Carlsbad Country Day School

My daughter has been attending Carlsbad Country Day since August and we love it! She gets so excited as we pull into the driveway because she knows she gets to see her wonderful teachers (Infant– 2 y/​o class) and enjoys playing all day and learning with her friends. The school offers a lot of social events throughout the year for parents to get to know one another, and family events focused around holidays and other celebrations. The menu for breakfast, lunch and snacks is healthy and a great variety, and the classrooms and main areas are always clean. We are very happy with our decision and can’t wait to continue to watch our daughter grow at CCD!

Recently moving from New York City & pregnant finding exceptional child care was my first priority. Finding CCDS has been a dream come true, I don’t think there is anything harder than leaving an infant with «strangers». I have to say that CCDS infant/​toddler teachers no longer are strangers to me & my daughter, they are now a part of our extended family. Miss Laura, Miss Nely, Miss Sima, Miss Danielle, Miss Allie, ALL the teachers in infant/​toddler section have at one time or another cared for my daughter & cared for her like she was their child. I am able to work my full time job knowing that my daughter is being cared for my such amazing teachers. The activities that my daughter has completed while attending CCDS are unheard of at any other school especially for children so young. I love that my daughter is being stimulated/​exposed to all the various learning activities (art, reading, playing with the teachers & other kids). If you are searching for quality care for infant/​toddler, I would recommend CCDS.

We recently moved to CA from Chicago, IL and our first priority was finding a great school for our 2 year old daughter. We are so happy we found CCDS as it has been an absolutely phenomenal experience. We were concerned that our daughter would have trouble adjusting to not only the new city, but also going from a nanny to a daycare/​preschool, but the teachers here have been AMAZING in helping her socialize and she is doing great. Ms. Kristen is her primary teacher and has been an absolute joy to work with and has provided more than we could have ever expected. This includes:
— Weekly Newsletter with upcoming dates & event for the lil’ ones
— Updated curriculum for each week as they have new themes each week
— Updated Breakfast/​Lunch Menus
— An online portal for pictures and highlights from each week
— Availability for giving us feedback and updates on how she is doing in class
— Date Nights where they offer babysitting services at the school once a month with the teachers & peers they already know & love
— Class play dates where the parents can meet up while our little ones have a blast at our local parks
Absolutely thrilled with our decision and looking forward to the years ahead with the School. Thank you again!
P. S. — I would be remiss if I also didn’t thank Ms. Rachel, Ms. Melissa, Ms. Victoria, and Melissa Reed, the school Director, for all of their help in our move & transition. This is truly a team effort from CCDS and they have been excellent all around!

My daughter is in Ms Clarissa’s 2 yrs class. She’s very patient and helpful. We can get any update fast and detailed. My daughter loves her and this place. The meals are fresh and delicious. My daughter always want more. This is the best preschool in Carlsbad

My son is in Ms. Clarissa’s two year old class and is doing amazing! He had trouble at his old school, but Ms. Clarissa is a dream come true! He absolutely loves her, and she is so kind and patient. He comes home talking about his day and can’t wait to go back. She also sends out newsletters and updates every week via email. I’m so happy we got such an amazing teacher for our little guy!

My daughter is in Miss Clarissa’s 2’s class and she loves it! Miss Clarissa does a fantastic job working with her students. She is patient and kind with all of her students. She communicates with the parents thoroughly about how their child is doing and coordinates with the parents corrective techniques so we are both on the same page in addressing issues. My daughter talks about what she learned in school daily and brings home creative artwork. Miss Clarissa sends out a detailed weekly lesson plan that is very helpful for us to review. She also has a class website that she keeps up to date with photos and your child’s progress quarterly. CCDS has cameras that you can watch your child throughout the day. We find this very useful and our daughters Grandparents, who live out of state, can even watch her throughout the day. CCDS offers extra curricular activities for their kids and our daughter just started dance classes which she loves. They coordinate play dates at local parks periodically on the weekends so the parents, teachers and kids can all meet up. The school also has a chef that prepares breakfast and lunch which is nice. I have recommended this school to our friends and coworkers and will continue to do so as we have had an overall positive experience.

What a disappointment. Had my child enrolled in this TOP NOTCH school and they bombed. I was told my 2 u r old son who had never been to school before and has been at home with a nanny was a distraction to the class because he wanted to go outside and was running to the door. It was my understanding that TEACHERS teach children how to transition into and environment. Not here. If your child is anything but a mini robot no good here. I really had high hopes because the facilities are amazing and I like the camera system. But as far as really working with children out side of the box no good.

My son and daughter both go to school here. My son has been there for the last 1.5 years and my daughter started about 6 months ago. This is a great school that we absolutely love. Miss Bailey is my sons teacher and I truly believe that she may be the best teacher he will ever have. She instilled a passion for learning and an excitement to explore and try new things. She is the perfect mix of nurturing and disciplinarian. The kids respect and love her very much.
Miss Tasha is my 2.5 year old daughters teacher and she is also great. She is so great with my daughter. Helping her work on potty training and challenging her to learn more every day. My daughter loves Tasha and is excited to see her everyday she does to school.
Bottom line is the school is not cheap but I believe you get what you pay for. The meals are great and well balanced. The teachers and admin are warm and friendly and set the kids up for future success at other schools.

My son Elliot has been attending CCDS since he was 3 years old. We have been thrilled with the experience and I would recommend it to any of my friends. We have been particularly happy with Miss Victoria, as she has helped my son to grow and mature in leaps. The school is just the right balance between learning time and play time. Overall a job well done by Miss Victoria and the entire CCDS team!

My little nephew and niece have been attending this school for a few years and the positive changes I have seen in them are tremendous! My nephew in particular, Brayden, has had the most drastic shift, regarding his behavior. He is very conscientious for a toddler and picks up on daily tasks easily. Other than his wonderful parents, I truly believe his attitude can be attributed to his teacher, Miss Jenny who has been working with him for a while. My sister (Brayden’s mother) shows me the learning tools and games that they play on a regular basis and I see how these activities have helped him in his routines outside of school. Miss Jenny is so creative and designs wonderful lesson plans that enhance a little one’s personality. For instance, they have games that they do during they day that monitor dexterity, comprehension, and etiquette, take pictures, and make a scrapbook of the whole year to show their progress. It’s such a wonderful keepsake! They also take them on adorable field trips and make sure to document the experience for the parents (and aunts!) I truly love this institution and think it’s wonderful that my niece and nephew are a part of it.

My son has been going to CCDS since he was 3 years old and is now preparing to leave as he is finishing kindergarten. I am really sad that the school only goes to kindergarten.
The whole experience has been a great one. The teachers and staff are all so friendly and so caring to all the children and parents. I like how the teachers move from grade to grade with the children. I think it helps create a stronger bond and the teachers are better able to teach the children since they already know their little personalities. My son has has truly enjoyed going to school here and has made some great friends along the way.
I will admit I was initially stunned by the tuition but when you look at what you get and compare apples to apples to other private schools, hands down this one takes the cake. They have a great chef that prepares nutritional meals daily (very few private schools locally offer any food service, CCD has breakfast, lunch and snacks), 5 extracurricular classes every semester included, early drop off /​late pick up times and parents night out every month (that one is an extra fee but is a GREAT perk) as well as having the least amount of closed school days through the year.

Where to begin on this school… CCD is a place where you have to take the good with the bad. If you’re fortunate enough to get one of the few really good teachers, that positive can outweight all the other negative that comes with the place. Specifically, the owner/​administrator here is a wreck, and it’s frustrating as a parent to be sending our chilren (and money) to a place that is so political and dysfunctional. The staff may hope (think?) that the parents are unaware of all that goes on, but trust me, it bleeds through, and is has really taken away from our experience. We have never had a run-​in with the owner, but know many friends and classmates that have. Her behavior is unprofessional and oftentimes inexcusable. If it were not for the fact that her father bought the place for her, it’s unlikely she could get a job in any capacity at any school. She is that bad.
If a friend were to ask me if they should send their kids here, I would have to say no. We were lucky to get THE good teacher, but we’ve had a few less solid ones, too. Take your business elsewhere, really.

I would honestly give Carlsbad Country Day school zero stars but I did not have that option. Be warned this place has terrible leadership. The Director speaks out of her scope of practice, is rude, undermining, will violate your privacy and is more concerned about money than your child. I would also be warned about any positive reviews you read about this school. While a parent at CCDS we were given an incentive of $ 5 per every positive review posted on popular review sites. We could have earned tuition credit if we wrote a positive review. Thank goodness we did not. That said, I do have to admit that my experience with some of the teachers was great. The teachers were engaging and welcoming. It all turned sour when a conflict regarding medication for my child. The Director spoke out of her scope of practice and refused to treat my child… even after several doctor’s notes. She holds all the power and will use that power to kick you out if you have any conflict with her. After that horrible experience with her we have had at least eight people share their personal stories of conflict with the director of the preschool. In addition we have noticed that bad reviews of the school seem to disappear. It makes you wonder. Please be warned and invest your time and energy in a place that will share your parenting style and be open to treating your child as an individual and not a number.

My daughter loved going to this pre-​school and learned so much. Her teacher (Miss.Bailey) is so sweet and great with the kids. The routine schedule and activities really prepared her for Kindergarten.
Unfortunately, I had to take her out sooner than I wanted due to the high priced tuition. If money is no object then I highly recommend.

My now 4 year old son has been going to CCDS since August of 2011 and I could not be happier. The teachers are amazing. They get to know each child and truly care for them. My son is extremely shy and the teachers have always made him feel so comfortable. They are experts at helping make «drop off» as painless as possible. They engage the kids in a wide variety of activities that nurture their physical, cognitive and language development. My son has made incredible friends and has been excited to go to school ever since the day he started. The facility is amazing. The rooms are engaging and covered with all the fun and innovative projects the kids work on. One of my FAVORITE parts of the school is the learning books the parents are given each month. The book gives me insight as to what my son’s teacher is working on with him — goals he has completed, goals he still needs to work on and goals for the next month. It is filled with pictures and quotes from discussions they’ve had in class. That kind of information (and knowing what he is always working toward so I can help him at home) is truly priceless to me. The food provided is better than I’ve ever heard of at any other school (pineapple curry chicken, rice snap peas; bell peppers stuffed with ground turkey; penne pasta with steak… seriously, awesome). Plus, they have this amazing activity room where they engage the kids in several different extra curricular activities (ball sports, world dance, kinder gym, karate). It may seem expensive, but when you factor in the nutritious food and all these incredible extracurricular experiences they’re giving your child, it is worth every penny (imho). I would HIGHLY recommend this school to anyone looking for a loving, enriching place to send their child.