Supervision
Name of Operation: LITTLE JEWELS HOME CHILD CARE Facility ID: 95000131 Consultant: GEORGIA MARSHALL Operation Type: Family CC Home Case Number: Visit Date: 4/21/2026 Number Present: 8 Completed Date: 4/21/2026 Age: From 0 To 6 Total Minutes: 435 Time In: 09:30 AM Time Out: 04:45 PM Time In: Time Out: List to Use: Family CC Home Type Of Visit: Rated License Assessment Announced/Unannounced: Unannounced The purpose of this unannounced Rated License visit was to conduct limited compliance monitoring and offer consultation to the program. The visit summary was completed, reviewed with you, and signed by me, Georgia Lee Marshall, Child Care Consultant and also signed by Julie Page, owner/operator. The computerized generated report of today’s visit was completed and left on site. It is also available electronically upon request. Upon my arrival I greeted Ms. Page and explained the reason for my visit. The children were playing in centers. Several children were playing at the table with art materials. After cleaning up, Ms. Julie read the children the book Rainbow Stew and Wiggling Worms at Work. They are currently learning all about plants this week. After the stories, they went out on the back deck to plant the plants in a big planter. The children had previously planted seeds in little pots and now the seedlings were ready to be planted. There were two school age children here today due to the local elementary school having Kindergarten orientation. The school-age children were a big help with opening and emptying the bags of potting soil into the large container. Children came inside and washed their hands, put on their shoes and went outside to play in the playground area out front. Ms. Page’s daughter and substitute, Jennifer, was here today helping, so she took them outside while Ms. Julie started lunch. Children came inside, washed hands and sat down for lunch. After lunch, the children transitioned to their cots for rest time. Lunch today consisted of pan seared chicken, roasted green beans, rolls, pears and milk. The North Carolina Secretary of State website was viewed prior to today’s visit and the Limited Liability Company, Little Jewels Home Child Care, LLC, is current and active as of 4/20/26. The center’s compliance history was reviewed with the operator. The program’s compliance history was ninety-seven (97%) percentage as of 4/20/26. The last annual compliance visit was 10/29/25. The following items were monitored today: Supervision Staff Child Ratios CPR First Aid Special Training Criminal Record Checks Completed Emergency Medical Care Plan Administration of Medication Storage of Hazardous Substances Storage of Medication Adequate/Approved Space General Safety Discipline Program Records License Posted- Five Star License, effective August 10, 2022. Permit Restrictions- First and second shift, maximum of 5 preschool children at any time, no more than three-children less than one year of age, fireplace/woodstove not used during operating hours. The last fire drill was practiced on 4/14/26. A lock down drill was conducted on 4/14/26. The last playground inspection was completed on 4/14/26. The last fire inspection was 1/9/26. The Emergency Medical Care Plan is posted and current. The incident log is in use and maintained. The last lead water test was dated 4/24/24 and is due every three (3) years. Not to be confused with the local water test due every 2 years, which was completed on 5/15/25 and due by 5/15/27. The Lead-Based Paint and Asbestos testing was completed on 4/5/24. There are no new child care providers at this facility. The Operator’s and any other residents of the home’s CBC qualifying letters were on file and valid. Ms. Pages’s CPR and FA training is valid until 8/23/2027. Ms. Pages’s ITS-SIDS training is valid until 1/29/27. There are no pets at this facility. Ms. Page is currently using Creative Curriculum, however it is not approved for Family Child Care Homes. I sent a list of approved Curriculums to Ms. Page and she will purchase one and begin training right away. She will send me proof of training along with her letter of correction by May 5, 2026. The Approved Formative Assessment is Teaching Strategies Gold. Rated License Information: The program currently operates with a five-star license, issued 8/10/2022, earning six (6) points in the education component, seven (7) points in the program standards component (Infant capacity restricted to no more than two children under one year of age) and 1 quality point. Your three-year re-assessment was due by 8/2025. You submitted your application for voluntary reassessment prior to today’s visit on 3/10/2026. Your new Five (5) Star License is based on the following: Classroom and Instructional Quality pathway. The following was verified to be in process or completed for the classroom and instructional quality pathway based on five (5) star level. 10A NCAC 09 .3206 CLASSROOM AND INSTRUCTIONAL QUALITY PATHWAY FOR FAMILY CHILD CARE HOMES (a) This Rule shall apply to family child care homes that choose to earn two through five-star rated license using the classroom and instructional quality licensure pathway. (e) (1) No more than four children shall be under the age of twenty-four months of the children who are birth to five years of age. This requirement shall not reduce the licensed capacity of the family child care home. 10A NCAC 09 .3220 FAMILY AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT STANDARDS FOR FAMILY CHILD CARE HOME OPERATORS Have a plan that will encourage family participation that shall be reviewed with the family on or before the child's first day of attendance. A copy of this plan shall be given to the family at the time of review. The plan shall include the following: *A procedure for enrolling a child that encourages families to visit the family child care home prior to the first day of attendance. I saw this in the handbook and also in a recent text message with a parent. *Encouragement of family participation in the family child care home, including information regarding scheduled activities, sharing cultural heritage and volunteer opportunities; *Opportunities for the operator to meet with families to discuss their child's needs and progress and to exchange information about the family child care home; *A procedure for families who need information or who have complaints about the family child care home. Communication Options: *C-1 Two-way communication with families. “Two-way communication” means that the operator shares information with families about their child(ren) and that the families may share information with the operator about their child(ren) in a manner that is available and accessible to the family. Newsletters are sent monthly and Ms. Page communicates with families face to face, and often through text and email to save on paper. *C-3 The operator offers a family conference twice annually (June and December) to discuss child needs and progress toward individual goals and to receive feedback from families about their child’s experiences at home and the family child care home. During each conference, families are offered an opportunity to set a goal(s) for their child. Conferences are conducted in a manner that is convenient for the family, such as by telephone, virtually, or in-person. Engagement and Leadership Options: *EL-2 The operator offers an enrollment orientation that includes an opportunity for families and child(ren) to visit the family child care home prior to the first day of enrollment. This is part of the parent handbook. *EL-3 The operator offers at least one family event annually, which may include activities that are culturally responsive to the heritage and practices of enrolled families. Ms. Page had photos from the end of year ice-cream social where parents all came and children played in the sprinkler. Educational Opportunity Options: *EO-5 The operator provides support that anticipates and removes barriers for families and enable family involvement such as, but not limited to, virtual options with technological support, interpreter services, children appropriate activities, care for children during the event, meals or snacks during events, or providing materials for families to take home related to the event. Ms. Page is currently participating in a Farm to Early Child Care Program “Growing Minds”, where they children will get fresh vegetables to take home, there is weekly lessons on where food comes from, meetings with a local farmer, deliveries from that local farmer and taste testing new foods as well as growing their own vegetables. 10A NCAC 09 .3221 CONTINUOUS QUALITY IMPROVEMENT (CQI) STANDARDS *Evidence of implementing continuous quality improvement (CQI) plans for the caregiver. The CQI plan for the caregiver has the form printed and dated March 1, 2026. The CQI plan shall be updated annually. Reminder that the CQI plan is continuous and once one goal has been completed, another must be started to meet this annual requirement. *Evidence of the operator completing training related to the curriculum and formative assessment tool that is used by the program with children. Ms. Page has had the required training for the Creative Curriculum in 2021 and plans to take other training courses specific for Family Child Care Homes, offered by Teaching Strategies online and the local Partnership for Children. Evidence of this training will be sent to me by May 5, 2026. *Evidence of the operator participating in one activity regarding classroom and instructional quality practices as outlined in the child care rule .3206 (e,10). You stated you plan to complete five on-going training hours annually in addition to the already required on-going training hours. Reminder that this is an annual requirement and must be completed on or before your employment date each year. *The operator shall meet at least five (5) star education standards in order to maintain current star level. *J. Page- currently holds an AAS degree in EC/CD & SA and fifteen years of family child care home work experience. *Evidence of implementing a curriculum that has been approved by the Commission. The curriculum implemented is the Creative Curriculum, However, that specific curriculum is not approved for Family Child Care Homes. It was verified during the visit that Ms. Page does have an active account and is currently implementing the curriculum. She has access to the Family Child Care Home Trainings online through Teaching Strategies. She is emailing me a list of the training courses offered to see which one she should take. Evidence of these training courses should be sent to me by May 5, 2025. *Evidence of conducting on-going formative assessments that have been approved by the Commission and sharing results with parents at least twice annually. The approved assessment used is Teaching Strategies GOLD. It was verified during the visit that on-going formative assessments have been started and are scheduled to be shared with families in June 2026 and December 2026. Observations and documentation will be shared and given to the families during each conference. Ms. Page stated she keeps work samples, pictures, and anecdotal notes. She stated she will keep copies and documentation of what she discusses with the families during each conference. Based on verification of requirements in the .3206 section of the child care rules, a five-star license has been earned. After final review, a different star level may be determined. Any discrepancies would be reviewed with you. A rated license is evaluated every three years, and the facility will be due again for a rated license assessment by April 2029. At each annual compliance visit, rated license components chosen will be monitored for meeting compliance. We discussed the recognition of quality initiatives, and I left a copy with you. The following violations were documented during today’s visit: Violation Number Comment Rule 102 Number of preschool children exceeded five children, including the provider's own preschool children. There was an unexpected drop in child today. Even though Ms. Page’s daughter, which also is a substitute for the program, was present for most of the day, it is still a limit of 5 preschool children. There were 6 preschool children and 2 school-age children present today for a total of 8 children. GS 110-91(7)(b) 930 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 from the date of issuance). A household member did not renew their criminal background check prior to the expiration date. G.S. 110-90.2 & .2703(n) & (o) 1831 A valid qualification letter was not on file and available for review at the facility. A household member did not renew their criminal background check prior to the expiration date. G.S. 110-90.2 (b) & (d) & .2703(e) .1702(b)(1) Technical assistance: Item #102 The number of preschool children exceeded five children. There was an unexpected drop in child today. Even though Ms. Page’s daughter, which also is a substitute for the program, was present for most of the day, it is still a limit of 5 preschool children. *We discussed this in detail today. Ms. Page stated that this had never happened before and she was devastated. You addressed you were dealing with a personal issue, and your daughter was present to support you today, especially since they had a planting project planned today as well as the school age kids were in attendance all day due to kindergarten orientation. Item #930 A household member did not renew their criminal background check prior to the expiration date. *Ms. Page stated that she was focused on making sure her documents and the substitutes were all up to date and forgot about the other household members. We discussed setting a reminder in her phone for each person. Item #1831 A valid qualification letter was not on file for review. *See above Achieving Compliance: A follow-up visit will be conducted to verify compliance of Item #102. All violations are required to be corrected immediately. However, if at any time you are unable to correct all violations within the specified time frame, please send a written statement regarding those violations that were corrected and include a specific plan for correction of the remaining violations. Please be aware that any written information submitted by you regarding correction of violations documented during today’s visit would be considered as legal documentation. Therefore, it is important that all information submitted be accurate and truthful. Please be aware that if it is determined that information submitted was inaccurate or willfully falsified, an Administrative Action, including Revocation of the facility’s license may be issued. The violations documented above must be corrected immediately. Send me a letter of compliance describing in detail specifically how each violation was corrected and how compliance will be maintained in the future. Include the following: •Facility name •Facility ID# •Date of visit •Violation item number •SIGNED Statement of compliance I must receive your compliance statement by May 5, 2026. Email the compliance letter on signed letterhead or it must be sent from the email address registered with the DCDEE (this serves as your signature) to: [email protected] or you can mail to: Department of Health and Human Services Division of Child Development and Early Education Attn: Georgia Lee Marshall PO Box 253 Zionville, NC 28698 Please call me at 828.434.0236, or email [email protected], if you need assistance. Please note: if mailing the letter of compliance, I must receive by the due date listed above. You will need to mail a compliance statement three to five days prior to the due date to ensure receipt within the designated timeline. Failure to correct the violations and send the written statement by the due date listed above may result in an unannounced follow-up visit being conducted. Based on Child Care Rule 10A NCAC 09 Section .2200, the Division of Child Development may take administrative action against the license and/or impose civil penalties based on the failure of the operator to correct any documented violations within the established time period. Falsification of any information may result in a revocation of your license. You must maintain at least 75% Compliance History for each 18-month period as required by G.S. 110-90(4) (c). Please note any violations cited today and during future visits will negatively impact your compliance history. Repeated violations or violations left unresolved may lead to an administrative action. If you elect to change and/or alter any previously approved spaces used by children as indicated on the approved indoor and outdoor floor plan, you will need to contact me within thirty (30) days prior to the change. Failure to notify me, may result in a violation of child care requirements. As child care providers, you are a vital part in the prevention and intervention of child maltreatment! You may see potential indicators of maltreatment in the children under your care. Some children may even be more likely to disclose maltreatment to a child care provider than to a family member. It is required that all providers are aware of maltreatment indicators and to report any suspicions of maltreatment. Follow child care rules related to child maltreatment training: 10A NCAC 09 .1102(g) and 10A NCAC 09 .1703(a)(5) states the child care administrator, operator, and all staff members shall complete Recognizing and Responding to Suspicions of Child Maltreatment training within 90 days of employment. Child Care Rule 10A NCAC 09 .2830 MAINTAINING THE STAR RATING (a)A representative of the Division may make announced or unannounced visits to facilities to assess on-going compliance with the requirements of a star rating after it has been issued. It is your responsibility to make sure you are registered for a WORKS account, submit an official transcript (if applicable) and apply for a position for evaluation. Consultation: • We discussed the positioning of the plants. The app I use is called Picture this will tell you which plants are toxic should be stored above five (5) feet. • We discussed adding a variety of cultural and heritage opportunities for parents. • We discussed adding a procedure for families who might have complaints. • We discussed the specific curriculum for FCCH and the training that goes along with it. It is your responsibility to understand the health and safety requirements in child care rule .1102. If the program is out of compliance in accordance with health and safety requirements, Child Care Development Block Grant (CCDBG), it may affect subsidy funding. Stay updated with changes and new rule updates by visiting the DCDEE website at https://ncchildcare.ncdhhs.gov/.It is your responsibility to understand the rules and laws that are applicable your program. All rules/laws cannot be verbally reviewed during any monitoring visit. Please ask questions if you are having difficulty and would like additional technical assistance. I welcome your questions and want to be a resource for you. We appreciate all you are doing to serve the children and families of NC. If you have questions, please contact me at [email protected] or 828.434.0236, or Bonnie Mathis, Licensing Supervisor, at [email protected]. If the operator fails to correct any documented violations within the established time period, the Division of Child Development and Early Education may deny, suspend, terminate, or revoke any permit to operate (10A NCAC 09 .2000). All information in this report has been reviewed with me today.I understand that it is my responsibility to maintaincompliance with applicable NC Child Care Requirements at all times