The Secret Garden Preschool - Rio del Mar
The Secret Garden Preschool - Rio del Mar is a licensed child care center in Aptos, CA, licensed for up to 36 children and serving children in more than one age group. It has held its California license since 2024. Since February 2021, state licensing staff have inspected it once and investigated 1 complaint, and it was substantiated. The state issued 1 citation, which was not Type A. It came in the last 12 months. It has too few inspections so far for a statewide comparison.
Inspection record
Every state visit
What inspectors cited most
Citations, newest first
Facility has completed safety measures to ensure the affected area is inaccessible from children in care. The facility will continue to utilize the church's kitchen for meal prep and will keep the kitchen's renovation inaccessible from children in care at all times by using alternate classrooms and playgrounds. an unsanitary condition was present in the kitchen area of the facility. This poses a potential risk to the health, safety and personal rights of children in care. 8 Licensee will keep the Department updated on the progress of these repairs and provide photographic proof of the completion to the Department.
Complaint investigations
Facility is in an unsanitary condition.
How often are complaints about daycares in California substantiated? See the county-by-county report →
About this center
Common questions
Has The Secret Garden Preschool - Rio del Mar had any serious violations?
No Type A citations since 2021. It has 1 Type B citation, listed above.
Have there been complaints about The Secret Garden Preschool - Rio del Mar?
California investigated 1 complaint since 2021 and substantiated 1. Allegations are shown only for substantiated complaints.
When was The Secret Garden Preschool - Rio del Mar last inspected?
Jul 14, 2026. No citations were issued during that visit.
How much does The Secret Garden Preschool - Rio del Mar cost?
California does not publish individual centers’ prices, so ask The Secret Garden Preschool - Rio del Mar for its current tuition. For comparison, the median full-time price at licensed centers in Santa Cruz County, which includes Aptos, was $1,678 a month for infants (about $2,120 today), $1,183 a month for preschoolers (about $1,490 today) and $725 a month for school-age children (about $910 today) in the state’s 2021 Regional Market Rate Survey.
Who runs The Secret Garden Preschool - Rio del Mar?
The licensee is Secret Garden INC., The, and the administrator listed with the state is Jaqueline Gallegos.
Licensed centers nearby
9850 Monroe Ave, Aptos · 1.1 mi away · 30 spots Too few inspections to compare The Secret Garden Preschool
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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 444417138 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.