San Diego is home to a diverse mix of child care centers, each with its own unique twist on child care. Let’s explore the 5 most popular childcare centers in San Diego to help you in your search for the perfect learning environment for your child.
When touring and considering which school your child will attend, we encourage you to take along our resource, Identifying a High-Quality Preschool, to evaluate some of the most important program, staff, and environmental characteristics.
1. Montessori
Montessori schools are perhaps the most commonly heard of early childhood education philosophy. At a Montessori school, children will choose their own activities in a carefully planned, stimulating environment conducive to self-directed, creative learning, with preschool teachers acting as the facilitators. At a Montessori school, collaborative play between different age groups is encouraged, enabling children to learn from each other. Most Montessori schools encourage children to enroll in their school between the ages of 2.5 and 6 years old.
You will encounter numerous schools that draw inspiration from the Montessori theory through their choice of various teaching materials, such as toys. These toys are often made of natural materials and used to reflect the real world to encourage the child to learn independently.
2. Employer-Sponsored Child Care
Does your employer offer child care at your workplace? If so, then you’ve likely encountered an employer-sponsored childcare program! Employer-sponsored, also known as corporate-sponsored or on-site child care, is becoming widely offered at the workplace to help parents solve their childcare challenges.
If you are considering this form of care, we recommend that you ask specific questions to ensure the safety and quality of the program for your child. State childcare licensing requirements, such as staff-to-child ratios, can vary if you are on the same site as your child for the duration of the day.
3. Public Preschools
Many school districts in the United States have public preschool programs for eligible families ages 3 through 5. Public preschools are government-funded and are required to allow enrollment for any child in their districts. Since most public preschools are publicly funded, parents typically don’t need to pay any tuition or fees for their children to attend. In some school districts, however, tuition can be required on a sliding scale based on your household’s size and income.
In comparison to other childcare options, public preschools are typically larger and susceptible to less individualized instruction and support for your child. Being government-funded, public preschools must also follow stricter state-mandated requirements that may limit a teacher’s ability to offer individualized instruction that accommodates the unique learning demands of each child.
Public preschools aren’t offered in every district, so be sore to explore available options in your nearest district.
4. Private preschools
Private preschools are owned privately and commonly have a specialty or focus area in their curriculum. For example, some may specialize in language immersion, while others may base their curriculum on specific childcare philosophies, like Montessori, Waldorf, or Reggio Emilia. The approaches to learning and classroom settings among private preschools are diverse, but they all still must follow state licensing requirements.
In your search for private child care, you may encounter both family childcare homes and center-based child care. Family child care homes are situated in a residential setting, such as a house, apartment, or condo, and can be either mixed or separated age groups. Center-based child care centers, on the other hand, are located in commercial centers and are open for set-schedule hours with a standard curriculum for children grouped by developmental stages.
5. Church Preschools
With about 46% of the preschools in San Diego being religiously affiliated, church preschools are a common option. Church preschools will offer a mix of faith-based learning that incorporates various religious values and principles alongside academic-focused activities.
Church preschools span different settings. In your search, you’ll find some faith-based child care directly attached to churches, while others may be their own stand-alone private program.
Kids’ Care Club
Here at Kids’ Care Club, we pride ourselves on being a family-owned child development center dedicated to providing a nurturing learning environment that supports the development of each child at their own pace. At KCC, you will see our highly qualified staff provide age-appropriate learning experiences across five different classrooms, from infancy to transitional kindergarten.
In each classroom, child and teacher-guided exploration of different weekly themes develop each child socially, emotionally, and cognitively through child and teacher-guided exploration. Our curriculum is both academic and play-based to promote social skills and school readiness, utilizing a blend of several teaching philosophies to holistically support your child’s whole development.
Schedule a tour today to learn more about the ways that KCC is setting a new standard in early childhood education!
