Palo Alto · Licensed center
Ellen Thacher Children's Center
At a glance
- Small developmental center, licensed for 28 children.
- Hours 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., 5 days a week, year round.
- Tuition Preschool $2,920 a month, full time. See costs
- Run by a nonprofit. A board oversees it, and there are no owners taking profit.
From their website, read July 2026:
“Preschool | 1:8 Ratio Barron Park Children’s Center (BPCC) College Terrace Children’s Center (CTC) Downtown Children’s Center (DCC-PS) Ellen Thacher Children’s Center (ETCC) Sojourner Truth Child Development Center (STCDC-PS) $2,920 $2,100 $1,490 $2,480 $1,790 $1,240”
What the state has found
The state cited no rules at any of its 5 licensing inspections since April 2022.
See each inspection
Licensing inspections
- Mar 5, 2026Nothing cited
- Nov 14, 2024Nothing cited
- Aug 24, 2023Nothing cited
- Sep 1, 2022Nothing cited
- Apr 29, 2022Nothing cited
The state cited no rules at any of this center's 5 inspections. Most Bay Area centers inspected 5 times had at least one: 71% of 457.
How all 457 Bay Area centers inspected 5 times compare
Of the 457 Bay Area centers the state inspected 5 times, how many of those inspections cited a rule:
- None29%This center
- 1 of 535%
- 2 of 523%
- 3 of 59%
- 4 of 54%
- All 5under 1%
Read every record and the state’s reports
State record — California CDSS Community Care Licensing
- Last visit
- March 5, 2026
- On file
- 5 visits since April 2022 — all of them cited nothing · 3 complaint investigations
- Most serious
- Type B —
101212 Reporting Requirements (f) The items specified in (d)(1)(A) through (H) above shall also be reported to the child's authorized representative. This requirement was not met as evidenced by: Based on admission, interviews conducted and review or records/incident reports, staff did not provide a incident report to the child's parent/representative, which poses an potential health and safety risk to children in care.
· January 7, 2026
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.
Nov 2025 Complaint 1 of 2 allegations substantiated
Complaint · November 10, 2025
California decided each allegation separately.
Substantiated
- Reporting Requirements - Staff did not report child's incident to child's authorized representative
Unsubstantiated
- Lack Of Supervision - Staff did not provide adequate supervision to child in care
Substantiated: the state found it more likely than not that it happened. Unsubstantiated: the state could not tell whether it happened.
CCR 101212(f) · Type B
101212 Reporting Requirements (f) The items specified in (d)(1)(A) through (H) above shall also be reported to the child's authorized representative. This requirement was not met as evidenced by: Based on admission, interviews conducted and review or records/incident reports, staff did not provide a incident report to the child's parent/representative, which poses an potential health and safety risk to children in care.
Mar 2022 Complaint Unsubstantiated
Complaint · March 15, 2022
Unsubstantiated
ALLEGATION(S): Staff hit daycare children. INVESTIGATION FINDINGS: On 4/22/2022, Licensing Program Analyst (LPA) J.W. arrived to the facility unannounced to conclude investigation into the above allegation. LPA was met by Director, K.N., and six other fingerprint cleared and associated staff members. Present during today's visit were 24 preschool aged children in care. During the course of the investigation, LPA interviewed staff members, interviewed parents of children in care, interviewed daycare children, and reviewed facility records. LPA recieved conflicting information. While the allegation may have happened is valid, there is not a preponderance of evidence to prove the alleged violation did or did not occur. Therefore, the allegation is deemed UNSUBSTANTIATED. Exit interview conducted. Appeal Rights provided. Notice of Site Visit was given. Unsubstantiated Estimated Days of Completion:
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.
What it costs
Ellen Thacher Children's CenterMost Bay Area prices (middle 80%)
Monthly, full time. The band is the middle 80% of Bay Area full-time prices for that age; 36 preschool programs publish one.
- Half day
- $1,240 to $2,480 a month
- Application fee
- $25
A day here
7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., 5 days a week, year round
Meals and schedule
- Meals
- Healthy, organic snacks and lunch included in tuition
- Schedule
- Full Day, Part Day Long
How they teach
Developmental and play-based
“we are "committed to providing comprehensive, enriching, play-based programming that stimulates curiosity, creativity, and exploration."”
Details
- Phone
- (650) 494-1467
- Address
- 505 East Charleston Road, Palo Alto, 94306
- License
- 434400381
We couldn’t find some information that may matter to your decision: openings, child care subsidies, and sick and biting policies. 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.
Children per adult
- Children per adult — Checked July 2026 paccc.org/…/tuition_itp_2026-2027_v2.pdf
How they teach
- Approach — Checked July 2026 paccc.org
What it costs
- Preschool, Second price, Application fee — Checked July 2026 paccc.org/…/tuition_itp_2026-2027_v2.pdf
State record
The state’s licensing transparency data reports 3 complaint-related visit(s) to this facility, while 2 complaint investigation report(s) are published on the transparency portal. State complaint counts: substantiated=1, inconclusive=0, unsubstantiated=2, unfounded=CONFIDENTIAL, Type A citations=0, Type B citations=1. The state publishes no further detail for the difference.
From California CDSS Community Care Licensing’s published reports, last checked November 5, 2026.
A day here
- Meals — Checked July 2026 paccc.org
- Hours, Schedule — Checked July 2026 paccc.org/…/tuition_itp_2026-2027_v2.pdf
- Calendar — Checked July 2026 paccc.org
Details
- Phone, Address, License — Checked July 2026 ccld.dss.ca.gov
- Website — Checked July 2026 paccc.org
- Who runs it — Checked November 2026 ccld.dss.ca.gov
Small means the smallest quarter of Bay Area’s 439 licensed centers by state-licensed capacity: 8 to 30 children. Medium is 31 to 75; large is 76 to 312.