San Mateo · Licensed center
Little Footsteps
At a glance
- Medium play-based center, licensed for 42 children.
- Hours 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., 5 days a week, year round.
- Run by a nonprofit. A board oversees it, and there are no owners taking profit.
From their website, read July 2026:
“● Our Infant-Toddler and Preschool Teacher and/or Adult to child ratio is approximately 1:3 for Infant- Toddler, 1:4–1:8 for Older Toddlers, 1:8–1:12 for Preschool and Prekindergarten.”
What the state has found
The state cited no rules at any of its 3 licensing inspections since July 2022.
See each inspection
Licensing inspections
- Feb 26, 2026Nothing cited
- Dec 3, 2024Nothing cited
- Jul 28, 2022Nothing cited
The state cited no rules at any of this center's 3 inspections. Most Bay Area centers inspected 3 times had the same: 51% of 568.
How all 568 Bay Area centers inspected 3 times compare
Of the 568 Bay Area centers the state inspected 3 times, how many of those inspections cited a rule:
- None51%This center
- 1 of 334%
- 2 of 312%
- All 33%
Read every record and the state’s reports
State record — California CDSS Community Care Licensing
- Last visit
- February 26, 2026
- On file
- 3 visits since July 2022 — all of them cited nothing
- Fixed?
- Nothing was cited, so there is nothing to correct.
- Most serious
- Nothing was cited at any visit on file.
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.
What it costs
- Application fee
- $75
- Deposit
- $500, refundable
- Siblings
- 5% sibling discount, per child, for families enrolling two or more children (tuition only; requires minimum 3 days/week attendance)
A day here
7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., 5 days a week, year round
Meals, sleep, diapers and three more
- Meals
- Snacks and lunches provided by Footsteps through outside food provider Chefables; tree-nut and peanut-free environment
- Sleep
- Nap daily, up to 2 hours/day; each child has own crib/cot with cover/sheet and a regularly laundered blanket; no child is forced to stay awake or nap longer than the normal period
- Diapers
- Program provides diapers, pull-ups, and wipes unless a parent supplies a specific type (e.g. cloth diapers)
- Screens
- Limit TV/movies/video games/digital devices to less than 1 hour per day (exceptions for active-movement games and schoolwork use)
- Updates for parents
- Procare Connect app, plus email, text, or the site telephone
- Closed
- Closed the week between Christmas and New Year; also closed on federal holidays and Professional Development Days per the annual calendar
How they teach
Play-based and nature and outdoor
“Footsteps Child Care's philosophy and approach is based on research and best practices, which includes play-based curriculum, child, teacher, and family-initiated experiences, continuity of care and consistency in routines.”
Policies
- When a child is sick
- 24-hour fever-free (without fever-reducing medication) required before returning; fever defined as 100.4°F/38°C or higher
Details
- Phone
- (650) 610-0715
- Address
- 1501 S. El Camino Real, San Mateo, 94402
- License
- 414004607
- Established
- 2020
We couldn’t find some information that may matter to your decision: openings, child care subsidies and tuition. 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 footstepschildcare.org/…/footsteps_child_care_preschool_handbook_2025-2026.pdf
How they teach
- Approach — Checked July 2026 footstepschildcare.org/…/footsteps_child_care_preschool_handbook_2025-2026.pdf
What it costs
- Application fee, Deposit, Sibling discount — Checked July 2026 footstepschildcare.org/…/footsteps_child_care_preschool_handbook_2025-2026.pdf
State record
From California CDSS Community Care Licensing’s published reports, last checked November 5, 2026.
A day here
- Meals, Sleep, Diapers, Screens, Updates for parents, Hours, Calendar, Closed — Checked July 2026 footstepschildcare.org/…/footsteps_child_care_preschool_handbook_2025-2026.pdf
Policies
- When a child is sick — Checked July 2026 footstepschildcare.org/…/footsteps_child_care_preschool_handbook_2025-2026.pdf
Details
- Phone, Address, License — Checked July 2026 ccld.dss.ca.gov
- Website — Checked July 2026 footstepschildcare.org
- Established — Checked July 2026 footstepschildcare.org/…/footsteps_child_care_preschool_handbook_2025-2026.pdf
- Who runs it — 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.