Daycare RecordChild care inspection records

Faller State Preschool

1500 West Upjohn, Ridgecrest, CA 93555 · Kern County
Child care center (preschool)

Faller State Preschool is a licensed child care center in Ridgecrest, CA, licensed for up to 24 children and serving preschool-age children. It has held its California license since 2009. Since February 2021, state licensing staff have inspected it 3 times and investigated 1 complaint, 0 of them substantiated. The state issued 4 citations, 2 of them Type A (the most serious), most often for background checks (1 of 4). None came in the last 12 months. Measured by weighted citations per inspection, it is #10 of 11 centers in Ridgecrest and has more citations per inspection than 87% of California licensed centers.

Inspection record

More citations than 87%of 10,948 California licensed centers, per inspection, weighted by severity. Among the most cited
#10 of 11 centers in Ridgecrest
2Type A citations
2Type B citations
3Inspections
0 of 1Complaints substantiated
4 citations from 8 state visits since Feb 8, 2021 · 0 in the last 12 months · last inspected Nov 3, 2025

Every state visit

20222023202420252026INSPECTIONS (top) · REPORTS & INVESTIGATIONS (bottom)Nov 3, 2025 · Inspection · no citationMar 6, 2024 · Inspection · no citationFeb 22, 2024 · Report/investigation · no citationJan 31, 2024 · Report/investigation · no citationOct 30, 2023 · Report/investigation · no citationApr 27, 2023 · Inspection · citation foundApr 13, 2022 · Report/investigation · no citationApr 13, 2022 · Report/investigation · citation found
Citation issuedNo citationTop row: inspections · bottom row: complaint investigations and other visits

What inspectors cited most

Background checks1
Building & playground safety1
Caregiver conduct1
Records & paperwork1

Citations, newest first

Type AApr 27, 2023InspectionBackground checks
Criminal record clearance §101170(e)(1)
Based on observation, interview, and record review, the Licensee did not comply with the section cited above by not having Staff 1 have an eligible criminal record clearance prior to starting employment which poses an immediate health, safety or personal rights risk to persons in care.
Plan of correction due Apr 28, 2023
Type BApr 27, 2023InspectionBuilding & playground safety
Lead testing of drinking water §1597.16(a)(1)
Based on observation, interview, and record review, the Licensee did not comply with the section cited above as the Program Director disclosed that the lead testing has not been completed since 2019 for the facility which poses a potential health, safety or personal rights risk to persons in care.
Plan of correction due May 11, 2023
Type AApr 13, 2022Case management visit (deficiencies)Caregiver conduct
Personal rights §101223(a)(3)
101223 Personal Rights (a) The licensee shall ensure that each child is accorded the following personal rights: (3) To be free from corporal or unusual punishment. This requirement was not met as evidence by: 1 Director issued staff a written reprimand and staff no longer works for facility. Director agreed to have staff watch Personal Rights video on https://ccld.childcarevideo.org/child-care-center-operators/chldrens-personal-rights-in-child-care/ Based on interview and record review, facility staff hit the hand of Child 1, which poses an immediate Health and Safety risk to children in care. 8 and submit signatures after watching video no later than 4/14/2022.
Plan of correction due Apr 14, 2022
Type BApr 13, 2022Case management visit (deficiencies)Records & paperwork
Reporting requirements §101212(d)
101212 Reporting Requirements (d) ...A report shall be made to the Department by telephone or fax within the Department's next working day... In addition, a written report ... shall be submitted to the Department within seven days following the occurrence of such event. This requirement was not met as evidence by: 1 Director agreed to submit an incident report on the Unusual Incident Report (LIC624) to the Department no later than 4/20/2022. Based on interview and record review, Director failed to submit an incident report to the Department within the time frame specified in the regulation, which poses a potential Health and Safety risk to children in care. 8
Plan of correction due Apr 20, 2022

Complaint investigations

Not substantiatedApr 13, 2022Complaint investigationreceived Feb 11, 2022
The state did not substantiate this complaint, so its allegations are not shown.

About this center

Licensed capacity24 children
License typeChild care center (preschool)
License statusLicensed
Licensed sinceNov 5, 2009
LicenseeSierra Sands U.s.d./High Desert Leapin Lizards INC
AdministratorMichelle A Armstrong
Phone(760) 499-1694
State facility #153808551

Common questions

Does Faller State Preschool take infants?

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

Has Faller State Preschool had any serious violations?

California issued 2 Type A citations since 2021, its most serious category. The most recent was on Apr 27, 2023, for criminal record clearance. Each citation is listed in full above.

Have there been complaints about Faller State Preschool?

California investigated 1 complaint since 2021 and substantiated 0. Allegations are shown only for substantiated complaints.

How does Faller State Preschool compare with other daycares in Ridgecrest?

It is #10 of 11 centers in Ridgecrest by weighted citations per inspection, and has more citations per inspection than 87% of California licensed centers with enough inspection history to compare.

When was Faller State Preschool last inspected?

Nov 3, 2025. No citations were issued during that visit.

How much does Faller State Preschool cost?

California does not publish individual centers’ prices, so ask Faller State Preschool for its current tuition. For comparison, the median full-time price at licensed centers in Kern County, which includes Ridgecrest, was $837 a month for preschoolers (about $1,060 today) in the state’s 2021 Regional Market Rate Survey.

Who runs Faller State Preschool?

The licensee is Sierra Sands U.s.d./High Desert Leapin Lizards INC, and the administrator listed with the state is Michelle A Armstrong.

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 153808551 on the California Care Facility Search. Data refreshed Oct 2, 2026.