The Secret Garden Preschool
The Secret Garden Preschool is a licensed child care center in La Selva Beach, CA, licensed for up to 45 children and serving preschool-age children. It has held its California license since 2020. Since February 2021, state licensing staff have inspected it 3 times. The state issued 3 citations, none of them Type A, most often for training & qualifications (2 of 3). None of them came in the last 12 months. Measured by weighted citations per inspection, it is tied for #37 of 67 centers in Santa Cruz County and has more citations per inspection than 60% of California licensed centers.
Inspection record
Every state visit
What inspectors cited most
Citations, newest first
Based on observation, interview, and record review, the licensee did not comply with the section cited above Aide Bella Gonyea did have her TB clearance which poses a potential health, safety or personal rights risk to persons in care.
Based on observation, interview, and record review, the licensee did not comply with the section cited above for two staff members who are missing core courses for teacher qualifications, which poses a potential health, safety or personal rights risk to persons in care.
Based on observation, interview, and record review, the licensee did not comply with the section cited above for one staff member who completed physicians report, however did not complete tuberculosis test, which poses a potential health, safety or personal rights risk to persons in care.
About this center
Common questions
Does The Secret Garden Preschool take infants?
Not under this license, which covers preschool-age children.
Has The Secret Garden Preschool had any serious violations?
No Type A citations since 2021. It has 3 Type B citations, listed above.
How does The Secret Garden Preschool compare with other daycares in Santa Cruz County?
It is tied for #37 of 67 centers in Santa Cruz County by weighted citations per inspection, and has more citations per inspection than 60% of California licensed centers with enough inspection history to compare.
When was The Secret Garden Preschool last inspected?
Jul 27, 2026. No citations were issued during that visit.
How much does The Secret Garden Preschool cost?
California does not publish individual centers’ prices, so ask The Secret Garden Preschool for its current tuition. For comparison, the median full-time price at licensed centers in Santa Cruz County, which includes La Selva Beach, was $1,183 a month for preschoolers (about $1,490 today) in the state’s 2021 Regional Market Rate Survey.
Who runs The Secret Garden Preschool?
The licensee is Secret Garden INC, The, and the administrator listed with the state is Lisa Porsch.
Licensed centers nearby
221 Thunderbird Dr, Aptos · 1.6 mi away · 36 spots Too few inspections to compare Little Learners of Aptos, LLC
9850 Monroe Ave, Aptos · 2.7 mi away · 30 spots Too few inspections to compare Campus Kids Connection, Valencia
250 Aptos School Road, Aptos · 3.2 mi away · 250 spots Too few inspections to compare Children's Enrichment Center
2701 Cabrillo College Drive, Aptos · ZIP 95003 away · 120 spots Too few inspections to compare Buena Vista Children Center
113 Tierra Alta Drive #205, Watsonville · 3.5 mi away · 17 spots No citations Buena Vista Children's Center
113 Tierra Alta Dr. #201Ë, Watsonville · 3.5 mi away · 66 spots About 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 444416685 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.