Child Care Solutions
UCSD Child Care
The UCSD Early Childhood Education Center provides full-time child care for children of full-time UCSD students, staff, and faculty, as well as a limited number of non-UCSD affiliates.
The UCSD Mesa Child Development Center offers part-time child care. The center offers two half-day sessions on weekdays:
- Morning: 8 a.m.–noon
- Afternoon: 1–5 p.m.
UCSD affiliates (full-time students, faculty, and staff) and community who are parents may enroll their children ages 2 1/2 to 5. The part-time program emphasizes hands-on, child-driven learning, inspired by the Reggio Emilia philosophy.
Additional Child Care Solutions
San Diego Centralized Eligibility List:
"Connecting families San Diego County to subsidized early care, early education and childcare programs" This is a one-stop application for several subsidy programs for childcare centers, home day care and babysitting across San Diego County, some of which are close to UCSD. Visit www.childcaresandiego.com.
For more about child care, see Blink's webpages about
Read about options for child enrichment
- Outside organizations that hold summer programs at UCSD
- Off-campus camps and enrichment program
- UCSD Grad Parents Network Mom's Support Group. This group is run by students and is open to all student-parents, including undergraduates, as well as to family members, partners and spouses. Contact studentparents@ucsd.edu for more information.
Student-to-student tips on child care as a student-parent
If you are thinking about attending UCSD get on childcare center waitlists early! Utilize the above off campus resources as supplemental and back up options in the case that a UCSD child care option does not work for you.
- For the UCSD ECEC full-time program, the waiting period varies widely and may extend up to two years. Although many students qualify for subsidized care and may be eligible for enrollment priority; it is prudent to sign up on the wait list in advance, prior submitting an application to UCSD.
- As you approach your enrollment as a student or your move-in date for family housing, please feel free to subscribe to an undergraduate or graduate student-parent e-mail list. You may choose to reach out to fellow student parents to look for child care and play group support, as well as support or ideas from within-the UCSD student-parent community.