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Early Childhood Education

CAPISTRANO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

An unwavering commitment to student success

About Our Preschool Programs

Our general education preschool programs implement an adult to child ratio of 1:8 in all classrooms. All of our classrooms (half-day and full-day) will serve a maximum of 16 children per session, with one teacher and one instructional assistant. Our half-day program offers an AM or PM session, 3 hours per session. Our full-day program is 7 hours a day.
 
  • Our Tuition-Based Preschool Program provides a two (2) day, three (3) day or five (5) day week pre-k program, both half-day and full-day options. Families can choose an enrollment option that works best for their student. 
 
  • The California State Preschool Program (CSPP) is a free program for families who meet eligibility. The CSPP operates Monday through Friday, and consists of half-day sessions. Parents have the opportunity to enroll, depending on the site, either in a morning or afternoon session at one of the  preschool sites.  This program is fully funded by the California Department of Education and participants must meet the eligibility requirements as set forth by the California Department of Education.  
 
For the 2025-26 school year, we will have 13 preschool classrooms across 12 elementary school campuses (please see Preschool Locations for more information). 
 
We also offer language programs, where instuction takes place in another language:
Our Spanish Immersion Programs are half-day programs with  AM and PM sessions. Our Spanish Immersion Programs follow either a 50/50, 90/10, or 80/20 model for language immersion, depending on the philosphy of the school and its language immersion program. Our Spanish Immersion Programs are located at Las Palmas Elementary, RH Dana Elementary, San Juan Elementary, and Viejo Elementary schools. 
 
 
 
 
 
quality start oc
QRIS STAR RATING

QRIS STAR RATING

All of our General Education PK classrooms have achieved a 4 or 5-star QRIS rating from the Orange County Department of Education.  This rating represents the highest quality assessment for our preschool programs.  Learn the specifics on these ratings and how they represent high quality at each of our school sites.