Statesville · Licensed center
Buffalo Shoals Head Start Center
- Small center, licensed for 40 children.
- Run by a nonprofit. A board oversees it, and there are no owners taking profit.
What the state has found
The state cited rules at 3 of its 6 licensing inspections since September 2023.
Of the 81 Charlotte-area centers with 6 licensing inspections, 21% had rules cited at 3 of them, as this center did. 11% had rules cited at all 6, 10% at none.
Licensing inspections
Mar 31, 20262 citations
“All corrosive agents, pesticides, bleaches, detergents, cleansers, polishes, any product which is under pressure in an aerosol dispenser, and any substance which may be hazardous to a child if ingested, inhaled, or handled were not stored in a locked room or cabinet. A hand cream was left on a child size table and in reach of children.”
Violation corrected during visit
“All walls and ceilings including doors and windows were not kept clean, free of visible fungal growth, and in good repair. A wall in space 1 in the bathroom was in need of drywall repair.”
Violation confirmed corrected by letter received from provider on 4/10/2026
Aug 28, 20241 citation
“Outdoor play area was not enclosed by fence with a minimum height of 4 feet. The top of the fence, less than six feet, was not free from protrusions. Fence in some areas needs to be repaired at the top where the fencing meets the pole.”
Violation confirmed corrected by letter received from provider on 9/10/2024
Feb 2, 20242 citations
“Food substitution was not of comparable food value or recorded on the menu prior to the meal or snack being served. The menu for the day was not posted. The menu was substituted and the cook had not changed the menu. The menu was changed by the kitchen staff.”
Violation corrected during visit
“Center did not maintain a record of daily attendance. Attendance was not done in classroom 1, space 1. This was corrected by teacher.”
Violation corrected during visit
Read every record and the state’s reports
State record — North Carolina DCDEE
- Last visit
- March 31, 2026
- On file
- 6 visits since September 2023 — 3 cited nothing, 3 of those unannounced
- Fixed?
- All 5 record a correction, in the licensor’s own words.
- Most serious
- North Carolina DCDEE does not publish a severity level for a citation, so there is no most-serious to name.
North Carolina DCDEE describes every citation in the licensor’s own words and records the correction in that same text — the only one of the six states that publishes whether a violation was fixed. It attaches no rule number and no report document.
Mar 2026 Unannounced visit 2 findings
Unannounced visit · March 31, 2026
All corrosive agents, pesticides, bleaches, detergents, cleansers, polishes, any product which is under pressure in an aerosol dispenser, and any substance which may be hazardous to a child if ingested, inhaled, or handled were not stored in a locked room or cabinet. A hand cream was left on a child size table and in reach of children.
Violation corrected during visit
All walls and ceilings including doors and windows were not kept clean, free of visible fungal growth, and in good repair. A wall in space 1 in the bathroom was in need of drywall repair.
Violation confirmed corrected by letter received from provider on 4/10/2026
DCDEE facility lookup On that page, enter license number 49000063 in the License Number box, choose Search and open the result; the record is listed under Visits.
Aug 2024 Unannounced visit 1 finding
Unannounced visit · August 28, 2024
Outdoor play area was not enclosed by fence with a minimum height of 4 feet. The top of the fence, less than six feet, was not free from protrusions. Fence in some areas needs to be repaired at the top where the fencing meets the pole.
Violation confirmed corrected by letter received from provider on 9/10/2024
DCDEE facility lookup On that page, enter license number 49000063 in the License Number box, choose Search and open the result; the record is listed under Visits.
Feb 2024 Unannounced visit 2 findings
Unannounced visit · February 2, 2024
Food substitution was not of comparable food value or recorded on the menu prior to the meal or snack being served. The menu for the day was not posted. The menu was substituted and the cook had not changed the menu. The menu was changed by the kitchen staff.
Violation corrected during visit
Center did not maintain a record of daily attendance. Attendance was not done in classroom 1, space 1. This was corrected by teacher.
Violation corrected during visit
DCDEE facility lookup On that page, enter license number 49000063 in the License Number box, choose Search and open the result; the record is listed under Visits.
Shortlist replaces people’s names in the state’s text with initials. This is done by rule, not by hand, so it can miss a name or shorten a word that isn’t one. The state’s report, linked on each row, has the original.
Openings, child care subsidies, cost, hours and late pickup, teaching approach, a typical day, and sick and biting policies aren’t on this page.
Who cares for your child
Cesilia Ramirez (Administrative Assistant) since 2005 and Bryan Duncan (Executive Director) since 2006.
Of 745 Charlotte-area providers, 30 publish how long a named staff member has been there; the longest tenure at each of those has a median of 22 years.
Details
- Website
- icare-inc.org
- Address
- 532 Buffalo Shoals Road
- License
- 49000063, active
- Quality program
- Five Star License
Run Buffalo Shoals Head Start Center? Correct or add anything here, free.
Add what is missingSources and dates
Where every fact on this page came from, and when Shortlist last checked it against that source. Anything Shortlist could not source is named here rather than left blank.
Who cares for your child
- Staff icare-inc.org
State record
From North Carolina DCDEE’s published reports, last checked October 10, 2026.
Details
- Phone, Address, License, Quality program — Checked July 2026 ncchildcare.ncdhhs.gov. To check it, open ncchildcare.ncdhhs.gov/childcaresearch, enter licence 49000063 under License Number, and open the result.
- Website — Checked July 2026 icare-inc.org
- Who runs it — Checked September 2026 ncchildcare.ncdhhs.gov. To check it, open ncchildcare.ncdhhs.gov/childcaresearch, enter licence 49000063 under License Number, open the result and expand Owner Information: the licensee is listed as Primary Owner.
Small means the smallest quarter of Charlotte-area’s 591 licensed centers by state-licensed capacity: 11 to 50 children. Medium is 51 to 162; large is 163 to 528.