Daycare/preschool Referral

We have our son at Bethel Childrens Center and are extremely pleased with them. They have an excellent staff. I also am very impressed with how clean everything is all the time.

I have heard a lot of very good things about Brush Creek Nursery School as well but chose Bethel because of the close to home locations. I visited a lot of preschools before making a decision and I am very happy with the school we chose.

Hi J.,

I have 3 children. We live in north Santa Rosa nearest to Windsor. I visited many preschools and even had my kids in a few before finding the "perfect" preschool. I used to work in preschools so I thought I knew what to look for but so many are all a big show for the parents. The best preschool I have ever seen or been involved with is College Oak Montessori.(I have worked in about 10 in my lifetime and visited many more during my education and later checking them out for my kids). My twins went there for 2 years, ages 3 and 4. There is no performance by the staff at this school. It is genuinely all about the kids. I love this place and still say "I wish the whole world worked like at College Oak". My twins learned how to learn and how to love learning, how to behave in a responsible way for themselves and in a group, towards others, towards nature, towards equipment, and how to do so many things for themselves. (They have them set tables,serve their own snacks in a very clever way, clean up their own area, even wash their own dishes, take care of the equipment and put everything in its place and so much more. It may sound too rigid but its how its all done that is the magic). They also both learned how to read before kindergarten. My son really got the fundamentals and my daughter took off and could read real books. They also learned about math and science and nature and life. I could go on as there is so much good to say about this place but if you want to know more about it, please message me and I would be happy to answer your questions and tell you more about this wonderful place.

A principal at a private high school first recommended me to check out College Oak as her son attended there. At first after calling for information, I thought the price was a little high and it wasn't in the most convenient place so I found another preschool. It did not work out at all. After visiting College Oak, I knew my kids had to go there despite any inconvenience or cost. It was so worth it! They serve hot healthy lunches which makes it seem more expensive but so worth it in the end. My kids learned to try different foods and appreciate healthy food. (Their last preschool actually served such things as pop tarts and kool aid sometimes for snack. Ugh) I also found it so nice not to have to pack up food everyday that they may not even eat. At the school, the kids are eating the same food together so they tend to eat more.

Anyway, I don't know what is important to you but please let me know if you want more information. I have recommended this place before to a Mamapedia member and they ended up enrolling their daughter and loving it too.

Good luck. This is a very important decision!

Hi J.,

I live in the Wikiup area of Santa Rosa and my son attended Brush Creek Nursery School. It's about a 15 min drive (they are in the Rincon Valley area), but was so worth it! Most of their staff has been with the school for 20+ years. They are wonderful, caring teachers. I picked them because my son had a significant speech delay and they had experience working with that (my son's speech therapist recommended them). I ended up being president of their Board of Directors, so you can imagine I really loved the school. My son really blossomed during his years there and is now a happy (talking non-stop) 1st grader. Their director is Julie MacDonald and they can be reached at ###-###-####.

Good luck!
A.

Hi J.,
The Santa Rosa Mothers' Club is having their Annual Preschool Fair tomorrow night, Wed 2/10 at 7:30pm at the Finley Center, 2060 W. College Ave., Santa Rosa. There will be at least 18 preschools participating. It's a great opportunity to learn about many preschools at one time, and talk to the directors and teachers of the schools. The event is free and you are welcome to bring friends, although it is for adults only. Babes-in-arms only. If you visit the SRMC website: www.santarosamothersclub.org, you can find all the details. You may also want to consider joining the club, we have speakers on parenting issues, social events, family events and opportunities to join a playgroup or participate in community service activities. I am the Vice President of the club beginning in March so feel free to reply personally if you have any questions.
C.