Gentle Touch Learning Center 2
A child day center in Portsmouth, Virginia 23704
309 Columbia Street, Portsmouth, Virginia 23704. (757) 399-5437.
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
- 20 deficiencies in the last three years
- Nov 252025 the latest visit on record
- 120 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?
7 inspections on record, the latest on Nov 25, 2025.
20 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 5, 2026. Updated weekly.
When those deficiencies happened
20 deficiencies in 4 months of the last 36. Last cited Nov 2025. The last 3 years, to Nov 5, 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 5, 2026. Updated weekly.
Nov 25, 2025: inspection7 deficiencies
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8VAC20-780-340-A
“When staff are supervising children, they shall always ensure their care, protection, and guidance. A child who was upset slapped another child in care in face leaving a red mark. The child who was hit immediately began to cry.”
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8VAC20-780-350-C
“When children are in ongoing mixed age groups, the staff-to-children ratio and group size applicable to the youngest child in the group shall apply to the entire group. There were 2 staff alone with 10 children ages 12months through 2 years-old. The number and ages of the children present required an additional staff.”
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8VAC20-780-360-A
“The variety of daily activities for all age groups shall be age and stage appropriate and provide opportunities for teacher-directed, self-directed, and self-chosen tasks and activities; a balance of active and quiet activities; individual and group activities; and curiosity and exploration. For approximately 45 minutes children were asked to sit at tables or on the floor without any activities, between 2:30 and 3:30. During this time children were observed hitting, jumping off chairs, running around the room, pushing, pulling, grabbing, poking, licking and climbing on each other.”
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8VAC20-780-360-C
“Children shall be allowed to sleep or rest as individually needed. Four children were awaked and moved from their nap mats to chairs at tables where they put their heads on the table and continued to sleep. One child became upset and sat at the table crying after he was awakened. This child went on to a act out violently towards another child in care.”
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8VAC20-780-430-B
“Materials and equipment available shall be age and stage appropriate for the children and shall include an adequate supply as appropriate for each age group. There were 20 children ages 3 and 4 years old in a classroom with two 12inch by 12inch bins of manipulatives that they were not allowed access to.”
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Children’s hands shall be washed with soap and running water or disposable wipes before and after eating meals or snacks. Children did not wash their hands with running water or disposable wipes before eating snack.
“Staff shall wash their hands with soap and running water before preparing or serving food or beverages. Staff did not wash their hands with running water before serving snacks to children in care”
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8VAC20-780-560-M
“No child shall be allowed to drink or eat while walking around. 8 children were observed walking around the room while eating or drinking during snack time.”
Jul 3, 2025: inspection7 deficiencies
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8VAC20-780-270-A
The inspectors’ words, 143 words
“Areas and equipment of the center inside shall be maintained in safe condition. 1 - There is cabinet in the three-year-old room, approximately 3 ? feet tall that is not secured to the wall and pose a toppling hazard. 2 - There is a dangling cord in the school age room, within reach of children and pose an entanglement hazard. 3 ? An infant was observed sleeping in a crib with items including a pacifier on a cloth string which poses an entanglement hazard. A boppy pillow and bib hanging over the side of the crip, a second bib on the mattress of the crib, and a toy in the infant’s hand. 4 ? There is a pack-n-play in the two-year-old room that is used every morning for infants until the infant room teacher comes to bring them to the infant care room.”
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8VAC20-780-340-F
“Children under 10 years of age always shall be within actual sight and sound supervision of staff, except that staff need only be able to hear a child who is using the restroom. A five-year-old child was sent to the restroom alone. Staff #2 stood in the door way of the classroom. The child walked through four doorways and outside sight and sound supervision of Staff #2.”
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8VAC20-780-500-A
“Staff shall wash their hands with soap and running water before and after a diaper change. Staff #1 did not wash her hands before or after changing the diaper of child in care in the 2 year-old room.”
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8VAC20-780-500-B
“When diapering there shall be sight and sound supervision for all children when a child is being diapered. The diaper changing table in the infant room faces a wall. There were four infants in care with one staff member. The staff could not maintain sight supervision of the other three infants present while changing the diaper of one child.”
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8VAC20-780-520-C
“If diaper ointment or cream is used, the following requirements shall be met, written parent authorization noting any known adverse reactions and a record shall be kept that includes the child’s name, date of use, frequency of application and any adverse reactions. Staff #3 stated that she had administered diaper cream to Child #1 on more than one occasion. However, there was not any documentation of written parent authorization or documentation as to when the diaper cream was applied.”
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8VAC20-780-560-F-4
“Children three years of age or younger may not be offered foods that are considered to be potential choking hazards. Raisins were served to a child in care in the infant room. Children present for care ranged in age from 7 to 22 months old. Raisins were accessible to all four children present in the room.”
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8VAC20-780-60-A
“Documentation of child updates and confirmation of up-to-date information in the child’s record. Two out of five children’s records reviewed do not include documentation of annual updated information.”
Mar 20, 2025: inspection4 deficiencies
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22.1-289.011-F
“The license and any other documents required by the Superintendent shall be posted in a conspicuous place on the licensed premises. The current license and violation notice were not posted as required”
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22.1-289.035-B-1
“The center is required to obtain a completed sworn statement prior to the employee’s first day of employment. There was not sworn statement for Staff #1 documented in the staff record. Staff #1 was currently working.”
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8VAC20-780-270-A
“Areas and equipment of the center inside shall be maintained in safe condition. There holes in the bathroom wall within reach of children, the bathroom is located near the 2?3-year-old room and is used by children in care. There are cubbies approximately 4 feet tall that are not secured to the wall and pose a toppling hazard. There are dangling cords in lobby, within reach of children and pose an entanglement hazard.”
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8VAC20-780-70
“Staff records shall be kept for each staff person and contain date of employment. The record for Staff #1 did not include the date of employment.”
Jan 8, 2025: inspection2 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. Staff #3, employed for more than 6 months, did not have documentation of requesting a n out-of-state sex offenders background check.”
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8VAC20-780-270-A
“The shall ensure that equipment is maintained in safe condition. There are cubbies and shelving units throughout the center that are not secured to the wall and pose a toppling hazard.”
All 7 visits on record
| Date | Visit | What the record says |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 25, 2025 | Inspection | 7 violations cited |
| Nov 25, 2025 | Subsidy health and safety inspection | No violations cited |
| Jul 3, 2025 | Subsidy health and safety inspection | No violations cited |
| Jul 3, 2025 | Inspection | 7 violations cited |
| Mar 20, 2025 | Inspection | 4 violations cited |
| Mar 20, 2025 | Subsidy health and safety inspection | No violations cited |
| Jan 8, 2025 | Inspection | 2 violations cited |
Is it licensed?
- Child Day Center: Two Year license, expires Jul 29, 2027.
- A current subsidy provider.
- Ages: 3 months - 12 years 11 months.
- Capacity: 120 children.
Virginia Department of Education, Search for Child Day Care: each facility’s page. Checked Nov 5, 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 5, 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 88 child care providers in the City of Portsmouth, the middle value for violations cited in the last three years was 12; this one had 20.
Virginia Department of Education, Search for Child Day Care: each inspection’s page, with its violations. Checked Nov 5, 2026. Updated weekly.
| Place | Violations cited in the last three years |
|---|---|
| Children’s Harbor - Olde Towne | 25 |
| Effingham Street Family YMCA | 32 |
| Denise Godfrey | 7 |
| Ms. Letitia Paige | 17 |
| Lisa Brooks | 28 |
| AlphaBEST @ Park View Elementary | 18 |
| Zion Baptist Church | 4 |
| Jump’n Jellybeans Daycare and Learning Center | 20 |
| Gentle Touch Learning Center 2 This child care provider | 20 |
| Monchel Stallins | 9 |
| Tantania Brown | 0 |
| Kenya Vinson-Sawyer | 47 |
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 5, 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 5, 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 5, 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 5, 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.