Joining Young Pioneers
A quick note on fall semester right now
Young Pioneers isn't closed for the year — we're just in the middle of getting our most recently toured families settled into the right spots before we open the doors to new tours. This usually takes about a week.
Once that's done, we'll open tours again by age group, starting with whichever groups have the most availability. If you've already reached out to us, you're on our list and you'll hear from us directly. If you're new here, you're welcome to join our list below — we'll reach out as soon as your child's age group opens up.
We know waiting is hard when you're excited about a program! We promise it's worth it — we ask every family to tour first so we can make sure Young Pioneers is the right fit, for your child, your family, and our farm community.
Joining Process
Step 1: Farm Tour
Schedule and attend a farm tour to experience the environment and learn about the program in person. Your child must attend the tour with you.
Step 2: Join Program Interest List
Following the tour, interested families may complete a participation interest form to be considered for upcoming seasonal session opportunities. Participation selections typically take place in May, June, and July for Fall sessions and October and November for Spring sessions.
Step 3: Registration & Family Orientation
Families invited to participate will complete registration materials to reserve their child’s place in the upcoming enrichment season. Enrolled families will receive preparation materials, session information, and details for the family orientation gathering prior to the start of the season.
Session Schedules
Educational enrichment sessions are offered Tuesday through Friday. Our options include:
Morning Session: 8:30 AM – 11:30 AM
Add ons: Afternoon Explorers: 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM
To support meaningful hands-on learning experiences, participation is intentionally limited to small group sizes.
Tuition & Participation Fees
Tuition supports instructional materials, educational activities, hands-on projects, farm resources, and guided enrichment experiences throughout the semester. Registration deposits are non-refundable, there is not registration fee if paying in full with charter funds.
Mandatory Supply fee of $60 due first month for the full year. Fees are per child.
Morning Session (8:30–11:30)
1 day/week: $257/month
2 days/week: $514/month
3 days/week: $756/month
4 days/week: $1008/month
*Semester commitment is required. Semesters run from September-December and January-May.
Add on: Afternoon Explorers (11:30-12:30)
1 day/week: $50/month
2 days/week: $100/month
3 days/week: $150/month
4 days/week: $200/month
Payment Plans
Monthly payments are the default payment plan.
Fall semester is Sep-Dec and Spring semester is Jan-May.
5% discount available if paid in full by Zelle, cash or check. Please see this pdf to calculate costs.
Families interested in using charter enrichment funds must tour first then determine if they are interested in enrolling. Once you get invited to enroll, let us know how you plan to pay.
Vista Scholarships: We do accept scholarships from the city of vista. You will need to follow the regular enrollment process above.
Parent Testimonials
“It has been a true pleasure to find Sand n Straw and the Young Pioneers program has been such a blessing for our family. We love it and really appreciate your hearts for the community.”
— Trujillo Family“We’ve had our kids at young Pioneers since its first session in January 2021. It’s been so fun to see it grow over these years and beautiful to see this farm respond to a need in this community. My daughter started at almost 3 and has always come home happy, a little dirty and with things to share about what she learned. They are outside all morning gaining valuable social, physical and nature skills and knowledge. Even in the last few months as she has been a little sad at drop off (because we’re expecting her little sibling any day) I don’t hesitate to leave her with April or her teacher, Jen, because I know she is in good, caring hands. What more could a mama want??”
— Vance Family“My child LOVES "farm school" (as we call it :) - and has been attending for over a year! April and Farmer Rich have set up a fantastic program for kids to explore and learn while out in nature. It's always a fun, engaging and educational morning spent on the farm. My child has made many farm friends, is known and greeted by name by all the wonderful farm school staff, and as a bonus, my kid has tried tons more fruits and veggies than ever before. I wholeheartedly recommend!”
— Lori G.Important Information
Young Pioneers takes place on a working regenerative farm. Instructional activities may involve interaction with gardens, animals, tools, natural materials, uneven terrain, and outdoor environmental conditions. Participation requires a signed liability waiver.
Participants should be comfortable engaging in small-group instructional experiences within an outdoor learning environment.
Young Pioneers is a private educational enrichment program and is not a licensed childcare center. Families remain responsible for their child’s care outside of scheduled instructional session times.
Our educators facilitate guided enrichment experiences focused on experiential learning, agriculture, nature exploration, creativity, and hands-on discovery.
Families are required to provide emergency contact information and relevant medical information prior to participation in instructional sessions.
Frequently Asked Questions
-
Students are grouped by age (about 10 per group), rotate through multiple outdoor stations each day (Nature, Garden, Art & Science, Music, etc.), and have snack/meal + recess time. Learning blends sensory play, experiments, gardening, cooking, music, and exploration
-
Tuition is charged by semester with different rates based on number of days and hours. A 5% discount is available if paid in full by cash/check/Zelle. Charter funds may be used with pre-registration and acceptance
-
We enroll all year round but spots are limited based on age. We have 3 semesters: Fall, Spring and Summer as well as Summer Camps from June-August.
-
You can reach the Young Pioneers team via phone or email (hello@sandnstraw.com, 760-575-4758) or by submitting inquiries through the Contact page
-
Because most students stay from fall through spring and spots fill early, the waitlist notifies families when openings become available. Please contact us via our contact page to get more info.
-
Yes — there’s a community page with parent login (ProCare), social events, playdates, and a Facebook group for connecting with other families and staying updated.
-
We accept PCA, MVA, CPA, SoCal, Suncoast, Elite and Sage Oak
-
Schools such as PCA, CPA, MVA, and SoCal use a portal that allows families to request funds by semester.
Elite, Sage Oak, and Suncoast also use a portal; however, these schools only allow funding requests on a month-by-month basis.
After an order is placed through your charter school, a certificate is issued and sent to us. Certificates must be submitted no later than the 25th of the month prior to the start of services. For the fall term, the deadline is August 25, and for the spring term, the deadline is December 25. Monthly requests are likewise due by the 25th of the month prior to service.
-
When spots become available in the program, we contact families on the interest list and offer tours for a fee of $25 per family.
The $25 tour fee is nonrefundable and temporarily reserves your spot until 48 hours after the tour. Tours take place on our 6-acre farm and involve a fair amount of walking, so please plan accordingly. We ask that you bring the child you hope to enroll so we can meet them and ensure the program is a good fit.