleep position marked for 10:00am, 10:15, 10:30, 10:45, 11:00, 11:15, 11:30, and 12:00pm for sleep checks conducted on March 10, 2025. One child did not have a sleep position marked for 9:45am, 10:00, 10:15, and 10:30am for sleep checks conducted on March 12, 2025.”
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Health and safety training topics were not included as part of on-going training within five years of completing the previous health and safety training topics.
“One staff member employed on February 17, 2020, had a certificate for the completion of Recognizing and Responding to Suspicions of Maltreatment on file that expired on February 28, 2025. One staff member employed on January 21, 2013, did not have a certificate of completion on file for Recognizing and Responding to Suspicions of Maltreatment on file for review.”
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Medication authorization, giving the caregiver standing authorization did not meet the specifications in rule.
“One child enrolled on March 20, 2023, had a Permission to Administer Medication of an Epi Pen on file that expired on February 26, 2025.”
Sep 25, 2024: unannounced1 violation
-
A current activity plan was not posted for each group of children for reference.
“The posted lesson plan was dated June 17-June 21, 2024.”
Jun 18, 2024: unannounced2 violations
-
Medication authorization, giving the caregiver standing authorization did not meet the specifications in rule.
“One child enrolled March 20, 2023 had two medication forms for two medications that were not signed by the parent.”
-
The written feeding plan did not include the child’s name, parent signature, and/or was not dated when received by the center.
“One child enrolled on March 25, 2024, had a feeding plan posted that was not signed by the parent.”
All 8 visits on record
| Date | Visit | What the record says |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 8, 2026 | Unannounced visit | No violations cited |
| Aug 25, 2026 | Announced visit | No violations cited |
| Aug 20, 2026 | Unannounced visit | 11 violations cited |
| Mar 3, 2026 | Unannounced visit | 4 violations cited |
| Sep 10, 2025 | Unannounced visit | No violations cited |
| Mar 12, 2025 | Unannounced visit | 3 violations cited |
| Sep 25, 2024 | Unannounced visit | 1 violation cited |
| Jun 18, 2024 | Unannounced visit | 2 violations cited |
Is it licensed?
- Child Care Center, holding a Three Star Center License since Nov 17, 2022.
- Licensed for 12 children, ages 0 through 12.
- Enrolled in North Carolina’s subsidized child care program.
- North Carolina’s licence number: 14000380.
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: Milam, Kim C.
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: 3 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 46 child care providers in Caldwell County, the middle value for violations cited in the last three years was 5; this one had 21.
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 |
|---|---|
| Hudson Elementary Wraparound | 4 |
| Hudson Elementary Developmental Day Center | 3 |
| Payton’s Playhouse This child care provider | 21 |
| South Caldwell High School Early Learning Lab | 7 |
| A New Beginning Children’s Learning Center | 2 |
| Grogan’s Small World #2 | 3 |
| Northside Children’s Learning Center | 22 |
| Totland Childcare | 13 |
| Prime Time Youth Focus | 7 |
| Lacey’s Place | 14 |
| Country Kids Child Care Home | 3 |
| Dudley Shoals Wrap Around | 2 |
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
-
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.