Ability First
Ability First is a licensed child care center in Pasadena, CA, licensed for up to 47 children and serving school-age children. It has held its California license since 1987. Since February 2021, state licensing staff have inspected it 3 times. No visit in that period produced a citation, which puts it among the 34% of ranked California centers with no citations. Measured by weighted citations per inspection, it is tied for #1 of 69 centers in Pasadena and is tied for the best record statewide (no citations).
Inspection record
Every state visit
Citations, newest first
About this center
Common questions
Does Ability First take infants?
Not under this license, which covers school-age children.
Has Ability First had any serious violations?
No Type A citations since 2021.
How does Ability First compare with other daycares in Pasadena?
It is tied for #1 of 69 centers in Pasadena by weighted citations per inspection, and is tied for the best record statewide (no citations).
When was Ability First last inspected?
Jun 11, 2026. No citations were issued during that visit.
How much does Ability First cost?
California does not publish individual centers’ prices, so ask Ability First for its current tuition. For comparison, the median full-time price at licensed centers in Los Angeles County, which includes Pasadena, was $821 a month for school-age children (about $1,040 today) in the state’s 2021 Regional Market Rate Survey.
Who runs Ability First?
The licensee is Ability First, and the administrator listed with the state is Michael Barkyoumb.
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Citations are quoted from California Department of Social Services inspection and complaint reports. Type A citations are the state’s most serious category (an immediate risk to children’s health, safety or personal rights); Type B citations are a potential risk. A citation is a finding about one rule, not a judgment about a center overall. Complaint allegations appear here only when the state substantiated them.
To read the full state reports, search facility number 191223376 on the California Care Facility Search. Data refreshed Oct 2, 2026.