Atherton · Licensed center
Menlo School Child Care Center
- Small developmental center, licensed for 30 children.
- Run by a nonprofit. A board oversees it, and there are no owners taking profit.
What these mean, and where they come from
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.
Source for who runs it
ccld.dss.ca.govHow they teach
Developmental and play-based
“Our philosophy focuses on the whole-child approach, in which we assist in developing the cognitive, physical, emotional, social, and language skills in each child in a play-based environment.”In their words, July 2026.menloschool.org
“A caring and experienced staff offers a play-based curriculum in a vibrant facility on the School campus.”In their words, July 2026.menloschool.org
One of 30 Bay Area providers that describe a developmental approach, out of 164 that describe any approach at all.
Shortlist doesn’t have these yet: cost, ratios and staff, a typical day, sick and biting policies.
What the state has found
Routine visits: 0 of 3 cited something
Bay Area centers: the state cites something at about 1 in 4 routine visits. Three visits are too few to read as a pattern.
From California CDSS Community Care Licensing’s published reports, last checked September 25, 2026.
Read every record and the state’s reports
State record — California CDSS Community Care Licensing
- Last visit
- April 10, 2025
- On file
- 3 visits since April 2023 — all of them cited nothing
- Fixed?
- Nothing was cited under this license, so there is nothing to correct. The other license at this address keeps its own record.
- Most serious
- Nothing was cited at any visit on file under this license. The other license at this address keeps its own record.
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.
How the comparison is built
Routine visits: across Bay Area centers, the state cites something at about 1 in 4 routine visits (2,260 visits).
A day here
- Hours
- 7:30 AM to 4:30 PM, 5 days a week
Details
- Website
- menloschool.org
- Address
- 50 Valparaiso Avenue
- License
- 414001220, active
- Ages they serve
- infancy to five years old
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:
Menlo School Child Care CenterDo you run Menlo School Child Care Center? Shortlist has no tuition, ratios or policies for it, because the state does not publish that. Adding it is free and takes about ten minutes.
Add what is missingSources 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 menloschool.org
How they teach
- Approach — Checked July 2026 menloschool.org
State record
Every state visit and complaint on file, shown in full and never edited. Open a date to read what the state wrote.
A day here
- Hours — Checked July 2026 menloschool.org
Details
- Phone, Address, License — Checked July 2026 ccld.dss.ca.gov
- Website — Checked July 2026 menloschool.org
- Ages they serve — Checked July 2026 menloschool.org
- Who runs it — Checked September 2026 ccld.dss.ca.gov