Tidewater Academy, Inc.
A child day center in Wakefield, Virginia 23888
217 West Church Street, Wakefield, Virginia 23888. (757) 899-5401.
Watch and the shortlist are kept with a free account, on every device. Your watch list. Virginia’s own record is on legacy.dss.virginia.gov.
The short answer
- 14 deficiencies in the last three years
- Feb 242026 the latest visit on record
- 40 children, its licensed capacity
Each figure’s source sits beside it, in its section below.
What these words mean4
- 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.
- 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 inspections on record, the latest on Feb 24, 2026.
14 violations cited in the last three years.
Virginia Department of Education, Search for Child Day Care: each inspection’s page, with its violations. Checked Nov 2, 2026. Updated weekly.
When those deficiencies happened
14 deficiencies in 3 months of the last 36. Last cited Oct 2025. The last 3 years, to Nov 2, 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 deficiency, in its source’s words
Grouped by visit, newest first, with the level its source gave it.
Virginia Department of Education, Search for Child Day Care: each inspection’s page, with its violations. Checked Nov 2, 2026. Updated weekly.
Oct 28, 2025: inspection3 deficiencies
-
8VAC20-780-510-P
“When an authorization for medication expires, the facility shall notify parents that the medication must be picked up within 14 days of the authorization expiration or that a new authorization should be completed. Child #1 has a medication authorization for 1 medication and the authorization expired over 2 months ago. The authorizations had not been renewed, and the medication had not been returned or disposed of as required.”
-
8VAC20-780-550-P
“The center shall maintain a written record of children’s serious and minor injuries in which entries are made on the day of occurrence. Injury reports were reviewed, and they were missing some or all of the information regarding the date and time when parents were notified of the injury, future action to prevent injury, staff and parent signatures or two staff signatures and staff present.”
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8VAC20-780-560-G
“Repeat Violation When food is brought from home the food container shall be sealed and clearly dated and labeled in a way that identifies the owner. In one preschool room 6 lunch boxes were observed and 1 did not have a date and 1 did not have a name.”
May 7, 2025: inspection7 deficiencies
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8VAC20-780-160-C
“A tuberculosis (TB) screening is required every two years from the last screening. Staff #2’s updated screening was due 3 months ago and has not yet been completed.”
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8VAC20-780-260-B
“The center shall obtain annual approval from the health department. The health inspection is overdue by 2 months.”
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8VAC20-780-270-A
The inspectors’ words, 112 words
“The areas and equipment of the center, inside and outside, are maintained in a clean, safe and operable condition. Unsafe conditions shall include, but not be limited to, splintered, cracked or otherwise deteriorating wood; chipped or peeling paint; visible cracks, bending or warping, rusting or breakage of any equipment; head entrapment hazards; and protruding nails, bolts or other components that could entangle clothing or snag skin. The following poses a hazard. 1.On the playground there were 3 protruding bolts around the playground border. 2 The playground composite piece has areas of rust, chipped and peeling paint and the plastic mat on the composite piece is cracking, broken and sharp in some areas.”
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8VAC20-780-330-B
“Playground equipment with moving parts or climbing apparatus must have appropriate fall zones that encompass sufficient area to include the child’s trajectory in the event of a fall. Where playground equipment is provided, resilient surfacing shall comply with minimum safety standards and shall be under equipment with moving parts or climbing apparatus. The resilient surfacing around the composite piece with slides and climbing parts is insufficient as it measured between 3 inch to 5 inches and a minimum of 6 inches is required.”
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8VAC20-780-530-A-1
“At least one staff in each classroom or area where children are present is certified in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) as appropriate to the age of the children in care. Staff #1 was the center’s only staff working with 11 children in a resource room and did not have current CPR certifiation.”
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8VAC20-780-530-A-2
“At least one staff in each classroom or area where children are present is certified in First Aid. Staff #1 was the center’s only staff working with 11 children in a resource room and did not have a current First aid certification.”
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8VAC20-780-560-G
“(Repeat Violation) When food is brought from home the food container shall be sealed and clearly dated and labeled in a way that identifies the owner. In one preschool room 5 lunch boxes were observed and all 5 did not have a date and 1 did not have a name.”
Dec 12, 2024: inspection4 deficiencies
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22.1-289.035-B-4
“The center is required to obtain background checks from any state in which the individual has resided in the preceding five years. The center did not request a criminal records check from one state for Staff #2, who has been employed for more than 2 ? years and was working with children at the time of the inspection.”
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8VAC20-780-240-A
“Staff shall complete the Virginia Department of Education-sponsored orientation course shall be completed within 90 calendar days of employment. Staff #2 does not have documentation of orientation training and has been working for more than 2 ? years.”
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8VAC20-780-280-B
“Hazardous substances must be in a locked place that prevents access by children. In the one of two preschool classrooms, two containers of hand sanitizers were observed sitting on a book shelf”
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8VAC20-780-560-G
“When food is brought from home the food container shall be sealed and clearly dated and labeled in a way that identifies the owner. In one preschool room seven lunch boxes were observed and all seven did not have a date and two did not have a name.”
Oct 30, 2023: inspection2 deficiencies
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8VAC20-780-140-A
“Based on a review of records and interview, the licensee was unable to demonstrate that the result s of a physical examination by or under the direction of a physician was obtained for each enrolled child. Evidence: 5 children’s records were reviewed. The record for child #3, who enrolled 9/25/2023, did not contain the results of a physical examination. The program director was unable to locate this documentation during the inspection.”
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Based on a review of records and interview, the licensee did was unable to demonstrate that each staff member submits documentation of a negative Tuberculosis screening.
“Evidence: 4 staff records were reviewed. The record for staff #4, who began her employment 8/25/2023, did not contain the results of a Tuberculosis screening. The program director confirmed that she was unable to provide this documentation during the inspection.”
May 26, 2022: inspection2 deficiencies
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8VAC20-780-140-A
“Based on a review of records and interview, the licensee did not ensure that every enrolled child had a physical examination by or under the direction of a physician. Evidence: Two children’s records were reviewed. The record for child #2, whose date of enrollment was documented as 8/25/2021, did not contain the results of a physical examination. Staff #1 acknowledged that the physical form located in child #2’s record was neither completed or signed by the child’s physician.”
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8VAC20-780-280-B
The inspectors’ words, 135 words
“Based on observation and interview, the licensee did not ensure that Hazardous substances such as cleaning materials are kept in a locked place using a safe locking method that prevents access by children. Evidence: The inspector observed several cleaning products, to include an aerosol bottle of disinfecting spray, alcohol wipes, and a spray bottle of alcohol cleaner in an unlocked cabinet under the counter in the three year old classroom. There were 2 bottle of hand sanitizer sitting out on the surface of the teacher’s desk. Staff #2 acknowledged that these items were unlocked in the cabinet under the counter and that the hand sanitizer was also accessible to children. There were 5 children present in the room with staff #2. Staff #2 was sitting directly in front of the unlocked cabinet during the inspection.”
All 9 visits on record
| Date | Visit | What the record says |
|---|---|---|
| Feb 24, 2026 | Inspection | No violations cited |
| Oct 28, 2025 | Inspection | 3 violations cited |
| May 7, 2025 | Inspection | 7 violations cited |
| Dec 12, 2024 | Inspection | 4 violations cited |
| May 10, 2024 | Inspection | No violations cited |
| Oct 30, 2023 | Inspection | 2 violations cited |
| May 19, 2023 | Inspection | No violations cited |
| Jan 25, 2023 | Inspection | No violations cited |
| May 26, 2022 | Inspection | 2 violations cited |
Is it licensed?
- Child Day Center: Two Year license, expires Jan 24, 2027.
- Ages: 2 years 6 months - 12 years 11 months.
- Capacity: 40 children.
Virginia Department of Education, Search for Child Day Care: each facility’s page. Checked Nov 2, 2026. Updated weekly.
Has Virginia acted against it?
- 0 complaint inspections on record.
- No complaint allegations published with findings.
Virginia Department of Education, Search for Child Day Care: each inspection’s page, with its violations and Search for Child Day Care: each complaint’s page, with its allegations and findings. Checked Nov 2, 2026. Updated weekly.
Who does the caring?
- Virginia doesn’t publish staffing levels for individual providers. State rules set staff-to-child ratios by age.
Who owns it?
- Virginia’s search doesn’t list owners.
How is it rated?
- Virginia’s search doesn’t show a quality rating.
How does it compare nearby?
- Among 7 child care providers in Sussex County, the middle value for violations cited in the last three years was 2; this one had 14.
Virginia Department of Education, Search for Child Day Care: each inspection’s page, with its violations. Checked Nov 2, 2026. Updated weekly.
| Place | Violations cited in the last three years |
|---|---|
| Wakefield United Methodist Church | 7 |
| Tidewater Academy, Inc. This child care provider | 14 |
| The Improvement Association-Early Childhood Learning & Workforce | 2 |
| The Improvement Association - Sussex Child Development Center | 0 |
| Ms. Amanda Gilliam | 1 |
| Empowerment Temple Ministries | 11 |
| Shenitra Hall | 1 |
What the record doesn’t say
- Virginia doesn’t grade how serious a violation is, so no severity is shown.
- Virginia publishes a complaint’s allegations and findings only when its inspection found a violation and the records are linked.
- Virginia doesn’t publish staffing levels or owners for individual providers.
- A plan of correction sent late, or not at all, isn’t online: Virginia says to ask the inspector.
- Virginia’s pages show about the last five years of inspections; for older ones, Virginia says to contact the licensing inspector.
- Virginia says this information may not be accurate, up to date or complete, and shouldn’t be the only source in choosing care.
Sources
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Virginia Department of Education, Search for Child Day Care: each facility’s page.
Checked Nov 2, 2026. Updated weekly. No open licence; Virginia allows non-commercial use, so Care Ledger shows it free.
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Virginia Department of Education, Search for Child Day Care: each inspection’s page, with its violations.
Checked Nov 2, 2026. Updated weekly. No open licence; Virginia allows non-commercial use, so Care Ledger shows it free.
-
Virginia Department of Education, Search for Child Day Care: each complaint’s page, with its allegations and findings.
Checked Nov 2, 2026. Updated weekly. No open licence; Virginia allows non-commercial use, so Care Ledger shows it free.
If you believe something here is wrong, a correction starts with the agency whose record this copies: Virginia Department of Education. Virginia’s own record is on legacy.dss.virginia.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 2, 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.