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  2. Preschool, TK, and Kinder
  3. Community Friends Preschool Program

Community Friends Preschool Program

About our Preschool Program

Our preschool program (for 3 and 4-year-olds) is offered at two locations: Buena Vista Elementary School and Aviara Oaks Elementary School.

Each preschool classroom is made up of a combination of students with special needs and students who are called “community friends."

A “community friend” is a child who displays developmentally appropriate skills (including self-help, behavior, speech/language, and social skills) for the purpose of modeling those skills for our students with special needs.

All of the students in the classroom benefit from exposure to a structured curriculum with expert teachers, focusing on the domains of social-emotional development, language and literacy, mathematics, physical development, and health.

 

Additional Details

We are currently accepting applications for the 2025-2026 school year.

Aviara Oaks Elementary Preschool Logo

  • Where: Aviara Oaks Elementary School
  • Morning: 3 hours in the morning Monday – Thursday, 8:30 – 11:30 am
  • Afternoon: Monday – Thursday 12:10 – 3:10 pm
  • Cost: $225 monthly

 

Buena Vista Elementary Preschool Logo

  • Where: Buena Vista Elementary 
  • Morning: 3 hours in the morning Monday – Thursday, 8:20 – 11:20 am
  • Afternoon: Monday – Thursday 12:00 – 3:00 pm
  • Cost: $225 monthly

Benefits

  • Credentialed teachers! All of our professional educators hold a special birth-to-five-years special education teaching credential.
  • Low adult to student ratio (1:4). Each class is staffed with one teacher and at least two assistants, with no more than four students per adult in the room.
  • Structured classrooms with a developmental approach to instruction for three and four years olds.
  • Follows Carlsbad Unified school calendar for holidays and breaks.
  • Physical Education class twice a week
  • Weekly food science education, through an occupational therapy lens, enhances the preschool curriculum by supporting children's holistic development. Integrating food-related activities in early childhood nurtures important motor, sensory, cognitive, and social skills. This approach benefits both parents and teachers, helping them better support their children's growth and development through structured learning, sensory exploration, and daily living skills.
  • Quarterly Family Fun Days

Contact Information

For more information, contact:

 

Diana Salazar-Garcia
CUSD Program Specialist

diana.salazar-garcia@carlsbadusd.net
760-331-5067

You may also complete the application form here and we'll follow up with you directly.