Saddleback Children's Center

Saddleback Children's Center offers children time to dig in the sand and garden areas, take off their shoes for heightened sensory experiences, and engage in water play freely. The program also includes chances to challenge gross motor skills and intentionally explore art, music, and dramatic play as part of its outdoor playground learning centers that extend to the outdoor environment. Children move through different areas that include sand and garden spaces, water play, and places to explore art, music, and dramatic play.

• Ages: 2–5 years old
• Schedule: June 9–August 1 Summer Full Day Program; June 17–July 24 Summer Preschool; July 4 Independence Day, no school

Saddleback Children's Center is a Christian preschool and ministry of Community Lutheran Church and is a non-profit institution operated by Community Lutheran Church. It was established in 1983 by Community Lutheran Church and has been part of and serving families in the Rancho Santa Margarita community since 1983. The school was originally located in El Toro, and the church and school moved to Rancho Santa Margarita in 1988, opening in its new facility on February 14, 1989. Pre-kindergarten and junior kindergarten teachers are described as seasoned in preparing children for Kindergarten, and the program describes itself as having “a family atmosphere with a focus on educational excellence and the beauty of God's creation.” Teachers are certified from the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing. Saddleback Children's Center has been accredited since 1992 through the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), with accreditation renewed every five years and a five-year reaccreditation renewed in October 2024. The center became a demonstration site for the Outdoor Classroom Project in 2019 and is licensed through the Department of Social Services, facility license # 300606937. The governing board, made up of church members and Saddleback Children's Center parents, meets bi-monthly and is responsible for the practical operation of the school. The school admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin and does not discriminate on that basis in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs. The mission statement says the program intends to promote the development of the whole child physically, socially, emotionally, creatively, intellectually and spiritually in a warm, safe, nurturing environment in a developmentally appropriate program, and that it respects and seeks to meet the needs of each child by engaging them in positive experiences that will help children learn, grow and have fun, with the hope that each child will leave Saddleback Children's Center saying and believing, “I am a good person, I am a great thinker and I love to learn.”

Last updated April 5, 2026.