A Bright Start Child Care Learning Center Inc.
A child care center in Smithfield, North Carolina 27577
861 Berkshire Rd, Smithfield, North Carolina 27577. (919) 938-5292.
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
- May 282026 the latest visit on record
- 75 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 May 28, 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 2 months of the last 36. Last cited May 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.
May 28, 2026: unannounced5 violations
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A violation was found for which there is no item number.
“Children shall not be in the kitchen except when participating in a supervised activity. 15A NCAC 18A .2808(e). A child was observed in the kitchen sitting on the floor while the administrator was prepping food.”
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All corrosive agents, pesticides, bleaches, detergents, cleansers, polishes, any product which is under pressure in an aerosol dispenser, and any substance which may be hazardous to a child if ingested, inhaled, or handled were not stored in a locked room or cabinet.
“Aerosol cans of air freshener, bugs spray, glass cleaner was stored in an unlocked utility closet. In classroom designated for two and three year old children Scentsy air freshener was store in the child’s cubby accessible to children.”
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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.
“Safe sleep records for the month of April were not available.”
-
Plastic bags, materials that could be torn apart and toy parts small enough to be swallowed were accessible to children under three years of age.
“Plastic bag sleeves on diapers and grocery bags were accessible to children under three years old.”
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Staff members and child care administrators who were counted in meeting the staff/child ratios concurrently performed food preparation or other duties that are not direct child care responsibilities.
“The administrator was counted in meeting the staff/child ratio while performing food preparation.”
Feb 22, 2024: unannounced1 violation
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All corrosive agents, pesticides, bleaches, detergents, cleansers, polishes, any product which is under pressure in an aerosol dispenser, and any substance which may be hazardous to a child if ingested, inhaled, or handled were not stored in a locked room or cabinet.
“The electrical room in space 5 was not locked.”
All 7 visits on record
| Date | Visit | What the record says |
|---|---|---|
| May 28, 2026 | Unannounced visit | 5 violations cited |
| Nov 24, 2025 | Unannounced visit | No violations cited |
| Nov 7, 2025 | Unannounced visit | No violations cited |
| Jun 18, 2025 | Unannounced visit | No violations cited |
| Jan 29, 2025 | Unannounced visit | No violations cited |
| Jul 9, 2024 | Unannounced visit | No violations cited |
| Feb 22, 2024 | Unannounced visit | 1 violation cited |
Is it licensed?
- Child Care Center, holding a Four Star Center License since Oct 20, 2020.
- Licensed for 75 children, ages 0 through 12.
- Enrolled in North Carolina’s subsidized child care program.
- North Carolina’s licence number: 51000869.
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: A Bright Start Child Care Learning Center Inc..
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 88 child care providers in Johnston County, the middle value for violations cited in the last three years was 10; 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 |
|---|---|
| Johnston Community College Child Development Cente | 12 |
| Kidz Konnection | 42 |
| West Smithfield Elementary School | 1 |
| Children of Destiny Child Care | 5 |
| Wilson’s Mills Baptist Child Care Center | 22 |
| Higher Calling Child Care | 30 |
| ‘small Blessings’ | 21 |
| A Bright Start Child Care Learning Center Inc. This child care provider | 6 |
| Playmates Child Care of Smithfield | 5 |
| Church Street Head Start | 9 |
| Playmates Childcare and Development Center Berkshi | 8 |
| A Child’s Place | 3 |
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.