Santa Inez Begins Its 75th Year with a Campus Ready to Explore

Every corner of our Santa Inez campus got its turn this month, starting outside. Our three playscapes were checked and refreshed, the organic garden was prepped for a new season of planting and digging, and the life-size village play structure got a full once-over so it is ready for a year of climbing and discovery.

Indoors, our educators spent time in training. Several have called Santa Inez home for over a decade, including Rosa, who has been with the school for 21 years, and they used the time to sharpen the experiential learning approach that shapes each child's day here, from focus and self-regulation to the kind of hands-on discovery that builds real executive function.

This season also brought its usual milestones. A few of our senior preschoolers graduated on to kindergarten, a moment we celebrated with their families, while many more children moved up into a new room to meet new educators and settle into a new rhythm.

Santa Inez has been part of this community for 75 years, a legacy Mary Lou Johnson has been part of since 1974, long before she became known locally through the Planning Commission and her years as Rotary President. Her presence here is a reminder that this campus was built layer by layer by the people who kept choosing it, and this Fall Set Up is simply the newest layer.

The garden is planted, the playscapes are ready, and our educators are prepared. We are excited to welcome families back to a campus that keeps growing while staying exactly the place this community has always known.