Education - Education And Child Care
If you want to learn massage therapy or acupuncture, Santa Fe is the right place.
If you’re interested in a class in photography, a workshop in flamenco dancing, an intensive experience in cross-cultural awareness, or an afternoon of bird identification, you’re in luck.
If you want your child to do well enough in high school to get a scholarship to Harvard, your choices are more limited—yet don’t despair.
But if you need a Mary Poppins to take care of your toddler, Santa Fe presents a challenge. It’s the same story here as in most cities around the United States. Unless Grandma lives close by and delights in caring for the little ones, securing high-quality child care at a reasonable price is as tough as finding a downtown parking place during Indian Market weekend.
In this chapter, we’ll take a look at colleges and special post-secondary programs, the Santa Fe Public Schools, private secondary schools, and options for child care and babysitters. (You’ll find special programs and camps for kids in our Kidstuff chapter.)
City: Santa Fe, NM
Category: Education
Address: 83 Avan Nu Po Rd.
2. New Mexico Highlands University—Santa Fe
City: Santa Fe, NM
Category: Education
Telephone: (505) 428-1742
Address: 6401 Richards Ave.
Description: New Mexico Highlands University programs are intended for students who want to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree in social work, criminal justice, business, or education. Most of the students are working people who have associate’s degrees and want to continue their education at a four-year institution. Full-time or adjunct professors do most of the teaching and classes are small. Highlands normally enrolls more than 80 students each semester in Santa Fe. The main campus is in Las Vegas, New Mexico, an hour east.
City: Santa Fe, NM
Category: Education
Address: 1160 Camino de la Cruz Blanca
City: Santa Fe, NM
Category: Education
Address: 6401 Richards Ave.
City: Santa Fe, NM
Category: Education
Address: 6401 Richards Ave.
City: Santa Fe, NM
Category: Education
Address: 131 Siringo Rd.
7. Ecoversity
City: Santa Fe, NM
Category: Education
Telephone: (505) 424-9797
Address: 2639 Agua Fria
Description: Located on an old family farm along the Santa Fe River, Ecoversity’s courses are focused on “learning and designing from nature,” with an emphasis on experiential learning. Workshops and classes deal with such topics as beekeeping, greenhouse building, composting, chicken-and-egg production, farming, ecopsychology, and herbs of the Southwest. There are even some offerings beyond the realm of land-related skills, such as qi’gong, poetry, and Native American history. Registration is available online.
City: Santa Fe, NM
Category: Education
Address: 401 Old Taos Hwy.
City: Santa Fe, NM
Category: Education
Address: 1399 Hyde Park Rd.
10. Santa Fe Photography And Digital Workshops
City: Santa Fe, NM
Category: Education
Telephone: (505) 983-1400
Description: This prestigious program teams amateur and professional photographers with nationally and internationally known photographers who share their insights both technically and artistically. The weeklong workshops, which run virtually year-round, attract more than 1,000 photographers to Santa Fe and guide them to appropriate sites for shooting assignments. Classes for beginners include aesthetics, technique, and an overview of equipment. Professionals can choose from portraits, lighting techniques, fashion and beauty, hand-colored photos, landscape, color work, and more. The school also features a free summer lecture series, open to anyone interested, which gives the instructors an opportunity to discuss and show their work. Fees for workshops vary widely.
City: Santa Fe, NM
Category: Education
Address: 116 West San Francisco St.
City: Santa Fe, NM
Category: Education
Address: 660 Garcia St.
13. Southwest Learning Center
City: Santa Fe, NM
Category: Education
Telephone: (505) 989-8898
Description: Southwest Learning Center was established in 1972 as an educational resource to serve the multicultural population of the Southwest. The nonprofit organization presents interdisciplinary classes, research projects, conferences, workshops, apprenticeship programs, community-service projects, and special events. SWLC cultural programs promote a deeper understanding of native traditions. Recent programs include the Center for Indigenous Arts & Cultures, Mountain Light Center/Adopt a Grandparent Program, the Sustainable Native Agriculture Center, Native Roots & Rhythms, and Xochimoki. Programs are funded by tuition for classes, foundation grants, and corporate and private contributions.
City: Santa Fe, NM
Category: Education
Address: 610 Alta Vista St.
15. Desert Academy
City: Santa Fe, NM
Category: Education
Telephone: (505) 992-8284
Address: 313 Camino Alire
Description: With its inception in 1994, Desert Academy filled a niche in Santa Fe’s private school galaxy. The school welcomes children with learning differences among its 160-student enrollment and is the only high school in New Mexico to offer the International Baccalaureate diploma. Desert Academy offers a college preparatory program combined with classes in grades 7 through 12 designed to encourage both creativity and critical thinking. School culture fosters genuine civility, appreciation for learning, and a commitment to character. Student-teacher ratio is 8–1, with a maximum class size of 15. The school is fully accredited. Scholarships and financial aid are available.