Early Life Learning Center

10A NCAC 09 .0701 · Violation

Name of Operation: Early Life Learning Center Facility ID: 96000655 Consultant: BECKY JACKSON Operation Type: Center Case Number: Visit Date: 3/3/2026 Number Present: 2 Completed Date: 3/3/2026 Age: From 5 To 7 Total Minutes: 105 Time In: 03:15 PM Time Out: 05:00 PM Time In: Time Out: List to Use: Center Type Of Visit: Temp Time Period Announced/Unannounced: Unannounced The purpose of today's unannounced visit was to monitor compliance with applicable child care requirements for the facility’s the first temporary time period visit. The facility’s Temporary License was issued December 2, 2025 and is valid through June 2, 2026. Information shown on the Temporary License includes a first shift capacity of 15 children from 5 to 12 years of age. Restrictions include that only school age children may be enrolled. Upon arrival, I was greeted by owner representative/Administrator H. Armstrong. She assisted me with today’s visit. One classroom is operating with 2 children enrolled and both children present today. The children were observed engaged in free play, reading, playing outdoors, and conducting personal routines (toileting and hand washing). You stated the snack served today consisted of crackers, mixed fruit, and cheese sticks. According to the North Carolina Secretary of State website, your corporation Early Life Learning Center, LLC is current and active. As children have not been enrolled until March 2, 2026, you have not yet conducted a fire drill. You have not yet obtained the Emergency Preparedness and Response in Child Care Training, therefore shelter-in-place or lockdown drills are not yet being conducted. The most recent outdoor inspection was completed March 2, 2026. The most recent sanitation inspection was conducted on November 19, 2025 with a Superior classification and no demerits. The most recent fire inspection was conducted September 23, 2025. I monitored your classroom environment, outdoor playground, staff records, children's records and required center records. I used the North Carolina Child Care Requirements and Compliance Listing as basic monitoring tools during the visit. Your classroom has a variety of developmentally appropriate learning materials and equipment and the activity centers are well arranged. The following violations of child care requirements were observed today: Violation Number Comment Rule 1032 Child care providers and uncompensated providers who are not substitute providers or volunteers, including the director did not have a medical report on file prior to employment that was signed by a health care professional and/ or the medical report was older than 12 months. Medical statements were not on file for two staff members. 10A NCAC 09 .0701(a) 1045 New staff, who had contact with children, did not receive at least 16 hrs. orientation within first 6 weeks. Documentation of orientation was not on file for one staff member. .1101(a) 1897 The child care administrator and all staff did not complete the Recognizing and Responding to Suspicions of Child Maltreatment training within 90 days of employment. One staff member who has been employed more than 90 days has not obtained this training. .1102(g) All violations must be corrected immediately. Please send me a compliance letter (written statement) describing how and when the above violations were corrected. The compliance letter must be received no later than March 17, 2026. The compliance letter should be sent to me via email, from the email address on file with the Division as the center’s official email address. Contact me if you have questions regarding correction of the violations documented during today’s visit. If you are unable to correct all violations within the specified timeframe, send a compliance letter regarding violations that were corrected and a specific plan to correct the remaining violations. An extension will need to be requested from management. The information required in a compliance letter was reviewed. You should list the item number, specifically stating that the violation has been corrected, explaining when it was corrected, and how it was corrected. You should also explain that you understand the rule regarding the violation. You are encouraged to state how you will prevent noncompliance in the future. Compliance is not considered finalized until all violations have been corrected. Therefore, if the compliance letter says an item will be corrected, it should be followed-up with another letter once it actually has been corrected. As an example, compliance verification such as “Mulch will be delivered on Tuesday” is not considered corrected until it is followed up with a letter stating something like “The mulch was delivered on Tuesday, September 5, 2024, and now measures nine inches in the full fall zone.” Please let me know if you have any questions regarding how to complete a compliance letter. If you will be unable to correct all violations within the allowed timeframe, you should request an extension. Child care licensing requirements were established to ensure a safe and healthy child care environment. Therefore, it is important for you to be knowledgeable of all the licensing requirements that apply to your type of program. It is your responsibility to maintain compliance with all the applicable laws and rules at all times. The best way for you to make sure that you are meeting all requirements is to periodically review the child care law and rules. I explained that you have access to the on-line version of the Child Care Law and Requirements. I recommended that you visit the Division of Child Development's website on a regular basis to find out what's new in childcare. You could also find any needed Child Care forms by going on the web site and clicking on the "Provider" tab and then clicking on the "Provider Documents" tab. Technical Assistance and Consultation: The following items were discussed during today' visit. You may want to consider them in order to avoid potential violations or improve the quality of your program. The storage of hazardous products was discussed. I reminded you that any substances in aerosol cans must be in locked storage, meaning locked with a key, combination, or magnetic lock. I also reminded you that lotions must be kept out of the reach of children. We discussed that if these items are stored in the staff bathroom, either the door must be locked, or they must be stored appropriately in the bathroom. You should ensure that all experience and education is clearly documented in the staff files. Experience should be documented on the application or attached resume. Education should be documented with WORKS status letters or copies of certificates. I reminded you that this documentation will be essential for star rated license assessments. When new staff are hired, they may bring in Health and Safety training they have completed within the last year only. Trainings that were completed more than a year before hire are not accepted. New staff have 90 days to complete Recognizing and Responding to Suspicion of Child Maltreatment and CPR/First Aid certifications. They must complete the remainder of the Health and Safety trainings within one year of employment. Technical assistance was provided today regarding staff and children’s records. I encouraged you to use the checklists provided under Provider Documents to ensure all files are up to date and complete. We also discussed various ways to track due dates to ensure items do not expire. Federal law requires that staff medical information be kept separate from their personnel file. Therefore, you should have a medical file containing the staff member’s physical, TB test, and health questionnaire that is kept separate from the regular personnel files. We discussed that using a binder or separate files that are stored separately from the personnel files will meet the requirement. I also encouraged you to ensure all staff have submitted their education information through the WORKS portal and have requested evaluation for all positions that apply. As a school age only program, you will need an Administrator, Program Coordinator, and Group Leader at a minimum. Required Training: One person from your facility must take the Emergency Preparedness and Response in Child Care training within one year of the effective date of your temporary license. After obtaining this training, this staff member will complete this facility’s EPR Plan in the Emergency Management Portal within four (4) months. Detailed instructions for getting an NCID and for accessing the template are on the Division’s website on the Emergency Preparedness tab. This plan must be reviewed annually in the portal and reviewed with all staff. The review must be documented. The Ready-To-Go File must available during monitoring visits. You will also then begin to conduct either a shelter-in-place or a lockdown drill every three months. Child Care programs are expected to achieve and maintain compliance at all times and are required by NC GS 110-90(4) (d) to achieve and maintain an eighteen-month compliance history score of at least seventy-five percent. Any violation(s) documented may impact the compliance history score. Prior to today’s visit this facility’s score was 87%. RATED LICENSE: We discussed that at the end of the temporary time period, you have the option to apply for a Two through Five star rated license. I encouraged you to review the pathways information on the QRIS modernization section of our website and in section .3200 of the child care rules. We also reviewed pathway options to determine which best fits the needs of your program, staff, and families. During today’s visit I provided you with the summary pages for Pathways One and Two. We discussed that Pathway Three is available, however it is difficult to become accredited during the Temporary Time Period. I encouraged you to begin to determine which pathway will be requested so that time is available to conduct any self-study or assessments required, or to research, receive training, and implement any curriculum, observations, formative assessments, or to complete any additional training or mentoring needed. Your temporary license cannot expire, and the process cannot be held awaiting the results of ERS assessments or education evaluations. I also encouraged you to ensure all staff have requested evaluations for their positions using the WORKS system and that their current status letter is on file. I reminded you that only information in the WORKS system at the time of processing will be used to determine the staff education level achieved. The rated license application form can be found in the provider documents section of our website. An additional resource available to providers when evaluating the quality of care, are practice Environment Rating Scale Assessments. You may voluntarily request an outreach assessment from the North Carolina Rated License Assessment Project. You may also wish to contact technical assistance specialists with the local PFC or CCR&R to help you with mock assessments. The Importance of Providing Quality Child Care Providing quality child care is essential for children. There is ample research demonstrating that high-quality child-care experiences have many benefits to children and society and that quality child care is linked to children’s improved school performance. 1. The Cost, Quality and Child Outcomes in Child Care Centers Study and a follow-up study done several years later found that quality child care is primarily related to higher staff/child ratios, administrators’ prior experience, wages, higher staff education levels and staff members’ continued participation in formal and specialized training. This study found that children attending higher quality centers scored better in math and language skills, had more positive interactions with peers, and had fewer behavior problems. 2. The High/Scope Perry Preschool Study followed children from their preschool years through age 40 and found that high-quality preschool programs significantly increased children’s future contributions through increased intellectual and social development, school success, economic performance, and reduced commission of crimes in adulthood. One of the most quoted results of this study is that for every dollar invested in children’s early care and education there is a $17 return to society in terms of crime and education savings, increased taxes collected, and welfare savings. There are many other studies including the Abecedarian Project, the Arnett Caregiver Interaction Study, and the NC Rated License Assessment Project. What the research tells us, in a nutshell, is that high quality child care has a positive impact on children’s later school success. The key to quality experiences for children is interaction with and stimulation from educated, trained teachers. The neuroscience associated with brain research is complicated, but its lesson is simple: babies' brains develop at astonishing rates in the first few years after birth. Young children have a tremendous capacity to learn from the moment they are born, but optimal development hinges on the experiences provided for them by the adults who take care of them. A follow up visit may be conducted in the near future to verify compliance with violations documented during the visit. Please contact me at (910) 824-0123 or at becky.jackson@dhhs.nc.gov if I can be of assistance. You may also contact Licensing Supervisor, Teraesa Leak at teraesa.leak@dhhs.nc.gov or by phone at 919-971-7765. 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

NC GS 110-90 · Violation

Name of Operation: Early Life Learning Center Facility ID: 96000655 Consultant: BECKY JACKSON Operation Type: Center Case Number: Visit Date: 3/3/2026 Number Present: 2 Completed Date: 3/3/2026 Age: From 5 To 7 Total Minutes: 105 Time In: 03:15 PM Time Out: 05:00 PM Time In: Time Out: List to Use: Center Type Of Visit: Temp Time Period Announced/Unannounced: Unannounced The purpose of today's unannounced visit was to monitor compliance with applicable child care requirements for the facility’s the first temporary time period visit. The facility’s Temporary License was issued December 2, 2025 and is valid through June 2, 2026. Information shown on the Temporary License includes a first shift capacity of 15 children from 5 to 12 years of age. Restrictions include that only school age children may be enrolled. Upon arrival, I was greeted by owner representative/Administrator H. Armstrong. She assisted me with today’s visit. One classroom is operating with 2 children enrolled and both children present today. The children were observed engaged in free play, reading, playing outdoors, and conducting personal routines (toileting and hand washing). You stated the snack served today consisted of crackers, mixed fruit, and cheese sticks. According to the North Carolina Secretary of State website, your corporation Early Life Learning Center, LLC is current and active. As children have not been enrolled until March 2, 2026, you have not yet conducted a fire drill. You have not yet obtained the Emergency Preparedness and Response in Child Care Training, therefore shelter-in-place or lockdown drills are not yet being conducted. The most recent outdoor inspection was completed March 2, 2026. The most recent sanitation inspection was conducted on November 19, 2025 with a Superior classification and no demerits. The most recent fire inspection was conducted September 23, 2025. I monitored your classroom environment, outdoor playground, staff records, children's records and required center records. I used the North Carolina Child Care Requirements and Compliance Listing as basic monitoring tools during the visit. Your classroom has a variety of developmentally appropriate learning materials and equipment and the activity centers are well arranged. The following violations of child care requirements were observed today: Violation Number Comment Rule 1032 Child care providers and uncompensated providers who are not substitute providers or volunteers, including the director did not have a medical report on file prior to employment that was signed by a health care professional and/ or the medical report was older than 12 months. Medical statements were not on file for two staff members. 10A NCAC 09 .0701(a) 1045 New staff, who had contact with children, did not receive at least 16 hrs. orientation within first 6 weeks. Documentation of orientation was not on file for one staff member. .1101(a) 1897 The child care administrator and all staff did not complete the Recognizing and Responding to Suspicions of Child Maltreatment training within 90 days of employment. One staff member who has been employed more than 90 days has not obtained this training. .1102(g) All violations must be corrected immediately. Please send me a compliance letter (written statement) describing how and when the above violations were corrected. The compliance letter must be received no later than March 17, 2026. The compliance letter should be sent to me via email, from the email address on file with the Division as the center’s official email address. Contact me if you have questions regarding correction of the violations documented during today’s visit. If you are unable to correct all violations within the specified timeframe, send a compliance letter regarding violations that were corrected and a specific plan to correct the remaining violations. An extension will need to be requested from management. The information required in a compliance letter was reviewed. You should list the item number, specifically stating that the violation has been corrected, explaining when it was corrected, and how it was corrected. You should also explain that you understand the rule regarding the violation. You are encouraged to state how you will prevent noncompliance in the future. Compliance is not considered finalized until all violations have been corrected. Therefore, if the compliance letter says an item will be corrected, it should be followed-up with another letter once it actually has been corrected. As an example, compliance verification such as “Mulch will be delivered on Tuesday” is not considered corrected until it is followed up with a letter stating something like “The mulch was delivered on Tuesday, September 5, 2024, and now measures nine inches in the full fall zone.” Please let me know if you have any questions regarding how to complete a compliance letter. If you will be unable to correct all violations within the allowed timeframe, you should request an extension. Child care licensing requirements were established to ensure a safe and healthy child care environment. Therefore, it is important for you to be knowledgeable of all the licensing requirements that apply to your type of program. It is your responsibility to maintain compliance with all the applicable laws and rules at all times. The best way for you to make sure that you are meeting all requirements is to periodically review the child care law and rules. I explained that you have access to the on-line version of the Child Care Law and Requirements. I recommended that you visit the Division of Child Development's website on a regular basis to find out what's new in childcare. You could also find any needed Child Care forms by going on the web site and clicking on the "Provider" tab and then clicking on the "Provider Documents" tab. Technical Assistance and Consultation: The following items were discussed during today' visit. You may want to consider them in order to avoid potential violations or improve the quality of your program. The storage of hazardous products was discussed. I reminded you that any substances in aerosol cans must be in locked storage, meaning locked with a key, combination, or magnetic lock. I also reminded you that lotions must be kept out of the reach of children. We discussed that if these items are stored in the staff bathroom, either the door must be locked, or they must be stored appropriately in the bathroom. You should ensure that all experience and education is clearly documented in the staff files. Experience should be documented on the application or attached resume. Education should be documented with WORKS status letters or copies of certificates. I reminded you that this documentation will be essential for star rated license assessments. When new staff are hired, they may bring in Health and Safety training they have completed within the last year only. Trainings that were completed more than a year before hire are not accepted. New staff have 90 days to complete Recognizing and Responding to Suspicion of Child Maltreatment and CPR/First Aid certifications. They must complete the remainder of the Health and Safety trainings within one year of employment. Technical assistance was provided today regarding staff and children’s records. I encouraged you to use the checklists provided under Provider Documents to ensure all files are up to date and complete. We also discussed various ways to track due dates to ensure items do not expire. Federal law requires that staff medical information be kept separate from their personnel file. Therefore, you should have a medical file containing the staff member’s physical, TB test, and health questionnaire that is kept separate from the regular personnel files. We discussed that using a binder or separate files that are stored separately from the personnel files will meet the requirement. I also encouraged you to ensure all staff have submitted their education information through the WORKS portal and have requested evaluation for all positions that apply. As a school age only program, you will need an Administrator, Program Coordinator, and Group Leader at a minimum. Required Training: One person from your facility must take the Emergency Preparedness and Response in Child Care training within one year of the effective date of your temporary license. After obtaining this training, this staff member will complete this facility’s EPR Plan in the Emergency Management Portal within four (4) months. Detailed instructions for getting an NCID and for accessing the template are on the Division’s website on the Emergency Preparedness tab. This plan must be reviewed annually in the portal and reviewed with all staff. The review must be documented. The Ready-To-Go File must available during monitoring visits. You will also then begin to conduct either a shelter-in-place or a lockdown drill every three months. Child Care programs are expected to achieve and maintain compliance at all times and are required by NC GS 110-90(4) (d) to achieve and maintain an eighteen-month compliance history score of at least seventy-five percent. Any violation(s) documented may impact the compliance history score. Prior to today’s visit this facility’s score was 87%. RATED LICENSE: We discussed that at the end of the temporary time period, you have the option to apply for a Two through Five star rated license. I encouraged you to review the pathways information on the QRIS modernization section of our website and in section .3200 of the child care rules. We also reviewed pathway options to determine which best fits the needs of your program, staff, and families. During today’s visit I provided you with the summary pages for Pathways One and Two. We discussed that Pathway Three is available, however it is difficult to become accredited during the Temporary Time Period. I encouraged you to begin to determine which pathway will be requested so that time is available to conduct any self-study or assessments required, or to research, receive training, and implement any curriculum, observations, formative assessments, or to complete any additional training or mentoring needed. Your temporary license cannot expire, and the process cannot be held awaiting the results of ERS assessments or education evaluations. I also encouraged you to ensure all staff have requested evaluations for their positions using the WORKS system and that their current status letter is on file. I reminded you that only information in the WORKS system at the time of processing will be used to determine the staff education level achieved. The rated license application form can be found in the provider documents section of our website. An additional resource available to providers when evaluating the quality of care, are practice Environment Rating Scale Assessments. You may voluntarily request an outreach assessment from the North Carolina Rated License Assessment Project. You may also wish to contact technical assistance specialists with the local PFC or CCR&R to help you with mock assessments. The Importance of Providing Quality Child Care Providing quality child care is essential for children. There is ample research demonstrating that high-quality child-care experiences have many benefits to children and society and that quality child care is linked to children’s improved school performance. 1. The Cost, Quality and Child Outcomes in Child Care Centers Study and a follow-up study done several years later found that quality child care is primarily related to higher staff/child ratios, administrators’ prior experience, wages, higher staff education levels and staff members’ continued participation in formal and specialized training. This study found that children attending higher quality centers scored better in math and language skills, had more positive interactions with peers, and had fewer behavior problems. 2. The High/Scope Perry Preschool Study followed children from their preschool years through age 40 and found that high-quality preschool programs significantly increased children’s future contributions through increased intellectual and social development, school success, economic performance, and reduced commission of crimes in adulthood. One of the most quoted results of this study is that for every dollar invested in children’s early care and education there is a $17 return to society in terms of crime and education savings, increased taxes collected, and welfare savings. There are many other studies including the Abecedarian Project, the Arnett Caregiver Interaction Study, and the NC Rated License Assessment Project. What the research tells us, in a nutshell, is that high quality child care has a positive impact on children’s later school success. The key to quality experiences for children is interaction with and stimulation from educated, trained teachers. The neuroscience associated with brain research is complicated, but its lesson is simple: babies' brains develop at astonishing rates in the first few years after birth. Young children have a tremendous capacity to learn from the moment they are born, but optimal development hinges on the experiences provided for them by the adults who take care of them. A follow up visit may be conducted in the near future to verify compliance with violations documented during the visit. Please contact me at (910) 824-0123 or at becky.jackson@dhhs.nc.gov if I can be of assistance. You may also contact Licensing Supervisor, Teraesa Leak at teraesa.leak@dhhs.nc.gov or by phone at 919-971-7765. 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