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ARTICLE. From Coastside Children’s Programs (CCP) parent, Carina Finucane, May, 2026.
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Local Preschool Gets New Garden
The outdoor play space at Coastside Children’s Programs Preschool in Half Moon Bay has been transformed into a vibrant, child-friendly garden, thanks to the efforts of a dedicated parent volunteer with deep roots in the program.
What began as a simple request from the site supervisor for plant donations and volunteer help weeding a dirt lot quickly grew into a full-scale garden and landscaping project led by Carina Finucane. A former participant in Coastside Children’s Programs’ after-school and summer programs, Finucane saw the opportunity as a way to give back to a place that shaped her childhood.
Drawing on her recent experience completing a landscaping project at the Half Moon Bay Yacht Club, Finucane took on the challenge of redesigning the preschool’s outdoor space from the ground up.
A major issue quickly became clear: poor drainage had left the area prone to flooding, making planting impractical. To solve this, Finucane raised the level of the entire lot using soil and gravel, allowing water to properly drain into the existing drain. She also installed hardware cloth beneath the surface to eliminate gopher hazards, creating a safer environment for children and staff.
From there, the space blossomed. Finucane added a decomposed granite path, drought-tolerant and coastal-hardy plants—including native species like manzanita and coyote bush—and ground cover to stabilize the soil. She repurposed an unused sandbox, introduced a mud kitchen for imaginative play, and installed tree stumps sourced from a local firewood supplier to encourage climbing and active play.
In the raised garden beds, seeds have already been sown, giving children the opportunity to watch plants grow and learn firsthand about nature. A drip irrigation system is also in the works to ensure the garden remains sustainable for years to come.
“This is a place that holds so many great memories for me,” Finucane said. “It feels really special to be able to give back and create something lasting for the next generation of kids.”
The transformation has already had a meaningful impact on the school community.
“CCP is incredibly thankful for the garden renovation led by Carina Finucane that has taken place over the last few weeks,” said Site Supervisor Yesenia Ramirez. “What was formerly a mud pit has transformed into a beautiful, child-friendly garden. The space was formerly underutilized as it was difficult for the children to play in the area. Now, we can use the garden as an extension of the classroom. The children will be able to engage in math and science activities as they plant, harvest, and create in the mud kitchen. They will work on their social skills as they problem solve and share space. As a non-profit, our resources are so limited and we just did not have the funds to do this ourselves. What Carina created is more than we had imagined or could have done on our own.”
The preschool, a nonprofit serving families across income levels—nearly half of whom receive financial aid—relies heavily on community support. While Finucane personally funded the garden project, many parents expressed interest in contributing after seeing the transformation and the joy it brought to their children.
Now, the broader community has an opportunity to help sustain and expand efforts like this through Coastside Gives, taking place Thursday, May 7, 2026, with early giving already open.
“With childcare already such a financial stretch for many families, it didn’t feel right to ask parents for more,” Finucane said. “But this is something that benefits the entire community. I want Half Moon Bay kids to feel proud of where they go to school and where they come from.”
To support Coastside Children’s Programs and projects like this garden, visit.
Coastside Children’s Programs has served children and families from diverse multicultural and socio-economic backgrounds since 1975. We administer education and childcare programs that provide quality educational, recreational, and skill-building activities through preschools, before and after-school programs and full-time summer camps.
Children constantly grow and change physically, socially, emotionally, intellectually, cognitively, and creatively. These changes are consistent, yet individual to each child. It is our goal to guide children toward success by creating an environment that facilitates growth, strengthens individuality, and promotes creative freedom through a blend of teacher-directed and child-initiated activities. Our primary method to achieve this goal is for teachers to provide a play and project-based curriculum. The curriculum is developed by the teaching staff through observation and assessment providing the flexibility for the curriculum to be adapted to children’s interests and needs. This tailored approach to curriculum planning gives teachers an opportunity to scaffold the child’s learning experience to promote and foster a love of learning.
Our teachers and staff take pride in the fact that in our programs:
- Children feel safe
- Children feel motivated
- Children feel loved
- Individuality is nurtured
- Families are respected
- Cultural awareness is valued
Testimonials
“All 3 of my children have attended a CCP program and we’ve always found the teachers and staff to be incredibly attentive, communicative, and caring. My twins are speech delayed and the caregivers are incredibly patient and helpful to them. They look forward to going to preschool and are already showing more independence after only a couple of months in the program” – Parent
“CCP gave me the ability to work and to know that my child was being cared for by teachers/staff who love and have a passion for helping my child. I wouldn’t be able to work without CCP. I like how CCP always has different and fun activities and field trips and camps for the kids and they are all educational I’m so grateful for being able to have my child at CCP. The staff is amazing their dedication and kindness exceeds all of my expectations. Thank you so much.” – Parent
“I cannot say enough great things about CCP. They have really supported my son’s social and emotional well-being. My son is autistic and they have been so patient with him. My son always looks forward to attending and I can confidently say they have always provided a safe and fun environment for all kids. I thank them for always being so positive, having excellent communication, and being so flexible for working parents. I highly recommend the program!” – Parent
“I have a personal connection to Farallone View having gone there as a child. Having my children go to the school I went to was something I hoped for, however, the transition to elementary school was concerning me. Having the preschool on the same campus was a big plus. Also, having a diverse staff, who truly care about the kids made it easier for me to leave my children there during the day.” – Parent
“I have two children at CCP and they both LOVE the program! They ask daily if they can stay later. They get very excited during school breaks when CCP is open because they get more time at CCP. The teachers are so kind and patient with the students. The monthly curriculum plans always include activities my boys have fun doing. As a full-time working parent, it gives me such piece of mind knowing my boys are getting wonderful quality after-school care that they thoroughly enjoy going to!” – Parent
Author: mdrag
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