Daycare RecordChild care inspection records

Santee Head Start/State Preschool

1399 Santee Dr, San Jose, CA 95122 · Santa Clara County
1 substantiated complaintChild care center (preschool)

Santee Head Start/State Preschool is a licensed child care center in San Jose, CA, licensed for up to 80 children and serving preschool-age children. It has held its California license since 2015. Since February 2021, state licensing staff have inspected it 2 times and investigated 3 complaints, 1 of them substantiated. The state issued 8 citations, 2 of them Type A (the most serious), most often for training & qualifications (2 of 8). 4 citations came in the last 12 months. Measured by weighted citations per inspection, it is tied for #188 of 201 centers in San Jose and has more citations per inspection than 97% of California licensed centers.

Inspection record

More citations than 97%of 10,948 California licensed centers, per inspection, weighted by severity. Among the most cited
Tied for #188 of 201 centers in San Jose
2Type A citations
6Type B citations
2Inspections
1 of 3Complaints substantiated
8 citations from 17 state visits since Feb 8, 2021 · 4 in the last 12 months · last inspected Oct 2, 2025

Every state visit

20222023202420252026INSPECTIONS (top) · REPORTS & INVESTIGATIONS (bottom)Jul 22, 2026 · Report/investigation · no citationMay 14, 2026 · Report/investigation · no citationOct 30, 2025 · Report/investigation · no citationOct 23, 2025 · Report/investigation · no citationOct 2, 2025 · Inspection · citation foundJun 2, 2025 · Report/investigation · citation foundApr 30, 2025 · Report/investigation · no citationFeb 25, 2025 · Report/investigation · no citationFeb 20, 2025 · Report/investigation · no citationDec 12, 2024 · Inspection · no citationApr 9, 2024 · Report/investigation · citation foundApr 9, 2024 · Report/investigation · no citationJul 13, 2023 · Report/investigation · citation foundNov 21, 2022 · Report/investigation · no citationSep 19, 2022 · Report/investigation · no citationJul 8, 2022 · Report/investigation · citation foundMay 12, 2022 · Report/investigation · no citation
Citation issuedNo citationTop row: inspections · bottom row: complaint investigations and other visits

What inspectors cited most

Training & qualifications2
Health & medication2
Supervision2
Caregiver conduct2

Citations, newest first

Type BOct 2, 2025InspectionTraining & qualifications
Mandated reporter training §1596.8662(b)(1)
Based on record review, the licensee did not comply with the section cited above which poses a potential health, safety or personal rights risk to persons in care. Two staffs (S3, S5) do not have updated Mandated Reporter Training Certificates.
Plan of correction due Oct 30, 2025
Type BOct 2, 2025InspectionHealth & medication
Staff immunizations §1596.7995(a)(1)
Based on record review, the licensee did not comply with the section cited above which poses a potential health, safety or personal rights risk to persons in care. Updated Immunization records (Measles, Pertussis, and Influenza) are missing for four staff (S1, S2, S3, S5).
Plan of correction due Oct 30, 2025
Type BOct 2, 2025InspectionTraining & qualifications
Mandated reporter training §1596.8662(b)(1)
Based on [(observation) (interview) (record review)], the licensee did not comply with the section cited above in [count] out of [total count] [(objects) (persons)] [identifiers] which poses/posed a potential health, safety or personal rights risk to persons in care.
Type BOct 2, 2025InspectionHealth & medication
Staff immunizations §1596.7995(a)(1)
Based on [(observation) (interview) (record review)], the licensee did not comply with the section cited above in [count] out of [total count] [(objects) (persons)] [identifiers] which poses/posed a potential health, safety or personal rights risk to persons in care.
Type BJun 2, 2025Case management visit (incident)Supervision
Care and supervision §101229(a)(1)
Based on interviews and records review, the child (C1) was left unsupervised in the play area and brought back to the room, Madrone 1 by Staff (S4), which poses a potential Health, Safety, or Personal Rights risk to persons in care.
Plan of correction due Jun 16, 2025
Type BApr 9, 2024Complaint investigationCaregiver conduct
Personal rights §101223(a)(3)
(a) The licensee shall ensure that each child is accorded the following personal rights:(3) To be free from... other actions of a punitive nature including but not limited to: interference with functions of daily living including eating... This requirement was not met as evidence by: 1 Training with staff will be conducted and submitted to LPA by the plan of correction date. Based on interviews and the self reported incident the licensee did not comply with the section cited above by a teacher taking food away from a child which poses a potential health, safety or personal rights risk to persons in care. 8
Plan of correction due May 3, 2024
Type AJul 13, 2023Case management visit (incident)Supervision
Care and supervision §101229(a)(1)
Site Supervisor Renee Garcia reported on 07/06/2023 at around 9:50am -10:00am child 1 left through the back door of Maple 3 classroom and was outside for less than a minute without supervision. This poses an immediate risk to the Health, Safety or Personal Rights to children in care.
Plan of correction due Jul 13, 2023
Type AJul 8, 2022Case management visit (incident)Caregiver conduct
Personal rights §101223(a)(3)
Based on interviews and record reviews, Licensee did not comply with section cited above. A child’s personal rights was violated when child was forcefully pulled out from the facility garden and was grabbed by the wrist by a preschool staff which posed an immediate health, safety or personal rights risk to persons in care. Licensee must provide copies of this report to parents/guardians of children in care and to parents/guardians of children newly enrolled during the next 12 months per the AB633 requirements.
Plan of correction due Jul 11, 2022

Complaint investigations

Not substantiatedOct 30, 2025Complaint investigationreceived Oct 2, 2025
The state did not substantiate this complaint, so its allegations are not shown.
SubstantiatedApr 9, 2024Complaint investigationreceived Mar 20, 2024
Substantiated allegation:
Staff discarded daycare child's food while in care.
1 citation issued during this investigation, listed under Citations.
Not substantiatedApr 9, 2024Complaint investigationreceived Mar 20, 2024
The state did not substantiate this complaint, so its allegations are not shown.

About this center

Licensed capacity80 children
License typeChild care center (preschool)
License statusLicensed
Licensed sinceSep 1, 2015
LicenseeSanta Clara County Office Of Education
AdministratorElisa Hernandez Vega
Phone(408) 573-4823
State facility #434414441

Common questions

Does Santee Head Start/State Preschool take infants?

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

Has Santee Head Start/State Preschool had any serious violations?

California issued 2 Type A citations since 2021, its most serious category. The most recent was on Jul 13, 2023, for care and supervision. Each citation is listed in full above.

Have there been complaints about Santee Head Start/State Preschool?

California investigated 3 complaints since 2021 and substantiated 1. Allegations are shown only for substantiated complaints.

How does Santee Head Start/State Preschool compare with other daycares in San Jose?

It is tied for #188 of 201 centers in San Jose by weighted citations per inspection, and has more citations per inspection than 97% of California licensed centers with enough inspection history to compare.

When was Santee Head Start/State Preschool last inspected?

Oct 2, 2025. The state issued at least one citation during that visit.

How much does Santee Head Start/State Preschool cost?

California does not publish individual centers’ prices, so ask Santee Head Start/State Preschool for its current tuition. For comparison, the median full-time price at licensed centers in Santa Clara County, which includes San Jose, was $1,599 a month for preschoolers (about $2,020 today) in the state’s 2021 Regional Market Rate Survey.

Who runs Santee Head Start/State Preschool?

The licensee is Santa Clara County Office Of Education, and the administrator listed with the state is Elisa Hernandez Vega.

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 434414441 on the California Care Facility Search. Data refreshed Oct 2, 2026.