San Mateo · Licensed center
Little Footsteps
- Medium play-based center, licensed for 42 children.
- Run by a nonprofit. A board oversees it, and there are no owners taking profit.
What the state has found
The state cited no rules at any of its 3 licensing inspections since July 2022.
Of the 92 Bay Area centers with 3 licensing inspections, 54% had no rules cited at any of them, as this center did. 2% had rules cited at all 3.
Licensing inspections
Read every record and the state’s reports
State record — California CDSS Community Care Licensing
- Last visit
- February 26, 2026
- On file
- 3 visits since July 2022 — all of them cited nothing
- Fixed?
- Nothing was cited, so there is nothing to correct.
- Most serious
- Nothing was cited at any visit on file.
California CDSS publishes the full investigation narrative for a complaint, including its disposition, and classifies a citation Type A — an immediate risk to a child — or Type B.
Openings, child care subsidies, tuition, and ratios and staff aren’t on this page.
How they teach
Play-based and nature and outdoor
“Footsteps Child Care's philosophy and approach is based on research and best practices, which includes play-based curriculum, child, teacher, and family-initiated experiences, continuity of care and consistency in routines.”
What it costs
- Application fee
- $75
- Deposit
- $500, refundable
- Siblings
- 5% sibling discount, per child, for families enrolling two or more children (tuition only; requires minimum 3 days/week attendance)
A day here
- Hours
- 7:30 AM to 6:00 PM, 5 days a week, year round
- Meals
- Snacks and lunches provided by Footsteps through outside food provider Chefables; tree-nut and peanut-free environment
- Sleep
- Nap daily, up to 2 hours/day; each child has own crib/cot with cover/sheet and a regularly laundered blanket; no child is forced to stay awake or nap longer than the normal period
- Diapers
- Program provides diapers, pull-ups, and wipes unless a parent supplies a specific type (e.g. cloth diapers)
- Screens
- Limit TV/movies/video games/digital devices to less than 1 hour per day (exceptions for active-movement games and schoolwork use)
- Updates for parents
- Procare Connect app, plus email, text, or the site telephone
- Closed
- Closed the week between Christmas and New Year; also closed on federal holidays and Professional Development Days per the annual calendar
Policies
- When a child is sick
- 24-hour fever-free (without fever-reducing medication) required before returning; fever defined as 100.4°F/38°C or higher
Details
- Website
- footstepschildcare.org
- Address
- 1501 S. El Camino Real
- License
- 414004607, active
- Established
- 2020
Run Little Footsteps? Correct or add anything here, free.
Add what is missingSources and dates
Where every fact on this page came from, and when Shortlist last checked it against that source. Anything Shortlist could not source is named here rather than left blank.
How they teach
- Approach — Checked July 2026 footstepschildcare.org/…/footsteps_child_care_preschool_handbook_2025-2026.pdf
What it costs
- Application fee, Deposit, Sibling discount — Checked July 2026 footstepschildcare.org/…/footsteps_child_care_preschool_handbook_2025-2026.pdf
State record
From California CDSS Community Care Licensing’s published reports, last checked October 11, 2026.
A day here
- Meals, Sleep, Diapers, Screens, Updates for parents, Hours, Calendar, Closed — Checked July 2026 footstepschildcare.org/…/footsteps_child_care_preschool_handbook_2025-2026.pdf
Policies
- When a child is sick — Checked July 2026 footstepschildcare.org/…/footsteps_child_care_preschool_handbook_2025-2026.pdf
Details
- Phone, Address, License — Checked July 2026 ccld.dss.ca.gov
- Website — Checked July 2026 footstepschildcare.org
- Established — Checked July 2026 footstepschildcare.org/…/footsteps_child_care_preschool_handbook_2025-2026.pdf
- Who runs it — Checked October 2026 ccld.dss.ca.gov
Medium means the middle half of Bay Area’s 439 licensed centers by state-licensed capacity: 31 to 75 children. Small is 8 to 30; large is 76 to 312.