ABOUT US
Testimonials
Word of mouth has been the driver of our success for over 40 years. Here are some of the great things people have said about us:
We are so thankful we found Carmel Mountain Preschool! Our son Xander absolutely loves CMP because no two days are alike. One day he might visit the art studio to create fun art and another day he might visit the Nature Science Lab and learn about nature and hang out with the school reptiles. One of the things we love most is that the preschool is play-based and they spend so much time outdoors on the playgrounds and other outdoor areas allowing kids to learn as they play. We also get to go as a family to collect eggs from the Chicken coop! Xander is also in the Spanish-immersion program with Ms.Daniela. When we first decided to go to CMP the only box it didn’t check was having Spanish immersion so we were elated when we got the email saying they were starting the program. Ms. Daniela is absolutely amazing and creates an engaging and supportive environment for kids to learn Spanish through play. In just 2 months Xander has learned more Spanish than we ever imagined and even impresses our friends and family when he starts singing in Spanish or points out things and names them in Spanish. CMP has really sparked Xander’s love for learning, creativity, and his curiosity! CMP may be a little more expensive than other preschools but for us it is more than worth it because we know we could never find anything nearly as engaging and supportive as CMP!
— Richard & Matt
Xander (3)
It seems like it was just yesterday that we were touring Carmel Mountain Preschool in 2019 with our older son, who at the time was only 6 months old. We had seen other preschools prior to our visit and they were all okay, but after seeing what CMP had to offer, there was no way we were going to choose any other facility for our child. From the Art Studio to the Tinkering Lab and even the chicken coop(!), we were absolutely blown away.
Fast forward a few years and now our first son is in Kinder Prep and our second son is in the 2’s class. We have seen so many amazing, positive developments with our boys, whether their speech, social skills, empathy towards others and animals, motor skills and beyond. We firmly believe many of these developments have to do with the education and support they receive every day at CMP. The teachers and staff are some of the most caring and kind people we’ve ever met – and it’s very clear how much passion they all have for children and seeing them thrive and flourish.
As most know, parenting is not easy and it comes with so many challenges – one of them being making the right decisions for your kids. Early education was extremely important to us and having our children at CMP has been one of the best experiences and decisions of our parenting journey.
— Joseph & Sara
Morrison (4) & Rhodes (2)
CMP is amazing! Since both our children starting attending, their social, behavioral, and educational growth have exceeded our expectations, all credit to the wonderful support staff and loving teachers.
For two years our son attended the school, including the summer program (‘20-‘22). As a result, his teachers more-than prepared him to enter kindergarten, where he has continued to excel in the classroom and at home.
Our younger daughter has been enrolled for the past year (’22) both in the Summer Program and Three’s Class. Her social skills and executive functions have grown in such a way that she can effectively communicate her feelings, converse with adults, and interact with the other children on a social/emotional level.
Having experienced other pre-school, church programs, and daycares, CMP’s daily classroom and outdoor experiences truly set it apart from the other preschools and daycares in the area.
It’s clear CMP is dedicated to investing their earnings back into the teachers, classrooms, and playgrounds. While other schools corral the children into one classroom and entertain on one shared playground, CMP goes above and beyond with their programing and open spaces. They have drum circles, music sing along classes, outdoor classroom sessions, creative tinkering, art classes, and they expose the children to animals with their chicken coops and reptile hut.
From a personal aspect, just about every staff member knows my children’s names, not just their teachers. Daily, the teachers provide classroom pictures, videos, and text updates about the focus of the day and highlight the progress of the children. These images keep me informed about their development and keep me going when I miss them throughout the day.
All of these “extras” vastly add to the amazing atmosphere CMP provides for enriched development.
At the end of the day, both our son and daughter are well cared for and we are so very thankful to the staff of CMP for keeping them safe, happy, healthy, and nourishing their early childhood development daily!
— Cassandra & James
Jimmy (5) & Quinn (3)
Our daughter, Olivia, started with CMP in the summer of 2023. Enrolling her in this amazing preschool has been one of our greatest choices for her social, emotional, and cognitive development. From the awesome teachers to all the hands on activities in Tinkering , Nature Lab and art studio, there is not a better environment we can think of for our girl. We also love all the communication, pictures, and updates we get after every single day she attends. Lastly, we love what a great community CMP is through all the additional activities offered outside of school hours. You will not find a better preschool in the area.
— Emily & Nathan
Olivia (3)
We always ask our daughter during pick up if she is happy. There is not one day that the answer is not “I am very happy today”, sincerely from the heart of an almost 4-year-old girl. CMP is such an empowering place that helps our daughter grasp the sense of empathy and sympathy. She has made many great friends that she always talks and plays with, some of whom I believe will also become her life-long companions. In addition, we are so proud of how much our daughter has learned and developed at CMP, including her potential to be trilingual by joining Ms. Daniela’s Spanish Immersion class, and at the same time participating in other CMP activities in English. As young parents, we are very grateful that CMP provides the opportunity for us to learn together with our daughter, and provides the connections to other parents, who share similar values and become great friends with us as well.
— Vincent & Xing
Max (3)
We absolutely love Carmel Mountain Preschool. This is my son’s second year at CMP and we couldn’t be happier with our decision to enroll him. The grounds are incredible, with lots of interesting places for kids to explore and play. Their multiple outdoor spaces and the philosophy to let kids be outdoors as much as possible was what initially sold me on CMP. My son loves the play areas and outdoors spaces for tinkering, art, visiting the chickens and organized sports and games (yoga, soccer, dance to name a few). The staff are all super helpful and communicative. The teachers send out daily communication with what they are learning and doing that day, as well as photos. My son’s teachers have all been fantastic. I feel great leaving him at school every day and know that he will be nurtured and cared for and loved on.CMP truly feels like a family environment. My son is happy and loves going to school. He is learning and able to play and express himself. I couldn’t be happier with our decision to enroll him in CMP. They make learning and school fun, and I think it’s been the best way to start his education!
— Jasmine & Chris
Jagger (4)
We first toured CMP when my daughter was 2 months old and knew it would be an incredibly special place for her. She started at CMP as soon as she could at 18 months old and has grown leaps and bounds in her development and communication. The staff are incredibly thoughtful in planning unique and stimulating activities and teach them emotional regulation and cooperation with their friends. Our daughter runs to the staff and gives them a hug every morning! Overall, we have been so happy with CMP, and I would recommend any family that has it within their budget to enroll their child.
— Mandy & Zac
Evelyn (2)
Both our boys have been thriving at CMP. We could not imagine a better place for them to grow and learn! When we first toured the campus, we fell in love with the outdoor space and all the activities they would be able to engage in as students at CMP. But as we’ve spent the last couple of years as CMP students and parents, it’s the teachers and staff that we’ve fallen in love with. Their dedication to our kids, their ability to guide them in important lessons like patience, self-regulation, and acceptance of others, and their focus on celebrating each individual student and their interests all add up to an unparalleled experience I know our kids won’t get elsewhere in San Diego. Our 4-year-old loves gardening, and of all things, composting. It wasn’t given much thought at our last school. But the teachers at CMP have supported his passion by giving him special jobs related to composting and leaned into his love for gardening. We’ve seen firsthand the change in confidence and attitude towards school he’s had from CMP teachers celebrating something he loves to do. It’s moments like these that leave no doubt in our minds that this is a very special place. We’re already sad about the day our older one will graduate from CMP and have been looking for a school that has the same ethos as CMP–we can’t imagine having to go anywhere else!
— Julie & Nolan
Connor (4) Bennett (2)
Chandler has been thriving at CMP since June of 2023. We have witnessed her cognitive ability and emotional capacity improve since day one. The high-quality teachers have created a safe, fun, and stimulating educational environment. We always feel part of the classroom due to the communication and physical presence during pick up and drop off. We see a lot of joy and satisfaction from Chandler after a full day of play and educational activities. We are happy to be a part of the CMP family.
— Nicole & JP
Chandler (2)
We enrolled our daughter at CMP when she was 3, and we all immediately felt like part of the school family. It was a very smooth transition for her into full time preschool. Since the first day, the teachers and staff have been so supportive in providing a comforting and enriching environment to learn, and radiate with positive energy. The excitement that Blakely has when we pick her up each day just proves how much she truly loves being at school – there are many times when she doesn’t want to leave! One of our favorite parts of CMP is the belief and encouragement to let kids be kids, by playing and exploring throughout the grounds. They have so many hands-on activities for that, with inspiring guidance that allows each child to create what they want – whether it’s at art studio, the tinkering area, or in the classrooms. Our daughter loves the fact that she can wear her rain boots to school, knowing that if it’s raining she still gets to go outside and splash around! Another perk for us is they offer an option of extracurricular activities such as hip hop and yoga – another highlight of her week!
— Kelsey & Brett
Blakely (4)
Emma started at CMP in June 2022 when she was almost 3. I cannot say “thank you” enough to all the teachers and staff at CMP. Emma had no school experience before CMP, and they provided tremendous help for Emma to adapt to and get comfortable in this whole new environment with a lot of patience, communication and love. We get daily updates through social media and in-person check-ins. Now she’s always super excited about going to school and really enjoys her time at CMP every day.
— Chloe & Weichuan
Emma (3)
Carmel Mountain Preschool has state of the art facilities and a top notch preschool experience for kids. We have truly enjoyed getting to work with teachers who care to go the extra mile and find ways to adapt their teaching strategies to ensure every kid can thrive. The grounds are stunning with a garden, art studio, makers (Tinkering) studio, age-based playgrounds and even a chicken coop! The office staff and teachers are communicative, teach positive discipline and go out of their way to answer questions and work around every family’s needs. Love is actually in the lesson plans and so is looking out for each other. If you’re like our family, you can look far and wide and you won’t find anywhere better in the entire greater San Diego area!
— Amanda & Aubrey
Joshy (3) & Maurie (4)
We have been sending our two daughters Kenzie and Ryleigh to CMP for the last two years. The teachers and staff are genuinely invested in our daughters’ growth and their communication is constant and engaging. They are purposeful in their curriculum and truly teach through play and structured time. It has been so fun to see the growth of both of our girls and we are forever indebted to the wonderful start CMP has provided for both girls. Thanks, CMP!
— Chrissy & Dan
Kenzie (4) & Ryleigh (3)
Our family has had a positive experience with CMP. Our son has had the opportunity to learn from amazing and caring teachers who do a great job to keep us updated about his day via daily letters or verbal updates in-person during pick up (thank you Ms Lisa, Ms Amber, and Ms Veronica!). We also value CMP’s campus and viewed this as a differentiator when we were evaluating options. Our son enjoys his activities in the Art Studio, Nature Lab, and Tinkering Lab.
— Vonn & Todd
Landon (3) and Branner (1)
This is our second year at CMP and our daughter is super happy. She started in Aug 2021 at 21 months of age and has developed and thrived tremendously. One of the main reasons that we picked this facility was for all the outdoor space and the amount of time that the children get to play and interact outside. Our daughter has always been an extrovert, so we wanted to pick a school that fit her needs. The grounds to the school are extremely diverse with so many different types of activities for the children. There’s gardening, chicken coop, tinkering, art studio, multiple playgrounds for all different age groups (this is important if you have a little-little one).
Our daughter is always happy when we drop her off and pick her up. She enjoys all the interactions with her friends but most importantly with her teachers. Her teachers are extremely loving and have a very organized schedule of what the children will do and focus on weekly. I’m very happy and comfortable knowing that my child is enjoying her time every day and is in good hands.
— LeThu & James
Maddie (2)
Our son Reyansh has been enrolled in CMP since Nov 2020. Over the 2 years, we have seen him develop and grow into a happy and curious preschooler. Our interactions with the staff and all the teachers have always been very positive. They are truly the heart of the school. All of Reyansh’s teachers till date – Ms Marcy, Ms Nicole, Ms Stephanie, Ms Chantelle and Mr Michael have provided him excellent care – encouraging and nurturing his strengths, teaching him the importance of kindness and respect as well as preparing him for academic success.
Reyansh loves going to school and looks forward to meeting his friends and teachers every day. We love that Reyansh spends most of the time outdoors. And CMP offers so many different kinds of outdoor activities – from playgrounds, to sandpits, to chicken coop (his favorite activity to do in toddler class), nature lab, art studio and (our favorite) tinker lab. Reyansh comes home with wonderful stories about what he did in school and what he learnt that day. Some memorable stories include book-share in his 3-yr class, making robots from waste materials, putting together a Christmas dance, making amazingly innovative art works, learning about bugs, making backyard rockets, hammering nails and wood working.
We also like the opportunity to enroll him in additional extracurricular activities like yoga, hip-hop, ballet, PERK. Since he does not nap anymore, these are an excellent way for him to work on a different skill set each day while still on CMP campus. We have seen our son grow into a kind, confident, playful, and social child and we know that CMP has a huge part in it.
— Anuja & Pankil
Reyansh (4)
CMP is hands-down the best preschool! We moved to San Diego from NYC in the early part of the pandemic. We were lucky enough to be able to start our then-2 year old daughter right away. We were immediately impressed by the quality of CMP’s campus and staff. We went from a small indoor classroom in New York to three acres of outdoor space, a music garden, tinkering lab, nature lab, age-appropriate playgrounds, adoring staff, and, most importantly, creative and loving teachers. It was a no brainer to start our son at CMP as soon as he turned 18 months. After 2.5 years, I can say that CMP has been the best part of our move to San Diego. What matters most to our family is that our children are happy and thriving. If that’s what you’re looking for, then look no further. Our kids love CMP and I feel confident that they will be kindergarten ready once they start elementary school. I couldn’t imagine sending our kids to any other preschool, and our family will be sad to say goodbye when the time comes!
— Brianna & Jason
Ryan (4) & Warner (2)
Wilder has been attending CMP since he was 20 months old. He falls in love with his teachers each time he moves up into a new classroom and talks about all he has learned every day. It’s so wonderful to watch him grow and CMP has definitely helped him become the strong minded and kind 3 year old he is today.
— Bethany and Matthew
Wilder (3 years old) & Charlotte (4 years old)
Enrolling our daughter into Carmel Mountain Preschool was probably one of the best decisions we’ve made for her. It has only been 4 months since she joined, but we have observed a big change in the way she communicates at home and outside with others. She has definitely become more interactive and loves talking about her activities at school when we are heading back home in the evening. Stuti enjoys everything from the classroom activities, nature lab, tinkering area, big blocks and the activities in the soccer field. The entire staff and her teachers have been really awesome! The daily updates provided by her teachers on her progress is really appreciated.
— Margi and Hari
Stuti (2 years old)
Carmel mountain preschool is one of the best preschools in San Diego. My daughter has been going to this school for more than one year and she loves all the teachers in the school . Teachers are so caring and lovable. She likes the extra curricular activities such as tinkering lab, painting and gardening. In addition to extra curricular activities they also teach well. She learns new stuff everyday and her communication has improved a lot. Sometimes I am amazed to hear the words that she uses to construct her sentence. This school has turned my daughter into a happy kid. Their summer camp is so much fun and kids love to go to school during their summer holidays. My daughter loves the perk club organized by coach Jeff. They also have yoga ,ballet and hip hop dance class. They do celebrate almost most of the festivals that are celebrated around the world. So the kids get to learn about other cultures around this world. The parents are happy if their kids are happy at school. We are very happy that we chose Carmel mountain preschool for our daughter.
— Shobana & Rajeswaran
Riddhi (5 years old)
I’ve had two of my daughters at Carmel Mountain Preschool, one still currently attends and another who attended pre-K and kindergarten. CMP is truly a magical place. I routinely would hear exciting stories of what they did that day, from playing in the Glenn to doing tinkering lab to visiting baby chicks. We love that more than half of their day is spent outside – and what better way to take advantage of the lovely weather here in San Diego!
Our girls began attending just after the start of the pandemic, which was an anxiety-inducing time for everyone, particularly parents. But CMP has been exemplary in promoting and enforcing strict safety protocols, including limiting guardian access to the campus, assiduously sanitizing classrooms and toys, and ensuring children are appropriately masked. Their attention to hygiene and safety contributes to an overall feeling of comfort while the kids are at school. One thing that amazed me during the pandemic was the ability of the staff to immediately recognize parents coming to pick their kids up at the gate, in spite of the fact that we were all wearing masks!
CMP has been a wonderful place for our children to learn, make friends, and learn how to learn. CMP makes it clear that your kids should go in clothes that can get dirty, and there’s a certain satisfaction when you pick your child up and they’re happy and covered in dirt! We’ve loved our time at CMP and were lucky enough to be present when they added a kindergarten class.
— Anne & Galen
Quinn (4 years old), Lyra (6 years old graduate)
This is our 5th year at CMP and we couldn’t be happier for being part of this amazing school! This is truly a place where kids can be kids: they will play in puddles when it’s raining (while using appropriate gear – rain boots and jackets), they will play in the mud kitchen, they will have so much fun! The outdoor activities are our favorites: Nature Lab, Chicken Coop, outdoor decks, Tinkering, Art Studio and Music Garden. The age-dedicated playgrounds (toddler/2’s, 3’s and Pre-K/Kind Prep) are a plus since it allows kids to have more outdoor playtime.
The teachers are also the star of the school: engaging, fun, nurturing, and committed. They apply principles of Conscious Discipline and also share lots of insights with the parents.
Can’t imagine a better place for young kids to play and learn!
— Marina & Guilherme
Lucas (4 years old)
We have been sending our son to Carmel Mountain Preschool for 3 years now and the progress in development we see in our son is just a joy. He learns so much new stuff and words that it sometime raises an eyebrow, a very positive one, such as where did you get that word from, unexpected but very perfect and accurate description.
The learning is tremendous and the development of social skills, day-to-day skills is very noticeable and will be a lifelong benefit. Carmel Mountain Preschool is a true treasure for anyone that will be lucky enough to get a spot. The amount of different and diverse learning your child can get from CMP, you cannot find anywhere else. You cannot find any place where you have these outdoor possibilities as well as facilities for learning and play.
You see the progress your child is making in social behavior and knowledge, all by having fun with great staff teaching and taking care of your child. The different activities such as the tinkering, art studio, nature lab, additional activities is creating a very fun learning environment with the great staff taking care of the kids that will stay with them forever.
I say it again, you will not find anything close to what Carmel Mountain Preschool offers and it will have a huge impact to your kid/kids and yourself with the learnings and activities offered by CMP. And yes, there is a cost associated with the attendance to these facilities, but it is a good investment into your child’s future.
Take a few hours to visit the place during open house to make your own opinion, I’m sure it will be all positive.
— Bengt-Erik & Gui
Henry (4 years old)
Our daughter has been going to Carmel Mountain Preschool since December 2020. She was having some difficulties due to Covid. After the stay-home policy, she became scared of everybody, including other kids. We have seen her expand her development by doing fun stuff, improving her relationship with her classmates and teacher. We like the outdoor space and the time she spent there, how fun of a time they have in the Art Studio crafting, and of course, The Glenn. We couldn’t ask for better teachers. Ms. Maddi, Mrs. Cassandra, and Ms. Emma have cared for our little one, making her feel safe and comfortable.
— Mirian & Rene
Greta (3 years old)
Our son has been at CMP since he was two and is now three and a half and loving it. We are two full time working parents with demanding jobs and knowing that our son is learning so much from taking turns, to tracing his name, to routines and respecting and loving his friends gives us great comfort since he spends 5 full days a week there. The staff and teachers are amazing not only with the children but also with supporting the parents in transitioning to a preschool environment. We have seen such positive growth in our son from his amazing communication skills, consciousness of others feelings and general respect for others. He, and we, also love the diversity of programs CMP offers from the art studio to tinkering and the glen. We recommend CMP to any family looking for excellent care and growth of their precious littles.
— Angela & Scott
Connor (3 years old) Ethan (6 months)