OpenMinds

Preschool & ChildcareVerified

About

OpenMinds is a Spanish and French language immersion preschool in Kensington, San Diego at 4236 Adams Ave between Vista St and Biona Dr, enrolling children 18 months through five years under Community Care License Nos. 376701358 and 376105094. Founded in 2007 by Christine D'Amico, the program immerses students in Spanish for 80 to 90 percent of each school day, with a supplemental French class woven into the afternoon rotation. D'Amico holds a master's degree in adult education and is pursuing a doctorate in positive developmental psychology, and her academic research informs the school's emphasis on building positive life skills alongside language acquisition, music, art, and kindergarten preparation. The Adams Avenue campus sits in the Kensington commercial district within the 92116 ZIP, east of Kensington Dr, and families walking to morning drop-off pass Kensington Cafe, one of the corridor's longest-operating breakfast spots where the post-drop-off parent community gathers. Before- and after-school programs extend care for school-age children, and OpenMinds partners with more than 10 schools across the area to provide on-site enrichment classes in art, movement, and language. Summer camps and school-break programming keep the campus active year-round, offering themed weeks in creative arts, outdoor exploration, and bilingual storytelling for children beyond the core preschool enrollment. The dual-language model prepares children for the bilingual track at area elementary schools, and the immersion intensity produces conversational Spanish fluency by the time students reach kindergarten age. Staff hold CPR and first aid certifications, and the campus includes a dedicated outdoor play space that supports the gross-motor and sensory components of the immersion curriculum. The creative-arts programming draws on Kensington's broader performance culture, and the live-event calendar at Adams Avenue Theater hosts children's performances and community shows that OpenMinds families attend as an extension of the school's arts-integration model. Adams Avenue runs east through the Kensington village past independent shops and restaurants, and the walkable corridor gives enrolled families access to the neighborhood's full commercial district on foot from the campus door.