Daycare RecordChild care inspection records

Creative Minds Early Learning Center

973 Palmetto Ave. Suite 1 & 2, Chico, CA 95926 · Butte County
3 substantiated complaintsChild care center (preschool)

Creative Minds Early Learning Center is a licensed child care center in Chico, CA, licensed for up to 30 children and serving preschool-age children. It has held its California license since 2019. Since February 2021, state licensing staff have inspected it 4 times and investigated 4 complaints, 3 of them substantiated. The state issued 7 citations, 4 of them Type A (the most serious), most often for building & playground safety (2 of 7). None came in the last 12 months. Measured by weighted citations per inspection, it is #44 of 47 centers in Chico and better than 7% of licensed centers statewide.

Inspection record

Better than 7%of 10,948 California licensed centers, comparing weighted citations per inspection. Among the most cited
#44 of 47 centers in Chico
4Type A citations
3Type B citations
4Inspections
3 of 4Complaints substantiated
7 citations from 11 state visits since Feb 8, 2021 · 0 in the last 12 months · last inspected Aug 13, 2026

Every state visit

20222023202420252026INSPECTIONS (top) · REPORTS & INVESTIGATIONS (bottom)Aug 13, 2026 · Inspection · no citationSep 23, 2025 · Report/investigation · no citationAug 28, 2025 · Report/investigation · citation foundAug 28, 2025 · Report/investigation · citation foundJun 2, 2025 · Inspection · no citationJun 12, 2024 · Report/investigation · citation foundJun 12, 2024 · Inspection · no citationApr 4, 2024 · Report/investigation · citation foundMay 15, 2023 · Inspection · no citationOct 26, 2022 · Report/investigation · citation foundSep 30, 2021 · Report/investigation · no citation
Citation issuedNo citationTop row: inspections · bottom row: complaint investigations and other visits

What inspectors cited most

Building & playground safety2
Records & paperwork2
Supervision1
Caregiver conduct1
Health & medication1

Citations, newest first

Type AAug 28, 2025Complaint investigationBuilding & playground safety
Buildings and grounds §101238(g)
(g) Disinfectants, cleaning solutions, poisons and other items that could pose a danger if readily available to children shall be stored where inaccessible to children. Licensee to read and acknowledge regulations pertaining to storing of hazardous material. Licensee to submit statement of understanding to CCL by 8/29/25. erica.laird@dss.ca.gov Based on interviews and documentation the licensee did not comply with the section cited above in 1 incident, which poses an immediate health, safety or personal rights risk to children in care. 8
Plan of correction due Aug 29, 2025
Type AAug 28, 2025Complaint investigationSupervision
Care and supervision §101229(a)(1)
(a) The licensee shall provide care and supervision as necessary to meet the children's needs. (1)No child(ren) shall be left without the supervision of a teacher at any time, except as specified in Sections 101216.2(e)(1) and 101230(c)(1). Supervision shall include visual observation. This requirement was not met as evidence by: 1 Licensee to provide staff meeting agenda from 8/1/25 addressing supervision to CCL by 8/29/25. erica.laird@dss.ca.gov Based on interviews the licensee did not comply with the section cited above in 1 incident, which poses an immediate health, safety or personal rights risk to children in care. 8
Plan of correction due Aug 29, 2025
Type BAug 28, 2025Complaint investigationRecords & paperwork
Reporting requirements §101212(d)(C)
(d) Upon the occurrence, during the operation of the child care center of any of the events specified in (d)(1) below, a report shall be made to the Department by telephone or fax within the Department's next working day and during its normal business hours. In addition, a written report containing the information specified in (d)(2) below shall be submitted to the Department within seven days following the occurrence of such event. (C) Any unusual incident or child absence that threatens the physical or emotional health or safety of any child. 1 Licensee to read and acknowledge regulations pertaining to reporting requirements. Licensee to submit statement of understanding to CCL by 9/26/25. erica.laird@dss.ca.gov Based on interviews and documentation the licensee did not comply with the section cited above in 2 incidents, which poses a potential health, safety or personal rights risk to children in care.
Plan of correction due Sep 26, 2025
Type AJun 12, 2024Complaint investigationCaregiver conduct
Personal rights §101223(a)(2)
(a) The licensee shall ensure that each child is accorded the following personal rights: (2) To be accorded safe, healthful and comfortable accommodations, furnishings and equipment to meet his/her needs. This requirement was not met as evidence by: 1 The facility no longer allows homemade food in the facility. All food brought into the facility must be store-bought with an unaltered ingredients label. Facility to conduct a staff meeting to discuss food safety. Agenda and staff attendance sheet to be sent to CCL by 6/14/23. Based on interviews and documents obtained, the licensee did not comply with the section cited above, which poses an immediate health, safety or personal rights risk to children in care. 8 erica.laird@dss.ca.gov
Plan of correction due Jun 12, 2024
Type BJun 12, 2024Complaint investigationRecords & paperwork
Reporting requirements §101212(d)(1)(c)
(d) Upon the occurrence, during the operation of the child care center of any of the events specified in (d)(1) below, a report shall be made to the Department by telephone or fax within the Department's next working day and during its normal business hours. In addition, a written report containing the information specified in (d)(2) below shall be submitted to the Department within seven days following the occurrence of such event. (C) Any unusual incident or child absence that threatens the physical or emotional health or safety of any child. This regulation was not met as evidence by: 1 Facility to conduct a staff meeting to discuss licensing reporting requirements. Agenda and staff attendance sheet to be sent to CCL by 7/12/24. erica.laird@dss.ca.gov Based on interviews and documents obtained, the licensee did not comply with the section cited above, which poses a potential health, safety or personal rights risk to children in care. 8
Plan of correction due Jun 12, 2024
Type AApr 4, 2024Case management visit (incident)Health & medication
Health and Safety for Day Care Centers §1596.99(c)(3)(c)
Based on interviews and observation, C1 was left unsupervised for approximately 4 minutes, which poses an immediate health and safety risk to children in care. 8 agenda and signatures to be submitted to CCL by 4/8/24. erica.laird@dss.ca.gov
Plan of correction due Apr 4, 2024
Type BOct 26, 2022Case management visit (deficiencies)Building & playground safety
Lead in drinking water §101700.3(b)(1)
Based on record review, the facility had 1 playground faucet(s) with lead test results at or exceeding 5.5 ppb of lead in the water. This is a potential health and safety risk to children in care.
Plan of correction due Oct 26, 2022

Complaint investigations

SubstantiatedAug 28, 2025Complaint investigationreceived Jun 20, 2025
Substantiated allegations:
Staff did not prevent day care child(ren) from having access to a hazardous material.
Staff are not following reporting requirements as necessary.
2 citations issued during this investigation, listed under Citations.
SubstantiatedAug 28, 2025Complaint investigationreceived Jun 30, 2025
Substantiated allegation:
Lack of Supervision
1 citation issued during this investigation, listed under Citations.
SubstantiatedJun 12, 2024Complaint investigationreceived Apr 12, 2024
Substantiated allegations:
Staff did not follow child's feeding plan
Staff did not report incidents to appropriate parties
2 citations issued during this investigation, listed under Citations.
Not substantiatedSep 30, 2021Complaint investigationreceived Aug 11, 2021
The state did not substantiate this complaint, so its allegations are not shown.

About this center

Licensed capacity30 children
License typeChild care center (preschool)
License statusLicensed
Licensed sinceSep 5, 2019
LicenseeCreative Minds Early Learning Center, INC.
AdministratorHeather Lingemann
Phone(530) 636-4206
State facility #045407592

Common questions

Does Creative Minds Early Learning Center take infants?

Not under this license, which covers preschool-age children.

Has Creative Minds Early Learning Center had any serious violations?

California issued 4 Type A citations since 2021, its most serious category. The most recent was on Aug 28, 2025, for buildings and grounds. Each citation is listed in full above.

Have there been complaints about Creative Minds Early Learning Center?

California investigated 4 complaints since 2021 and substantiated 3. Allegations are shown only for substantiated complaints.

How does Creative Minds Early Learning Center compare with other daycares in Chico?

It is #44 of 47 centers in Chico by weighted citations per inspection, and is better than 7% of licensed centers statewide (out of 10,948 California centers with enough inspection history).

When was Creative Minds Early Learning Center last inspected?

Aug 13, 2026. No citations were issued during that visit.

How much does Creative Minds Early Learning Center cost?

California does not publish individual centers’ prices, so ask Creative Minds Early Learning Center for its current tuition. For comparison, the median full-time price at licensed centers in Butte County, which includes Chico, was $695 a month for preschoolers (about $880 today) in the state’s 2021 Regional Market Rate Survey.

Who runs Creative Minds Early Learning Center?

The licensee is Creative Minds Early Learning Center, INC., and the administrator listed with the state is Heather Lingemann.

Licensed centers nearby

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 045407592 on the California Care Facility Search. Data refreshed Oct 2, 2026.