Charlotte · Licensed center
Cadence Academy Preschool, Northlake
- Large center, licensed for 188 children.
- Run by a for-profit business, which holds the license.
What the state has found
The state cited rules at 5 of its 11 licensing inspections since August 2023.
Of the 256 Charlotte-area centers with 10 or more licensing inspections, more than 99% had rules cited at some but not all of them, as this center did. Fewer than 1% had rules cited at all of them.
Licensing inspections
Jan 22, 20267 citations
“Each employee's personnel file did not contain an annual staff evaluation and a staff development plan. Staff evaluations were not completed annually. The last documented evaluation was from 2/2024.”
Violation confirmed corrected by letter received from provider on 2/5/2026
“The depth of the loose surfacing was not based on critical height of the equipment. The surfacing material on the preschool playground was not adequate for the equipment.”
Violation confirmed corrected by letter received from provider on 2/24/2026
“A current schedule was not posted for each group of children for reference. A current activity plan was not posted in space #1.”
Violation corrected during visit
“Refrigerator(s) did not maintain a temperature of 45 degrees F. or below. The thermometer in the refrigerator in space #1 was broken.”
Violation corrected during visit
3 more from this inspection
“Beds, cots and mats were not in good repair, properly handled, stored, or clean and sanitized between users. In space #10, the blankets were stored on the cots in a manner that caused the children's blankets to touch other cots.”
Violation confirmed corrected by letter received from provider on 2/5/2026
“All staff did not successfully complete certification in First Aid appropriate to the age of children in care. Verification of staff completion of First Aid training from an approved training organization was not in the staff file. Staff members G.J. and J.A. did not complete the required first aid training.”
Violation confirmed corrected by letter received from provider on 2/5/2026
“All staff did not successfully complete certification in CPR training appropriate to the age of the children in care. Verification of staff completion of the CPR course from an approved training organization was not in the staff file. Staff member, J.A. did not complete the required cpr training.”
Violation confirmed corrected by letter received from provider on 2/5/2026
Jul 23, 20254 citations
“Caregivers did not document compliance with visually checking on sleeping infants aged 12 months or younger and/or the documents were not maintained for a minimum of one month. In space #1, the infant staff did not document the visual checks of the sleeping infant.”
Violation confirmed corrected by letter received from provider on 8/6/2025
“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 approved report was not submitted to DCDEE within one week of the inspection visit.”
Violation confirmed corrected by letter received from provider on 8/6/2025
“A current activity plan was not posted for each group of children for reference. A current activity plan was not posted in space #7.”
Violation corrected during visit
“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. Staff member, A.A. did not complete the required training which was due by May 2025.”
Violation confirmed corrected by letter received from provider on 8/6/2025
Jul 3, 20241 citation
“A safe indoor and outdoor environment was not provided for the children. Mold test results indicated the presence of mold in the toddler #2 space and outdoors.”
Violation confirmed corrected by letter received from provider on 7/25/2024
Jan 31, 20243 citations
“When children 3 years and older were in care, screen time was not used to stimulate a developmental domain; was not limited to 30 minutes a day and no more than a total of two and a half hours per week, per child; and/or was not documented on a cumulative log or the activity plan that is available for review. In room number nine (#9) screen time was being used but was not added to the activity plan or was not documented on a cumulative log.”
Violation corrected during visit
“Leftover medicines were not returned to the parent after the course of treatment was completed, after authorization was withdrawn or after authorization had expired and/or medication was not discarded within 72 hours of completion of treatment or withdrawal of authorization. In space number seven (#7) there was a medication permission form that had expired and the medication was not discarded.”
Violation corrected during visit
“A violation was found for which there is no item number. In space number three (3) there was no thermometer in the refrigeration unit. 15A NCAC 18A .2806 Refrigeration equipment shall be provided in such number and of such capacity to ensure the maintenance of potentially hazardous food at the required temperatures during storage. Each refrigerator shall be provided with a numerically scaled indicating thermometer that is accurate to ± 3 degrees Fahrenheit and located to measure the air temperature in the warmest part of the refrigerator. Recording thermometers that are accurate to ± 3 degrees Fahrenheit may be used in lieu of indicating thermometers.”
Violation confirmed corrected by letter received from provider on 2/13/2024
Aug 21, 20232 citations
“All equipment and furnishings were not in good repair. On the preschool playground, there was a broken purple piece on the playground structure and the lawn on the back playground was overgrown.”
Violation confirmed corrected by letter received from provider on 9/5/2023
“Medications including prescription and non-prescription items were not stored in a locked cabinet or other locked container. In space #4, medication was stored in a lower unlocked cabinet, accessible to children.”
Violation corrected during visit
Read every record and the state’s reports
State record — North Carolina DCDEE
- Last visit
- January 29, 2026
- On file
- 11 visits since August 2023 — 6 cited nothing, 6 of those unannounced
- Fixed?
- All 17 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.
Jan 2026 Unannounced visit 7 findings
Unannounced visit · January 22, 2026
Each employee's personnel file did not contain an annual staff evaluation and a staff development plan. Staff evaluations were not completed annually. The last documented evaluation was from 2/2024.
Violation confirmed corrected by letter received from provider on 2/5/2026
The depth of the loose surfacing was not based on critical height of the equipment. The surfacing material on the preschool playground was not adequate for the equipment.
Violation confirmed corrected by letter received from provider on 2/24/2026
A current schedule was not posted for each group of children for reference. A current activity plan was not posted in space #1.
Violation corrected during visit
Refrigerator(s) did not maintain a temperature of 45 degrees F. or below. The thermometer in the refrigerator in space #1 was broken.
Violation corrected during visit
Beds, cots and mats were not in good repair, properly handled, stored, or clean and sanitized between users. In space #10, the blankets were stored on the cots in a manner that caused the children's blankets to touch other cots.
Violation confirmed corrected by letter received from provider on 2/5/2026
All staff did not successfully complete certification in First Aid appropriate to the age of children in care. Verification of staff completion of First Aid training from an approved training organization was not in the staff file. Staff members G.J. and J.A. did not complete the required first aid training.
Violation confirmed corrected by letter received from provider on 2/5/2026
All staff did not successfully complete certification in CPR training appropriate to the age of the children in care. Verification of staff completion of the CPR course from an approved training organization was not in the staff file. Staff member, J.A. did not complete the required cpr training.
Violation confirmed corrected by letter received from provider on 2/5/2026
DCDEE facility lookup On that page, enter license number 60003078 in the License Number box, choose Search and open the result; the record is listed under Visits.
Jul 2025 Unannounced visit 4 findings
Unannounced visit · July 23, 2025
Caregivers did not document compliance with visually checking on sleeping infants aged 12 months or younger and/or the documents were not maintained for a minimum of one month. In space #1, the infant staff did not document the visual checks of the sleeping infant.
Violation confirmed corrected by letter received from provider on 8/6/2025
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 approved report was not submitted to DCDEE within one week of the inspection visit.
Violation confirmed corrected by letter received from provider on 8/6/2025
A current activity plan was not posted for each group of children for reference. A current activity plan was not posted in space #7.
Violation corrected during visit
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. Staff member, A.A. did not complete the required training which was due by May 2025.
Violation confirmed corrected by letter received from provider on 8/6/2025
DCDEE facility lookup On that page, enter license number 60003078 in the License Number box, choose Search and open the result; the record is listed under Visits.
Jul 2024 Unannounced visit 1 finding
Unannounced visit · July 3, 2024
A safe indoor and outdoor environment was not provided for the children. Mold test results indicated the presence of mold in the toddler #2 space and outdoors.
Violation confirmed corrected by letter received from provider on 7/25/2024
DCDEE facility lookup On that page, enter license number 60003078 in the License Number box, choose Search and open the result; the record is listed under Visits.
Jan 2024 Unannounced visit 3 findings
Unannounced visit · January 31, 2024
When children 3 years and older were in care, screen time was not used to stimulate a developmental domain; was not limited to 30 minutes a day and no more than a total of two and a half hours per week, per child; and/or was not documented on a cumulative log or the activity plan that is available for review. In room number nine (#9) screen time was being used but was not added to the activity plan or was not documented on a cumulative log.
Violation corrected during visit
Leftover medicines were not returned to the parent after the course of treatment was completed, after authorization was withdrawn or after authorization had expired and/or medication was not discarded within 72 hours of completion of treatment or withdrawal of authorization. In space number seven (#7) there was a medication permission form that had expired and the medication was not discarded.
Violation corrected during visit
A violation was found for which there is no item number. In space number three (3) there was no thermometer in the refrigeration unit. 15A NCAC 18A .2806 Refrigeration equipment shall be provided in such number and of such capacity to ensure the maintenance of potentially hazardous food at the required temperatures during storage. Each refrigerator shall be provided with a numerically scaled indicating thermometer that is accurate to ± 3 degrees Fahrenheit and located to measure the air temperature in the warmest part of the refrigerator. Recording thermometers that are accurate to ± 3 degrees Fahrenheit may be used in lieu of indicating thermometers.
Violation confirmed corrected by letter received from provider on 2/13/2024
DCDEE facility lookup On that page, enter license number 60003078 in the License Number box, choose Search and open the result; the record is listed under Visits.
Aug 2023 Unannounced visit 2 findings
Unannounced visit · August 21, 2023
No longer on the state’s site as of August 28, 2026
All equipment and furnishings were not in good repair. On the preschool playground, there was a broken purple piece on the playground structure and the lawn on the back playground was overgrown.
Violation confirmed corrected by letter received from provider on 9/5/2023
No longer on the state’s site as of August 28, 2026
Medications including prescription and non-prescription items were not stored in a locked cabinet or other locked container. In space #4, medication was stored in a lower unlocked cabinet, accessible to children.
Violation corrected during visit
DCDEE facility lookup On that page, enter license number 60003078 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, ratios and staff, a typical day, and sick and biting policies aren’t on this page.
Details
- Website
- cadence-academy.com
- Address
- 9206 Reames Road
- License
- 60003078, active
- Quality program
- Five Star License
Run Cadence Academy Preschool, Northlake? 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.
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 60003078 under License Number, and open the result.
- Website — Checked July 2026 cadence-academy.com
- Who runs it — Checked September 2026 ncchildcare.ncdhhs.gov. To check it, open ncchildcare.ncdhhs.gov/childcaresearch, enter licence 60003078 under License Number, open the result and expand Owner Information: the licensee is listed as Primary Owner.
Large means the biggest quarter of Charlotte-area’s 591 licensed centers by state-licensed capacity: 163 to 528 children. Small is 11 to 50; medium is 51 to 162.