High Desert Leapin' Lizards

05/24/2026

Families,
For any of you who have children who may still be too young to attend elementary school, Sierra Sands Unfied School District has three State Preschool Programs at Faller, Pierce, and Inyokern. These programs are implemented through a partnership with High Desert Leapin Lizards. Faller and Pierce State Preschool offers a morning session 8:00am to 11:30am and an afternoon session 12:30pm to 4:00pm. Inyokern State Preschool offers a morning session from 8:00am-11:30am. We are now accepting two-year-olds. Families must income qualify, but income ranking qualifications have increased, so more families may now qualify for the program, so we encourage all interested families to come in and apply. Spots fill up fast, so make an appointment to register as soon as possible! Please come by 1311 N. Norma to pick up a registration packet or give us a call at 760-499-1771 or 760-499-1772.

04/24/2026

On Wednesday Vieweg’s 5th-8th graders at the before school program had the opportunity to go on a field trip to the donut shop. Students got a chance to purchase donuts for themselves and their friends.

04/24/2026

Pierce before school program is focusing on community service projects this week. Ms. Cheyenne’s younger class making seed packets while Ms. Leticia’s older class painted rocks with notes of affirmation and placed them around the school. While placing them, they also took pride in their school by doing a campus cleanup.

04/11/2026

For enrichment on Friday evening, numerous locations broadcast the Artemis capsule's splashdown after a week and a half of orbiting the moon. Here is the reaction of Faller's after-school students during the splashdown.

04/07/2026

✨New Enrollment Packets Are Now Available✨
Pick one up at one of our preschools or our main office.

Open Enrollment Dates: May 4 - May 15

03/31/2026

As the spring session is in full swing, here are some younger Inyokern students preparing a fun and delicious snack.

03/20/2026

Effective teaching is crucial for educators, and whole brain teaching facilitates this through active listening. By repeating the staff's words and mirroring their actions, students learn efficiently. High Desert Leapin Lizards has been using whole brain teaching for the last 14 years.

Here are TK and Kindergarten (4 and 5 year old) students from Las Flores demonstrating their understanding of Newton's first law of motion.

03/16/2026

UPDATE: Enrollment Packets can now be picked up at each preschool- Inyokern, Pierce and Faller or the main HDLL office

🦎 Big News for Tiny Lizards! 🦎

High Desert Leapin’ Lizards is officially enrolling 2-year-olds for our half day programs! We’re bringing our play-based magic to a brand-new age group, offering a safe and nurturing head start on social, emotional, and motor skills.

🏫Preschool vs. TK🏫

If your child is TK-eligible, consider the unique benefits of staying in preschool:
* Play-Based Pace: Curriculum tailored to 3 and 4-year-old milestones, not rigid desk work.

* Smaller Ratios: More 1-on-1 attention with our 1:8 teacher-to-student ratio.

* Social-Emotional Growth: A dedicated focus on self-regulation, sharing, and confidence.

Open Enrollment is May 4-May 15. After that it will be first come first served for any available openings.

Keep an eye out for applications!

Don't miss out on a year of leapin’, laughing, and learning!

03/13/2026

Dear Parents and Families,
First, I would like to express my sincere appreciation to the parents and students who bravely came forward to share their statements with the School Board. The courage it took to speak was truly heartfelt and showed just how deeply our families and students care about this program.

Our staff also did an incredible job communicating their thoughts and feelings. Through their words, tears, and emotions, they demonstrated exactly what I shared in my speech: your children are not simply participants in our program—they are our children and part of our community.

I would like to clarify one important point. It is true that there will be a before- and after-school program next year, and our staff has been encouraged to apply for those positions. However, based on information available on the other company’s website, many of their supervisor roles are limited to approximately four-hour shifts, with some shifts ranging from three to four hours for other staff. For many of our staff members, this represents a significant reduction in hours, which is why several have indicated they may choose not to apply.

At the end of the day, one of our trainers once shared a message with us that continues to resonate: “The sun will shine again tomorrow.” With that in mind, we have encouraged our staff to continue supporting your children with care and professionalism while managing their own emotions. Although the outcome was not what we had hoped for, we will continue to do everything we can to make this transition as smooth and supportive as possible for your children—our children.

We encourage you to continue having open conversations with your children about their thoughts and concerns. Most importantly, we remain committed to ensuring that the well-being of the children always comes first.

Thank you for your continued support.

Send a message to learn more

02/06/2026

Kite flying at the park.