San Mateo · Licensed center
Playgroups Unlimited - Universe of Colors
At a glance
- Small center, licensed for 30 children.
- Hours 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Run by a for-profit business, which holds the license.
What the state has found
The state cited rules at 2 of its 6 licensing inspections since February 2022.
See each inspection
Licensing inspections
- Apr 24, 2026Nothing cited
Mar 12, 20261 citation
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.”
CCR 101238(a)
- Jan 8, 2025Nothing cited
- Feb 14, 2023Nothing cited
- Feb 22, 2022Nothing cited
Feb 9, 20221 citation
HSC 1596.954Type 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.”
HSC 1596.954
The state cited rules at 2 of this center's 6 inspections. Most Bay Area centers inspected 6 times had fewer: 52% of 252 had rules cited at 1 or none.
How all 252 Bay Area centers inspected 6 times compare
Of the 252 Bay Area centers the state inspected 6 times, how many of those inspections cited a rule:
- None17%
- 1 of 635%
- 2 of 631%This center
- 3 of 612%
- 4 of 66%
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.
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
8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Schedule
- Schedule
- Full-day and half-day (8 am to 3 pm or 8 am to 6 pm)
Details
- Phone
- (650) 401-8368
- Address
- 178 South Boulevard, San Mateo, 94402
- License
- 414004238
We couldn’t find some information that may matter to your decision: openings, child care subsidies, cost, teaching approach, 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.
State record
From California CDSS Community Care Licensing’s published reports, last checked November 5, 2026.
A day here
- Hours, Schedule — Checked July 2026 universeofcolors.org/preschool-1.html
Details
- Phone, Address, License — Checked July 2026 ccld.dss.ca.gov
- Website — Checked July 2026 universeofcolors.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.