The Learning Circle
A child care center in Durham, North Carolina 27707
1321 Tralea Drive, Durham, North Carolina 27707. (919) 381-5559.
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
- 6 violations in the last three years
- Oct 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?
7 DCDEE visits in the last three years, the latest on Oct 8, 2026.
6 violations cited in the last three years, 6 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
6 violations in 3 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 5, 2026: unannounced2 violations
-
All staff, including the director, did not have an annual health questionnaire on file following the initial medical statement.
“A current health questionnaire for the owner/director was not available for review during today’s visit.”
-
Fire drills were not practiced monthly and/or the drill record was incomplete.
“A current documented fire drill was not completed on a monthly basis. The last fire drill was conducted on 1/9/26.”
Mar 6, 2025: unannounced1 violation
-
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. The owner and director’s ITS SIDS training expired 6/9/24.”
Mar 7, 2024: unannounced3 violations
-
All staff, including the director, did not have an annual health questionnaire on file following the initial medical statement.
“A staff member did not have an updated health questionnaire on file for review during today’s visit. The employee last annual health questionnaire was on 1/4/23.”
-
Perishable foods were not stored to protect against spoilage.
“There was a jug of 1% milk in the refrigerator that expired on 3/4/24.”
-
Staff required to receive on-going training had not completed the required number of hours according to their education and experience.
“A staff member did not complete the required training hours according to her education and experience.”
All 7 visits on record
| Date | Visit | What the record says |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 8, 2026 | Announced visit | No violations cited |
| Mar 5, 2026 | Unannounced visit | 2 violations cited |
| Aug 28, 2025 | Unannounced visit | No violations cited |
| Mar 6, 2025 | Unannounced visit | 1 violation cited |
| Aug 21, 2024 | Unannounced visit | No violations cited |
| Mar 7, 2024 | Unannounced visit | 3 violations cited |
| Nov 21, 2023 | Unannounced visit | No violations cited |
Is it licensed?
- Child Care Center, holding a Four Star Center License since Dec 1, 2017.
- Licensed for 12 children, ages 0 through 12.
- Enrolled in North Carolina’s subsidized child care program.
- North Carolina’s licence number: 32000073.
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: Alicia D. Mcnair.
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.
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 225 child care providers in Durham County, the middle value for violations cited in the last three years was 9; this one had 6.
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 |
|---|---|
| Cresset Christian Academy Pre-School | 39 |
| Delores Bynum’s Day Care Home | 5 |
| The Learning Circle This child care provider | 6 |
| Primary Colors Early Learning Center | 16 |
| Little Angels Child Development Center | 3 |
| Bryson Christian Montessori School III | 15 |
| Lil Folks Daycare | 0 |
| Virginia Lindsay | 8 |
| White Rock Child Development Center | 14 |
| Small Wonders Day Care | 0 |
| King’s Kids Child Development Center | 17 |
| Cynthia’s Little People | 0 |
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.