Sunshine

First of all, I want to start with my daughter's words from last week, when she sat in the car after school and said: "Mom, I love Mrs Shawn!" I guess it's the most important words from my child I needed to hear to insure how amazing Sunshine preschool is. 5 months ago when we started going to Sunshine preschool my daughter has been never without me longer than 2 hours. So the thought of her going to school for the whole day was pretty stressful for me and for her. But Mrs Shawn made this adjustment so easy and comfortable for our family, she just covered my daughter with so much love and care, and make her feel like at home. That's the next thing I love about Sunshine preschool: family spirit. Mrs Shawn and Christy created the atmosphere of coziness and joy and you feel a part of their family. Every kid is safe and loved, with a lot of attention and care ( but at the same time my daughter started being so independent). Now she dresses by herself, washes hands after being outside (without reminders), goes potty and flushes by herself, she does a lot of stuff without my help after Mrs Shawn taught her to do it herself. In addition, they do a lot of Montessori activities, singing and dancing ( favorite part of my child), learning how to keep pencil, studying ABC, practicing life skills, painting, reading and spending a lot of time outside. And I feel so blessed to call Sunshine preschool our second family.Also we speak Ukrainian at home and I was so worried how my daughter will adjust to English but Mrs Shawn made an incredibly hard work with my daughter and she speaks English now even at home when she plays by herself. I would like to mention that Mrs Shawn provides a good quality food and it makes my life so easy and my child loves it(especially some Greek food). Believe me you will be the happiest family if your child is in Sunshine preschool.
Jan 23rd, 2023

Shawn and Chrystie are more like miracle workers. Our son has been at Sunshine preschool for almost a year and a half. He started just after turning 2 and came from a fairly sheltered home life - we had a nanny that gave him 1:1 attention. Shawn and Chrystie created such a loving environment that he adjusted in no time. When we'd drop him off in the morning, Shawn would take Remy in her arms and hold him while he sat with her in her rocking chair to comfort him and ensure he felt loved and secure. When he started out, he was not potty trained and, as first time parents, we had no idea where to start. Shawn and Chrystie walked us through the process which we started over the weekend and helped us potty train our son for over the course of the next week. It was because of their methodology, training (of us and our son), consistency and support that our son got potty trained. A few months later, I gave birth to our second child. Months of adjustment ensued during which Shawn and Chrystie continually provided us with the guidance we desperately needed to help our son through this life-changing transition and emotional support during some of our toughest times. I love that they provide morning snacks, lunch and afternoon snacks. All the food is prepared fresh and all of it is healthy. It takes off the huge burden of preparing meals. Most preschools do not offer this huge advantage. Our little boy's development has grown by leaps and bounds since he started at Sunshine. But just as important, he had learned the difference between right and wrong, understands compassion and kindness.  Shawn and Chrystie have become like family for us. We toured many preschools before making this choice, and there is no better choice for a child's introduction into education than Sunshine in the Palo Alto area.
Nov 14th, 2022

Our daughter has been attending Sunshine Preschool since last year, and we absolutely love it! Here are some of the many reasons why:1. Shawn and Chrystie have many years of experience and know how to nurture curiosity, creativity, and social skills in children while respecting their individuality. They are exceptional and caring educators who know how to develop children into the best versions of themselves. 2. Home setting with lots of personal attention. There's nothing that feels institutional here -- feels very family-like.3. Large, shady yard with plenty of space for play4. Has some structure like a clear schedule, circle time and "jobs", but is not rigid, and there is plenty of time for play5. Unpretentious, laid-back culture, with lots of emphasis on kindness6. Stable and reliable childcare. No teacher turnover.Ultimately, the proof is in the pudding. Changes we have noticed in our daughter since she started at Sunshine:1. Shares and plays more readily with other children and is more confident in interactions with new people. She has also learned how to appropriately assert boundaries with other children, rather than look to us to intervene in conflicts, and displays empathy like offering hugs and tissues if someone is crying.2. Can independently sing songs that seem kind of advanced for a toddler, like Colors of the Wind, and also makes up her own songs3. Has developed love of art and drawing, and creates art with very little direction from us4. Verbal explosion, counting skills noticeably improved, learned to read all the letters of the alphabet and short words5. Needs less prompting from us to clean up after herself at home And Shawn and Chrystie always think about how to make parents' lives easier. They make snacks and lunch, and have flexible drop-off and pick-up times. There are very few fixed policies. If there is any issue or question , you can just talk directly with Shawn. She is always flexible and easy to reach.  We highly recommend Sunshine, especially for families who want a small school where teachers can devote lots of personal attention to your children.
Aug 4th, 2022

Sunshine is a WONDERFUL preschool! Our oldest son graduated and our youngest is about to start.  I highly recommend this well-balanced, Montessori preschool.  Our son absolutely thrived there and really enjoyed it- he always wanted to go, loved the activities, especially all of the songs, rug time, outside time, and "jobs" (part of Montessori). They value pro-social behavior and kindness, being respectful of others, responsibility.. an environment any parent would hope for their child to be immersed in. The small environment really helps for children to blossom with confidence; there is a nice balance between play and academics- perfect for this age. They put intention into designing their curriculum of early academic learning throughout the year.  My son still sings the songs he learned at Sunshine. There are a handful of school and family celebrations which is a really fun way to see the children perform songs they practiced. Another huge bonus- the school provides home-cooked meals and snacks daily.
Sep 29th, 2019

Our daughter graduated from Sunshine Preschool this summer and it was a bittersweet occasion. This was her first out-of-home setting as a two-year-old and we visited many local preschools to choose the right one. What won us over was the owners, Shawn and Chrystie. They have very warm personalities and decades of childcare experience between them. Our non-English-speaking daughter has immediately connected with them and surprised us by her willingness to to go to school from day one.  The preschool is very well organized, with a balanced mix of play and academic activities. Kids receive plenty of individual attention. Our daughter has always felt secure, appreciated, and engaged. Other things that were important to us were a large and shady yard, the fact that kids can spend plenty of time outdoors, and, as a nice bonus, that we didn't have to pack lunches. After two years at Sunshine Preschool, our daughter has seamlessly transitioned to a life as a kindergartener, both academically and socially. We credit Shawn and Chrystie for the ease of this transition. Overall, if you are looking for a smaller setting with a family-feel for your preschooler, we highly recommend Sunshine Preschool!
Sep 8th, 2019