Between May and November 2025, 11.0% of California child care centers received multiple licensing visits. The other 89.0% got one visit and moved on.
What's the difference?
We analyzed 1,781 facilities to find out—and the pattern is clear. Four specific violation categories separate facilities that attract repeated inspector attention from those that don't.
The Data Behind This Analysis
We tracked every citation issued to California child care centers from May 18 through November 9, 2025, using California's entity change tracking system. This captures the exact week each citation was added to a facility's record—no guesswork about which visit triggered which violation.
What we found:
- 196 facilities (11.0%) had multiple visits during this six-month window
- 1,504 facilities (84.4%) had a single visit
- 100% of multi-visit facilities received Plan of Correction (POC) dates
- 98.1% of single-visit facilities also received POC dates
That last stat is important: Nearly every citation comes with a POC date. But certain violations are far more likely to trigger a second visit to verify correction.
Here are the four compliance areas that predict follow-up inspections.
1. Supervision Lapses (101229(a)(1))
The numbers: 37 facilities got called back for supervision violations. That's more than any other citation in our dataset.
What triggers it: An inspector observes children left without a teacher's visual supervision, even briefly. Section 101229(a)(1) requires continuous visual observation of all children by a qualified teacher. No gaps, no exceptions (except the specific scenarios in 101216.2(e)(1) and 101230(c)(1)).
Why it guarantees a follow-up: You can't fix supervision violations with paperwork. Inspectors need to come back and observe your operations again to verify that staffing patterns have changed. If they caught kids unsupervised once, they're checking whether it was a one-time lapse or a systemic problem.
What changes: This isn't about adding documentation. It's about adding staff coverage or restructuring your daily flow. Facilities in our dataset that got flagged for this had to demonstrate sustained supervision improvements, which means the inspector needs to see it in person.
2. Personal Rights Violations (101223(a)(2) & 101223(a)(3))
The numbers: 53 facilities combined. 20 cited under subsection (a)(2) and 33 under (a)(3). Multi-visit rate: 27-32%.
What triggers it: These are two different violations under the Personal Rights section, both serious:
- 101223(a)(2): Unsafe, unhealthful, or uncomfortable accommodations, furnishings, or equipment that don't meet children's needs
- 101223(a)(3): Corporal punishment, humiliation, intimidation, coercion, mental abuse, or withholding basic needs (food, sleep, toileting, shelter, clothing)
Why inspectors come back: Subsection (a)(3) violations involve child welfare. Inspectors document these carefully and verify correction through observation, not paperwork. Even (a)(2) violations (equipment/environment safety) often require physical inspection to confirm fixes.
What changes: For (a)(2): Replace or repair unsafe equipment, improve facility conditions. For (a)(3): Staff retraining on appropriate discipline methods, policy updates, and often documentation of corrective action taken. The inspector needs to verify your environment has changed and staff behavior aligns with policy.
3. Licensed Capacity Violations (101161(a))
The numbers: 23 facilities, but here's what matters: 34.3% multi-visit rate. That's the highest percentage in our entire dataset. If you get cited for exceeding capacity, there's a one-in-three chance the inspector comes back.
What triggers it: Operating beyond the conditions and limitations on your license, specifically the capacity limit. Section 101161(a) is straightforward: your license says you can serve X children, and you're serving X+1 or more.
Why this gets intense scrutiny: Capacity limits exist for safety reasons. They're calculated based on your square footage, staff ratios, emergency exits, and bathroom facilities. When you exceed them, you're operating outside the safety parameters the state approved. Inspectors treat this seriously because it affects every child in your building.
What changes: You either reduce enrollment or apply for a capacity increase (which requires meeting additional physical space and staffing requirements). There's no quick fix here. The inspector will verify your enrollment count matches your license on the follow-up visit, and they'll check attendance records to make sure it's not just low on inspection day.
4. Mandated Reporter Training (1596.8662(b)(1))
The numbers: 22 facilities tracked for missing or expired mandated reporter training documentation.
What triggers it: Section 1596.8662(b)(1) requires all child care providers, administrators, and employees to complete mandated reporter training within their first 90 days of employment, then renew every two years. You must have current proof of completion on file for every staff member and submit it to the department upon inspection or request.
Why documentation matters here: Unlike supervision or capacity violations that require observing changed behavior, this one is pure paperwork. But that doesn't make it easy. You need training certificates for every single person who works at your facility, and those certificates expire on individual schedules based on when each person completed their training.
What changes: Track expiration dates systematically. The common failure pattern: a few staff members slip through the cracks, especially substitutes or part-time employees. Inspectors verify 100% compliance, not 95%. If they find gaps during the first visit, they'll check again to confirm you've trained the missing staff and established a tracking system that prevents future lapses.
What This Means for Your Center
The pattern is consistent: inspectors return when violations require verification that operations have changed, not just paperwork.
Three of our four categories (supervision, personal rights, capacity) involve observing how you actually run your program. An inspector can't confirm you fixed these issues by reviewing documents. They need to see your staffing coverage, check your enrollment count, walk through your facility.
The fourth category (mandated reporter training) is documentation-based, but it requires 100% compliance across your entire staff roster. One missing certificate triggers the same follow-up as a supervision violation.
What to prioritize:
Start with capacity and supervision. If you're operating at or near your licensed limit, audit your enrollment counts daily. If your staffing schedule has any gaps where children might be briefly unsupervised during transitions, restructure before inspection day.
Next, verify every staff member has current mandated reporter training on file. This is the easiest fix but also the easiest to overlook, especially for substitutes and recent hires.
Finally, review your discipline policies and physical environment against the Personal Rights requirements. Both subsections (equipment safety and child treatment) fall under inspector observation, which means follow-ups.
The POC date signal: Remember that 100% of multi-visit facilities received Plan of Correction dates. When you get a POC, the clock starts. The inspector will return to verify compliance, and what they're checking depends on which of these four categories you were cited under.
Track Your Facility's Citation Patterns
This analysis covers all California child care centers over six months. But what about patterns specific to your license type and regional office?
Naptime Intel Pro by ReadyRule subscribers get monthly breakdowns of:
- Which citations are trending in your specific regional office
- How enforcement intensity is changing quarter-over-quarter in your area
- Early warning signals when your RO shifts focus to specific violation categories
- Facility type comparisons (how large centers vs. small centers are being cited differently)
The analysis you just read is statewide. Pro subscribers see their local enforcement landscape.