Family Resources in the San Lorenzo Valley

The short version

• Schools: Boulder Creek is part of SLVUSD (TK through 12th). Enrollment starts by phoning your school's registrar, not a portal. Boulder Creek Elementary is the in-town campus.
• Childcare: Call the county's Child Development Resource Center at 831-466-5820 for referrals to licensed care anywhere in the county.
• Free kids' programs: The Boulder Creek library branch runs storytime Wednesdays and a playgroup Fridays, both free.
• Parks, pool, camps, scouts: Most of the town's kid activity runs through the Boulder Creek Recreation and Park District, at 831-338-4144.
• When you're stuck: Dial 211 for anything from childcare subsidies to food help to counseling referrals, 24 hours a day.

Raising kids here means assembling your own list out of a school district, a library branch, a recreation district, and a handful of nonprofits, mostly by word of mouth. Here's that list, checked. SLVUSD handles school, the Boulder Creek library branch runs free weekly kids' programs, the Boulder Creek Recreation and Park District covers camps, a seasonal pool, and youth programs, and the county's Child Development Resource Center will connect you with licensed childcare. Programs change with the seasons, so treat the links as your source of truth.

Schools: SLVUSD and Boulder Creek Elementary

Boulder Creek sits in the San Lorenzo Valley Unified School District, which covers TK through 12th grade for the whole valley from its offices in Ben Lomond. Enrollment starts with a phone call, not a portal. The district's enrollment page is explicit: contact your school's registrar first, and once pre-enrollment is set up, the registrar emails you instructions to finish registration online.

For the 2026-27 year, kindergartners need to turn five on or before September 1, and TK students need their fourth birthday before that date. Have a few things ready before you call:

• Proof of your child's age
• Immunization records
• An oral health assessment for TK, kindergarten, and first grade
• Proof of address

The in-town campus is Boulder Creek Elementary at 400 Lomond Street, a short walk from downtown, with current registration information posted on its site. Middle and high schoolers head down the road to the SLV campus in Felton, and METRO Route 35 stops there. That's worth knowing because K-12 students ride METRO free. Our transit guide has the details.

Preschool and childcare

Start with the Child Development Resource Center, run by the Santa Cruz County Office of Education. Its referral specialists connect families with licensed childcare centers and licensed family child care homes anywhere in the county, and they can also walk you through subsidized programs and preschool options. Call 831-466-5820 or the toll-free line at 833-774-4596, weekdays 8 to 5.

In town, Seeds of Knowledge Preschool at 16900 Highway 9 runs a licensed weekday program, Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., and welcomes visits from prospective families. Little People's School at 13155 Oak Street (831-566-4236) has looked after young children here for years and now focuses on infants and toddlers, roughly babies to age three, so call to confirm the current range. Adina's and Busy Bees round out the in-town options, both home-based. For the preschool-age crowd that isn't in a full program, the rec district's outdoor classes, covered below, fill part of that gap.

The library branch on West Park Avenue

The Boulder Creek branch of Santa Cruz Public Libraries, at 13390 West Park Avenue, runs a full slate of free kids' programming, all posted on the branch events calendar. The recurring lineup:

• Toddler and Preschool Storytime: every Wednesday at 11 a.m., with stories and songs for little ones and their caregivers.
• Discovery Zone Playgroup: a free-play hour for kids up to age five with a participating adult, Friday mornings at 11.
• Make & Explore: a STEAM program for school-age kids on Wednesday afternoons.
• R.E.A.D.: free one-on-one reading comprehension instruction for grades 1 through 12, by appointment at 831-427-7713.

Summer brings extra performances and reading-program events, and a Mobile Health Clinic visits the branch monthly. Schedules shift with the seasons, so check the calendar before you load up the car. Branch hours are Monday through Thursday 10 to 6, Friday 11 to 5, and Saturday 10 to 5.

BCRPD: parks, pool, camps, and scouts

The Boulder Creek Recreation and Park District is where most of the town's kid activity actually lives. Its downtown office at 13333 Middleton Avenue is open Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., at 831-338-4144.

For outdoor time, Junction Park sits a block off downtown at Middleton and Railroad Avenues with a small beach and river access, and Garrahan Park at 15555 Highway 9 has play structures, a soccer field, and a walking track, open sunrise to sunset. Both allow leashed dogs.

The district's childcare and youth programs page is the current catalog, and offerings rotate by season. Right now it lists:

• Summer camp registration and seasonal movement classes for elementary and middle schoolers.
• Enchanted Little Forest Friends: an outdoor play-based program for ages 3 to 7 that runs Monday and Wednesday mornings.
• Santa Cruz Mountain Learning Collective: a two-day-a-week enrichment program for homeschooling families with kids in K-5.
• Scouting: Cub Scout Pack 623 for K-5 and Scout Troop 623, which meets Monday evenings at the rec center.

The district also runs the Bear Creek pool at 15685 Forest Hill Drive, open for the 2026 season from June 6 through September 27, with recreational swim most afternoons and the pool closed Mondays. Current pool hours and passes are posted here.

Camps in our backyard

Two established camps operate right on Highway 9 north of town. YMCA Camp Campbell at 16275 Highway 9 runs overnight summer camps for kids and family camp weekends, with 2026 registration open and financial assistance available for all programs. Camp Harmon, the Easterseals camp at 16403 Highway 9, calls itself a fully accessible campground for all ages and abilities, and its programs include summer camp, weekend camps, family camp, and social recreation events.

Both are registered-program camps rather than drop-in facilities, so plan ahead through their sites.

Down the valley: Highlands Park

Five minutes down Highway 9 in Ben Lomond, Highlands County Park at 8500 Highway 9 packs a playground, a skate park, ball fields, tennis courts, a nature trail, and picnic areas into one stop, open sunrise to sunset. It's where valley birthday parties and after-school skate sessions tend to end up, and it's worth knowing even if you rarely leave Boulder Creek.

When you don't know who to call

For everything else, from childcare subsidies to food assistance to family counseling referrals, dial 211 or text your ZIP code to 211211. 211 Santa Cruz County, a program of United Way of Santa Cruz, covers more than 500 local resources. Phone and text service runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and 211 offers phone interpretation in 150 languages. It's the fastest way to find out which agency actually handles the thing you need.

New to the valley entirely? Our new resident quick-start guide covers alerts, utilities, and the rest of week one.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a storytime at the Boulder Creek library?

Yes. Toddler and Preschool Storytime runs every Wednesday at 11 a.m. at the branch on West Park Avenue, and a Friday-morning playgroup serves kids up to age five. Both are free; check the branch events calendar for the current schedule.

How do I enroll my child in school in Boulder Creek?

Contact the registrar at your assigned school first; for elementary-age kids in town that's Boulder Creek Elementary. The registrar sets up pre-enrollment and sends you online registration instructions. You'll need proof of age, immunization records, proof of address, and an oral health assessment for the youngest grades.

Where can I find childcare in the San Lorenzo Valley?

Call the Child Development Resource Center at 831-466-5820 for referrals to licensed centers and family child care homes. In Boulder Creek itself, Seeds of Knowledge Preschool runs a licensed weekday program, and BCRPD's Enchanted Little Forest Friends covers preschool-age kids two mornings a week.

Is there a public pool in Boulder Creek?

Yes, seasonally. BCRPD's Bear Creek pool at 15685 Forest Hill Drive is open June 6 through September 27 in 2026, with afternoon recreational swim most days and Mondays closed.

What summer camps operate near Boulder Creek?

BCRPD runs day camps in town, YMCA Camp Campbell offers overnight camp and family camps on Highway 9, and Easterseals' Camp Harmon runs fully accessible sessions for campers of all ages and abilities. All three post registration on their own sites.

Last reviewed July 16, 2026. Details here come from the school district, library, recreation district, and county resources linked throughout. Programs, hours, and fees change with the seasons, so confirm current specifics through each link before you go.

Once you've got the kids sorted, the rest of settling in lives in one place: see the Residents guide for utilities, alerts, and county contacts, and the local directory for businesses and services around town.