Little Lemon Drops
A child care center in Pittsboro, North Carolina 27312
836 East St, Pittsboro, North Carolina 27312. (919) 542-3545.
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
- 12 violations in the last three years
- Jun 222026 the latest visit on record
- 25 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 Jun 22, 2026.
12 violations cited in the last three years, 12 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
12 violations in 3 months of the last 36. Last cited Jul 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.
Jul 31, 2025: unannounced2 violations
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All equipment and furnishings were not in good repair.
“The infant portable swing is broken and needs to be replaced or thrown away.”
-
The depth of the loose surfacing was not based on critical height of the equipment.
“The surfacing under the swings is not at the required depth due to wear and tear as well as washout. More surfacing is required to be back in compliance.”
Aug 19, 2024: unannounced3 violations
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A valid qualification letter was not on file and available to review at the facility.
“The qualification letter for teacher Layla Long was not available for review at the facility.”
-
Child care providers and uncompensated providers who are not substitute providers or volunteers, including the director did not have a medical report on file prior to employment that was signed by a health care professional and/ or the medical report was older than 12 months.
“Teacher LL did not have a medical report on file prior to employment.”
-
Prior to employment a Criminal Background Check was not completed.
“Teacher Layla Long was employed prior to completing their Criminal Background Check. All paperwork has been submitted and awaiting results from the division.”
Aug 7, 2024: unannounced4 violations
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Child care providers scheduled to work in the infant room, did not complete ITS-SIDS training within two months of employment or did not complete the training every three years.
“Child care administrators did not complete the ITS-SIDS training within 90 days of employment and every three years thereafter. Teacher KM did not have their ITS-SIDS training on file.”
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Minimum staff/child ratios and group sizes for the number and ages of children in care were not met.
“The one and two year old classroom had 1 teacher to 11 children with two volunteers. This was corrected by the administrator stepping in to be counted in ratio.”
-
Staff did not complete the health and safety training within one year of employment.
“Teacher EH did not complete their health and safety training within one year of employment.”
-
The EMC plan was not reviewed with all staff annually and whenever the plan was revised.
“LH and AD did not have documented training of the EMC plan.”
May 31, 2024: unannounced3 violations
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Center staff did not comply with the safe sleep policy.
“Two infants were asleep in a stroller outside. This was corrected during the visit by the teacher taking the two infants inside to a crib.”
-
Staff did not complete the health and safety training within one year of employment.
“Teacher DL did not complete the health and safety training within one year of employment.”
-
The child care administrator and all staff did not complete the Recognizing and Responding to Suspicions of Child Maltreatment training within 90 days of employment.
“Teacher ZP did not complete the Recognizing and Responding to Suspicions of Child Maltreatment training within 90 days of employment.”
All 8 visits on record
| Date | Visit | What the record says |
|---|---|---|
| Jun 22, 2026 | Unannounced visit | No violations cited |
| Apr 2, 2026 | Unannounced visit | No violations cited |
| Jul 31, 2025 | Unannounced visit | 2 violations cited |
| Feb 13, 2025 | Unannounced visit | No violations cited |
| Aug 29, 2024 | Unannounced visit | No violations cited |
| Aug 19, 2024 | Unannounced visit | 3 violations cited |
| Aug 7, 2024 | Unannounced visit | 4 violations cited |
| May 31, 2024 | Unannounced visit | 3 violations cited |
Is it licensed?
- Child Care Center, holding a One Star Center License since Jul 7, 2021.
- Licensed for 25 children, ages 0 through 3.
- Not enrolled in North Carolina’s subsidized child care program.
- North Carolina’s licence number: 19000367.
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: Learning Lemon Drops, LLC.
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: 1 star 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 43 child care providers in Chatham County, the middle value for violations cited in the last three years was 5; this one had 12.
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 |
|---|---|
| Ready Set Grow Day Care | 2 |
| Kidz Korner in Home Day Care | 6 |
| Perry Harrison Pre-K Program | 3 |
| Pasitos Felices (Happy Steps) | 27 |
| Little Sweet Potatoes | 4 |
| Pittsboro Elementary School Prek | 4 |
| Learning Lemon Drops Child Care Center | 7 |
| Chatham Grove Elementary Pre-K | 1 |
| Willow Oak Montessori Children’s House | 20 |
| Little Lemon Drops This child care provider | 12 |
| Country Day Preschool and Nursery | 5 |
| Amazing Explorers Academy | 49 |
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.