Mi Escuelita Preschool, founded in 2006, has made headlines over the last few years due to the trauma-informed learning environment it provides for students and their families, and the educational results it’s been producing.
Children as young as 3 years old are provided with on-site mental health services in addition to more standard academic fare. This is crucial, as many of the students served have experienced domestic violence. A 2024–25 annual report produced by the school found that 28 parents of students enrolled the prior year reported having been involved in multiple domestic violence relationships, with 17 moving or experiencing homelessness as a result.
“We want all children, 0-5, to have safe, stable, nurturing relationships and environments. How do we do that?” CSBA Vice President Jackie Thu-Huong Wong posited to attendees of a Feb. 5 panel, “From healing to learning: How trauma informed care shapes the future of education,” hosted by CalMatters.
Speaking in her role as Executive Director of First 5 California, Wong detailed the science behind how Mi Escuelita’s healing-centered, culturally responsive and trauma-informed approach benefits young children and their families.
In California, about 30 percent of children have faced at least one adverse childhood experience (ACE), including experiencing or witnessing violence. ACEs and the toxic stress response they create in the body correlate to long-term health issues like heart, kidney and chronic lung disease, as well as increased rates of depression, substance use disorders and homelessness.
And in the short term, when the brain is constantly experiencing fight or flight, brain development essentially halts, Wong explained. That’s particularly troublesome for children, as 80 percent of their brain is developed by age 3, and 90 percent by age 5.
That’s not to say all hope is lost, though. Wong noted that by understanding ACEs programs and the education system as a whole, systems can be reworked to reverse the damage by creating the type of safe, stable, nurturing environments that have become central to the Mi Escuelita’s mission.
“Mi Escuelita provides services for kids in a single location that for most other families would require intricate coordination among multiple health care providers, educators and social programs,” according to CalMatters’ Adriana Heldiz, who moderated the panel discussion. “The children learn in a classroom that is always staffed with at least one therapist, they participate in one-on-one therapy and join group therapy sessions. Their parents take part in special classes, too, where they learn ways to support their children.”
Panelist Lisa Klemp, preschool director at Mi Escuelita, noted that students attend at no cost to families and that classes are offered year-round. In return, families agree to work with the school to address mental health issues head on, which has benefited children at home. A University of California, San Diego survey of families involved in the program showed that between 2020 and 2024, 64 percent of reported sensing fewer conflicts and 83 percent felt an increase in closeness.
“Families reported that children’s communication, behavior, and listening skills improved both at home and at school,” researchers wrote, noting that the benefits children experience from their time at Mi Escuelita continue well beyond their time there.
According to UC San Diego research, 82 percent of students at Mi Escuelita scored above average on the Kindergarten Readiness Test, and among those enrolled in the nearby Chula Vista Elementary School District, former Mi Escuelita students tended to score at the same level or sometimes higher in math, reading and writing compared to their peers over the course of several years.
In theory, the early interventions provided at Mi Escuelita that help to ensure students thrive can lower costs related to addressing truancy, behavioral issues and learning gaps for LEAs down the road.
