The Children’s Courtyard
A child care center in Wilmington, North Carolina 28403
71 Darlington Ave, Wilmington, North Carolina 28403. (910) 762-7735.
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
- 4 violations in the last three years
- Sep 212026 the latest visit on record
- 99 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?
9 DCDEE visits in the last three years, the latest on Sep 21, 2026.
4 violations cited in the last three years, 4 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
4 violations in 3 months of the last 36. Last cited Jun 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.
Jun 17, 2026: unannounced1 violation
-
Health and safety training topics were not included as part of on-going training within five years of completing the previous health and safety training topics.
“Seven (7) staff members have not renewed their Recognizing and Responding to Child Maltreatment training within five (5) years of completion.”
Jul 25, 2024: unannounced2 violations
-
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.
“Shaving cream was observed in space 2 in an unlocked cabinet.”
-
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 bags were observed in a cabinet accessible to children one year of age in space 1.”
Feb 23, 2024: unannounced1 violation
-
Children were not adequately supervised at all times.
“On February 15, 2024, staff member “A” failed to provide adequate supervision resulting in three two-year-old children exiting the building unattended for approximately thirty (30) seconds and were found by staff member “B” on the sidewalk of the patio area which is not fenced. Staff member “B” met staff member “A” at the classroom door as they directed the children inside. The children were unharmed.”
All 9 visits on record
| Date | Visit | What the record says |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 21, 2026 | Unannounced visit | No violations cited |
| Jun 17, 2026 | Unannounced visit | 1 violation cited |
| Jan 13, 2026 | Unannounced visit | No violations cited |
| Nov 4, 2025 | Unannounced visit | No violations cited |
| Jul 9, 2025 | Unannounced visit | No violations cited |
| Feb 10, 2025 | Unannounced visit | No violations cited |
| Jul 25, 2024 | Unannounced visit | 2 violations cited |
| Feb 23, 2024 | Unannounced visit | 1 violation cited |
| Jan 29, 2024 | Unannounced visit | No violations cited |
Is it licensed?
- Child Care Center, holding a Four Star Center License since Sep 21, 2026.
- Licensed for 99 children, ages 1 through 12.
- Enrolled in North Carolina’s subsidized child care program.
- North Carolina’s licence number: 65001043.
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: The Children’s Courtyard, 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 74 child care providers in New Hanover County, the middle value for violations cited in the last three years was 6; this one had 4.
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 |
|---|---|
| Adriene’s Day Care Home | 0 |
| Little Angels Day Care | 0 |
| Milestones Learning Center | 5 |
| The Learning Tree | 10 |
| Young Memories Learning Center #2 | 13 |
| Excel Learning Centers #3 | 37 |
| The Children’s Courtyard This child care provider | 4 |
| Learning Bridge Midtown | 6 |
| Wilmington Bilingual Preschool, LLC | 11 |
| Childcare Network #82 | 28 |
| Childcare Network #83 | 5 |
| Winter Park Baptist Preschool | 15 |
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.