Little Dragonflies
A child care center in Wilmington, North Carolina 28405
118 Old Dairy Road, Wilmington, North Carolina 28405. (910) 399-4370.
- administrative action in the last three years
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
- 7 violations in the last three years
- Sep 102026 the latest visit on record
- 45 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?
12 DCDEE visits in the last three years, the latest on Sep 10, 2026.
7 violations cited in the last three years, 7 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
7 violations in 3 months of the last 36. Last cited Oct 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.
Oct 13, 2025: unannounced1 violation
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All children were not held or placed in feeding chairs or other appropriate apparatus to be fed.
“In space 2, four infants were observed consuming formula bottles while laying on a boppy pillow or seated in a bouncy chair.”
Oct 17, 2024: unannounced2 violations
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Application for enrollment did not include all required information.
“One child’s enrollment application did not include information regarding any unique behaviors or fears as required.”
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Shelter-in-place or lockdown drills were not practiced every three months and/or drill record was incomplete.
“Quarterly drills were not conducted by the program every three months as required.”
Jun 27, 2024: unannounced4 violations
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A valid qualification letter was not on file and available to review at the facility.
“Two staff members, hired on March 25, 2024 and May 28, 2024, did not have a valid qualification letter on file and available for review at the facility.”
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Minimum staff/child ratios and group sizes for the number and ages of children in care were not met.
“Tracy Mathews, Owner/Administrator and Kayley Mathews, Lead Teacher, stated they were aware of a handful of times were one teacher from the infant or toddler classroom left the other teacher out of ratio when a bathroom break was needed. Infant ratios are 1:5 or 2:10 and toddler ratios are 1:6 or 2:12.”
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Prior to employment a Criminal Background Check was not completed.
“One staff member (Kayla Chavis) was allowed to work at the program from March 25, 2024 until May 29, 2024, without receiving a valid criminal background qualification letter through the NC Division of Child Development and Early Childhood Education (NC DCDEE). Another staff member (Carly Lowe), hired on May 28, 2024, was allowed to work at the program prior to receiving a valid criminal background qualification letter from NC DCDEE.”
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Rule violated (DCDEE’s description below)
The inspectors’ words, 98 words
“On or before the first day of work, all staff, including the director and individuals who volunteer more than once per week did not provide results indicating that they were free of active TB and/or TB test or screening was older than 12 months.Kayla Chavis worked at the program from March 25, 2024, until May 29, 2024, without ever completing a negative TB screening or test results. Veronda Waddell, hired on June 03, 2024, and still employed at the program, was allowed to begin employment with the program prior to receiving a negative TB screening or test results.”
All 12 visits on record
| Date | Visit | What the record says |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 10, 2026 | Unannounced visit | No violations cited |
| May 5, 2026 | Unannounced visit | No violations cited |
| Oct 13, 2025 | Unannounced visit | 1 violation cited |
| Oct 17, 2024 | Unannounced visit | 2 violations cited |
| Sep 12, 2024 | Unannounced visit | No violations cited |
| Sep 12, 2024 | Unannounced visit | No violations cited |
| Aug 13, 2024 | Unannounced visit | No violations cited |
| Jul 2, 2024 | Unannounced visit | No violations cited |
| Jun 27, 2024 | Unannounced visit | 4 violations cited |
| Mar 21, 2024 | Unannounced visit | No violations cited |
| Jan 8, 2024 | Unannounced visit | No violations cited |
| Nov 6, 2023 | Unannounced visit | No violations cited |
Is it licensed?
- Child Care Center, holding a One Star Center License since Apr 24, 2024.
- Licensed for 45 children, ages 0 through 5.
- Enrolled in North Carolina’s subsidized child care program.
- North Carolina’s licence number: 65001087.
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 issued one or more administrative actions for this facility in the past three years; North Carolina’s page doesn’t say what they were, and shows one only after its 30-day appeal period.
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: Little Dragonflies Childcare, LLC.
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: 1 star 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 7.
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 |
|---|---|
| Little Dragonflies This child care provider | 7 |
| Pat’s Toyland Preschool | 0 |
| Classy Bears Day Care Preschool II, Inc. | 0 |
| Child Development Center | 3 |
| Trusting Hands | 0 |
| Children’s Express | 0 |
| Cici’s Child Care | 0 |
| Rising Stars of Wilmington | 7 |
| The Learning Center | 4 |
| Union Missionary Baptist Church After School | 28 |
| John J. Blair Elementary School | 3 |
| Quality Childcare Northchase, LLC | 5 |
| Little Journeys Childcare Center LLC | 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
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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.