Orfalea Children's Center Lab School at Ahc · Preschool, Santa Maria
Orfalea Children's Center Lab School at Ahc is a licensed child care center in Santa Maria, CA, licensed for up to 78 children and serving preschool-age children. It has held its California license since 1991. Since February 2021, state licensing staff have inspected it twice and investigated 2 complaints, none of them substantiated. No visit in that period produced a citation, which puts it among the 34% of ranked California centers with no citations. Measured by weighted citations per inspection, it is tied for #1 of 26 centers in Santa Maria and is tied for the best record statewide (no citations).
Inspection record
Every state visit
Citations, newest first
Complaint investigations
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About this center
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Common questions
Does Orfalea Children's Center Lab School at Ahc take infants?
Not under this license, which covers preschool-age children. An infant center is licensed separately at the same address (listed below).
Has Orfalea Children's Center Lab School at Ahc had any serious violations?
No Type A citations since 2021.
Have there been complaints about Orfalea Children's Center Lab School at Ahc?
California investigated 2 complaints since 2021 and substantiated 0. Allegations are shown only for substantiated complaints.
How does Orfalea Children's Center Lab School at Ahc compare with other daycares in Santa Maria?
It is tied for #1 of 26 centers in Santa Maria by weighted citations per inspection, and is tied for the best record statewide (no citations).
When was Orfalea Children's Center Lab School at Ahc last inspected?
May 23, 2025. No citations were issued during that visit.
How much does Orfalea Children's Center Lab School at Ahc cost?
California does not publish individual centers’ prices, so ask Orfalea Children's Center Lab School at Ahc for its current tuition. For comparison, the median full-time price at licensed centers in Santa Barbara County, which includes Santa Maria, was $1,099 a month for preschoolers (about $1,390 today) in the state’s 2021 Regional Market Rate Survey.
Who runs Orfalea Children's Center Lab School at Ahc?
The licensee is Allan Hancock College, and the administrator listed with the state is Maria Suarez.
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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 421711023 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.