Ellen Thacher Children's Center
Ellen Thacher Children's Center is a licensed child care center in Palo Alto, CA, licensed for up to 28 children and serving preschool-age children. It has held its California license since 1997. Since February 2021, state licensing staff have inspected it 5 times and investigated 2 complaints, none of them substantiated. The state issued 1 citation, which was not Type A. It came in the last 12 months. Measured by weighted citations per inspection, it is tied for #23 of 56 centers in Palo Alto and has fewer citations per inspection than 65% of California licensed centers.
Inspection record
Every state visit
What inspectors cited most
Citations, newest first
Based on admission, interviews conducted and review or records/incident reports, staff did not provide a incident report to the child's parent/representative, which poses an potential health and safety risk to children in care.
Complaint investigations
How often are complaints about daycares in Santa Clara County substantiated? See the county-by-county report →
About this center
Common questions
Does Ellen Thacher Children's Center take infants?
Not under this license, which covers preschool-age children.
Has Ellen Thacher Children's Center had any serious violations?
No Type A citations since 2021. It has 1 Type B citation, listed above.
Have there been complaints about Ellen Thacher Children's Center?
California investigated 2 complaints since 2021 and substantiated 0. Allegations are shown only for substantiated complaints.
How does Ellen Thacher Children's Center compare with other daycares in Palo Alto?
It is tied for #23 of 56 centers in Palo Alto by weighted citations per inspection, and has fewer citations per inspection than 65% of California licensed centers with enough inspection history to compare.
When was Ellen Thacher Children's Center last inspected?
Mar 5, 2026. No citations were issued during that visit.
How much does Ellen Thacher Children's Center cost?
California does not publish individual centers’ prices, so ask Ellen Thacher Children's Center for its current tuition. For comparison, the median full-time price at licensed centers in Santa Clara County, which includes Palo Alto, was $1,599 a month for preschoolers (about $2,020 today) in the state’s 2021 Regional Market Rate Survey.
Who runs Ellen Thacher Children's Center?
The licensee is Palo Alto Community Child Care, and the administrator listed with the state is David Atkins.
Licensed centers nearby
445 East Charleston Road, Palo Alto · under 0.1 mi away · 60 spots About typical The Children's Pre-school Center
4000 Middlefield Road T-1, Palo Alto · 0.2 mi away · 112 spots Among the most cited The Children's Pre-school Center
4000 Middlefield Road T-1, Palo Alto · 0.2 mi away · 45 spots More citations than most Challenger School-middlefield
3880 Middlefield Rd, Palo Alto · 0.3 mi away · 198 spots No citations Learning Links Palo Alto
3864 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto · 0.3 mi away · 74 spots Too few inspections to compare Montessori School of Los Altos
303 Parkside Drive, Palo Alto · 0.3 mi away · 48 spots More citations than most
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 434400381 on the California Care Facility Search. Data refreshed Oct 3, 2026.
Comparing centers? See how to choose a daycare: 30 questions to ask and a printable checklist.