ZIP 98118 · Licensed center
Mars Ela
At a glance
- Medium center, licensed for 53 children.
- Hours 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., 5 days a week.
From their website, read September 2026:
“Our infant room is licensed for up to 8 infants with a 1:4 teacher-child ratio.”
“We have two toddler rooms that are both licensed for 7 toddlers with a 1:7 teacher-to-child ratio.”
The state’s rule
Washington sets the most children one adult may care for by age, and the largest group size, in WAC 110-300-0356(5).
Infants (birth through 11 months): one adult for every four.
Toddlers (12 through 29 months): one adult for every seven.
Preschoolers (30 months through 6 years, not in kindergarten): one adult for every ten.
School-age children: one adult for every fifteen.
What to know
The license is the range the state allows. It does not say which ages have openings.
What the state has found
Someone reported a concern to the state, and in September 2024 the state found it valid. The state also cited rules at 3 of its 4 licensing inspections since November 2022.
See each inspection and complaint
Complaints the state found valid
Received Jun 20, 2024Valid complaintresolved Sep 2, 2024
Of the 207 Seattle-area centers licensed for 41 to 70 children, 163 (79%) have no valid complaint in the last three years; 44 (21%) have one or more, as this center does.
How all 207 similar-size centers compare
Of the 207 Seattle-area centers licensed for 41 to 70 children, how many valid complaints each had in the last three years:
- None79%
- One or more21%This center
Licensing inspections
- Feb 27, 2026Nothing cited
Sep 18, 20242 citations
Handwashing and hand sanitizerShort Term. Fix within 10 business days. Rechecked within 15.
“Licensor observed teacher to change a diaper and not wash hands after or use wipe.”
WAC 110-300-0200(4)
Handwashing and hand sanitizerShort Term. Fix within 10 business days. Rechecked within 15.
“Licensor observed teacher to not wash a child's hands after diapering them.”
WAC 110-300-0200(4)
Oct 3, 20232 citations
Infant safe sleep practicesSerious. Fix within 5 business days. The licensor rechecks within 10.
“The licensor observed the lighting to be too low in the infant room and discussed ways to increase lighting at naptime.”
WAC 110-300-0291(1)(d)
Training requirementsShort Term. Fix within 10 business days. Rechecked within 15.
“Licensor observed 4 staff members to not have completed the 30 hour child care basics training. 0106 (8) - Licensor observed one staff member to be missing the safe sleep training.”
WAC 110-300-0106(3), WAC 110-300-0106(8)
Nov 15, 20221 citation
Preservice requirementsSerious. Fix within 5 business days. The licensor rechecks within 10.
“R.R. needs cleared background check”
WAC 110-300-0105(2)
The state cited rules at 3 of this center's 4 inspections. Seattle-area centers inspected 4 times split about evenly: about a third had fewer, a third the same, and a third more (272 centers).
How all 272 Seattle-area centers inspected 4 times compare
Of the 272 Seattle-area centers the state inspected 4 times, how many of those inspections cited a rule:
- None7%
- 1 of 415%
- 2 of 417%
- 3 of 433%This center
- All 429%
Read every record and the state’s reports
State record — Washington DCYF
- Last visit
- February 27, 2026
- On file
- 4 visits since November 2022 — 1 cited nothing · 1 complaint investigation
- Most serious
- Serious —
The licensor observed the lighting to be too low in the infant room and discussed ways to increase lighting at naptime.
· October 3, 2023
Washington DCYF publishes each citation in the licensor’s own words, with a risk level.
Sep 2024 Licensing visit 2 findings
Licensing visit · September 18, 2024
Handwashing and hand sanitizer
WAC 110-300-0200(4) · Short Term
Licensor observed teacher to change a diaper and not wash hands after or use wipe.
Handwashing and hand sanitizer
WAC 110-300-0200(4) · Short Term
Licensor observed teacher to not wash a child's hands after diapering them.
Jun 2024 Complaint 4 valid issues
Complaint · Received June 20, 2024 · Resolved September 2, 2024
Oct 2023 Licensing visit 2 findings
Licensing visit · October 3, 2023
WAC 110-300-0291(1)(d) · Serious · No longer on the state’s site as of October 15, 2026
The licensor observed the lighting to be too low in the infant room and discussed ways to increase lighting at naptime.
WAC 110-300-0106(3) / 110-300-0106(8) · Short Term · No longer on the state’s site as of October 15, 2026
0106(3)-Licensor observed 4 staff members to not have completed the 30 hour child care basics training. 0106 (8) - Licensor observed one staff member to be missing the safe sleep training.
Nov 2022 Licensing visit 1 finding
Licensing visit · November 15, 2022
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.
What it costs
We couldn’t find it, so if you know, please share. We’ll publish it and work to confirm it with the provider directly too.
A day here
7 a.m. to 6 p.m., 5 days a week
Meals, outdoors, sleep and one more
- Meals
- Meals and snacks follow USDA guidelines; food brought in by children must also meet USDA standards
- Outdoors
- Daily outdoor playtime, weather permitting
- Sleep
- Rest time is part of the daily schedule
- Updates for parents
- Scheduled one-on-one family conferences with the classroom team (30 minutes for infant, 60 minutes for other rooms)
Who cares for your child
Tracey Delgardo, 30 years in early childhood.
Policies
- Enrollment
- Maintains a waitlist; families are contacted in the order they joined when a spot opens
Details
- Phone
- (206) 397-3764
- Address
- 9400 Rainier Ave S. Ste B,c,d,e, G(office) /on The Ground Floor Of Polaris At Rainier Beach Affordable Housing Complex, 98118
- License
- PL-82500
- Quality program
- Early Achievers Enrolled
We couldn’t find some information that may matter to your decision: openings, Working Connections subsidy, cost, teaching approach and who owns it. 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 September 2026 marsearlylearningacademy.org
Who cares for your child
State record
From Washington DCYF’s published reports, last checked November 3, 2026.
Washington’s four risk levels, highest first: Immediate, Serious, Short Term, Long Term. Deadlines from DCYF procedure PRO 10.1.21.
Ages
A day here
- Meals, Sleep, Updates for parents — Checked September 2026 marsearlylearningacademy.org
- Outdoors — Checked July 2026 marsearlylearningacademy.org
- Hours — Checked July 2026 marsearlylearningacademy.org
Policies
- Enrollment — Checked August 2026 marsearlylearningacademy.org
Details
- Phone, Ages on the license — Checked September 2026 findchildcarewa.org
- Website — Checked July 2026 marsearlylearningacademy.org
- Address, License — Checked June 2026 data.wa.gov
- Quality program — Checked April 2026 data.wa.gov
- Ages they serve — Checked September 2026 marsearlylearningacademy.org
Medium means the middle half of Seattle-area’s 855 licensed centers by state-licensed capacity: 41 to 115 children. Small is 6 to 40; large is 116 to 323.
The ages on the license are what the state licenses it to care for, which can be wider than the ages it takes.