Playhouse School

18213 Prairie Avenue, Torrance, CA 90504 · Los Angeles County

1 substantiated complaintChild care center (preschool)

Playhouse School is a licensed child care center in Torrance, CA, licensed for up to 90 children and serving preschool-age children. It has held its California license since 1993. Since February 2021, state licensing staff have inspected it 2 times and investigated 4 complaints, 1 of them substantiated. The state issued 1 citation, 1 of them Type A (the most serious). None came in the last 12 months. Measured by weighted citations per inspection, it is tied for #24 of 41 centers in Torrance and has more citations per inspection than 73% of California licensed centers.

Inspection record

More citations than 73%of 10,948 California licensed centers, per inspection, weighted by severity. More citations than most

Tied for #24 of 41 centers in Torrance

1Type A citations

0Type B citations

2Inspections

1 of 4Complaints substantiated

1 citation from 6 state visits since Feb 8, 2021 · 0 in the last 12 months · last inspected Oct 10, 2023

Every state visit

Citation issuedNo citationTop row: inspections · bottom row: complaint investigations and other visits

What inspectors cited most

Caregiver conduct1

Citations, newest first

Type AMay 24, 2023Complaint investigationCaregiver conduct

Personal rights §101223(a)(3)

101223Personal Rights(a)The licensee shall ensure that each child is accorded the following personal rights: (3)To be free from corporal or unusual punishment, infliction of pain, humiliation, intimidation, ridicule, coercion, threat, mental abuse or other actions of a punitive nature including but not... 1 Director will schedule a training for all staff and watch a video regarding Personal Rights. Director will write a declaration stating their understanding of personal rights and send to LPA by POC date. This requirement is not met as evidence by: During staff interviews, S1 disclosed that she tap C1 hand to prevent her from pulling up the carpet tiles in the classroom, which poses an immediate health, safety or personal rights risk to persons in care. 8

Plan of correction due May 26, 2023

Complaint investigations

Not substantiatedNov 26, 2024Complaint investigationreceived Oct 2, 2024

The state did not substantiate this complaint, so its allegations are not shown.

Not substantiatedOct 10, 2023Complaint investigationreceived Jun 30, 2023

The state did not substantiate this complaint, so its allegations are not shown.

Not substantiatedOct 10, 2023Complaint investigationreceived Jun 30, 2023

The state did not substantiate this complaint, so its allegations are not shown.

SubstantiatedMay 24, 2023Complaint investigationreceived May 19, 2023

Substantiated allegation:

Allegation: Personal Rights - Facility staff hit day care child.

1 citation issued during this investigation, listed under Citations.

About this center

Licensed capacity90 children

License typeChild care center (preschool)

License statusLicensed

Licensed sinceOct 25, 1993

LicenseeABC Playhouse, INC

AdministratorNathalie Amezcua

Phone(310) 371-1231

State facility #191602180

Common questions

Does Playhouse School take infants?

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

Has Playhouse School had any serious violations?

California issued 1 Type A citation since 2021, its most serious category. The most recent was on May 24, 2023, for personal rights. Each citation is listed in full above.

Have there been complaints about Playhouse School?

California investigated 4 complaints since 2021 and substantiated 1. Allegations are shown only for substantiated complaints.

How does Playhouse School compare with other daycares in Torrance?

It is tied for #24 of 41 centers in Torrance by weighted citations per inspection, and has more citations per inspection than 73% of California licensed centers with enough inspection history to compare.

When was Playhouse School last inspected?

Oct 10, 2023. No citations were issued during that visit.

How much does Playhouse School cost?

California does not publish individual centers’ prices, so ask Playhouse School for its current tuition. For comparison, the median full-time price at licensed centers in Los Angeles County, which includes Torrance, was $1,087 a month for preschoolers (about $1,370 today) in the state’s 2021 Regional Market Rate Survey.

Who runs Playhouse School?

The licensee is ABC Playhouse, INC, and the administrator listed with the state is Nathalie Amezcua.

Licensed centers nearby

Montessori Of Torrance Infant
18015 Prairie Ave, Torrance · 0.1 mi away · 30 spotsNo citations Montessori Of Torrance Preschool
18015 Prairie Ave, Torrance · 0.1 mi away · 38 spotsNo citations Ascension Lutheran Preschool & Child Care Center
17910 S. Prairie Ave, Torrance · 0.2 mi away · 66 spotsMore citations than most CDC, INC. Friendship Academy Children's Center
4120 West 185th Street, Torrance · 0.2 mi away · 119 spotsToo few inspections to compare CDC, INC. Friendship Academy Children's Center
4120 West 185th Street, Torrance · 0.2 mi away · 42 spotsMore citations than most Village Park Montessori Preschool
4240 Artesia Blvd, Torrance · 0.6 mi away · 52 spotsAmong the most cited

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 191602180 on the California Care Facility Search. Data refreshed Oct 2, 2026.