Our child has had a wonderful experience at this Sunny Day Care. Every morning, they are excited…read moreand happy to go, which gives us so much peace of mind as parents. Tahira and the staff are caring, patient, and attentive to each child's needs. We've noticed tremendous growth in learning and communication, especially in recognizing new alphabets, numbers, songs, and simple words. We truly appreciate the love, attention, and dedication the staff shows every single day.

Our daughter started at Sunny Daycare at 10 months old, and as first-time parents, we were…read morenaturally nervous about her adjusting. However, talking with Tahira immediately put our minds at ease. Her love and care for children are palpable, and she took the time to truly understand what would be helpful for our daughter and her needs. Tahira and her helpers consistently went above and beyond. They were instrumental in helping our daughter with her naps, which initially took a lot of time and effort. We also greatly appreciated the regular photos and updates that kept us informed of her progress, and their flexibility in incorporating our suggestions was incredibly reassuring. Now, after 10 months, our daughter is always excited to go to daycare! She's very fond of her teachers, Tahira, Veer, and Liz, and loves playing with all the other children. The kids usually go outside to play at least once a day, and Sunny Daycare provides nutricious snacks and lunch. They keep the children engaged with a variety of fun activities such as coloring, bubble time, singing rhymes, and dancing. It's delightful how our daughter comes home with a new nursery rhyme nearly every day! We're grateful for the loving and supportive environment Sunny Daycare provides.

Discoveryland is an outstanding preschool program near Capitola Rd / Soquel Ave / and 7th Ave…read more This hidden gem when discovered by parents is frequently praised as "I can't believe this great program is right here!" The school has two recently remodeled classrooms, loving teachers and great staff in a secure setting.

Excellent Preschool!!! The Teachers are all wonderful. The…read moreDirector was very compassionate with meeting my daughters needs. I will miss them dearly. I highly recommend Discoveryland Preschool to any parent who would like to put their children in a well grounded Christ centered school. God bless Discoverlyland!!!

We are both teachers and sent our child here for about a year and a half. This place is horrible. I…read morewould not recommend it. It is cheap, but beyond that, it is awful. Here's my top 8 reasons why: 1. They do not respect LGBTQ families. We were told that it was too much trouble to remember who is mom and who is mama, so they decided to call us both mommy. This is very confusing for our son. 2. They do not support nursing mothers. When I was nursing and pumping they would give our son a huge amount of milk during the day (far more than what he'd need at home) and then pressure us to just use formula because it is so much easier. 3. They cannot handle dietary differences. When our child started eating solid foods and we declined the meal package because we wanted healthier, vegetarian options. They put down the food we sent almost daily, even complaining to my parents about us when they picked our son up. When we walked in during snack time they would quickly grab what was in front of my son and throw it away. I believe they were giving him junk food (cookies and chips) which we did not provide. 4. Yelling and obedience is their discipline policy. Almost every day I would enter the daycare, I would find them yelling at a child. I believe there is a lot of yelling that goes on in this place. Never did I enter and find a room of happy engaged children. If they weren't yelling at a kid, then the TV was on. 5. They push for boys to be boys and girls to be girls. Gender norms are heavily enforced. They constantly complained that my sons hair was too long. 6. When my son bit another kid they yelled at him and us. Over and over again they implied and then said that we were encouraging him to bite and be physical. (Obviously we were not. He did not bite at home and only tried to bite us when we were at daycare and being harassed by the caregivers). What they never seemed to realize is that when you create a hostile environment and do not have the appropriate coverage required by the state, children will begin to react. Some will go silent and be very obedient while others will lash out. Biting is a very normal developmental behavior. We made it very clear to our son that it is not okay. But they expect us to yell and scream at him. 7.5 They don't have the correct coverage. Since it is in the lower level of their house, when we arrive one person just happens to pop downstairs right as we arrive. They generally leave one person with 4 -5 toddlers and 2 infants. One person even said, well I've got to let that baby cry or they're just going to want me told hold them all the time. Sometimes they have their granddaughter who is 10, holding the babies and watching them. We requested that this stop, but it has not. 7. They do not offer parent conferences and instead discuss everything in front of the children. I requested a conference about the complaints about our food and instead had to listen to once again how awful we are as parents, while holding my son. 8. The facility is very run down and smells of mold. It is unsanitary. So, while I would normally just walk away, I cannot bear the thought of another child being in this environment. Do not- the cost to your child and family is not worth it.

I couldn't have been happier with this daycare. My husband and I both worked full time when we had…read moreour first child and we had no support system or family in the area. They became like extended family to us over the first year of our daughters life. I had no choice but to start my daughter at a daycare at 3 months old and they eased all of my concerns. They were more than happy to abide by my feeding requests by using my frozen breastmilk and even offering to let me come there to pump and visit my baby on my lunch break since I worked at the Safeway around the corner. My daughter loved it there and always wanted to give hugs goodbye when she got older. They also provided fresh produce and healthy snacks from the farmers market unless you wanted to send your own. If my daughter ever even had so much as a bump or bruise (which happened only maybe once or twice after she started crawling/walking) it was explained to me immediately upon arrival (never any major injuries or they wouldve called) so I never had to wonder or worry. I called before my daughter started there to see if they had had any complaints in the past and they had had none on record and had been licensed for at least a decade. They sometimes even gave helpful advice (not criticism) like suggesting soft bottomed baby shoes when our daughter started crawling because she was getting blisters on the top of her toes. I hadnt even noticed! They were helpful and understanding when I was struggling with a health problem also and always asked how I was doing. The daycare area and the attached little playground are around back so I took comfort in the fact that it isn't obviously a daycare from the street side and it was fenced in and felt very secure. They even do educational projects with the older preschool aged kids. I could go on forever. This was in 2015-2016 before we moved away but we will be forever grateful to the family that runs this daycare for making our transition into parenthood and living so far from family for the first year of our daughters life so much less stressful. Thank you First Steps Daycare!!!

I went to Simcha when I was a toddler, and now my own children go there! My two year old has had a…read morewonderful year in the toddler class, and will be in the preschool class next year. My 4 year old will be in the TK/K class this coming year. The teachers are great, the outdoor spaces are wonderful, and the extended hours they offer are so helpful for many families. We've made great friends there, and are so thankful!

I cannot speak highly enough about my experience at Simcha. We've been attending for three years…read morenow - my older daughter attended pre-k and the kinder class, and my younger daughter started in the toddler class when she was two, then the preschool class, is currently in pre-k and will be in the TK/K class next year. Both of my girls have thrived at simcha, and we adore the community. Both our kids and us parents have made many amazing friends. The teachers are incredible, and we've really appreciated the play-based curriculum with tons of outdoor time. In TK/K, teacher Jan blends academic material with so much fun and creativity - the kids hardly know they're learning. My older daughter was extremely prepared for public 1st grade because of Jan's guidance and the small class size - she learned to read and write, gained strong math skills, and made special, lasting friendships. our younger daughter could have attended public TK but with Simcha's extended hours and unique program, it's worth the investment of an extra year. Highly highly recommend!

My kiddo started here when he was 2 1/2 and will be there until he starts TK in the fall. He has…read moreloved it there and so have I. The supportive staff are great to work with and I truly feel like my child is the best individual he can be as a result of being there. He is thoughtful and kind, waits his turn, shares, and is a joy to be around. The many works they have are as interesting as they are educational. I can't recommend Midtown highly enough. The teachers and staff here are astounding and I'm forever grateful to them.

I am forever grateful to the teachers at this school. My son thrived. The teachers took the time to…read morediscuss things with parents. The teachers are overwhelmingly patient and kind with the kids. I've never seen anything like it. There is NOTHING you would regret about enrolling your child in this school. The kids learn to garden, fold laundry, clean up messes, make bread and many many other things. They learn manners, hot to greet people and introduce themselves, body safety etc. match, language, all the things. I am forever grateful to have been apart of this school community.

Children's Enrichment Center (CEC) is a preschool located on the Twin Lakes Church campus. They…read moreserve children ages 2 through transitional kindergarten. CEC is a very academic preschool with a fun-loving and caring staff. Great remodeled facilities and playgrounds. Cannot say enough positive things about CEC.

This is a great school. My brother went there pre-5th. My oldest son goes there now and I plan to…read morehave our youngest boy go as well.

Our toddler's verbal abilities jumped noticeably in the first month at Discovery, Soquel. As time…read morewent on, "Help me, I can't do this myself!" turned into, "hmm, how can I...?" We liked the culture of deliberate inclusion and collaborative play as well. Our child's main teacher, Susie, was at all times nurturing, graceful, positive, and attentive to our child's blend of strengths and needs. We received daily timestamps of naps and bathroom, so we knew what to expect at pickup. As we leave this small community for a larger campus, it's bittersweet. Our child loves school, we all made friends, and, as a longtime professional educator myself, I have every confidence that our toddler had an excellent formative experience. The amount of care and intention at every level really shows over time. Our family's downsides were the price point (but we're glad they pay their educators and the quality of staff shows!), half days on Fridays (rough for 2 working parents but I appreciate that staff gets a shared planning/set up period), and wishing the physical space permitted more challenging broad full body activities to get the yayas out. In the end, I'd choose Soquel Discovery for my toddler again in a heartbeat and I saw many parents enrolling younger siblings as well.

Both of my children have gone to Discovery, and their experiences exceeded my expectations for…read morepreschool. Discovery provided them with community, safety, and connections with educators and with their peers. I especially appreciate the intentionality behind their approach- Discovery works to really understand and value the unique traits and experiences of young children and helps them build their curiosity and social emotional skills. We also chose to keep both of our children at Discovery until kindergarten and felt that they were prepared to transition to public school. Like many early childhood education places, we have experienced some staff turnover and changes, but I feel that that's to be expected in these situations. In general, I think the educators handle any potentially difficult transitions, changes, or challenges intentionally and try to mitigate any impact to the kids.

Tara is a unique and magical educational experience in the redwood forests near Land of Medicine…read moreBuddha. Our daughters attend and are thriving in the elementary and preschool programs. The preschool program is located in the heart of Soquel. The teachers are terrific and the children and community wonderful. While in Soquel proper, they do make weekly trips up to the redwoods to play and explore. It's an excellent program filled with creative activities, traditional Montessori education, and play. The elementary program is located within the Land of Medicine Buddha, nestled amongst the redwoods, where the children hike, play in the stream, and count banana slugs while on their way to the playground. The class sizes are small which allow our daughter to receive more attention and tailored education than in a traditional public school. Montessori-style teaching meets the student at their current level of development for each subject, providing flexibility and ensuring a child is challenged and not left behind or left waiting for their classmates to catch up. The elementary school teachers are wonderful, highly experienced, and a positive influence on our daughter. Lastly, the school ethos of compassion, mindfulness, inclusion, and kindness instill important values in our children and foster a culture of like-minded parents and teachers who share these same values. PS - Refreshingly, there are no screens at Tara. The children learn through their senses and through physical objects, not by the glow of pixels and hum of electricity.

My children have been at Tara since January of 2022 and every year we are grateful to be a part of…read moretheir community. We started at the Village campus and are now at the Redwood campus. Teachers Adela, Bev, and Regina at the Village Campus are so dedicated and passionate about their work. They show up happy to be there every single day. The daily trips to the Redwood campus to be surrounded by the forest, fun field trips, and Montessori teaching approach have been so valuable to my children. Teachers Namasya and Lisa at the Redwood campus have also been wonderful in continuing the Creating Compassionate Cultures curriculum, which at the heart is based on our body's own wisdom. I love the interconnectedness and values they teach at this school: why it's important to be kind and practice gratitude towards plants and animals, how to make a difference in other's lives, the natural elements and how they pertain to us, food sources & cooking in class, how to be a good friend and so SO much more-- these values feel like the true core of what it means to be a happy, healthy & balanced human in the world and I am just so grateful to have my children learn it at such an early age. Grateful to Tara for going on five years of a truly wonderful experience.