We were trying to rebuild a sense of normalcy after being displaced by the Eaton Fire and needed…read moreshort-term childcare support. We turned to Beach Baby Nannies hoping for help -- but what we experienced was disturbing, bizarre, and at times felt dangerous. It's hard to write this, because we wanted to move on from it, but not sharing it would be irresponsible. The first sitter, Alex, showed up four hours late on her very first day, claiming she slept through her alarm. She was rarely on time after that. We needed help in the early mornings due to the ages of our children (five and one), but she couldn't consistently wake up. Out of desperation, we shifted her hours to the afternoon. We should've ended things then, but Trudie told us no other sitters were available. We had no other leads and were in a difficult spot. Then Alex showed up without a working phone. My mother-in-law had to send her out immediately to get one so she could communicate and call 911 if needed. That same shift, Alex disappeared for five hours without communication. At that point, we started connecting the dots. She was using the bathroom every 20 minutes and never flushed -- strongly suggesting she wasn't using it for its intended purpose. Afterward, her speech would speed up, her volume increased, and her behavior turned manic. She vented personal problems, said she records phone calls, and would talk compulsively even if no one was in the room. She constantly forgot instructions, routines, and basic information. Instead of support, she brought instability and confusion. When we raised concerns, Trudie first said Alex had bladder issues, then later told us on the phone, "I don't think she has bladder problems -- we'll be cutting ties." The implication we were left with was concerning -- and hard to interpret as anything other than potential drug use. Why did we stay with the agency after this? Because Trudie and Alex repeatedly framed it as a fluke. We were given apologies, reassurances, and promises: "This has never happened before and will never happen again." When you're exhausted, working, and trying to keep your home stable for your kids, you want to believe people will do the right thing. That trust was completely broken. Trudie said she wanted to make things right and told us she would be sending one of her top nannies to correct the situation. We took her at her word -- and that's how Samantha came into our home. The second sitter, Samantha, seemed fine at first -- but within days, her behavior unraveled. At one point, she told us, "My meds are wearing off." If you're caring for young children, that's something you manage, not let slide. It was disturbing. She began compulsively reorganizing the house -- opening every drawer, removing items, hiding them in strange places. One drawer is still missing. She laid out our 5-year-old's clothes in piles outside in the courtyard. On her last day, she stayed until 10pm, uninvited, and her behavior was disoriented and erratic. Then she accused us of offering her alcohol -- an accusation that was completely false. We don't drink, and there's no alcohol in our home. She also overbilled us by 12 hours. We had to catch the mistake, correct it, and still paid her in full -- yet another burden from a service that was supposed to reduce stress. Only after everything fell apart did we find a one-star Yelp review from July 15, 2019 describing nearly the exact same experience: unstable sitters, drinking, clients blamed. Trudie's public response to that review was defensive and unprofessional. Based on what we experienced, we expect the same here. Trudie seems far more interested in protecting her image than in addressing serious safety concerns in her business. What Beach Baby Nannies offers is not safety, not professionalism, and certainly not peace of mind. What they deliver is emotional volatility, unscreened risk, and zero accountability -- repackaged as a luxury service. We're sharing this so no other family, especially one already in a vulnerable position, has to go through what we did. UPDATE: Trudie claimed I hadn't paid, but I've added screenshots that clearly show I did -- along with her accusation, which she has already edited three times.

We've used Beach Baby Nannies twice now, and Trudie has been absolutely exceptional both times…read more From start to finish, her nanny placement service is professional, warm, and worry-free. For our second nanny, we tried to handle the search ourselves and failed miserably. At the last minute we called Trudie, and she still managed to find us someone amazing who was a perfect fit for our family. That alone showed us just how good she is at what she does. Trudie takes the time to really understand what your family needs -- schedule, childcare style, and personality fit -- and every nanny she's placed with us has been punctual, attentive, loving, and reliable. She truly cares, checks in, and makes sure everything is running smoothly. If you're looking for a nanny placement service with professionalism, compassion, and heart, Trudie at Beach Baby Nannies is outstanding. We recommend her wholeheartedly!

Our daughter has been at Mighty Oaks for almost a year now and started at just 5 months old. I was…read moreapprehensive about an in-home daycare and having someone else care for my daughter for the first time - but since day 1, all my worries resolved. Tamarisk and Banessa create the most loving, whimsical, caring environment for the kids. My daughter LOVES it there. She spends the entire day outside, she is constantly learning, she eats better than I do I am SO grateful that I found Mighty Oaks and I could not recommend it more highly!!!

We found Mighty Oaks when my son was 20 months old and I was eagerly looking for a part-time…read moredaycare for him before starting pre-k. We were thrilled to hear about this new, in-home daycare as it was my son's very first childcare outside of the home and it was the perfect transition for him. Tamarisk had us come over for a tour and her warm demeanor and charming facility had us feeling right at home. She has created such a magical facility for children, from the cottage playhouse, to an adorable outdoor tent, fruit trees and garden - it's a wonderful place for children to explore and play. It put my mind at ease to know that my son was in a safe, small & nurturing environment. Tamarisk was great about sending messages, photos & videos on WhatsApp throughout the day so I always felt updated on what they were doing. The photos she captured were also the highlight of my day - she takes the most incredible photos of the kids playing (better than any I take) - and we have several now have framed in our home. She made a variety of nutritious foods as well - so I know my son always had a delicious and healthy meal while he was there. I am so grateful for the year he spent at Mighty Oaks, and now that he's at preschool I miss it. Cannot say enough great things about our experience at Mighty Oaks. We have the best memories from our time there and are still friends with Tamarisk and her family.

Danielle Monroy is the owner and director of Creative Care for Children, and she does an amazing…read morejob! Both of my children attended Danielle's, and both my kids loved it. Danielle has a wonderful focus on art and outside play - in the summer it is not unusual to see a handful of kids laughing and playing in the sprinklers in her gorgeous back yard. Her facility is amazing - a HUGE backyard with a Victorian wooden playhouse, lovely grass area, children friendly vegetable patch and flower garden, multiple climbing structures, and a paved bike path. Though technically she's a childcare and not a preschool, she still takes the time to teach the older children their basics. My son attended Danielle's until kindergarten, and I felt that he was well prepared for his first day of real school. Do yourself a favor and go check her out - you'll and your child will be happy you did!

We searched and searched to find the perfect preschool for our 2-year-old. We toured all the…read morehighest rated schools in SB and weren't excited about any of them. And then we found Danielle. We couldn't be happier! She's caring, attentive and it's abundantly clear that she adores the kids. It's not a standard school - it's out of her home, in a residential area. But, she has a fully equipped, expansive backyard where the kids run free and explore. Danielle has a master's degree in early childhood education and believes in the importance of outdoor learning. There are numerous daily art projects and most are nature based. Inside, there are wooden Montessori and Waldorf toys as well. I've also noticed that she spends a lot of one-on-one time - teaching and reading to the kids. We are so glad to have found this affordable, small little school where our daughter has thrived.

Absolutely love Heather and the team at Growing Babies. Our son loves all his teachers and aids and…read morelearned so much while in their care. He also played to his hearts content and talked about his friends and the fun things they did at school.

Heather and her workers at Growing Babies are truly gems. The setting of the preschool is so lovely…read moreand peaceful and the workers take care of the infants with such joy and respect. I have been using Growing Babies for my infant care for the past 2 years and I am so grateful for the loving care I've received for my baby. Just today I witnessed one of the workers with some infants and she was holding court to the laughing and smiling babies. I saw nothing but joy and not one crying baby. The toddlers were smiling and there just was such peace. As a parent I have no complaints about the care of these babies. What a glorious place, it almost makes me wish I was a baby again so that I can receive such awesome care! God Bless Growing Babies. And keep on doing the great work you're doing Heather! You and your staff are the best!

Nothing Short of Magical…read more We joined the Child's Play (CP) family in January 2014 when our oldest daughter turned two. I say "family" because that's exactly what Child's Play has become for us. We've felt so lucky to meet and connect with the teachers and families of CP. Our oldest daughter has since "graduated" to kindergarten (but still comes back for the occasional half-day) and our youngest daughter is in her second year there. Some things you'll notice when first tour the school: - Creativity seeps from every nook and cranny. Glitter, paint, straw from the play yard, and student artwork cover every inch of the CP Westside cottage. If you need a sterile institutional like environment, this is not the place for you. - Messy = Learning & Fun. It's always been our philosophy that if the kids aren't getting dirty they're probably not having fun. The CP students dig in, get their hands, hair, face, everything dirty, learn a ton and love every minute. - Donna saves it for the kids. You'll read some reviews describing Donna as "jaded" or "curmudgeonly," which makes us laugh. True - she suffers no fools and could care less about giving parents rainbow covered warm-fuzzies (you're an adult, get over it). What's also true - Donna adores and respects her students (and they respect her in return), her focus is on the health and safe development of her students, and she does it all with an air of whimsy and magic. This is the same woman who painted green footprints on her shirt and across her face to convince the kids she'd been run over by a leprechaun, who goes ALL-OUT for the annual Halloween festival, and when the kids are inspired to create something helps them execute their idea no matter how big or seemingly impossible, like turning the front room into a sloth habitat, building a huge cardboard robot monster, or creating a circus where students choreographed their own performances and organized ticket and popcorn sales. No school is perfect though - it's a little unorganized and if you have a group of parents not willing to pitch-in, it drags down the school's ability to execute on some of the bigger events like Fiesta Parade and Halloween. Additionally, the teacher turnover is high (with the exception of Daniel, who has been there for years and is the embodiment of music and fun). Every teacher at CP has been awesome, we only wish some of the really great teachers would stick around longer. That being said, this is what my children have learned during their time at Child's Play: - They were both potty-trained by 2.5. Woohoo! - How to recognize emotions and express them with words (instead of acting out). - How to navigate social situations where they might feel left out. - The importance of self-reliance (cleaning up, putting on shoes, getting your lunch out - doing lots of little things on their own). - That if they keep trying they are capable of incredible things they never thought possible. - That maybe, just maybe magic is real and all around us. We were a little concerned by the lack of formal teaching of numbers and letters, but all of that has come with time (my kindergartener is reading first grade level books already). What's been most impressive though is how Child's Play has helped teach our girls just to be kind and helpful little human beings. We will forever be grateful for being invited into the Child's Play family.

Child's Play is truly a hidden gem. We're on our 2nd child growing up in this wonderful little…read morespace. There is a big focus on outside play and creative arts/crafts and cooking (pre-Covid) that our eldest son really enjoyed and thrived within to include weekly art and dance classes for the kids. The teachers really encourage independence and creativity within the confines of a group setting of children that really learn the important early lessons of respect and appreciation for one another. Our oldest son was wonderfully prepared and ahead of kids at the Kindergarten level entering pre-K and knew how to read/write his name, count and do simple math in this program that carved out a "K-class" for the older elementary school transitioning kids. Donna, Daniel, Laurel and Lindsey are wonderful teachers and I would HIGHLY recommend this program for any parent looking for well rounded loving learning environment for their little.

Thoughtful, educated staff that treat your child as one of their own. Lots of outdoor learning…read moreareas with well planned activities to promote child development. Very safe environment and staff are well trained to address all your child's needs. You should definitely contact this preschool and see for yourself why it's a 5 star choice.

Our two sons began their educational life at CDCC and have benefited greatly from the experience.read more

Lots of love daycare is the best in town with quality care!! We are so grateful for all of the love…read moreyou give to our son. You make each day special and fun!! I highly recommend this daycare

Ximena is such a good caregiver. She is creative, fun, and loves what she does. No complaints when…read moremy boy was with her. Great place that is safe and clean.

Our little one absolutely loves going to Mr. Rob's. We use it for after school care so we don't…read morehave two pick ups. She wishes she was there until 5. The kids do all sorts of activities and there are plenty of responsible adults monitoring the kids. We are very grateful that are little can be part of Mr. Robs.

I cannot hype up Mr. Rob's enough! It's just best best all around for our son. He enjoys going…read morethere after school every single day. He is well cared for by each and every staff member, and this has creative a positive and wonderful experience for him. There's no other place like it!

This preschool is the best! We love it so much--it feels like home! The teachers are especially…read moreamazing (and the director is the best!), and the play-based environment is exactly what toddlers need.

I've had my child here for 3 years. I am so grateful for Tanum, Jason and their team. My child felt…read moreso confident going into Kindergarten. I would highly recommend them. Oh and they have two awesome golden retrievers.