Early Education Center – Preschool & PreK Program (Downtown Children’s Center)

The Early Education Center – Preschool & PreK Program (Downtown Children’s Center) offers a play-based and academic Preschool and PreK program that includes emergent curriculum, literacy activities, math activities, and learning circle time. Children take part in art, music, gardening and science activities, as well as both free and structured play and exploratory play in a supervised setting. Daily activities also focus on social skills and follow an anti-bias curriculum, with a policy to refrain from any religious instruction and worship.

• Ages: 2–5 years old
• Schedule: Open Monday–Friday, 8:00am to 4:00pm

The curriculum supports growth in social, emotional, physical, and intellectual domains and includes a focus on kindergarten readiness. Daily activities include both free play and structured activities. All children receive two meals (breakfast and lunch) and a snack per day, free of charge regardless of eligibility status, with food prepared on site in the program’s own kitchen by a cook. Meals and snacks are culturally and developmentally appropriate, meet federal CACFP nutritional requirements, and a monthly menu is posted at the center and available to be printed out.

The program is part of Walnut Avenue Family & Women’s Center, whose mission is to end cycles of trauma, support lifelong learning, and promote healthy relationships with oneself and others. Walnut Avenue Family & Women’s Center is a 501(c)(3) public benefit organization that has helped individuals and families for more than 85 years, was founded as the YWCA in 1933, renamed Walnut Avenue Women’s Center in 1994, and updated its name to Walnut Avenue Family & Women’s Center in 2015. The Preschool & PreK program provides subsidized childcare through a grant from the California Department of Education and is funded or supported by the California Department of Education, Santa Cruz County CORE grant from the County of Santa Cruz, Workforce Santa Cruz County, City of Santa Cruz Children’s Fund, COE QRIS (Quality Counts) Funds, CACFP (California Child & Adult Food Program), Monterey Peninsula Foundation, Community Foundation of Santa Cruz, generous agency donors, and the Present Now program. The program participates in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Child and Adult Food Program (CACFP).

Services are offered to eligible low-income families who need care for their child so they can seek employment, seek housing, work, go to school, or complete a training program. Staff hiring reflects the race and culture of families, and parents are involved in the development, implementation, and evaluation of programs. The organization provides an environment that supports families and embraces diversity.

The leadership team includes Julie Macecevic (Executive Director), Lynn Boule (Director of Advocacy & Prevention), Lisa Schwarz (Operations Manager), Claudia Velazquez (Director of Early Education), Debbie Banuelos (Site Supervisor – Early Education), Llesenia Rocha-Fernandez (Human Resource Partner), Kath Adams (Fiscal Manager), Heather Heen (Director of Development), Amanda Coto (Advocacy & Prevention Coordinator), Marjorie Coffey (Advocate, Restorative Justice Program Coordinator), and Ashley Ponce (Housing & Employment Coordinator).

Last updated June 24, 2026.