Logistics:
- They're open till 6pm!…read more- Little Sunshine is split into 3 classes based on age/readiness: Class A (3.5-5yo), Class B (3-4yo), and Class C (2-3yo). Classrooms have the appropriate mandated headcount (usually at least 2 teachers, plus admin staff who drop in as needed).
- There's an optional lunch program.
- Tuition is reasonable - parents can pay monthly or by number of expected days for upcoming month, and there are discounts for siblings.
- They use the Brightwheel app to provide real-time updates, photos, and to communicate with parents throughout the day
- Their Mandarin program is awesome (and no additional $$$). As a plus, there is also some Spanish taught in Class B and C (depending on teacher availability).
- No nuts policy (helpful, because my son is allergic to peanuts).
- Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your beliefs), the school is "Christian," which means the kids learn Bible songs (we're not Christian) and say a short grace at lunchtime. I for some reason wasn't aware of this until my son came home saying that his favorite song was "Jesus Loves Me." Outside of this, religion does not feature too heavily in the curriculum.
Background:
My son, who is about to turn 4yo, started here in May'24 in Class C at 2.5yo, moved to Class B at 3yo years, and then just "graduated" to Class A. Each of the three classes have wonderful teachers who are committed to teaching the kids and helping them grow at their own pace.
In terms of curriculum, there's arts and crafts, physical play (playground outside), outside exploration (gardening, etc.), and classroom learning (counting, reading, singing, etc.). School supplies are included in tuition, and the teachers and administrators host fun events (i.e. a Mother's Day tea/breakfast, Easter egg hunts, Halloween Trick-or-Treat, Christmas celebration, or annual graduation) where the kids have activities or perform for the parents. The teachers seem to really drive the classroom curriculum, and they are all so skilled at thinking of creative activities for the kids.
The only negatives are related to the administrators and management - they exhibit occasional off-putting behavior, and my impression is that they're somewhat disorganized in their communication with parents and cohesiveness with the teachers. A couple of examples:
1. The day that my son was to start daycare here, Director Sandy was wholly unprepared. We had been in communication the week prior and even had messaged the Friday prior to confirm that we were going to do drop-off for the first day of school and pay tuition via check. At drop-off, my son was screaming/bawling (because of course, it's his first day, and he was only 2.5yo). Sandy asked us if we can start the following week instead, because they apparently had another new student starting that day and "it would be hard." When I told her that was not possible, because we had work and other commitments, Sandy's reply to me was "I'm just thinking what's best for the kids." I was quite unhappy with this statement. Luckily, Denise was there and said that they would honor our agreement. But to even have this conversation was just ridiculously frustrating and tainted my initial impression of Little Sunshine and the Director.
2. When Bennett turned 3, he was held back for a month and a half in Class C. We wanted to move him to Class B alongside his friend whose birthday was the following month, but we were told that our son wasn't "ready". This was surprising to us, because he seemed ready academically and emotionally. Our understanding was that a transition would be easier if he didn't have to do it alone. After much back-and-forth with the teachers and admins, he moved to Class B a month after his friend moved. I suspect that the actual reason was that they didn't have space for an additional student in Class B (his friends' parents had asked about graduating to Class B two months earlier), and they had to wait until there was a space before they could move him.
3. Little Sunshine was closing for their annual teacher development day, which is awesome. What was not awesome was telling parents 7 business days before it was scheduled to occur, which is insufficient notice for parents to find other care arrangements for when school was closed. Enough parents were upset about this short notice and contacted Little Sunshine about it, so they moved it to the following week so that we could have a two week notice. My comment was that if this were an annual event, they would be more organized and have it scheduled/communicated earlier.
Overall:
The Little Sunshine community is strong - we all want the best for our kids, and I really believe that it is the best in the area. It's not merely a daycare - it's a preschool where the kids learn so much and make friends. My son loves going to school so much now and gets so excited at drop-off that he occasionally forgets to give me a goodbye hug and kiss!