Description: NEXT STEP DEVELOPMENTAL LEARNING CHILD CARE CENTER is a Four Star Center License in FAYETTEVILLE NC, with a maximum capacity of 24 children. This child care center helps with children in the age range of 0 through 12. The provider also participates in a subsidized child care program.
Where possible, ChildcareCenter provides inspection reports as a service to families. This information is deemed reliable, but is not guaranteed. We encourage families to contact the daycare provider directly with any questions or concerns, as the provider may have already addressed some or all issues. Reports can also be verified with your local daycare licensing office.
| Date | Type | Violations | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-08-17 | Unannounced Inspection | Yes | |
| 2023-08-17 | Violation | 717 | .0605(l)(1-2) |
| Surfacing did not extend six (6) feet beyond the external limits of the equipment or 3 feet for equipment used only by children less than 2 years of age. On the playground, there were two sand boxes with play equipment taller than eighteen inches from the ground. The surfacing and border around the equipment measured less than the required six feet beyond the external limits of the equipment. One sandbox contains a small slide. The border and surfacing measured approximately 3’5” and 4’7” on the sides and 5’9” in front of the slide. Another sandbox contains equipment which multiple children can sit in and turn in a circle. The border and surfacing around the equipment measured 3’6” x 4’9” x 4’ 9” x 5’ 10.5”. | |||
| 2023-08-17 | Violation | 808 | 15A NCAC 18A .2832(a) |
| The outdoor premises were not clean, drained and free of litter and hazardous materials grass and other vegetation in a manner which does not encourage vermin. On the playground, there was grass growing in both sand boxes. | |||
| 2023-08-17 | Violation | 1032 | 10A NCAC 09 .0701(a) |
| 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. One staff member's medical statement was not on file prior to employment. W.J. DOE 3/1/22, date of medical statement is 1/23/23. | |||
| 2023-08-17 | Violation | 1897 | .1102(g) |
| 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. Two staff members did not complete the Recognizing and Responding to Suspicions of Child Maltreatment within 90 days of employment. A.J. DOE 8/2/21, completed on 2/5/23. W.J. DOE 3/1/22, completed on 10/17/22. | |||
| 2023-03-16 | Unannounced Inspection | Yes | |
| 2023-03-16 | Violation | 106 | 10A NCAC 09 .0304(a) |
| Operator has not scheduled and obtained a fire inspection within 12 months of the previous inspection. Operator did not submit the original approved report to DCDEE within one week of the inspection visit on a form provided by the Division. The facility did not have a current fire inspection on file. The last fire inspection was conducted on 2/23/22. | |||
| 2022-08-10 | Unannounced Inspection | Yes | |
| 2022-08-10 | Violation | 856 | 10A NCAC 09 .0604(n) |
| The indoor and/or outdoor premises was not checked once a day, prior to initial use, ensuring debris, and broken equipment was removed and disposed of. On the outdoor area, there was one Little Tike car with a large crack on the top roof. | |||
| 2022-08-10 | Violation | 716 | .0605(j) |
| All stationary equipment, more than 18 inches high, was not installed over protective surfacing. On the outdoor area, there was a stationary slide with no protetive surfacing. | |||
| 2022-08-10 | Violation | 808 | 15A NCAC 18A .2832(a) |
| The outdoor premises were not clean, drained and free of litter and hazardous materials grass and other vegetation in a manner which does not encourage vermin. There was grass growing in the sand box and exposed plastic. | |||
| 2022-03-30 | Unannounced Inspection | No | |
| 2022-03-24 | Unannounced Inspection | Yes | |
| 2022-03-24 | Violation | 1756 | 10A NCAC 09 .2818 |
| Enhanced staff/child ratios and group sizes were not met. There were thirteen children, ages one through five years old and one teacher, in space #2/3 for approximately five minutes. There were two children, one year of age, grouped with children ages three through five years old, in space #2/3. | |||
| 2022-03-24 | Violation | 103 | GS 110-91(7) & .1401(f) |
| The number of children present was not within permit capacity. There were thirteen children in space #2/3 for approximately five minutes. | |||
If you are a provider and you believe any information is incorrect, please contact us. We will research your concern and make corrections accordingly.
Write a review about Next Step Developmental Learning Child Care Center. Let other families know what’s great, or what could be improved. Please read our brief review guidelines to make your review as helpful as possible.
The best daycare that I have used! Staff is loving and my child is in great hands!
My Granddaughter attends this daycare, and the staff is awesome, very attentive, skilled, helpful and friendly.
Next Step Developmental Center is a wonderful and affordable place if you are seeking childcare. The staff there are very loving and caring. My daughter has learned and grown so much intellectually, socially and emotionally. My little one literally loves coming to the center each morning. I have never had any issues, which is a huge plus. Definitely my number one choice.
My son has been attending this center for close to two years and the love and care he receives from the staff is amazing. He looks forward to going to the center daily and it is also great that the owner has additional services such as speech and play therapy in which he can receive at the center as well. Even with my sons struggles to play with others the staff ensures he participates in activities by encouraging him or finding things he is interested in so he can participate with his class. My son has made friends even though he can be distant with other children which truly brings me joy. The staff keeps me informed of any events that have taken place during the day and works with me to create a plan in which we can minimize outburst or meltdowns. My son's development has progressed tremendously, and it is due to the help of this childcare center. The prices are more than reasonable, the menu is child friendly and the events that are put together for the children and families are amazing, the staff goes above and beyond to bring the children and family joy and ensure that your child matters just as they do for each child at the center. Any questions or concerns I have are addressed in a timely manner and I know having a childcare center can be busy, but this company brings me a peace of mind that my child is at a safe place when out of my care! If you are looking for a childcare center, I would highly recommend this center.
I write this review as a warning to all parents with their children currently enrolled in this facility or thinking about enrolling their children in this facility.
I will be open and honest and I will talk about the bad and the good. Today my son was terminated from the facility as I tried to drop him off because I disputed a payment we made to the facility.
My son was enrolled here from April 2022 to April of 2023. There were two promises made by the facility that were not upheld that have bothered me:
-The facility will update you with photos of your children throughout the day and send you frequent updates through their app. This did not happen. We would only receive a notice about one or two diaper changes a day. We received a total of three pictures over the entire year he was enrolled and they were only when they held events at the facility. They did not adequately update us on what he was doing throughout the day.
-Children will not have any screen time. This is also untrue as the facility has been caught using tablets to entertain children. Even worse, it was a Cocomelon video. I witnessed this first-hand as my, then 11-month-old, child was sitting on the floor with six other children watching a tablet mounted to the wall one day when I picked him up.
The bad:
My child would frequently come home from the facility with inappropriate vocabulary that shouldn't be used, especially for one-year-olds. He would also come home with bruises on both sides of his arms where the staff would pick him up incorrectly. After checking the facility's license, the facility has had multiple violations in 2022 alone for inadequately trained staff, among other concerning things. The facility mixes age groups every day due to their low staff to child ratios. They do not share any curriculum plan with the parents. Infants and toddlers are frequently left unattended in rockers and highchairs in the mornings. I was discouraged from checking my child in between 6am and 7am because the facility did not have adequate staff in the mornings. Even though the facility opens at 6am, and I stated on the paperwork that he would be dropped off at 6am, I was forced to bring him in no earlier than 6:30am. I was also not allowed inside the facility to drop off or pick up my child. I had to check him in and out at the door. The management staff was always hard to get ahold of. Any time I had a concern, it was either turned around by the facility to make me seem like the problem (in the case of the cocomelon videos being shown to children, when I presented this issue, the director told me "I was not allowed to take pictures inside their facility and that if I did, I would no longer be allowed inside the facility, which is within their legal right." instead of making the investigation the matter their priority, they focused on how I would be breaking the rules, as if my concern for the wellbeing of my child was less important) or it would not get responded to for sometimes days or over a week, if even at all.
The good:
The facility feeds the children breakfast and lunch. The food is standard, but it's better than nothing! The majority of the staff is kind and very sweet, however I never had an interaction with the director when it didn't seem like she was in a bad mood. She was always cold towards the children and generally seemed uninvolved unless there was an issue. It makes me feel like the director has a lot on her plate and is overly stressed. The tuition is cheap, coming in at $217 a week, I believe it's the cheapest in the city and they offer subsidized payment, and military discounts.
All-in-all the facility lacks a lot to be proud of, even with their 4-star accreditation, which was 2-star when I enrolled him. Awards do not always equal quality. It is not the shortcomings that bother me though, it is more so the concern that children are being mistreated and neglected. There is no transparency for parents, and we can only perceive what is happening based on what we see and hear.
This day care is pretty much everything. Ms. Vickie a very sweet lady. My son loves going here everyday. Would recommend a 10 out of 10 if I could.
My daughter is happy to go to school every day. She talks about her teachers all the time. Next Step is a clean center and I feel comfortable leaving her in their care.