Under the sanitation regulations, child care facilities must be inspected at least twice a year. These sanitation inspections are unannounced and are carried out by authorized Environmental Health Specialists (EHS) employed in the local Health Department. Elements evaluated include, but are not limited to:
- Cleanliness
- Structure and equipment in good repair
- Food preparation and storage
- General storage
- Hand washing, diaper-changing, and other equipment sanitizing procedures
- Lead hazards
- Bathrooms, diaper-changing areas
- Water quality (e.g. temperatures)
- Waste disposal
- Safety (child hot water access, carbon monoxide alarms, locked hazardous materials)
Copies of inspections can be obtained by contacting the Program Secretary at
704-336-5101
Demerit Categories
Sanitation ratings of child care facilities are based on the assigned demerit score. The numeric values for the items evaluated are pre-set by the State.
Classifications are as follows:
Superior: 0-15 demerits, no 6 demerit critical item
Approved: 16-30 demerits, no 6 demerit critical item
Provisional: 31-45 demerits or a 6 demerit item
Disapproved: 46+ demerits or failure to improve provisional classification within the specified time period
Child Care Center sanitation ratings can be
searched online.