Shaffer Preschool
Shaffer Preschool is a licensed child care center in Atwater, CA, licensed for up to 24 children and serving preschool-age children. It has held its California license since 2009. Since February 2021, state licensing staff have inspected it 5 times. The state issued 2 citations, 0 of them Type A (the most serious). None came in the last 12 months. Measured by weighted citations per inspection, it is #9 of 16 centers in Atwater and has fewer citations per inspection than 54% of California licensed centers.
Inspection record
Every state visit
What inspectors cited most
Citations, newest first
Based on record review, the licensee has not provided proof to the Department that this facility has a qualified director/site supervisor on site. This poses a potential health, safety or personal rights risk to children in care.
Based on record review, LPA observed four children were reported absent on sign-in and sign-out. Per staff, three children reported absent due to cold and one child absent due to fever. Based on record review and interview, facility representative did not report a possible epidemic outbreak to Community Care Licensing (CCL) as required. This poses a potential risk to the health, safety, and personal rights of children in care.
About this center
Common questions
Does Shaffer Preschool take infants?
Not under this license, which covers preschool-age children.
Has Shaffer Preschool had any serious violations?
No Type A citations since 2021. It has 2 Type B citations, listed above.
How does Shaffer Preschool compare with other daycares in Atwater?
It is #9 of 16 centers in Atwater by weighted citations per inspection, and has fewer citations per inspection than 54% of California licensed centers with enough inspection history to compare.
When was Shaffer Preschool last inspected?
Sep 1, 2026. No citations were issued during that visit.
How much does Shaffer Preschool cost?
California does not publish individual centers’ prices, so ask Shaffer Preschool for its current tuition. For comparison, the median full-time price at licensed centers in Merced County, which includes Atwater, was $730 a month for preschoolers (about $920 today) in the state’s 2021 Regional Market Rate Survey.
Who runs Shaffer Preschool?
The licensee is Atwater Elementary School District, and the administrator listed with the state is Carie Haley.
Licensed centers nearby
1791 Grove Avenue, Atwater · 0.9 mi away · 20 spotsMore citations than mostSt. Anthony Preschool
1801 Winton Way, Atwater · 1.1 mi away · 45 spotsMore citations than mostAileen Colburn Preschool
2201 Heller Avenue, Atwater · 1.2 mi away · 25 spotsAbout typicalBellevue Preschool
1020 E Bellevue Road, Atwater · 1.2 mi away · 24 spotsNo citationsBellevue Head Start
1020 East Bellevue Road, Atwater · 1.2 mi away · 20 spotsNo citationsFruitland Christian Preschool
2100 Fruitland Ave., Atwater · 1.6 mi away · 80 spotsNo citations
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 243808553 on the California Care Facility Search. Data refreshed Oct 2, 2026.