Martins Creek School Pre-K
A child care center in Murphy, North Carolina 28906
1459 Tobe Stalcup Road, Murphy, North Carolina 28906. (828) 837-2722.
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
- Mar 122026 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?
3 DCDEE visits in the last three years, the latest on Mar 12, 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 2 months of the last 36. Last cited Mar 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.
Mar 12, 2026: unannounced4 violations
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A summary of the NC Child Care Law was not posted in a prominent place in the center.
“The summary of law posted was dated 2003 and not current.”
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Potentially hazardous items including but not limited to power tools, nails, chemicals, propane stoves, lawn mowers, gasoline, or kerosene were not stored in locked areas, removed from the premises, or made inaccessible to children.
“There were batteries stored in an unlocked cabinet accessible to preschool age children. Batteries are a corrosive agent.”
-
Rule violated (DCDEE’s description below)
The inspectors’ words, 116 words
“Sanitation Rule: 15A NCAC 18A .2832 OUTDOOR LEARNING ENVIRONMENT AND PREMISES (a)Child care center premises, including the outdoor learning environment, shall be kept clean, drained to minimize standing water, free of litter and hazards, and maintained in a manner which does not create conditions that attract or harbor pests. Debris, glass, dilapidated structures, and broken play equipment shall be removed from areas accessible to children. Wells, grease traps, cisterns, and utility equipment shall be made inaccessible to children. In the grassy area at the bottom of the hill to the right of the playhouse was standing water. Additionally, standing water was present in the grassy area to the left of the door exiting to the playground.”
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The center did not maintain records as required in rule, and/or were not made available to the Division for review.
“The center did not maintain records as required in rule, and/or were not made available to the Division for review. Off-site record verification was not on site or the file available for review for the administrator.”
Apr 16, 2024: unannounced1 violation
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All equipment and furnishings were not in good repair.
“The plastic pirate ship on the playground had a broken step that could cause harm. The second step up was broken and children could stick fingers in or scrape knees when climbing.”
All 3 visits on record
| Date | Visit | What the record says |
|---|---|---|
| Mar 12, 2026 | Unannounced visit | 4 violations cited |
| Apr 2, 2025 | Unannounced visit | No violations cited |
| Apr 16, 2024 | Unannounced visit | 1 violation cited |
Is it licensed?
- Child Care Center, holding a Five Star Center License since Jun 1, 2021.
- Licensed for 18 children, ages 3 through 12.
- Enrolled in North Carolina’s subsidized child care program.
- North Carolina’s licence number: 20000058.
- 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 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: Cherokee County Schools.
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 13 child care providers in Cherokee County, the middle value for violations cited in the last three years was 9; 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 |
|---|---|
| Murphy Head Start | 8 |
| Murphy Elementary School Pre-K | 17 |
| Martins Creek School Pre-K This child care provider | 5 |
| Ranger Elementary School Pre-K | 9 |
| Murphy Adventist Christian School | 3 |
| Kid’s Corner | 8 |
| Murphy After School | 5 |
| Martins Creek Elementary After School | 2 |
| Peachtree Elementary Pre-Kindergarten | 22 |
| Eagle’s Nest Elc & Preschool Murphy | 25 |
| Hill Top Head Start | 16 |
| Andrews Elementary School Pre-K | 12 |
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.