Ranked among the top 10 childcare centers in Imperial Beach. Fewer than half of all centers in the city reach this level across our full 11-dimension scoring.
Best Infant Care
Earned the highest infant care score in Imperial Beach. This dimension focuses on caregiver ratios, responsiveness, feeding and sleep routines, and parent feedback specific to infant rooms.
Full Ranking Detail
Infant CareToddler CarePreschoolHead StartFull DayPart Day
ECS — Hammond Child Development Center is a federally funded Head Start and Early Head Start program serving children from birth to five years at no cost to families who qualify, located at 455 Palm Avenue in Imperial Beach, California. Licensed by CCLD since 2001 for 49 children (license 376600763), it operates as part of Episcopal Community Services, offering both center-based and home-based services with flexible scheduling options of 3.5 or 6.5 hours daily. However, prospective families should note that the center has a record of multiple complaint investigations on file with CCLD across 2025, plus citations from a September 2025 evaluation—interested enrollees should request detailed records and conduct thorough in-person vetting before committing.
Safety5.0
Curriculum6.0
Art / Music5.0
Infant care6.0
Kindergarten readiness5.0
Teacher quality6.0
Compassion6.0
Management5.0
Culture6.0
Extracurriculars5.0
Recognition of Excellence — Website Badge
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Top 10 in Imperial Beach
<!-- Recognition of Excellence: ECS — Hammond Child Development Center (Head Start) -->
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<img src="https://creativemindsmontessori.com/US-wide-childcare-preschool-rankings/badges/rank-10-city.jpg" alt="Top 10 in Imperial Beach - ECS — Hammond Child Development Center (Head Start) - Imperial Beach, CA" width="80" height="80" style="border-radius:8px;flex-shrink:0;" loading="lazy">
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<strong style="display:block;font-size:15px;color:#1A1A18;margin-bottom:5px;">Top 10 in Imperial Beach</strong>
<span style="font-size:13px;color:#4A4A46;line-height:1.5;">Ranked among the top 10 childcare centers in Imperial Beach. Fewer than half of all centers in the city reach this level across our full 11-dimension scoring.</span>
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</a>
Best Infant Care
<!-- Recognition of Excellence: ECS — Hammond Child Development Center (Head Start) -->
<a href="https://creativemindsmontessori.com/US-wide-childcare-preschool-rankings/california/san-diego/imperial-beach/ecs-hammond-child-development-center-head-start/" 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-infant.jpg" alt="Best Infant Care - ECS — Hammond Child Development Center (Head Start) - Imperial Beach, 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 Infant Care</strong>
<span style="font-size:13px;color:#4A4A46;line-height:1.5;">Earned the highest infant care score in Imperial Beach. This dimension focuses on caregiver ratios, responsiveness, feeding and sleep routines, and parent feedback specific to infant rooms.</span>
</span>
</a>
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.
