San Mateo · Licensed center
Highlands Recreation District
At a glance
- Medium play-based center, licensed for 46 children.
- Hours 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., year round.
What to know
The license is the range the state allows. It does not say which ages have openings.
What the state has found
The state cited rules at 1 of its 8 licensing inspections under this license since March 2022.
See each inspection
Licensing inspections
- Jan 30, 2026Nothing cited
- Dec 5, 2025Nothing cited
- Dec 3, 2025Nothing cited
- Sep 24, 2024Nothing cited
- Jan 24, 2024Nothing cited
Oct 24, 20231 citation
CCR 101238(g)Type B
“101238(g) Building and Grounds: Disinfectants, cleaning solutions, poisons and other items that could pose a danger if readily available to children shall be stored where inaccessible to children. This requirement was not met as evidenced by: At 9:00AM., Based on observations and interviews, LPA confirmed accessible cleaning solution, spray bottle, in the Tiger classroom. This poses a potential health and safety risk to children in care.”
CCR 101238(g)
- Mar 9, 2023Nothing cited
- Mar 29, 2022Nothing cited
The state cited rules at 1 of this center's 8 inspections under this license. Most Bay Area centers inspected 8 times had more: 73% of 80 had rules cited at 2 or more.
How all 80 Bay Area centers inspected 8 times compare
Of the 80 Bay Area centers the state inspected 8 times, how many of those inspections cited a rule:
- None5%
- 1 of 823%This center
- 2 of 828%
- 3 of 818%
- 4 of 815%
- 5 of 88%
- 6 of 85%
Read every record and the state’s reports
State record — California CDSS Community Care Licensing
- Last visit
- January 30, 2026
- On file
- 8 visits since March 2022 — 7 cited nothing · 1 complaint investigation
- Most serious
- No finding carrying a severity level in the last 24 months.
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.
Oct 2023 Licensing visit 1 finding
Licensing visit · October 24, 2023
CCR 101238(g) · Type B
101238(g) Building and Grounds: Disinfectants, cleaning solutions, poisons and other items that could pose a danger if readily available to children shall be stored where inaccessible to children. This requirement was not met as evidenced by: At 9:00AM., Based on observations and interviews, LPA confirmed accessible cleaning solution, spray bottle, in the Tiger classroom. This poses a potential health and safety risk to children in care.
Oct 2023 Complaint 1 of 3 allegations substantiated
Complaint · October 16, 2023
California decided each allegation separately.
Substantiated
- Staff left day care children unattended.
Unsubstantiated
- Staff did not prevent day care child from having access to hazardous item.
- Staff did not provide adequate food service to day care children.
Substantiated: the state found it more likely than not that it happened. Unsubstantiated: the state could not tell whether it happened.
CCR 101229(a)(1) · Type B
101229(a)(1) Responsible for Providing 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 evidence collected, LPA determine allegation of staff left day care children unattended is valid. This poses a potential health and safety risk to children in care.
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.
A day here
7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., year round
Schedule
- Schedule
- Full-day
How they teach
Play-based
“Through play-based learning, children develop self-identity, emotional regulation, and relationship building.”
Details
- Phone
- (650) 341-4251
- Address
- 1851 Lexington Avenue, San Mateo, 94402
- License
- 414005200
- Ownership
- Government-run
The state licenses this address more than once, to the same licensee.
The infant-center license is published separately, with its own license and its own inspection record:
Highlands Recreation Dist. (infant)We couldn’t find some information that may matter to your decision: openings, child care subsidies, cost, ratios and staff, a typical day, 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.
How they teach
- Approach — Checked July 2026 highlandsrec.ca.gov
State record
From California CDSS Community Care Licensing’s published reports, last checked November 5, 2026.
A day here
- Hours, Calendar, Schedule — Checked July 2026 highlandsrec.ca.gov
Details
- Phone, Address, License — Checked July 2026 ccld.dss.ca.gov
- Website — Checked July 2026 highlandsrec.ca.gov
- Ages they serve — Checked July 2026 highlandsrec.ca.gov
- Ownership — Checked November 2026 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.