West Columbus School
A child care center in Cerro Gordo, North Carolina 28430
7685 Andrew Jackson Highway, Cerro Gordo, North Carolina 28430. (910) 654-4250.
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
- 11 violations in the last three years
- Aug 252026 the latest visit on record
- 65 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?
5 DCDEE visits in the last three years, the latest on Aug 25, 2026.
11 violations cited in the last three years, 11 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
11 violations in 2 months of the last 36. Last cited Dec 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.
Dec 11, 2025: unannounced2 violations
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All staff did not successfully complete certification in CPR training appropriate to the age of the children in care.
“Verification of staff completion of the CPR course from an approved training organization was not in the staff file. A staff member’s certification expired September 2025.”
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All staff did not successfully complete certification in First Aid appropriate to the age of children in care.
“Verification of staff completion of First Aid training from an approved training organization was not in the staff file. A staff member’s certification expired in September 2025.”
Jan 17, 2024: unannounced9 violations
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A valid qualification letter was not on file and available to review at the facility.
“A valid qualification letter was not on file for substitute staff member Sandy McGirt today.”
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Child care providers, including the director, uncompensated providers, substitute providers, and volunteers did not have the required Emergency Information Form on file on or before the first day of work, which included all the required information and/or the information on the form was not updated as changes occur and at least annually.
“Current emergency information forms were not on file for the two substitute staff members present today.”
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Each child was not immunized as per Article 6 of Chapter 130A and an immunization record was not on file before or within 30 days after admission.
“An immunization record was not on file for a child who enrolled November 23, 2023.”
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Emergency information did not name child’s health care professional.
“A health care professional was not listed on the application for a child who enrolled November 23, 2023.”
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Staff did not complete the health and safety training within one year of employment.
“A staff member who began employment November 17, 2022 has not yet completed health and safety training.”
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Substitute providers and volunteers did not have a health questionnaire on or before the first day of work and annually thereafter.
“Neither substitute providers present today had a current health questionnaire on file.”
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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.
“A staff member who began employment November 17, 2022 has not yet completed this training.”
-
The depth of the loose surfacing was not based on critical height of the equipment.
“Two inches of mulch was observed at the bottom of the slide on the playground rather than the six inches required by the height of the equipment.”
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The Prevention of Shaken Baby Syndrome and Abusive Head Trauma policy was not reviewed with new staff prior to providing care with children and/or a signed acknowledgement with all the required information was not maintained in the staff person’s file.
“A signed acknowledgement of this policy was not on file for a staff member who started employment November 27, 2023.”
All 5 visits on record
| Date | Visit | What the record says |
|---|---|---|
| Aug 25, 2026 | Announced visit | No violations cited |
| May 14, 2026 | Unannounced visit | No violations cited |
| Dec 11, 2025 | Unannounced visit | 2 violations cited |
| Jan 9, 2025 | Unannounced visit | No violations cited |
| Jan 17, 2024 | Unannounced visit | 9 violations cited |
Is it licensed?
- Child Care Center, holding a Five Star Center License since Aug 25, 2022.
- Licensed for 65 children, ages 3 through 6.
- Not enrolled in North Carolina’s subsidized child care program.
- North Carolina’s licence number: 24000115.
- Restriction: Other - Enhanced ratios minus one from the seven point level.
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: Columbus 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 33 child care providers in Columbus County, the middle value for violations cited in the last three years was 10; this one had 11.
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 |
|---|---|
| West Columbus School This child care provider | 11 |
| Precious Minds Learn N Play Academy | 17 |
| Southeastern Community College Child Dev. Center | 16 |
| Pam’s Day Care Home | 0 |
| Daisy’s Good Beginnings | 16 |
| Farmer’s Union Developmental Day Care | 34 |
| Best Day Care Home | 15 |
| Kid Kare Academy | 12 |
| Whiteville Primary School Preschool | 10 |
| Hallsboro/Artesia Elementary Pre-K | 11 |
| Williams Township Pre-K | 5 |
| Tabor City School Pre-K | 7 |
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.