East Spencer Head Start
A child care center in East Spencer, North Carolina 28039
301 Grant Street, East Spencer, North Carolina 28039. (704) 636-9639.
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
- 8 violations in the last three years
- May 292026 the latest visit on record
- 57 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?
5 DCDEE visits in the last three years, the latest on May 29, 2026.
8 violations cited in the last three years, 8 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
8 violations in 5 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 29, 2026: unannounced1 violation
-
Child care providers, including the director, uncompensated providers, substitute providers, and volunteers did not have the required Emergency Information Form on file on or before the first day of work, which included all the required information and/or the information on the form was not updated as changes occur and at least annually.
“The Emergency Information Form for a staff member hired on 4/28/2026 did not include a choice of health care professional.”
Sep 25, 2025: unannounced1 violation
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A child care operator did not notify the Division of any new child care providers, as defined in G.S.
“110-90.2(a)(2), who were hired or moved into the child care facility within five business days. The Division was not notified of two new employees (DOH: 7/28/2025 and 6/25/2024) within five business days.”
Apr 25, 2025: unannounced2 violations
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All walls and ceilings including doors and windows were not kept clean, free of visible fungal growth, and in good repair.
“There is chipping paint on the exterior doors of Space 2 and Space 3 leading inside from the playground.”
-
Leftover medicines were not returned to the parent after the course of treatment was completed, after authorization was withdrawn or after authorization had expired and/or medication was not discarded within 72 hours of completion of treatment or withdrawal of authorization.
“In Space 2, permission to administer an Albuterol inhaler was given on 9/4/2024 and expired on 3/4/2025. In Space 2, permission to administer an Albuterol inhaler was given on 12/10/2024 and expired on 2/19/2025. These medications were not returned to the parent after authorization had expired.”
Oct 23, 2024: unannounced3 violations
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Medical exam or health assessment record was not on file before or within 30 days after admission.
“A medical exam or health assessment record was not on file for a child enrolled on 9/11/2024.”
-
New staff, who had contact with children, did not receive at least 16 hrs. orientation within first 6 weeks.
“16 hours of orientation within the first six weeks of employment was not documented for a staff member hired on 6/25/2024.”
-
When children 3 years and older were in care, screen time was not used to stimulate a developmental domain; was not limited to 30 minutes a day and no more than a total of two and a half hours per week, per child; and/or was not documented on a cumulative log or the activity plan that is available for review.
“In Space 2 and Space 3, screen time was not documented on the cumulative log.”
Dec 11, 2023: unannounced1 violation
-
All staff records, except financial records, were not made available for review.
“The Interim Director’s file was not on site during my visit.”
All 5 visits on record
| Date | Visit | What the record says |
|---|---|---|
| May 29, 2026 | Unannounced visit | 1 violation cited |
| Sep 25, 2025 | Unannounced visit | 1 violation cited |
| Apr 25, 2025 | Unannounced visit | 2 violations cited |
| Oct 23, 2024 | Unannounced visit | 3 violations cited |
| Dec 11, 2023 | Unannounced visit | 1 violation cited |
Is it licensed?
- Child Care Center, holding a Five Star Center License since Jun 1, 2026.
- Licensed for 57 children, ages 2 through 12.
- Enrolled in North Carolina’s subsidized child care program.
- North Carolina’s licence number: 80000190.
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: Salisbury-Rowan Community Action Agency, 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: 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 48 child care providers in Rowan County, the middle value for violations cited in the last three years was 10.5; this one had 8.
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 |
|---|---|
| East Spencer Head Start This child care provider | 8 |
| Wot Fleming Early Head Start | 1 |
| Advantage Children’s Center | 7 |
| Wiley Lash Head Start Center | 9 |
| Happy Day Child Development Center | 11 |
| Nanny’s Day Care Home | 9 |
| Joy’s Tenderloving Home Care | 5 |
| Joy-N-The Morning Home Childcare | 3 |
| St. John’s Child Development Center | 15 |
| Kiddie Land Kindergarten, Inc. | 87 |
| Little Angels Home Child Care | 4 |
| Cornerstone Child Development Center | 18 |
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.