The Merit School of Arlington (#69)

An unannounced inspection was initiated on February 17, 2026 and completed on February 24, 2026 with a local agency in response to a complaint received by the licensing office on February 13, 2026 relating to allegations of ineffective communication. The inspector reviewed 0 children?s records and 4 staff records on-site on February 17, 2026. This inspection included document review, tour of the facility, interviews, and observations. The preponderance of evidence gathered during the investigation supports the allegation; therefore, the complaint is determined to be valid. Information gathered during the inspection determined non-compliance with applicable standards or law, and the violations are documented on the violation notice issued to the program.

An unannounced , on-site monitoring inspection was initiated on July 29, 2024 and completed on July 29, 2024. The on-site inspection began at 11:15am and ended at 1:43pm. The inspector reviewed compliance in the areas listed above. There were 41 children present and 12 staff. The inspector reviewed 6 children's records and 5 staff records on-site. The inspection included document review, a tour of the facility, interviews and observations. Information gathered during the inspection determined non-compliance with applicable standards or law, and violation are documented on the violation notice issued to the program. Please complete the plan of correction (POC) and date to be corrected sections for each violation cited on the violation notice. Specify how the deficient practice will be or had been corrected. Submit your POC within five business days from today, which will be the close of business on August 13, 2024. A POC submitted after this date will not appear on the public website. If you have any questions regarding this inspection, please contact Laura Lunceford at 571-835-5058 or laura.lunceford@doe.virginia.gov

An unannounced , on-site monitoring inspection was initiated on July 29, 2024 and completed on July 29, 2024. The on-site inspection began at 11:15am and ended at 1:43pm. The inspector reviewed compliance in the areas listed above. There were 41 children present and 12 staff. The inspector reviewed 6 children's records and 5 staff records on-site. The inspection included document review, a tour of the facility, interviews and observations. Information gathered during the inspection determined non-compliance with applicable standards or law, and violation are documented on the violation notice issued to the program. Please complete the plan of correction (POC) and date to be corrected sections for each violation cited on the violation notice. Specify how the deficient practice will be or had been corrected. Submit your POC within five business days from today, which will be the close of business on August 13, 2024. A POC submitted after this date will not appear on the public website. If you have any questions regarding this inspection, please contact Laura Lunceford at 571-835-5058 or laura.lunceford@doe.virginia.gov

An unannounced , on-site monitoring inspection was initiated on July 29, 2024 and completed on July 29, 2024. The on-site inspection began at 11:15am and ended at 1:43pm. The inspector reviewed compliance in the areas listed above. There were 41 children present and 12 staff. The inspector reviewed 6 children's records and 5 staff records on-site. The inspection included document review, a tour of the facility, interviews and observations. Information gathered during the inspection determined non-compliance with applicable standards or law, and violation are documented on the violation notice issued to the program. Please complete the plan of correction (POC) and date to be corrected sections for each violation cited on the violation notice. Specify how the deficient practice will be or had been corrected. Submit your POC within five business days from today, which will be the close of business on August 13, 2024. A POC submitted after this date will not appear on the public website. If you have any questions regarding this inspection, please contact Laura Lunceford at 571-835-5058 or laura.lunceford@doe.virginia.gov

An unannounced , on-site monitoring inspection was initiated on July 29, 2024 and completed on July 29, 2024. The on-site inspection began at 11:15am and ended at 1:43pm. The inspector reviewed compliance in the areas listed above. There were 41 children present and 12 staff. The inspector reviewed 6 children's records and 5 staff records on-site. The inspection included document review, a tour of the facility, interviews and observations. Information gathered during the inspection determined non-compliance with applicable standards or law, and violation are documented on the violation notice issued to the program. Please complete the plan of correction (POC) and date to be corrected sections for each violation cited on the violation notice. Specify how the deficient practice will be or had been corrected. Submit your POC within five business days from today, which will be the close of business on August 13, 2024. A POC submitted after this date will not appear on the public website. If you have any questions regarding this inspection, please contact Laura Lunceford at 571-835-5058 or laura.lunceford@doe.virginia.gov

An unannounced , on-site monitoring inspection was initiated on July 29, 2024 and completed on July 29, 2024. The on-site inspection began at 11:15am and ended at 1:43pm. The inspector reviewed compliance in the areas listed above. There were 41 children present and 12 staff. The inspector reviewed 6 children's records and 5 staff records on-site. The inspection included document review, a tour of the facility, interviews and observations. Information gathered during the inspection determined non-compliance with applicable standards or law, and violation are documented on the violation notice issued to the program. Please complete the plan of correction (POC) and date to be corrected sections for each violation cited on the violation notice. Specify how the deficient practice will be or had been corrected. Submit your POC within five business days from today, which will be the close of business on August 13, 2024. A POC submitted after this date will not appear on the public website. If you have any questions regarding this inspection, please contact Laura Lunceford at 571-835-5058 or laura.lunceford@doe.virginia.gov

An unannounced , on-site monitoring inspection was initiated on July 29, 2024 and completed on July 29, 2024. The on-site inspection began at 11:15am and ended at 1:43pm. The inspector reviewed compliance in the areas listed above. There were 41 children present and 12 staff. The inspector reviewed 6 children's records and 5 staff records on-site. The inspection included document review, a tour of the facility, interviews and observations. Information gathered during the inspection determined non-compliance with applicable standards or law, and violation are documented on the violation notice issued to the program. Please complete the plan of correction (POC) and date to be corrected sections for each violation cited on the violation notice. Specify how the deficient practice will be or had been corrected. Submit your POC within five business days from today, which will be the close of business on August 13, 2024. A POC submitted after this date will not appear on the public website. If you have any questions regarding this inspection, please contact Laura Lunceford at 571-835-5058 or laura.lunceford@doe.virginia.gov

An unannounced , on-site monitoring inspection was initiated on July 29, 2024 and completed on July 29, 2024. The on-site inspection began at 11:15am and ended at 1:43pm. The inspector reviewed compliance in the areas listed above. There were 41 children present and 12 staff. The inspector reviewed 6 children's records and 5 staff records on-site. The inspection included document review, a tour of the facility, interviews and observations. Information gathered during the inspection determined non-compliance with applicable standards or law, and violation are documented on the violation notice issued to the program. Please complete the plan of correction (POC) and date to be corrected sections for each violation cited on the violation notice. Specify how the deficient practice will be or had been corrected. Submit your POC within five business days from today, which will be the close of business on August 13, 2024. A POC submitted after this date will not appear on the public website. If you have any questions regarding this inspection, please contact Laura Lunceford at 571-835-5058 or laura.lunceford@doe.virginia.gov

A renewal inspection was conducted on 08/08/2023. There were a total of 46 children with 14 staff members present. Children were observed during outside water play, tummy time, and engaged in various activities with staff members. The inspector reviewed compliance in the areas of administration, physical plant, staffing and supervision, programming, medication, special care and emergencies and nutrition. A total of 5 child records and 5 staff records were reviewed. During the monitoring inspection the inspector investigated a self reported allegation regarding forbidden action. The investigation determined no violations regarding the self reported allegation. Information gathered during the inspection determined non-compliance with applicable standards or law and violations were documented on the violation notice issued to the program. Please complete the ?plan of correction? and ?date to be corrected? for each violation cited on the violation notice and return it to me within 5 business days from today. Please specify how the deficient practice will be or has been corrected. Your plan of correction should contain: 1) steps to correct the noncompliance with the standard(s), 2) measures to prevent the noncompliance from occurring again; and 3) person(s) responsible for implementing each step and/or monitoring any preventative measures. Please do not use staff names; list staff by positions only. If you have any questions about this inspection, please contact the inspector at Ariel.Hayes@doe.virginia.gov or 804-629-7124.

A renewal inspection was conducted on 08/08/2023. There were a total of 46 children with 14 staff members present. Children were observed during outside water play, tummy time, and engaged in various activities with staff members. The inspector reviewed compliance in the areas of administration, physical plant, staffing and supervision, programming, medication, special care and emergencies and nutrition. A total of 5 child records and 5 staff records were reviewed. During the monitoring inspection the inspector investigated a self reported allegation regarding forbidden action. The investigation determined no violations regarding the self reported allegation. Information gathered during the inspection determined non-compliance with applicable standards or law and violations were documented on the violation notice issued to the program. Please complete the ?plan of correction? and ?date to be corrected? for each violation cited on the violation notice and return it to me within 5 business days from today. Please specify how the deficient practice will be or has been corrected. Your plan of correction should contain: 1) steps to correct the noncompliance with the standard(s), 2) measures to prevent the noncompliance from occurring again; and 3) person(s) responsible for implementing each step and/or monitoring any preventative measures. Please do not use staff names; list staff by positions only. If you have any questions about this inspection, please contact the inspector at Ariel.Hayes@doe.virginia.gov or 804-629-7124.

A subsidy health and safety (SHSI) inspection was conducted on 08/08/2023. There were 46 children present with 14 staff supervising. A licensing inspection was also conducted on this date. Both inspections combined cover subsidy health and safety regulations. Only subsidy requirements that are not covered in licensing standards were reviewed during this supplemental inspection. Information gathered during the inspection determined non-compliance with applicable standards or law and violations were documented on the violation notice issued to the program. Please contact me if you have any questions at Ariel.Hayes@doe.virginia.gov or 804-629-7124.

An unannounced monitoring inspection was conducted on 02/13/2023. There were a total of 50 children observed with 12 staff members. The children were observed participating in whole group circle time, small group centers, and nap time. The inspector reviewed compliance in the areas of administration, physical environment, care of children, handwashing, medication, emergencies, and nutrition. A total of 6 child records, and 4 staff records were reviewed. Information gathered during the inspection determined non-compliances with applicable standards or law and violations were documented on the violation notice issued to the program. During the monitoring inspection, a self-reported incident received by the department involving the area of behavioral guidance was investigated. Interviews were conducted with staff, documents were reviewed and child/staff records were reviewed. The information gathered during the self-report inspection determined violations with applicable standards or law. A violation notice was given to the center along with this summary. Violations were issued in regards to the self-reported incident. Please contact me if you have any questions at ariel.hayes@doe.virginia.gov or 804-629-7124.

An unannounced monitoring inspection was conducted on 02/13/2023. There were a total of 50 children observed with 12 staff members. The children were observed participating in whole group circle time, small group centers, and nap time. The inspector reviewed compliance in the areas of administration, physical environment, care of children, handwashing, medication, emergencies, and nutrition. A total of 6 child records, and 4 staff records were reviewed. Information gathered during the inspection determined non-compliances with applicable standards or law and violations were documented on the violation notice issued to the program. During the monitoring inspection, a self-reported incident received by the department involving the area of behavioral guidance was investigated. Interviews were conducted with staff, documents were reviewed and child/staff records were reviewed. The information gathered during the self-report inspection determined violations with applicable standards or law. A violation notice was given to the center along with this summary. Violations were issued in regards to the self-reported incident. Please contact me if you have any questions at ariel.hayes@doe.virginia.gov or 804-629-7124.

An unannounced monitoring inspection was conducted on 02/13/2023. There were a total of 50 children observed with 12 staff members. The children were observed participating in whole group circle time, small group centers, and nap time. The inspector reviewed compliance in the areas of administration, physical environment, care of children, handwashing, medication, emergencies, and nutrition. A total of 6 child records, and 4 staff records were reviewed. Information gathered during the inspection determined non-compliances with applicable standards or law and violations were documented on the violation notice issued to the program. During the monitoring inspection, a self-reported incident received by the department involving the area of behavioral guidance was investigated. Interviews were conducted with staff, documents were reviewed and child/staff records were reviewed. The information gathered during the self-report inspection determined violations with applicable standards or law. A violation notice was given to the center along with this summary. Violations were issued in regards to the self-reported incident. Please contact me if you have any questions at ariel.hayes@doe.virginia.gov or 804-629-7124.

An unannounced monitoring inspection was conducted on 02/13/2023. There were a total of 50 children observed with 12 staff members. The children were observed participating in whole group circle time, small group centers, and nap time. The inspector reviewed compliance in the areas of administration, physical environment, care of children, handwashing, medication, emergencies, and nutrition. A total of 6 child records, and 4 staff records were reviewed. Information gathered during the inspection determined non-compliances with applicable standards or law and violations were documented on the violation notice issued to the program. During the monitoring inspection, a self-reported incident received by the department involving the area of behavioral guidance was investigated. Interviews were conducted with staff, documents were reviewed and child/staff records were reviewed. The information gathered during the self-report inspection determined violations with applicable standards or law. A violation notice was given to the center along with this summary. Violations were issued in regards to the self-reported incident. Please contact me if you have any questions at ariel.hayes@doe.virginia.gov or 804-629-7124.

A monitoring inspection was conducted on 09/15/2022. There were a total of 40 children with 10 staff members present. Children were observed during nap time, diapering procedures, tummy/floor time, and bottle feeding. The inspector reviewed compliance in the areas of administration, physical plant, staffing and supervision, programming, medication, special care and emergencies and nutrition. A total of 4 child records and 2 staff records were reviewed. Information gathered during the inspection determined non-compliance with applicable standards or law and violations were documented on the violation notice issued to the program. Please contact me if you have any questions at ariel.hayes@doe.virginia.gov or 804-629-7124

A monitoring inspection was conducted on 09/15/2022. There were a total of 40 children with 10 staff members present. Children were observed during nap time, diapering procedures, tummy/floor time, and bottle feeding. The inspector reviewed compliance in the areas of administration, physical plant, staffing and supervision, programming, medication, special care and emergencies and nutrition. A total of 4 child records and 2 staff records were reviewed. Information gathered during the inspection determined non-compliance with applicable standards or law and violations were documented on the violation notice issued to the program. Please contact me if you have any questions at ariel.hayes@doe.virginia.gov or 804-629-7124

A monitoring inspection was conducted on 09/15/2022. There were a total of 40 children with 10 staff members present. Children were observed during nap time, diapering procedures, tummy/floor time, and bottle feeding. The inspector reviewed compliance in the areas of administration, physical plant, staffing and supervision, programming, medication, special care and emergencies and nutrition. A total of 4 child records and 2 staff records were reviewed. Information gathered during the inspection determined non-compliance with applicable standards or law and violations were documented on the violation notice issued to the program. Please contact me if you have any questions at ariel.hayes@doe.virginia.gov or 804-629-7124

A monitoring inspection was conducted on 09/15/2022. There were a total of 40 children with 10 staff members present. Children were observed during nap time, diapering procedures, tummy/floor time, and bottle feeding. The inspector reviewed compliance in the areas of administration, physical plant, staffing and supervision, programming, medication, special care and emergencies and nutrition. A total of 4 child records and 2 staff records were reviewed. Information gathered during the inspection determined non-compliance with applicable standards or law and violations were documented on the violation notice issued to the program. Please contact me if you have any questions at ariel.hayes@doe.virginia.gov or 804-629-7124

A monitoring inspection was conducted on 09/15/2022. There were a total of 40 children with 10 staff members present. Children were observed during nap time, diapering procedures, tummy/floor time, and bottle feeding. The inspector reviewed compliance in the areas of administration, physical plant, staffing and supervision, programming, medication, special care and emergencies and nutrition. A total of 4 child records and 2 staff records were reviewed. Information gathered during the inspection determined non-compliance with applicable standards or law and violations were documented on the violation notice issued to the program. Please contact me if you have any questions at ariel.hayes@doe.virginia.gov or 804-629-7124

An on-site monitoring visit was conducted. All rooms were in ratio with direct care staff for supervision. Observed meat time (Mac and Cheese, veggies, bread and milk), transition to rest time, infant care, bottle feeding, diapering and record review. Emergency medications were on-site with required paperwork completed. Staff have training in first aid and CPR, Daily Health and Medication Administration Training (MAT) as well as annual hours. Information gathered during the inspection determined non-compliance with applicable standards or law and violations were documented on the violation notice issued to the program. Feel free to contact me if you need any assistance. Ann Dramstad, Children?s Inspector Office of Child Care Health and Safety Division of School Readiness 703-314-0860 ann.dramstad@doe.virginia.gov

An on-site monitoring visit was conducted. All rooms were in ratio with direct care staff for supervision. Observed meat time (Mac and Cheese, veggies, bread and milk), transition to rest time, infant care, bottle feeding, diapering and record review. Emergency medications were on-site with required paperwork completed. Staff have training in first aid and CPR, Daily Health and Medication Administration Training (MAT) as well as annual hours. Information gathered during the inspection determined non-compliance with applicable standards or law and violations were documented on the violation notice issued to the program. Feel free to contact me if you need any assistance. Ann Dramstad, Children?s Inspector Office of Child Care Health and Safety Division of School Readiness 703-314-0860 ann.dramstad@doe.virginia.gov

An on-site monitoring visit was conducted. All rooms were in ratio with direct care staff for supervision. Observed meat time (Mac and Cheese, veggies, bread and milk), transition to rest time, infant care, bottle feeding, diapering and record review. Emergency medications were on-site with required paperwork completed. Staff have training in first aid and CPR, Daily Health and Medication Administration Training (MAT) as well as annual hours. Information gathered during the inspection determined non-compliance with applicable standards or law and violations were documented on the violation notice issued to the program. Feel free to contact me if you need any assistance. Ann Dramstad, Children?s Inspector Office of Child Care Health and Safety Division of School Readiness 703-314-0860 ann.dramstad@doe.virginia.gov

An on-site monitoring visit was conducted. All rooms were in ratio with direct care staff for supervision. Observed meat time (Mac and Cheese, veggies, bread and milk), transition to rest time, infant care, bottle feeding, diapering and record review. Emergency medications were on-site with required paperwork completed. Staff have training in first aid and CPR, Daily Health and Medication Administration Training (MAT) as well as annual hours. Information gathered during the inspection determined non-compliance with applicable standards or law and violations were documented on the violation notice issued to the program. Feel free to contact me if you need any assistance. Ann Dramstad, Children?s Inspector Office of Child Care Health and Safety Division of School Readiness 703-314-0860 ann.dramstad@doe.virginia.gov