Photo of Melissa Reed-Cavaluzzi

Melissa Reed-Cavaluzzi

Director

My name is Melissa Reed-Cavaluzzi and I am the director and owner of Carlsbad Country Day School. As a little girl, I always wanted to be a teacher. I would frequently line my stuffed animals up and teach them how to read and do simple math.

When I finally got my first real job teaching kindergarten, I struggled to find a quality preschool I felt comfortable leaving my four year old son at. Although I tried a few local preschools in the area, it was apparent that Carlsbad needed a quality educationally based preschool that was not religiously affiliated.

At the time, my father, Mr. Darrell, was retiring from his career with the defense department. He and my mother; Ms. Phyllis, were looking to “retire” and start something more rewarding in their golden years. After searching for a few years for the perfect location, Carlsbad Country Day School was born.

While developing our program, I worked closely with public school administrators, seasoned teachers and licensed therapists to create an optimal environment where children would love to come and learn. Although the focus of the school was providing a strong educational foundation for the children, I knew that I wanted the school to cater to working parents too. As a working parent, it was always hard for me to get my own children to enrichment activities. Making it easy for the students to attend dance classes, martial arts, soccer, drama and other enrichment type programs without having to leave the campus, was another key focus of CCDS.

Finally, I knew that if I could build a kitchen that could serve 200 students a day, we could relieve the daily stress on parents of what to pack for lunch. I am happy to say that we are the only preschool in California with a fully licensed restaurant and kitchen. In 2020, we were one of only five restaurants in San Diego County to receive a perfect score of 100 on our health inspection. Our head chef created a healthy breakfast and lunch menu that caters to all allergies and religious restrictions. Included in tuition are two well rounded meals per day and all your child's snacks.

Carlsbad Country Day School is what drives me to wake up in the morning. Since 2006, all seven of my children have attended school here. In 2019 my first grandson was born and is currently enrolled in our preschool program. I believe that by opening this school, I not only made the best career decision for myself, but the best educational decision for my family. I am very proud of this school, and I look forward to sharing my passion with you and your family.