From 3 months to kindergarten — here's what happens at EES.

EES runs free, year-round early childhood education for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers across San Diego County. Bilingual classrooms. Free meals. And teachers who can identify your child’s unique strengths and abilities.

_{*Infant Care only available in Vista
**Number of meals per day dependant on location}

Smiling child wearing a helmet rides a large orange tricycle on an outdoor path at a playground.

EES provides free early childhood education for families who qualify with children ages 3 months through 5 years in Vista, Linda Vista, Chula Vista, and National City. Programs include full-day infant care, toddler care, and part-day and full-day preschool. All programs include free daily meals, bilingual staff, and developmental screenings. Free for qualifying families. No Social Security Number required to apply.

Programs at a glance

No matter which EES center your child attends or which program they're in, these things are always included:

Ages 3 months–18 Months

Infant Care

Full-day, year-round. A 3:1 child-to-teacher ratio — one of the lowest in subsidized care in San Diego County. Consistent primary caregivers who learn your child’s cues, routines, and preferences.

Ages 18 Months–3 Years

Toddler Care

Full-day, year-round. Small classroom sizes. Predictable routines. Caregivers who stay consistent across the year so your toddler knows exactly where they stand.

_{*Infant Care only available in Vista}

Ages 3–5

Preschool

Part-day programs inside Vista Unified school campuses. Full-day, year-round programs in Vista, Linda Vista, and South Bay. At many sites, your child's teacher has already met the kindergarten teacher down the hall.

What every EES program includes

No matter which EES center your child attends or which program they're in, these things are always included:

We provide:

You may qualify if:

Free breakfast, lunch, and snack every day

Bilingual staff — English and Spanish across all three regions

Option for vision and hearing screenings each April

Option for dental screenings in February and March

Developmental tracking using the DRDP, shared with you twice a year

A Family Liaison who stays with your family when you need help navigating something hard

A Parent Advisory Committee and two parent conferences each year

Opportunities to learn more how young children develop and grow

Why we teach the way we do.

EES classrooms are built on the California Teaching Pyramid — a framework that puts social-emotional development first. A child who feels safe, connected, and understood is a child who can learn. A child who is dysregulated, anxious, or doesn't trust the adults around them cannot, no matter what the curriculum says.

EES uses The Creative Curriculum which is a comprehensive, research-based early childhood framework that emphasizes hands-on, project-based learning and purposeful play. Designed for infants through kindergarten, it helps educators tailor instruction to individual developmental needs across social-emotional, physical, cognitive, and language domains.

This is why academic kindergarten readiness — the letters, the numbers, the patterns — is a byproduct of our program, not its goal. The goal is a whole child who is ready to learn, ready to make friends, and ready to trust a new adult. The academics follow.

Young boy sitting on carpet reading a book in a classroom with a wooden book rack behind him.

10 of our 21 centers are on Vista Unified elementary school campuses.

If you live in Vista, there is likely an EES preschool program inside the same elementary school your child will attend for the next six years. Your child's EES teacher and their future kindergarten teacher probably already know each other. When your child walks into kindergarten, they're walking into a building they already know.

This is the most concrete thing we can say about what makes EES different from every other early childhood program in San Diego County. No peer organization has built this. We built it on purpose, and we've maintained it for decades.

Two children smiling and hugging in a classroom with other kids and bookshelves in the background.

We support more than the child in the classroom.

As a program funded by California Department of Education, Early Care and Learning Division. EES has created a comprehensive Family Engagement and Strengthening Program, not just a classroom. In practice that means:

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Family and Community Liaisons

Four liaisons across three regions who stay with families navigating housing, immigration, healthcare, food access, and school enrollment. Not a referral. Accompaniment until the thing is sorted.