Castles Preschool (Infant)
Castles Preschool (Infant) is a licensed child care center in Chico, CA, licensed for up to 14 children and serving infants and toddlers. It has held its California license since 2009. Since February 2021, state licensing staff have inspected it 5 times and investigated 9 complaints, 2 of them substantiated. The state issued 6 citations, 0 of them Type A (the most serious), most often for staff ratios (2 of 6). 2 citations came in the last 12 months. Measured by weighted citations per inspection, it is tied for #28 of 47 centers in Chico and has more citations per inspection than 68% of California licensed centers.
Inspection record
Every state visit
What inspectors cited most
Citations, newest first
Director has adjusted the schedule to meet the needs of the infants in care. Director agrees to speak to all staff regarding ratio and is committed to ensuring the facility operates within licensing capacity and ratio requirements. Director will have each staff sign commitment and return to LPA by 9/8/26. Director admitted that the facility operated out of ratio for approximately 20 minutes on with 5 infants to one staff on 8/25/26 & 6 infants to one staff on 8/26/26. This poses an immediate health, safety, or personal rights risk to persons in care.
Based on record review, the licensee did not comply with the section cited above in one (C6) out of six children's files reviewed missing a physician's report which poses/posed a potential health, safety or personal rights risk to persons in care.
Based on record review, the licensee did not comply with the section cited above in four out of six infants (C3-C6) in care are missing the individual infant sleep plan on file which poses a potential health, safety or personal rights risk to persons in care.
Based on record review, the licensee did not comply with the section cited above in C3 missing updated immunization record and C4 has no immunizations on file which poses a potential health, safety or personal rights risk to persons in care.
Based on interviews the facility representative admitted children have been taken from the infant license to the preschool license. This poses an immediate health, safety, or personal rights risk to persons in care.
Swings, playpens and all such equipment and furniture shall be assembled or installed according to the manufacturer's instructions, and shall be maintained in good repair and safe condition. Facility has repaired the missing straps and will write statement agreeing to use the table chair straps while infants are in care. This regulation was not met as evidence by: It was determined that the facility's infant table chairs were missing straps and that the infants were not being strapped in when placed in the table chairs. 8
Complaint investigations
Staff are operating out of ratio.
Staff is commingling infants with preschool age children
How often are complaints about daycares in California substantiated? See the county-by-county report →
About this center
Other licenses at this address
Common questions
Does Castles Preschool (Infant) take infants?
Yes. It is licensed by California as an infant center.
Has Castles Preschool (Infant) had any serious violations?
No Type A citations since 2021. It has 6 Type B citations, listed above.
Have there been complaints about Castles Preschool (Infant)?
California investigated 9 complaints since 2021 and substantiated 2. Allegations are shown only for substantiated complaints.
How does Castles Preschool (Infant) compare with other daycares in Chico?
It is tied for #28 of 47 centers in Chico by weighted citations per inspection, and has more citations per inspection than 68% of California licensed centers with enough inspection history to compare.
When was Castles Preschool (Infant) last inspected?
Apr 6, 2026. The state issued at least one citation during that visit.
How much does Castles Preschool (Infant) cost?
California does not publish individual centers’ prices, so ask Castles Preschool (Infant) for its current tuition. For comparison, the median full-time price at licensed centers in Butte County, which includes Chico, was $1,105 a month for infants (about $1,390 today) in the state’s 2021 Regional Market Rate Survey.
Who runs Castles Preschool (Infant)?
The licensee is Nathan Smith, and the administrator listed with the state is Chelsey Bleeke.
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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 045405611 on the California Care Facility Search. Data refreshed Oct 3, 2026.