Summertime at TCS is filled with adventure, discovery and fun. The Children's School offers a range of award winning camps for preschoolers through 8th grade children and provides an exceptional summer experience for students. Camps for children going into Kindergarten through 8th grade are open to the general public. Preschool & PreK camps are only open to TCS students enrolled in the  fall except for The Dance Academy & Reading Stars programs. The Children's School was the winner of Nickelodeon's 2008 Parent's Picks Award for Best Day Camp in San Diego! Parents from all over the city picked us as the best.

The Children’s School has a proud history as a pioneer in progressive education. It was founded in 1972 by a group of educators as a child-centered school that focused on developing the whole child. The founders believed in accomplishing this through a hands-on curriculum rich in academics, social development, art and physical education.

The school’s curriculum and educational philosophy drew inspiration from the work of numerous scholars including John Dewey, Jean Piaget, Erik Erikson, Lev Vygotsky, and Howard Gardner. This approach to education distinguished the school from traditional public and private schools, and remains a hallmark of the school to this day.

Originally housed at a church in Point Loma, the school was relocated to Sorrento Valley in the mid-1970s where it enrolled children from toddlers to the eighth grade.



In 1983, the school moved to its present location in La Jolla. It operates in its current location under a lease from San Diego City Schools.



Along with the move to La Jolla came an expanded commitment to the school's social curriculum and its parent education programs. TCS’s parent-toddler program, which was based on a model from Pacific Oaks College in Pasadena and includes a parent education component, was expanded to include parents of children of all ages.