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 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
childcarepreschoolhead-start
ECS St. Matthew's Head Start in National City, California is a federally funded Head Start program operated by Episcopal Community Services, a longstanding San Diego County non-profit since the 1960s. Serving infants through five-year-olds at no cost to qualifying families, the program offers both home-based and center-based options with flexible schedules ranging from 3.5 to 6.5 hours daily. Comprehensive wraparound services including health screenings, family engagement, behavioral health support, and nutritional services are built into the program for small cohorts of approximately 30 children. With limited public parent reviews available, prospective families should contact the center directly at (619) 512-9886 to confirm current location, availability, and eligibility requirements.
Safety6.0
Curriculum6.0
Art / Music5.0
Infant care5.0
Kindergarten readiness5.0
Teacher quality6.0
Compassion7.0
Management6.0
Culture6.0
Extracurriculars5.0
Programs & curriculum
Programs & activities: Head Start (ages 3-5) offers home-based (weekly home visits plus two monthly group socializations) or center-based (extended day 6.5 hours or part day 3.5 hours) options; Early Head Start (birth to 3, plus pregnant/postpartum women) offers home-based services or center-based extended day, five days per week.
What sets it apart: Federally funded program provided at no cost to qualifying families; includes family and community engagement programs, parenting education, child developmental screenings, services for children with disabilities, services for pregnant women, behavioral health services, and referrals.
Recognition of Excellence — Website Badge
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Most Compassionate
<!-- Recognition of Excellence: ECS St. Matthew's Head Start -->
<a href="https://creativemindsmontessori.com/US-wide-childcare-preschool-rankings/california/san-diego/national-city/ecs-st-matthew-s-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 St. Matthew's 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 Arts & Music
<!-- Recognition of Excellence: ECS St. Matthew's Head Start -->
<a href="https://creativemindsmontessori.com/US-wide-childcare-preschool-rankings/california/san-diego/national-city/ecs-st-matthew-s-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 St. Matthew's 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.
