North Brook Elementary Pre-K
A child care center in Vale, North Carolina 28168
642 Highway 274, Vale, North Carolina 28168. (704) 276-2479.
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
- Feb 242026 the latest visit on record
- 58 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?
6 DCDEE visits in the last three years, the latest on Feb 24, 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 4 months of the last 36. Last cited Feb 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.
Feb 24, 2026: unannounced1 violation
-
Monthly playground inspections were not completed and/or they were not completed by an individual trained in playground safety requirements.
“The playground inspection for October 2025 was not completed. The date on the playground inspection report was October 21, 2025, however, the results of the inspection were not recorded on the report.”
May 14, 2025: unannounced1 violation
-
Electric fans were not mounted out of reach or did not have a mesh guard to prevent access.
“In space #3, an electric fan was sitting on top of the teacher’s desk accessible to children. The electric fan was not mounted nor had a mesh guard.”
Mar 6, 2025: unannounced1 violation
-
Application did not have a medical action plan attached for any child with health care needs such as allergies, asthma, or other chronic conditions that require specialized health services.
“One child, four years of age, did not have a medical action plan on file for a chronic shortness of breath condition.”
Mar 20, 2024: unannounced3 violations
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A summary of the NC Child Care Law was not given to a parent of every child enrolled in the center.
“One child enrolled on August 22, 2023, did not have a signed acknowledgement from the parent for the Summary of the Law until November 14, 2023. The acknowledgement form given to parents at the beginning of the school year did not include a statement of receipt for the NC Summary of the Law and the information contained in the NC Summary of the Law was not included in the parent handbook packet of information.”
-
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.
“In space #3, a small bottle of Germ-X hand sanitizer was observed in an unlocked drawer of a teacher desk less than a vertical distance of five feet from the floor.”
-
Application for enrollment did not include all required information.
“The application for one child enrolled on August 22, 2024, did not include current health care concerns regarding dietary supplements.”
All 6 visits on record
| Date | Visit | What the record says |
|---|---|---|
| Feb 24, 2026 | Unannounced visit | 1 violation cited |
| Jan 6, 2026 | Announced visit | No violations cited |
| Sep 3, 2025 | Unannounced visit | No violations cited |
| May 14, 2025 | Unannounced visit | 1 violation cited |
| Mar 6, 2025 | Unannounced visit | 1 violation cited |
| Mar 20, 2024 | Unannounced visit | 3 violations cited |
Is it licensed?
- Child Care Center, holding a Five Star Center License since May 29, 2026.
- Licensed for 58 children, ages 3 through 5.
- Not enrolled in North Carolina’s subsidized child care program.
- North Carolina’s licence number: 55000091.
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: Lincoln 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 38 child care providers in Lincoln County, the middle value for violations cited in the last three years was 11; 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 |
|---|---|
| North Brook Elementary Pre-K This child care provider | 6 |
| Union Elementary School Pre K | 9 |
| Union Elementary YMCA Childcare | 6 |
| Kenlin Academy Preschool | 1 |
| Deaton Ave Head Start | 1 |
| Lincoln Park Head Start | 9 |
| Mini Academy @ Denver | 14 |
| Mrs. Peg’s Care for God’s Precious Gifts | 3 |
| Love Memorial Pre-K | 8 |
| G E Massey Elementary Pre-K | 11 |
| S Ray Lowder Elementary Pre-K | 13 |
| Iron Station Elementary Pre-K | 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
-
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.