Ranked among the top 10 childcare centers in National City. Fewer than half of all centers in the city reach this level across our full 11-dimension scoring.
Best for Safety
Earned the highest safety score in National City. Our safety dimension weighs inspection history, deficiency records, and parent-reported safety culture across reviews.
Most Compassionate
Earned the highest compassion score in National City. This dimension captures how families describe staff empathy, how concerns are handled, and the emotional environment of the center.
Best Culture
Earned the highest culture score in National City. This dimension captures a sense of community, inclusivity, staff morale, and the feeling families describe when they walk through the door.
Best Arts & Music
Earned the highest arts & music score in National City. This dimension reflects the depth and consistency of creative programming — visual arts, music, movement, and imaginative play.
Full Ranking Detail
PreschoolPre-KHead StartFull DayPart Day
ECS — Highland Head Start in National City is a federally funded Head Start and Early Head Start center for children from birth through age 5, with no cost to qualifying families. Operated by Episcopal Community Services, a mission-driven non-profit established since 1994, the center maintains an exceptional compliance record with a DaycareCheck Grade A rating and 100/100 safety score. Both extended (6.5 hours) and part-day (3.5 hours) scheduling options accommodate working families, while comprehensive services encompassing health, mental health, nutrition, and family engagement support whole-child development. Licensed since 1994 under CCLD license 376600025, the center's primary limitation is its income-based eligibility—enrollment is restricted to qualifying families rather than universally accessible—and sparse public parent reviews available online.
Safety7.0
Curriculum6.0
Art / Music5.0
Infant care5.0
Kindergarten readiness6.0
Teacher quality6.0
Compassion7.0
Management6.0
Culture7.0
Extracurriculars5.0
Programs & curriculum
Programs & activities: The site references "STEAM Learning" as a program available through ECS, but no Highland-specific activity details are provided.
What sets it apart: Head Start program operated by ECS (Episcopal Community Services). Location: 2605 Highland Ave., National City, CA 91950. License number 376600025.
Recognition of Excellence — Website Badge
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Top 10 in National City
<!-- Recognition of Excellence: ECS — Highland Head Start -->
<a href="https://creativemindsmontessori.com/US-wide-childcare-preschool-rankings/california/san-diego/national-city/ecs-highland-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;">
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<strong style="display:block;font-size:15px;color:#1A1A18;margin-bottom:5px;">Top 10 in National City</strong>
<span style="font-size:13px;color:#4A4A46;line-height:1.5;">Ranked among the top 10 childcare centers in National City. Fewer than half of all centers in the city reach this level across our full 11-dimension scoring.</span>
</span>
</a>
Best for Safety
<!-- Recognition of Excellence: ECS — Highland Head Start -->
<a href="https://creativemindsmontessori.com/US-wide-childcare-preschool-rankings/california/san-diego/national-city/ecs-highland-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-safety.jpg" alt="Best for Safety - ECS — Highland Head Start - National City, 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 National City. Our safety dimension weighs inspection history, deficiency records, and parent-reported safety culture across reviews.</span>
</span>
</a>
Most Compassionate
<!-- Recognition of Excellence: ECS — Highland Head Start -->
<a href="https://creativemindsmontessori.com/US-wide-childcare-preschool-rankings/california/san-diego/national-city/ecs-highland-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-compassion.jpg" alt="Most Compassionate - ECS — Highland Head Start - National City, 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 National City. This dimension captures how families describe staff empathy, how concerns are handled, and the emotional environment of the center.</span>
</span>
</a>
Best Culture
<!-- Recognition of Excellence: ECS — Highland Head Start -->
<a href="https://creativemindsmontessori.com/US-wide-childcare-preschool-rankings/california/san-diego/national-city/ecs-highland-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-culture.jpg" alt="Best Culture - ECS — Highland Head Start - National City, 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 Culture</strong>
<span style="font-size:13px;color:#4A4A46;line-height:1.5;">Earned the highest culture score in National City. This dimension captures a sense of community, inclusivity, staff morale, and the feeling families describe when they walk through the door.</span>
</span>
</a>
Best Arts & Music
<!-- Recognition of Excellence: ECS — Highland Head Start -->
<a href="https://creativemindsmontessori.com/US-wide-childcare-preschool-rankings/california/san-diego/national-city/ecs-highland-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-arts.jpg" alt="Best Arts & Music - ECS — Highland Head Start - National City, 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 Arts & Music</strong>
<span style="font-size:13px;color:#4A4A46;line-height:1.5;">Earned the highest arts & music score in National City. This dimension reflects the depth and consistency of creative programming — visual arts, music, movement, and imaginative play.</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.
