Steps & Stages Too
A child care center in Zebulon, North Carolina 27597
319 Hospital Rd, Zebulon, North Carolina 27597. (919) 365-0028.
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
- 13 violations in the last three years
- Jun 152026 the latest visit on record
- 30 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 Jun 15, 2026.
13 violations cited in the last three years, 13 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
13 violations in 2 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 15, 2026: unannounced7 violations
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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 Director has not completed the ABCMS portal for the Zebulon location.”
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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.
“The following items were observed in the unlocked kitchen on the counter tops: 1.Two bottles of Water Works chlorine test strips that had “keep out of reach of children” were observed on the kitchen counter top. 2. One bottle of clorox disinfectant spray was on the counter top. 3. A pack of two aerosol cans of Homeline-Hawaiian bloom room spray was also accessible to children.”
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Center did not maintain a record of daily attendance.
“The center attendance was not current. The posted attendance listed twenty children and six were actually enrolled. And upon arrival after lunch, the attendance had not been completed.”
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Daily records of arrival and departure times for children at the center were not maintained as children arrive and depart and/or were not made available for review.
“The attendance did not show arrival and departure times.”
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Electrical outlets and power strips, not in use, which were located in space used by children did not have safety outlets or were not covered with safety plugs unless located behind furniture or equipment that cannot be moved by a child.
“Unused outlets were observed in the unlocked kitchen and in space two.”
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Outdoor play area did not provide an area that is shaded.
“There is no shade provided in the afternoon on the playground for the children. Technical assistance was given on June 18, 2026.”
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Special diet or food allergy information was not posted where they can be seen in food preparation and eating areas.
“No allergy list was in the kitchen, the food preparation area.”
Sep 17, 2025: unannounced6 violations
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A current activity plan was not posted for each group of children for reference.
“An activity plan was not posted or available for the school age children.”
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A current schedule was not posted for each group of children for reference.
“A daily schedule was not posted for the school age children.”
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A safe indoor and outdoor environment was not provided for the children.
“At least three fire ant hills were present within the outdoor play area. There were large chunks of asphalt and concrete in the area and the door to an attached storage closet was off the hinges hanging to one side. The storage closet was empty.”
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All vehicles used to transport children were not free of hazards.
“A rusty metal strip was coming off of the first step of the entrance of the bus.”
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Center did not maintain a record of daily attendance.
“Attendance was not maintained at the center. Parents sign the child in and out in the Pro-care app.”
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For routine transport of children to and from the center, staff did not use the list to document attendance as children boarded and departed the vehicle.
“A list was not used to document attendance as children departed the vehicle when arriving to the childcare center.”
All 8 visits on record
| Date | Visit | What the record says |
|---|---|---|
| Jun 15, 2026 | Unannounced visit | 7 violations cited |
| Dec 16, 2025 | Announced visit | No violations cited |
| Nov 7, 2025 | Announced visit | No violations cited |
| Oct 22, 2025 | Unannounced visit | No violations cited |
| Sep 17, 2025 | Unannounced visit | 6 violations cited |
| Jun 23, 2025 | Announced visit | No violations cited |
| Jun 18, 2025 | Announced visit | No violations cited |
| Apr 10, 2025 | Announced visit | No violations cited |
Is it licensed?
- Child Care Center, holding a Five Star Center License since Jan 11, 2026.
- Licensed for 30 children, ages 5 through 12.
- Not enrolled in North Carolina’s subsidized child care program.
- North Carolina’s licence number: 92004052.
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: Steps & Stages Children’s Center, 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: 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 470 child care providers in Wake County, the middle value for violations cited in the last three years was 5; this one had 13.
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 |
|---|---|
| Heritage Christian Academy Daycare | 1 |
| Jan’s Day Care | 6 |
| Kidz Konnection Inc. | 54 |
| Wakelon Elementary | 0 |
| Little Sprouts Academy | 26 |
| Little Sprouts Academy: the Hocutt Center | 22 |
| Loving Hands Childcare | 1 |
| Steps & Stages Too This child care provider | 13 |
| McMillion’s Little Learners | 0 |
| Stella Lowery Small Day Care Home | 6 |
| Lucy Daniels Center for Early Childhood | 2 |
| The Happy Face Preschool | 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
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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.