Family Network Preschool provides care to children ages 2 1/2 to 5 years. This private school offers limited hours to younger children. There is a waiting list, so call today.
St. Stephens is a welcoming church with a mission to "nurture people growing in faith, serve others with acceptance and love, invite people to share the joy of the spirit. It shares space with a pre-school.
Westside Parent Education Nursery School is located on the same property as Bayview Elementary School. It is run as a co-op and parent participation is mandatory. Students can experience hands-on learning through play in the areas of music, art and science.
Santa Cruz Children's School is an independent elementary school on the east side of Santa Cruz. The school shares a parking lot and a building complex with La Posada, an assisted-living facility. Several spaces on the south side of the parking lot are marked as reserved for the school and its visitors. Santa Cruz Children's School is for students in Kindergarten through sixth grade. The school works with parents, students and teachers together to create an environment that nurtures the students and allows them to learn and grow.
The Child Development Resource Center offers free referrals for child care programs all across Santa Cruz County. The switchboard provides information on free and low-cost care, day care licensing information, and descriptions of local programs. The center also offers classes and workshops for child care providers and families on early literacy, guidance and discipline, health and safety, business practices and infant and toddler development. The office is located on the second floor of the Santa Cruz Office of Education.
Free To Be Me Preschool and Childcare offers a preschool and care program for potty trained children up to the age of six. The facility is safe and comfortable and ideal for small groups and a more personable approach to preschool classes and childcare. The curriculum focuses on literature and reading skill development, as well as playtime, art and cooking projects and healthy meals. Free To Be Me is a licensed home daycare with a staff that has been working with children for many years.
Santa Cruz Toddller Care Center has been established locally since 1976. It is a non-profit child care center. The school offers full or part time care and hot vegetarian meals for children between the ages of one and three years.
Common Threads Montessori school is located on Santa Cruz's west side. This school offers classes for children ages 3 years to 6 years.
Neighborhood Child Care Center is located close to UC-Santa Cruz on the city's west side. A large play area outside includes a play structure with bars to swing on, a garden and a tree with low branches that the children can climb.
Prospective parents are urged to make appointments with the center rather than dropping by. The center says it has a long waiting list, so plan ahead.
ACR Academy is near the heart of downtown Santa Cruz in a Victorian home across from City Hall. Bright Disney posters color the hallway leading to the older children's playroom. One wall of the playroom is decorated with a rainbow of numbers the children created. A backyard play area is split into two sections, one for the toddlers and one for the older children. Each is stocked with play structures to crawl through, slide down and swing on.
Discovery Land is a Seventh Day Adventist-based private preschool that shares grounds with VHM Christian School on Capitola Road Extension in Santa Cruz. The preschool offers developmental programs with Christian values mixed in.
Emeline Childcare Center was founded in 1992, and was originally intended for providing care to the children county employees. Later, it branched out to offer childcare to Santa Cruz parents at reasonable prices. The center offers sliding-scale prices for parents of all income brackets. Emeline aims to create an nurturing and welcoming environment, working with children as young as two years old until they enter kindergarten. A variety of programs are tailored to help children develop and learn skills through engaging play.
Kinder Cottage offers a play-based curriculum for its preschool students. Located close to Capitola, the school is little more than a block off of 41st Avenue. The children have the opportunity to explore their world through play, learning through social interactions. Problem-solving and conflict-resolution skills are taught. The preschool has several rooms for children to play. A large outdoor area includes a play structure with various obstacles and a cover area with a large sandbox. The preschool also has a garden where children learn composting and about the environment. In addition, the school serves home-cooked organic meals daily.
Happy Days, founded in 1995, is a licensed childcare center that offers infant, toddler, pre-school and pre-kindergarten programs, starting with children as young as 8 weeks. The center focuses on early child development and creates a curriculum that matches those goals. Each month, the school has a different theme and children are encouraged to explore and learn. Students are given the skills they need to find success as they enter grade school. Happy Days is located near Costco and Harvey West Park.
