San Mateo · Licensed center
Playgroups Unlimited - Universe of Colors
A center in San Mateo, licensed for 30 children. The state cited something at 2 of 6 routine visits (Bay Area centers: about 1 in 4).
Small center. 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.
Shortlist doesn’t have these yet: cost, teaching approach, ratios and staff, a typical day, sick and biting policies.
What the state has found
Routine visits: 2 of 6 cited something
Across Bay Area centers, the state cites something at about 1 in 4 routine visits (2,260 visits).
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 24, 2026
- On file
- 6 visits since February 2022 — 4 cited nothing
- Most serious
- Type B —
(a) The child care center shall be clean, safe, sanitary and in good repair at all times to ensure the safety and well-being of children, employees and visitors. This requirement is not met as evidenced by: At 9:20AM., Based on observation, LPA confirmed accessible microwave ovens (2) in facility. This poses a potential health and safety risk to children in care.
· March 12, 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.
Mar 2026 Licensing visit 1 finding
Licensing visit · March 12, 2026
CCR 101238(a) · Type B
(a) The child care center shall be clean, safe, sanitary and in good repair at all times to ensure the safety and well-being of children, employees and visitors. This requirement is not met as evidenced by: At 9:20AM., Based on observation, LPA confirmed accessible microwave ovens (2) in facility. This poses a potential health and safety risk to children in care.
Feb 2022 Licensing visit 1 finding
Licensing visit · February 9, 2022
HSC 1596.954 · Type B
Every licensed child day care center shall have one or more carbon monoxide detectors in the facility that meet the standards established in Chapter 8 (commencing with Section 13260) of Part 2 of Division 12. The department shall account for the presence of these detectors during inspections. This requirement is not met as evidenced by: At 9:50A.M., Based on observations and interviews, LPA confirmed facility does not have functioning carbon monoxide (CO) detector. This poses a potential health and safety risk to children in care.
A day here
- Hours
- 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM
- Schedule
- full-day and half-day (8 am to 3 pm or 8 am to 6 pm)
Details
- Phone
- (650) 401-8368
- Website
- universeofcolors.org
- Address
- 178 South Boulevard
- License
- 414004238, active
- Ownership
- For-profitSource: ccld.dss.ca.gov
Do you run Playgroups Unlimited - Universe of Colors? Shortlist has no tuition, ratios or policies for it, because the state does not publish that. Add what is missing. It is free and takes about ten minutes.
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.
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, Schedule — Checked July 2026 · universeofcolors.org
Details
- Phone, Address, License — Checked July 2026 · ccld.dss.ca.gov
- Website — Checked July 2026 · universeofcolors.org
- Ownership — Checked September 2026 · ccld.dss.ca.gov