Recognition of Excellence · Monterey, CA · 2026

Great Beginnings, Upper Campus

1 Soledad Drive, Monterey, CA 93940
https://greatbeginningsmonterey.com/
🏆 Ranked #2 in Monterey · 6.1 / 10 overall
Awards Earned
Top 3 in Monterey
Top 3 in Monterey
Ranked among the top 3 childcare centers in Monterey across all 11 quality dimensions — placing this center in the very top tier of local options.
 Best for Safety
Best for Safety
Earned the highest safety score in Monterey. Our safety dimension weighs inspection history, deficiency records, and parent-reported safety culture across reviews.
 Best Teachers
Best Teachers
Earned the highest teacher quality score in Monterey. This dimension weighs staff tenure, qualifications, warmth reported in parent reviews, and consistency of care across classrooms.
 Best Curriculum
Best Curriculum
Earned the highest curriculum score in Monterey. This dimension evaluates structured learning, developmental programming, and how well daily activities prepare children for each stage.
 Most Compassionate
Most Compassionate
Earned the highest compassion score in Monterey. This dimension captures how families describe staff empathy, how concerns are handled, and the emotional environment of the center.
 Best K-Ready
Best K-Ready
Earned the highest kindergarten-readiness score in Monterey. This dimension reflects pre-literacy, pre-math, and school-readiness preparation reported by parents and visible in the curriculum.
Full Ranking Detail
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Great Beginnings, Upper Campus is a newly opened satellite location of the established Great Beginnings childcare provider, situated at 1 Soledad Drive in Monterey and licensed by CCLD (License #274418495) for up to 39 children. Opened in December 2025 following a secured long-term lease, the campus draws on the parent organization's 27-year track record of play-based, nature-inspired learning emphasizing mixed-age groups, gardening, arts, and music. The facility passed its December 8, 2025 evaluation with no citations and staffing is drawn from Great Beginnings' experienced teaching team, known for attentive teacher-to-child ratios. As a newly opened campus, it has no public Google reviews yet—families seeking independent parent feedback should contact the center directly to discuss its daily schedule and current parent experience.

Safety6.0
Curriculum7.0
Art / Music6.0
Infant care3.0
Kindergarten readiness6.0
Teacher quality7.0
Compassion7.0
Management6.0
Culture7.0
Extracurriculars6.0
Recognition of Excellence — Website Badge
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Top 3 in Monterey
<!-- Recognition of Excellence: Great Beginnings, Upper Campus --> <a href="https://creativemindsmontessori.com/US-wide-childcare-preschool-rankings/california/central-valley/monterey/great-beginnings-upper-campus/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" style="display:flex;align-items:flex-start;gap:16px;padding:18px;background:#FFFBF0;border:1px solid #EDD97A;border-radius:10px;max-width:420px;text-decoration:none;color:inherit;font-family:-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,'Segoe UI',Roboto,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;"> <img src="https://creativemindsmontessori.com/US-wide-childcare-preschool-rankings/badges/rank-3-city.jpg" alt="Top 3 in Monterey - Great Beginnings, Upper Campus - Monterey, CA" width="80" height="80" style="border-radius:8px;flex-shrink:0;" loading="lazy"> <span> <strong style="display:block;font-size:15px;color:#1A1A18;margin-bottom:5px;">Top 3 in Monterey</strong> <span style="font-size:13px;color:#4A4A46;line-height:1.5;">Ranked among the top 3 childcare centers in Monterey across all 11 quality dimensions — placing this center in the very top tier of local options.</span> </span> </a>
Best for Safety
<!-- Recognition of Excellence: Great Beginnings, Upper Campus --> <a href="https://creativemindsmontessori.com/US-wide-childcare-preschool-rankings/california/central-valley/monterey/great-beginnings-upper-campus/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" style="display:flex;align-items:flex-start;gap:16px;padding:18px;background:#FFFBF0;border:1px solid #EDD97A;border-radius:10px;max-width:420px;text-decoration:none;color:inherit;font-family:-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,'Segoe UI',Roboto,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;"> <img src="https://creativemindsmontessori.com/US-wide-childcare-preschool-rankings/badges/dim-safety.jpg" alt="Best for Safety - Great Beginnings, Upper Campus - Monterey, CA" width="80" height="80" style="border-radius:8px;flex-shrink:0;" loading="lazy"> <span> <strong style="display:block;font-size:15px;color:#1A1A18;margin-bottom:5px;">Best for Safety</strong> <span style="font-size:13px;color:#4A4A46;line-height:1.5;">Earned the highest safety score in Monterey. Our safety dimension weighs inspection history, deficiency records, and parent-reported safety culture across reviews.</span> </span> </a>
Best Teachers
<!-- Recognition of Excellence: Great Beginnings, Upper Campus --> <a href="https://creativemindsmontessori.com/US-wide-childcare-preschool-rankings/california/central-valley/monterey/great-beginnings-upper-campus/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" style="display:flex;align-items:flex-start;gap:16px;padding:18px;background:#FFFBF0;border:1px solid #EDD97A;border-radius:10px;max-width:420px;text-decoration:none;color:inherit;font-family:-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,'Segoe UI',Roboto,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;"> <img src="https://creativemindsmontessori.com/US-wide-childcare-preschool-rankings/badges/dim-teacherq.jpg" alt="Best Teachers - Great Beginnings, Upper Campus - Monterey, CA" width="80" height="80" style="border-radius:8px;flex-shrink:0;" loading="lazy"> <span> <strong style="display:block;font-size:15px;color:#1A1A18;margin-bottom:5px;">Best Teachers</strong> <span style="font-size:13px;color:#4A4A46;line-height:1.5;">Earned the highest teacher quality score in Monterey. This dimension weighs staff tenure, qualifications, warmth reported in parent reviews, and consistency of care across classrooms.</span> </span> </a>
Best Curriculum
<!-- Recognition of Excellence: Great Beginnings, Upper Campus --> <a href="https://creativemindsmontessori.com/US-wide-childcare-preschool-rankings/california/central-valley/monterey/great-beginnings-upper-campus/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" style="display:flex;align-items:flex-start;gap:16px;padding:18px;background:#FFFBF0;border:1px solid #EDD97A;border-radius:10px;max-width:420px;text-decoration:none;color:inherit;font-family:-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,'Segoe UI',Roboto,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;"> <img src="https://creativemindsmontessori.com/US-wide-childcare-preschool-rankings/badges/dim-curriculum.jpg" alt="Best Curriculum - Great Beginnings, Upper Campus - Monterey, CA" width="80" height="80" style="border-radius:8px;flex-shrink:0;" loading="lazy"> <span> <strong style="display:block;font-size:15px;color:#1A1A18;margin-bottom:5px;">Best Curriculum</strong> <span style="font-size:13px;color:#4A4A46;line-height:1.5;">Earned the highest curriculum score in Monterey. This dimension evaluates structured learning, developmental programming, and how well daily activities prepare children for each stage.</span> </span> </a>
Most Compassionate
<!-- Recognition of Excellence: Great Beginnings, Upper Campus --> <a href="https://creativemindsmontessori.com/US-wide-childcare-preschool-rankings/california/central-valley/monterey/great-beginnings-upper-campus/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" style="display:flex;align-items:flex-start;gap:16px;padding:18px;background:#FFFBF0;border:1px solid #EDD97A;border-radius:10px;max-width:420px;text-decoration:none;color:inherit;font-family:-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,'Segoe UI',Roboto,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;"> <img src="https://creativemindsmontessori.com/US-wide-childcare-preschool-rankings/badges/dim-compassion.jpg" alt="Most Compassionate - Great Beginnings, Upper Campus - Monterey, CA" width="80" height="80" style="border-radius:8px;flex-shrink:0;" loading="lazy"> <span> <strong style="display:block;font-size:15px;color:#1A1A18;margin-bottom:5px;">Most Compassionate</strong> <span style="font-size:13px;color:#4A4A46;line-height:1.5;">Earned the highest compassion score in Monterey. This dimension captures how families describe staff empathy, how concerns are handled, and the emotional environment of the center.</span> </span> </a>
Best K-Ready
<!-- Recognition of Excellence: Great Beginnings, Upper Campus --> <a href="https://creativemindsmontessori.com/US-wide-childcare-preschool-rankings/california/central-valley/monterey/great-beginnings-upper-campus/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" style="display:flex;align-items:flex-start;gap:16px;padding:18px;background:#FFFBF0;border:1px solid #EDD97A;border-radius:10px;max-width:420px;text-decoration:none;color:inherit;font-family:-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,'Segoe UI',Roboto,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;"> <img src="https://creativemindsmontessori.com/US-wide-childcare-preschool-rankings/badges/dim-kinder.jpg" alt="Best K-Ready - Great Beginnings, Upper Campus - Monterey, CA" width="80" height="80" style="border-radius:8px;flex-shrink:0;" loading="lazy"> <span> <strong style="display:block;font-size:15px;color:#1A1A18;margin-bottom:5px;">Best K-Ready</strong> <span style="font-size:13px;color:#4A4A46;line-height:1.5;">Earned the highest kindergarten-readiness score in Monterey. This dimension reflects pre-literacy, pre-math, and school-readiness preparation reported by parents and visible in the curriculum.</span> </span> </a>

Updated · July 2026

This recognition is awarded independently by Creative Minds Montessori based on publicly available parent reviews and public records. Centers do not pay for or request these rankings. Scores reflect editorial synthesis of verified parent experience — not center marketing materials. Rankings are updated periodically as new reviews are analyzed.

Read our full ranking methodology →