Charlotte · Licensed center
Open Door School
- Small play-based center, licensed for 37 children.
What the state has found
The state cited rules at 6 of its 7 licensing inspections since October 2023.
Of the 86 Charlotte-area centers with 7 licensing inspections, 16% had rules cited at 6 of them, as this center did. 2% had rules cited at all 7, 3% at none.
Licensing inspections
Jan 13, 20264 citations
“The child care center premises, including the outdoor learning environment, was not clean, drained to minimize standing water, free of litter and hazards, and/or maintained in a manner which does not create conditions that attract or harbor pests. Both outdoor play areas have leaves and debris piled up around fences, tables and gates.”
Violation confirmed corrected by letter received from provider on 1/22/2026
“A valid qualification letter was not on file and available to review at the facility. One (1) staff member had a qualifying letter on file dated 1/12/2026.”
Violation confirmed corrected by letter received from provider on 1/14/2026
“The depth of the loose surfacing was not based on critical height of the equipment. The resilient surfacing under the stationary equipment on both outdoor play areas was compacted under the slides. The mulch on the far outdoor area under the tire swing did not meet the critical height depth.”
Violation confirmed corrected by letter received from provider on 1/16/2026
“A safe indoor and outdoor environment was not provided for the children. The gate to the garden did not close properly creating a hazard. The stumps in the garden area and near the shed on the near outdoor play area are decomposing and have sharp edges protruding creating a safety risk. The root on in the corner of the far play area near the shed has sharp edges protruding and is beginning to rot. The mud kitchen has weathered boards which are splintering creating a safety risk.”
Violation confirmed corrected by letter received from provider on 2/6/2025
Sep 8, 20256 citations
“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 annual fire inspection was due on or before April 20, 2025. The inspection on file is dated August 29, 2025.”
Violation confirmed corrected by letter received from provider on 9/15/2025
“Parent's medication authorization did not include required information. One (1) child requiring emergency medication had a permission to administer form for Benadryl on file expired 7/8/2025.”
Violation confirmed corrected by letter received from provider on 9/11/2025
“Each new employee did not complete, within the first two weeks of employment, six clock hours of training in required topic areas. One (1) employee hired 8/11/2025 did not have the required six hours of training within first two weeks documented.”
Violation confirmed corrected by letter received from provider on 9/11/2025
“A child care operator did not notify the Division of any new child care providers, as defined in G.S. 110-90.2(a)(2), who were hired or moved into the child care facility within five business days. The provider doens not hace a current roster completed in ABCMS.”
Violation confirmed corrected by letter received from provider on 9/26/2025
2 more from this inspection
“The Prevention of Shaken Baby Syndrome and Abusive Head Trauma policy was not reviewed with new staff prior to providing care with children and/or a signed acknowledgement with all the required information was not maintained in the staff person's file. One (1) employee hired 8/11/2025 did not have the policy on file on or before caring for children. The policy is dated 8/25/2025.”
Violation confirmed corrected by letter received from provider on 9/15/2025
“Staff did not complete the health and safety training within one year of employment. One (1) employee hired 8/25/2025 did not have required health and safety training documented and on file.”
Violation confirmed corrected by letter received from provider on 9/25/2025
Feb 10, 202512 citations
“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 hired 8/26/2024 does not have a health assessment signed by a physician on file.”
Violation confirmed corrected by letter received from provider on 2/28/2025
“New staff, who had contact with children, did not receive at least 16 hrs. orientation within first 6 weeks. One staff member hired 8/26/2024 did not have a completed staff orientation form on file.”
Violation confirmed corrected by letter received from provider on 2/28/2025
“Each new employee did not complete, within the first two weeks of employment, six clock hours of training in required topic areas. One staff member hired 8/26/2024 did not have a completed staff orientation form on file.”
Violation confirmed corrected by letter received from provider on 2/28/2025
“The Prevention of Shaken Baby Syndrome and Abusive Head Trauma policy was not reviewed with parents of currently enrolled children 0-5 within 30 days of adopting the policy. A signed statement and the date of enrollment was not on file for two (2) children.”
Violation confirmed corrected by letter received from provider on 2/21/2025
8 more from this inspection
“A summary of the NC Child Care Law was not given to a parent of every child enrolled in the center. A parent signature stating receipt of the summary of law was not on file for two (2) children.”
Violation confirmed corrected by letter received from provider on 2/21/2025
“Equipment and furnishings were not sturdy, stable and free of hazards. The fence to the garden area and the boat on the outdoor play area has a nail protruding.”
Violation confirmed corrected by letter received from provider on 2/21/2025
“Fire drills were not practiced monthly and/or the drill record was incomplete. A fire drill for September, 2024 was not documented on the fire drill log.”
Violation confirmed corrected by letter received from provider on 2/24/2025
“Signed and dated statement by parent that discipline policy received and explained at enrollment was not in child's file. A signed parent statement was not on file for two (2) children.”
Violation confirmed corrected by letter received from provider on 2/21/2025
“Shelter-in-place or lockdown drills were not practiced every three months and/or drill record was incomplete. A shelter-in-place drill dated 12/20/2024 was not conducted at least every three months. The previous drill was conducted 9/16/2024.”
Violation confirmed corrected by letter received from provider on 2/24/2025
“The trained staff did not review the EPR Plan annually or when information in the plan changed to ensure all information was current. The facility has an expired EPR plan dated 8/11/2023 on file.”
Violation confirmed corrected by letter received from provider on 2/11/2025
“All staff did not review the center's EPR Plan during orientation and/or on an annual basis with the trained staff. Documentation of the review was not maintained on file. All staff did not review the center's EPR plan. There is not a current EPR on file for staff review.”
Violation confirmed corrected by letter received from provider on 2/11/2025
“Signage was not posted regarding the smoking and tobacco restriction at the entrance of the center and/or in vehicles used to transport children. A smoking and tobacco restriction sign was not posted at the entrance of the facility.”
Violation corrected during visit
Aug 12, 20241 citation
“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 fire inspection was not submitted to DCDEE within one week of receiving the inspection. The inspection was conducted April 20, 2024.”
Violation corrected during visit
Feb 15, 20241 citation
“Daily records of arrival and departure times for children enrolled at the center were not maintained as children arrive and depart and/or were not made available for review. In space #2, the arrival times for two children had not been documented for today.”
Violation corrected during visit
Oct 2, 20235 citations
“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 new staff member did not have a medical report on file.”
Violation confirmed corrected by letter received from provider on 10/13/2023
“A valid qualification letter was not on file and available to review at the facility. One new staff member did not have a qualification letter on file however, I was able to confirm through the ABCMS that the staff member's qualification letter is valid through October 28, 2024.”
Violation confirmed corrected by letter received from provider on 10/13/2023
“All staff did not review the center's EPR Plan during orientation and/or on an annual basis with the trained staff. Documentation of the review was not maintained on file. One new staff member did not have verification on file that the EPR plan had been reviewed.”
Violation confirmed corrected by letter received from provider on 10/13/2023
“The Prevention of Shaken Baby Syndrome and Abusive Head Trauma policy was not reviewed with new staff prior to providing care with children and/or a signed acknowledgement with all the required information was not maintained in the staff person's file. One new staff member did not have verification on file that the Prevention of Shaken Baby Syndrome and Abusive Head Trauma policy was reviewed.”
Violation confirmed corrected by letter received from provider on 10/13/2023
1 more from this inspection
“New staff, who had contact with children, did not receive at least 16 hrs. orientation within first 6 weeks. Two new staff did not have verification on file that orientation had been completed.”
Violation confirmed corrected by letter received from provider on 10/13/2023
Read every record and the state’s reports
State record — North Carolina DCDEE
- Last visit
- January 13, 2026
- On file
- 7 visits since October 2023 — 1 cited nothing, 1 of those unannounced
- Fixed?
- All 29 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 4 findings
Unannounced visit · January 13, 2026
The child care center premises, including the outdoor learning environment, was not clean, drained to minimize standing water, free of litter and hazards, and/or maintained in a manner which does not create conditions that attract or harbor pests. Both outdoor play areas have leaves and debris piled up around fences, tables and gates.
Violation confirmed corrected by letter received from provider on 1/22/2026
A valid qualification letter was not on file and available to review at the facility. One (1) staff member had a qualifying letter on file dated 1/12/2026.
Violation confirmed corrected by letter received from provider on 1/14/2026
The depth of the loose surfacing was not based on critical height of the equipment. The resilient surfacing under the stationary equipment on both outdoor play areas was compacted under the slides. The mulch on the far outdoor area under the tire swing did not meet the critical height depth.
Violation confirmed corrected by letter received from provider on 1/16/2026
A safe indoor and outdoor environment was not provided for the children. The gate to the garden did not close properly creating a hazard. The stumps in the garden area and near the shed on the near outdoor play area are decomposing and have sharp edges protruding creating a safety risk. The root on in the corner of the far play area near the shed has sharp edges protruding and is beginning to rot. The mud kitchen has weathered boards which are splintering creating a safety risk.
Violation confirmed corrected by letter received from provider on 2/6/2025
DCDEE facility lookup On that page, enter license number 6055153 in the License Number box, choose Search and open the result; the record is listed under Visits.
Sep 2025 Unannounced visit 6 findings
Unannounced visit · September 8, 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 annual fire inspection was due on or before April 20, 2025. The inspection on file is dated August 29, 2025.
Violation confirmed corrected by letter received from provider on 9/15/2025
Parent's medication authorization did not include required information. One (1) child requiring emergency medication had a permission to administer form for Benadryl on file expired 7/8/2025.
Violation confirmed corrected by letter received from provider on 9/11/2025
Each new employee did not complete, within the first two weeks of employment, six clock hours of training in required topic areas. One (1) employee hired 8/11/2025 did not have the required six hours of training within first two weeks documented.
Violation confirmed corrected by letter received from provider on 9/11/2025
A child care operator did not notify the Division of any new child care providers, as defined in G.S. 110-90.2(a)(2), who were hired or moved into the child care facility within five business days. The provider doens not hace a current roster completed in ABCMS.
Violation confirmed corrected by letter received from provider on 9/26/2025
The Prevention of Shaken Baby Syndrome and Abusive Head Trauma policy was not reviewed with new staff prior to providing care with children and/or a signed acknowledgement with all the required information was not maintained in the staff person's file. One (1) employee hired 8/11/2025 did not have the policy on file on or before caring for children. The policy is dated 8/25/2025.
Violation confirmed corrected by letter received from provider on 9/15/2025
Staff did not complete the health and safety training within one year of employment. One (1) employee hired 8/25/2025 did not have required health and safety training documented and on file.
Violation confirmed corrected by letter received from provider on 9/25/2025
DCDEE facility lookup On that page, enter license number 6055153 in the License Number box, choose Search and open the result; the record is listed under Visits.
Feb 2025 Unannounced visit 12 findings
Unannounced visit · February 10, 2025
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 hired 8/26/2024 does not have a health assessment signed by a physician on file.
Violation confirmed corrected by letter received from provider on 2/28/2025
New staff, who had contact with children, did not receive at least 16 hrs. orientation within first 6 weeks. One staff member hired 8/26/2024 did not have a completed staff orientation form on file.
Violation confirmed corrected by letter received from provider on 2/28/2025
Each new employee did not complete, within the first two weeks of employment, six clock hours of training in required topic areas. One staff member hired 8/26/2024 did not have a completed staff orientation form on file.
Violation confirmed corrected by letter received from provider on 2/28/2025
The Prevention of Shaken Baby Syndrome and Abusive Head Trauma policy was not reviewed with parents of currently enrolled children 0-5 within 30 days of adopting the policy. A signed statement and the date of enrollment was not on file for two (2) children.
Violation confirmed corrected by letter received from provider on 2/21/2025
A summary of the NC Child Care Law was not given to a parent of every child enrolled in the center. A parent signature stating receipt of the summary of law was not on file for two (2) children.
Violation confirmed corrected by letter received from provider on 2/21/2025
Equipment and furnishings were not sturdy, stable and free of hazards. The fence to the garden area and the boat on the outdoor play area has a nail protruding.
Violation confirmed corrected by letter received from provider on 2/21/2025
Fire drills were not practiced monthly and/or the drill record was incomplete. A fire drill for September, 2024 was not documented on the fire drill log.
Violation confirmed corrected by letter received from provider on 2/24/2025
Signed and dated statement by parent that discipline policy received and explained at enrollment was not in child's file. A signed parent statement was not on file for two (2) children.
Violation confirmed corrected by letter received from provider on 2/21/2025
Shelter-in-place or lockdown drills were not practiced every three months and/or drill record was incomplete. A shelter-in-place drill dated 12/20/2024 was not conducted at least every three months. The previous drill was conducted 9/16/2024.
Violation confirmed corrected by letter received from provider on 2/24/2025
The trained staff did not review the EPR Plan annually or when information in the plan changed to ensure all information was current. The facility has an expired EPR plan dated 8/11/2023 on file.
Violation confirmed corrected by letter received from provider on 2/11/2025
All staff did not review the center's EPR Plan during orientation and/or on an annual basis with the trained staff. Documentation of the review was not maintained on file. All staff did not review the center's EPR plan. There is not a current EPR on file for staff review.
Violation confirmed corrected by letter received from provider on 2/11/2025
Signage was not posted regarding the smoking and tobacco restriction at the entrance of the center and/or in vehicles used to transport children. A smoking and tobacco restriction sign was not posted at the entrance of the facility.
Violation corrected during visit
DCDEE facility lookup On that page, enter license number 6055153 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 12, 2024
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 fire inspection was not submitted to DCDEE within one week of receiving the inspection. The inspection was conducted April 20, 2024.
Violation corrected during visit
DCDEE facility lookup On that page, enter license number 6055153 in the License Number box, choose Search and open the result; the record is listed under Visits.
Feb 2024 Unannounced visit 1 finding
Unannounced visit · February 15, 2024
Daily records of arrival and departure times for children enrolled at the center were not maintained as children arrive and depart and/or were not made available for review. In space #2, the arrival times for two children had not been documented for today.
Violation corrected during visit
DCDEE facility lookup On that page, enter license number 6055153 in the License Number box, choose Search and open the result; the record is listed under Visits.
Oct 2023 Unannounced visit 5 findings
Unannounced visit · October 2, 2023
No longer on the state’s site as of October 9, 2026
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 new staff member did not have a medical report on file.
Violation confirmed corrected by letter received from provider on 10/13/2023
No longer on the state’s site as of October 9, 2026
A valid qualification letter was not on file and available to review at the facility. One new staff member did not have a qualification letter on file however, I was able to confirm through the ABCMS that the staff member's qualification letter is valid through October 28, 2024.
Violation confirmed corrected by letter received from provider on 10/13/2023
No longer on the state’s site as of October 9, 2026
All staff did not review the center's EPR Plan during orientation and/or on an annual basis with the trained staff. Documentation of the review was not maintained on file. One new staff member did not have verification on file that the EPR plan had been reviewed.
Violation confirmed corrected by letter received from provider on 10/13/2023
No longer on the state’s site as of October 9, 2026
The Prevention of Shaken Baby Syndrome and Abusive Head Trauma policy was not reviewed with new staff prior to providing care with children and/or a signed acknowledgement with all the required information was not maintained in the staff person's file. One new staff member did not have verification on file that the Prevention of Shaken Baby Syndrome and Abusive Head Trauma policy was reviewed.
Violation confirmed corrected by letter received from provider on 10/13/2023
No longer on the state’s site as of October 9, 2026
New staff, who had contact with children, did not receive at least 16 hrs. orientation within first 6 weeks. Two new staff did not have verification on file that orientation had been completed.
Violation confirmed corrected by letter received from provider on 10/13/2023
DCDEE facility lookup On that page, enter license number 6055153 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, ratios and staff, and sick and biting policies aren’t on this page.
How they teach
Play-based and emergent curriculum
“we follow an Emergent Curriculum (so named because it naturally emerges)”
What it costs
$1,300 to $1,320 a month
Charlotte-area comparison hidden until they say which age this price is for.
- Half day (morning)
- $400 to $630 a month
- Application fee
- $105
A day here
- Outdoors
- Outdoor play is treated as a distinct, valued setting offering more space, freedom, and materials (sand/dirt/water) than indoor play
- Schedule
- Full Day, Half Day
Details
- Website
- ods.uuccharlotte.org
- Address
- 234 North Sharon Amity Road
- License
- 6055153, active
- Quality program
- Five Star License
Run Open Door School? 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.
All checked July 2026.
How they teach
- Approach ods.uuccharlotte.org
What it costs
- Monthly tuition, Second price ods.uuccharlotte.org
- Application fee ods.uuccharlotte.org
State record
From North Carolina DCDEE’s published reports, last checked October 10, 2026.
A day here
- Outdoors ods.uuccharlotte.org/…/Open-Door-School-Educational-Articles-Booklet.pdf
- Schedule ods.uuccharlotte.org
Details
- Phone, Address, License, Quality program ncchildcare.ncdhhs.gov. To check it, open ncchildcare.ncdhhs.gov/childcaresearch, enter licence 6055153 under License Number, and open the result.
- Website ods.uuccharlotte.org
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.