I cannot express how grateful I am for the amazing work put into my child’s development at Solana Beach Community School. I first met Mrs. Diane when I moved from Texas to California a year ago; she gave my son (and me!) much needed calm and consistency that helped to stabilize him after our move. My son was with Diane as a lead teacher all of last year 2023-2024, and the kinds of activities she spearheaded were creative, challenging, and heartwarming. She has continued her incredible work at her new school Solana Beach Community School, where my son has started referring to ‘his community’ on a regular basis, has shown an interest in plants and nature, and a love of learning that I attribute entirely to the guidance of Ms. Diane. Ms. Diane coordinates complicated and beautiful projects with these small people on regular basis in ways that are truly awe-inspiring. These are long term projects that the students come up with together, fostering a sense of togetherness as well as autonomy – giving my son a new sense of confidence I had not seen in him before. Ms. Diane provides weekly, in-depth debriefs on all of the activities done throughout the day, including updates on ongoing projects. Last year, she coordinated an art show, presenting the works the children had done, and providing a booklet of activities completed, projects to do at home, and letting the parents know about budding/blossoming friendships between the children. In addition, she coordinated the creation of an outdoor garden and mud-kitchen which took plenty of planning and building. On Mother’s Day, she threw a tea party for all of the mothers, complete with delicious cupcakes and frittatas, and gifts my son made for me - it truly blew my mind! In addition, she has provided one-on-one consultations with us as parents. Ultimately, she has given us the gift of loving our child while we are away from him, providing us with the sense that he is being cared for in the best of ways. Her co-teachers/assistants are also incredible. Chica, is exceptionally gentle with the children, and Mr. Nolan has unbounded energy, kindness, and respect for the developmental needs of the children. If you are looking for a place that will give your child a ton of individualized attention, care, and respect, this is the place for you.