MAAC – Laurel Tree Center in Carlsbad's Aviara area operates a federally funded Head Start and Early Head Start site on Laurel Tree Lane, providing center-based preschool programming for low-income families with children ages three to five. Full-day and part-day extended sessions emphasize bilingual multicultural instruction and early literacy development, the same foundational reading skills reinforced through children's programming at Carlsbad City Library. MAAC—the Metropolitan Area Advisory Committee on Anti-Poverty of San Diego County—was founded in 1965 and now serves over 100,000 people annually across five pillars: economic development, education, health and well-being, housing, and advocacy. The Laurel Tree campus integrates child development with the 138-unit low-income housing complex surrounding it, embedding health and mental health screenings, nutrition support, and social worker referrals directly into the Head Start enrollment process alongside community partners such as North Coast Church Carlsbad. Enrollment eligibility follows federal poverty guidelines and requires a birth certificate, California immunization card, proof of income, and proof of residency, with families assigned to the nearest MAAC campus by ZIP code.