State records show dozens of violations preceded an incident in which a toddler gained access to a loaded firearm.
RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia officials are moving toward permanent licensing action against a Richmond daycare after a 2-year-old accessed a loaded gun there, a case that has renewed scrutiny of dozens of safety and supervision violations documented at the center since it opened.
Thrive Learning Center East has not operated since Oct. 1 as the Virginia Department of Education conducts administrative proceedings. Newly obtained state records say officials intend to permanently suspend the center’s license. The licensing action follows a Sept. 25 incident in which a toddler removed a loaded firearm from an administrator’s unzipped fanny pack and handled it for about 15 seconds before an employee intervened.
The firearm incident became the most serious entry in a broader record of regulatory problems at the South Richmond facility. Records reviewed by WRIC showed the center had not received a clean inspection since March 10 and was cited for 56 violations between early June and Oct. 1. The violations covered supervision, facility hazards, recordkeeping, staff screening and other child care requirements.
Among the documented problems was an Aug. 3 incident involving a 3-year-old who was served uncut grapes and began choking, according to records reviewed by WRIC. Other inspection findings cited children left without adequate supervision while sleeping or playing outside, cleaning products kept within children’s reach, missing information in children’s records and incomplete staff background-check documentation.
Inspectors also reported physical hazards at the facility, including an unsecured kitchen area while oil was being heated, damaged surfaces with exposed metal and a sharp metal strip within reach of children. The findings were recorded before state officials learned that a loaded firearm had also been accessible in a classroom.
According to social services records, administrator Martha Evans brought the gun into the daycare on Sept. 25 inside a fanny pack. The bag was left unzipped on a low stack of cots. A 2-year-old took out the firearm, put it in their mouth and moved toward a table where five other children were nearby. An employee then noticed the gun and removed it from the child.
State investigators later obtained accounts indicating the firearm had been brought to the daycare before. Education department records reported by WTVR say staff described Evans bringing the gun to work as a regular occurrence. That finding broadened the state’s concern from a single lapse in supervision to questions about the center’s routine safety practices.
The center also failed to notify state authorities within the required time after the Sept. 25 incident. Records say the Department of Social Services was not informed until Sept. 29, four days later. The Virginia Department of Education said it then opened an investigation with Child Protective Services and conducted a follow-up visit Sept. 30.
Richmond police later arrested Evans, 66, on Oct. 7. Police have said she faces firearm-related charges stemming from the incident, including allegations involving possession of a firearm at a child daycare center and reckless storage. The criminal case remains pending, and the charges do not establish guilt.
A corrective plan outlined in state inspection records called for staff to be retrained on mandatory reporting requirements and for the center to adopt a zero-tolerance approach to firearms and other weapons on daycare property. The plan also called for additional safety training. Those proposed corrective measures have not ended the state’s separate licensing action.
The Department of Education has said Thrive will not operate while administrative proceedings are underway. WTVR reported that state records show officials intend to permanently suspend the license, with further administrative proceedings expected before a final outcome. Evans also remains subject to the separate criminal court process.
Author note: Last updated October 21, 2026.