Early Education Center

Let us introduce ourselves.

Setting Strong Foundations

Through warm, positive relationships with the child’s teacher, a child develops a sense of trust in the world around them and a feeling of confidence.  Such interactions are critical to the development of a child’s self-esteem and self-worth. The trusted adult becomes the secure base from which the child begins to explore the environment.

We provide an environment that supports families and embraces diversity. This is accomplished by the use of an anti-bias curriculum, hiring staff that reflects the race and culture of our families and involving parents in the development, implementation and evaluation of programs.

Our services are offered to eligible low-income families who need care for their child so they can seek employment, seek housing, work, go to school or complete a training program. 

Early Education Center

Infant Center | Downtown Children’s Center

(831) 429-3050
120 Weeks Ave, Santa Cruz
Open 8:00am to 4:00pm, Monday-Friday

Ages of Children Accepted for Care

  • The Infant Center: children ages two weeks to two years.

  • The Downtown Children’s Center (Preschool & Pre-K): children age two years to entering first grade.

Application Information

Applications are available in print at our Early Education Center or as a printable PDF here.

Please return your filled out application to our Early Education Center.

Daily Activities

Our daily activities include both free play and structured activities.

Infants and toddlers learn by experiencing the environment through their senses (seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling and feeling), by physically moving around and through social interaction. Non-mobile infants absorb and organize a great deal of information about the world around them.

Preschoolers learn best through play that is purposely constructed to increase a child’s knowledge of literacy, math and science.  The curriculum encompasses activities that support the child’s growth in the following domains: social, emotional, physical and intellectual.  The most appropriate teaching technique for this age is to give ample opportunities for the children to use self-initiated repetition to practice newly acquired skills and to experience feelings of autonomy and success. Patience is essential.

Since children learn through concrete experiences, opportunities are given to explore through age and developmentally-appropriate curriculum and activities. Through play, an essential part of the learning experience, the children learn social skills and problem solving. The staff of the center are here to support parents in their role as their child’s first and primary teacher. We encourage and look forward to your involvement in the caring for and education of your child. This is your center.

We provide subsidized childcare through a grant from the California Department of Education, Child Development Division.

REFRAIN FROM RELIGIOUS INSTRUCTION POLICY: Walnut Avenue Family & Women’s Center’s Early Education programs refrains from any religious instruction and worship.

DAILY ACTIVITIES

  • A focus on Kindergarten Readiness

  • Emergent Curriculum

  • Literacy Activities

  • Learning Circle time

  • Art

  • Music

  • Gardening and Science Activities

  • Free & Structured Play

  • Math Activities

  • Social Skills

  • Exploratory play in a supervised setting

History of Services

The TAM Infant Center, formerly the La Fonda Infant Center, was established in 1987 by the Santa Cruz City School District on the premises of SCHS, to provide services to the TAM program and the community at large.  In 1990 the Walnut Avenue assumed responsibility for the administration of the TAM Infant Center so our current name is the Walnut Avenue Family & Women’s Center TAM Infant Center. The TAM Infant Center provides subsidized childcare through a grant from the California Department of Education, Early Learning and Care Division.