Mitchell Head Start
Mitchell Head Start is a licensed child care center in Atwater, CA, licensed for up to 20 children and serving preschool-age children. It has held its California license since 2006. Since February 2021, state licensing staff have inspected it 4 times. The state issued 5 citations, 0 of them Type A (the most serious), most often for building & playground safety (3 of 5). None came in the last 12 months. Measured by weighted citations per inspection, it is tied for #11 of 16 centers in Atwater and better than 30% of licensed centers statewide.
Inspection record
Every state visit
What inspectors cited most
Citations, newest first
Facility representative was informed of the childcare training videos available on the Community Care Licensing (CCL) website at www.ccld.ca.gov, regarding Children’s Personal Rights in Child Care Center and the Health and Safety Training. Facility representative agrees that she will train all the staff by using the video resources. Facility representative will submit written proof of attendees and date of the training to Licensing Office-Fresno by 04/12/2024. During the outdoor inspection, LPAs observation the licensee did not comply with the section cited above. LPAs observed the sensory table, two children kitchen aides, and the sand box cover collected rained water, wet sands, and dried leave that is unsafe and unsanitized to the children in care. This deficiency was previously addressed; however, LPAs observed that it is still poses a potential health, safety, or personal rights risk to children in care.
Based on observation, the licensee did not comply with the section cited above. The following deficiencies: the exterior wall panels of the shed were tearing apart in the bottom of the shed; the children wooded outdoor play kitchen have 4 black widow spiders, bird drops and dried debris on the sidewalk cement, and multiple trash empty chip bags on the side of the fence. This poses a potential health, safety, or personal rights risk to children in care.
Based record review, the licensee did not comply with the section cited above. Staff #5 (S5) is the site supervisor since 02/02/2023, but licensee failed to report the change of Director to the Department within 10 days. This potential health, safety, or personal rights risk to children in care.
Based on observation, the licensee did not comply with the section cited above. Per facility Representative Staff 1 (S1), the sink(s) and faucet(s) in the facility have been tested but she did not have proof of the testing which poses a potential health, safety, or personal rights risk to persons in care.
Based on observation, the licensee did not comply with the section cited above. During the indoor inspection, LPA did not observe licensee posted the initial testing results of the water tested for lead contamination levels. Facility Representative Staff 1 (S1) stated the facility conducted the water for lead testing, but she did not have the result report. S1 had a copy of the parents’ notification so she immediately posted the parents notification of water testing for lead in the facility but not the water tested results as she did not have in the facility which poses a potential health, safety or personal rights risk to persons in care.
About this center
Common questions
Does Mitchell Head Start take infants?
Not under this license, which covers preschool-age children.
Has Mitchell Head Start had any serious violations?
No Type A citations since 2021. It has 5 Type B citations, listed above.
How does Mitchell Head Start compare with other daycares in Atwater?
It is tied for #11 of 16 centers in Atwater by weighted citations per inspection, and is better than 30% of licensed centers statewide (out of 10,948 California centers with enough inspection history).
When was Mitchell Head Start last inspected?
Apr 27, 2026. No citations were issued during that visit.
How much does Mitchell Head Start cost?
California does not publish individual centers’ prices, so ask Mitchell Head Start for its current tuition. For comparison, the median full-time price at licensed centers in Merced County, which includes Atwater, was $730 a month for preschoolers (about $920 today) in the state’s 2021 Regional Market Rate Survey.
Who runs Mitchell Head Start?
The licensee is Merced Co. Office Of Education Regional Head Start, and the administrator listed with the state is Payal Nunes.
Licensed centers nearby
1801 Winton Way, Atwater · 0.2 mi away · 45 spotsMore citations than mostAileen Colburn Preschool
2201 Heller Avenue, Atwater · 0.3 mi away · 25 spotsAbout typicalFruitland Christian Preschool
2100 Fruitland Avenue, Atwater · 0.8 mi away · 72 spotsNo citationsFruitland Christian Preschool
2100 Fruitland Ave., Atwater · 0.8 mi away · 80 spotsNo citationsFruitland Christian Preschool
2100 Fruitland Avenue, Atwater · 0.8 mi away · 20 spotsNo citationsShaffer Preschool
1434 California Street, Atwater · 0.9 mi away · 24 spotsAbout typical
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 243808275 on the California Care Facility Search. Data refreshed Oct 2, 2026.