Early Childhood Lab School

Building Foundations for Lifelong Success

Operated by Growing Place

Our Mission

The Santa Monica Early Childhood Lab School is a dynamic demonstration site, supporting excellence in early childhood education and teacher preparation. We teach and showcase the intersection between theory and practice. Through our partnership, deep relationships will flourish, meaningful experiences will lead to significant learning and generations of confident teachers will emerge. We believe in promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion and strive to create a community where all learners feel valued and supported.

Meeting a Community Need

Located at the corner of 4th Street and Civic Center Drive in Santa Monica, the Santa Monica Early Childhood Lab School opened in September 2021. The Lab School is a unique partnership between Santa Monica College, the City of Santa Monica, the RAND Corporation, and Growing Place, the nonprofit child development program chosen to be the operator.

It serves 106 children annually in support of nurturing the development of the whole child and helping to fulfill the city’s vision of ensuring quality early education for area residents and employees, with at least 30 percent of participating families being Santa Monica residents, 15 percent Santa Monica families of low-income status.

The Santa Monica Early Childhood Lab School also actively supports the Santa Monica Early Childhood Task Force and Santa Monica’s Cradle to Career initiative, an inter-agency partnership including the City, SMC, the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District and more, which strategically invests in the best outcomes for children and families, projects that help the community Learn + Thrive.

As the RAND Corporation planned construction of their new headquarters in 2000, which is a short distance away from the Santa Monica Early Childhood Lab School, a development fund was created that the City and Growing Place are using to provide tuition subsidies for low-income Santa Monica families.

Early Education — Benefits for a Lifetime

Research shows the high value of quality early education programs for all children. The innovative Santa Monica Early Childhood Lab School is helping to meet this vital need while also addressing the area’s gaps in full-day early education services, especially for infants and toddlers.

The Lab School’s full-time, full-year early learning program—enriched by its collaboration with the world-class SMC Education/Early Childhood Department—enables parents to gain more work experience and thus achieve higher earnings. Two generations benefit at once: Children get a stronger foundation for educational and life success, and parents can advance their careers to take even better care of their families.

And when families prosper, so does Santa Monica.

Resources

• Frequently Asked Questions

Press

• May 24, 2022 - Santa Monica Early Childhood Lab School Unveiled

• February 28, 2018 – SMC and City of Santa Monica to Break Ground March 13 for Santa Monica Early Childhood Lab School

• January 9, 2017 – Growing Place Selected to Operate Santa Monica Early Childhood Lab School