Santa Rosa · Licensed center
Bennett Valley Montessori - Preschool
At a glance
- Medium center, licensed for 60 children.
What the state has found
The state cited rules at 2 of its 4 licensing inspections since April 2023.
See each inspection
Licensing inspections
May 22, 20251 citation
CCR 101229(a)(1)Type B
“Care and Supervision. No child(ren) shall be left without the supervision of a teacher at any time, except as specified in Sections 101216.2(e)(1) and 101230(c)(1). Supervision shall include visual observation. This requirement was not met as evidenced by: Based on interviews conducted with C4 on 03/21/25 and A1 and A2 on 05/12/25 D1 has sent children to the TK classroom or Spanish classroom by themselves as a form of discipline, and on at least one occasion closed the door, resulting in a lack of supervision, which posed a potential health and safety or personal rights risk to children in care.”
CCR 101229(a)(1)
Mar 21, 20251 citation
CCR 101216.3(a)Type B
“(a) There shall be a ratio of one teacher visually observing and supervising no more than 12 children in attendance, except as specified in (b) and (c) below. This was not met as evidenced by: Based on LPAs observation D1 was alone with 25 children during circle time for roughly 30 minutes in the main classroom.”
CCR 101216.3(a)
- Feb 26, 2025Nothing cited
- Apr 27, 2023Nothing cited
The state cited rules at 2 of this center's 4 inspections. Most Bay Area centers inspected 4 times had fewer: 79% of 569 had rules cited at 1 or none.
How all 569 Bay Area centers inspected 4 times compare
Of the 569 Bay Area centers the state inspected 4 times, how many of those inspections cited a rule:
- None41%
- 1 of 438%
- 2 of 415%This center
- 3 of 46%
- All 41%
Read every record and the state’s reports
State record — California CDSS Community Care Licensing
- Last visit
- May 22, 2025
- On file
- 4 visits since April 2023 — 2 cited nothing · 2 complaint investigations
- Most serious
- Type A —
(a)The licensee shall ensure that each child is accorded the following personal rights: (3) To be free from corporal or unusual punishment, infliction of pain, humiliation, intimidation, ridicule, coercion, threat, mental abuse, or other actions of a punitive nature.... This requirement was not met as evidenced by: Based on interviews conducted between 03/21/25 and 05/13/25 with statements made by children C1, C2 and C4 and adults A1-A3 and A5, D1 has not treated children with respect by throwing C1’s slippers and threatening to throw C3’s slippers in the garbage, D1 has yelled at children on more than one occasion and D1 has used inappropriate discipline on more than one occasion, specifically grabbing children, pulling them to a stand, pulling children close when they are not listening and restraining children using hands and knees while sitting crisscross applesauce, holding children in a seated position, which poses an immediate health, safety and personal rights risk to the children in care.
· May 22, 2025
California CDSS publishes the full investigation narrative for a complaint, including its disposition, and classifies a citation Type A — an immediate risk to a child — or Type B.
May 2025 Licensing visit 1 finding
Licensing visit · May 22, 2025
CCR 101229(a)(1) · Type B
Care and Supervision. No child(ren) shall be left without the supervision of a teacher at any time, except as specified in Sections 101216.2(e)(1) and 101230(c)(1). Supervision shall include visual observation. This requirement was not met as evidenced by: Based on interviews conducted with C4 on 03/21/25 and A1 and A2 on 05/12/25 D1 has sent children to the TK classroom or Spanish classroom by themselves as a form of discipline, and on at least one occasion closed the door, resulting in a lack of supervision, which posed a potential health and safety or personal rights risk to children in care.
Deficiency Dismissed
Mar 2025 Licensing visit 1 finding
Licensing visit · March 21, 2025
CCR 101216.3(a) · Type B
(a) There shall be a ratio of one teacher visually observing and supervising no more than 12 children in attendance, except as specified in (b) and (c) below. This was not met as evidenced by: Based on LPAs observation D1 was alone with 25 children during circle time for roughly 30 minutes in the main classroom.
Mar 2025 Complaint 3 of 4 allegations substantiated
Complaint · March 12, 2025
California decided each allegation separately.
Substantiated
- Staff does not treat children with respect
- Staff yells at children
- Staff uses inappropriate discipline
Unsubstantiated
- Staff pushed child
Substantiated: the state found it more likely than not that it happened. Unsubstantiated: the state could not tell whether it happened.
CCR 101223(a)(3) · Type A
(a)The licensee shall ensure that each child is accorded the following personal rights: (3) To be free from corporal or unusual punishment, infliction of pain, humiliation, intimidation, ridicule, coercion, threat, mental abuse, or other actions of a punitive nature.... This requirement was not met as evidenced by: Based on interviews conducted between 03/21/25 and 05/13/25 with statements made by children C1, C2 and C4 and adults A1-A3 and A5, D1 has not treated children with respect by throwing C1’s slippers and threatening to throw C3’s slippers in the garbage, D1 has yelled at children on more than one occasion and D1 has used inappropriate discipline on more than one occasion, specifically grabbing children, pulling them to a stand, pulling children close when they are not listening and restraining children using hands and knees while sitting crisscross applesauce, holding children in a seated position, which poses an immediate health, safety and personal rights risk to the children in care.
Deficiency Dismissed
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.
Details
- Phone
- (707) 537-8889
- Address
- 2810 Summerfield Road, Santa Rosa, 95405
- License
- 493004164
We couldn’t find some information that may matter to your decision: openings, child care subsidies, cost, hours and late pickup, teaching approach, ratios and staff, a typical day, sick and biting policies, and who owns it. We can ask the program for you and copy you in.
Sources 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 November 2026.
State record
The state’s licensing transparency data reports 2 complaint-related visit(s) to this facility, while 1 complaint investigation report(s) are published on the transparency portal. State complaint counts: substantiated=0, inconclusive=0, unsubstantiated=1, unfounded=CONFIDENTIAL, Type A citations=0, Type B citations=0. The state publishes no further detail for the difference.
From California CDSS Community Care Licensing’s published reports, last checked November 5, 2026.
Details
- Phone, Address, License ccld.dss.ca.gov
Medium means the middle half of Bay Area’s 439 licensed centers by state-licensed capacity: 31 to 75 children. Small is 8 to 30; large is 76 to 312.