Rutherfordton Elementary Preschool
A child care center in Rutherfordton, North Carolina 28139
201 Bob Hardin Road, Rutherfordton, North Carolina 28139. (828) 287-3778.
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
- 5 violations in the last three years
- Apr 132026 the latest visit on record
- 36 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?
8 DCDEE visits in the last three years, the latest on Apr 13, 2026.
5 violations cited in the last three years, 5 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
5 violations in 3 months of the last 36. Last cited Dec 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.
Dec 1, 2025: unannounced2 violations
-
Prior to the expiration date of the qualification letter, the child care provider did not complete and submit required forms to complete a criminal background check (a qualification letter is valid for a maximum of five years for the date of issuance).
“Michelle Clement had a qualification letter that expired August 4, 2025. The new valid qualification letter on file was dated September 14, 2025.”
-
The health assessment did not include a dental screening.
“One child four years of age that enrolled on September 11, 2025, did not have a dental screening on file for review.”
Aug 28, 2024: unannounced1 violation
-
Operator has not scheduled and obtained a fire inspection within 12 months of the previous inspection.
“Operator did not submit the original approved report to DCDEE within one week of the inspection visit on a form provided by the Division. The current approved fire inspection was completed on August 19, 2024. The previous fire inspection was completed on August 13, 2023.”
Jan 18, 2024: unannounced2 violations
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A health assessment was not on file at the NC Pre-K site within 30 days after a child entered the NC Pre-K program or the health assessment was more than 12 months old at the time of program entry.
“One NC Pre K child enrolled 9/7/23, had a health assessment completed 10/18/23.”
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The health assessment did not include a dental screening.
“One NC Pre K child enrolled 9/7/23, did not have verification of a dental screening on file.”
All 8 visits on record
| Date | Visit | What the record says |
|---|---|---|
| Apr 13, 2026 | Unannounced visit | No violations cited |
| Dec 1, 2025 | Unannounced visit | 2 violations cited |
| Mar 20, 2025 | Unannounced visit | No violations cited |
| Jan 6, 2025 | Unannounced visit | No violations cited |
| Nov 4, 2024 | Unannounced visit | No violations cited |
| Oct 25, 2024 | Unannounced visit | No violations cited |
| Aug 28, 2024 | Unannounced visit | 1 violation cited |
| Jan 18, 2024 | Unannounced visit | 2 violations cited |
Is it licensed?
- Child Care Center, holding a Five Star Center License since Mar 21, 2025.
- Licensed for 36 children, ages 3 through 12.
- Not enrolled in North Carolina’s subsidized child care program.
- North Carolina’s licence number: 81000280.
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: Rutherford 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 23 child care providers in Rutherford County, the middle value for violations cited in the last three years was 7; this one had 5.
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 |
|---|---|
| Pinnacle Elementary More at Four Program | 6 |
| Rutherfordton Elementary Preschool This child care provider | 5 |
| Ms. Bridget’s Bright Beginnings, LLC | 3 |
| Trinity Preschool | 48 |
| Carver Head Start | 41 |
| Tiny Tots Day Care | 7 |
| Ellenboro Elementary Preschool | 33 |
| Sunshine Elementary Preschool | 7 |
| The Learning Tree | 3 |
| Spindale Elementary Preschool | 4 |
| Harris Elementary Preschool | 4 |
| Children’s Development Academy, Inc. | 21 |
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.