Testimonials

From the Parents of Children’s Village

When I think about Children’s Village, I think about my peace of mind. As for all parents, the choice of leaving our kids in a childcare facility was not easy. But our children are happy and excited to go to school, so we know we made the right choice. I have three kids: Mia is 5 and graduated from the program last year, Zoe is 3 and is in the preschool program, and Austin is 8 months and is in the infant program. Thank you for the last 3 years, and I’m looking forward to the next 5 years.

- Monica Blaylock

My son loves to pick and eat tomatoes off the vine. I love that my children are fortunate enough to marvel at and enjoy a garden’s bounty, not just the tomatoes and strawberries but the slugs and snails. I’ am indebted to Catholic Charities and to Children’s Village for offering our kids the opportunity to attend an incredible learning environment offered by CV. The childhood and educational experience offered by CV at its current location is not matched by any other day care and preschool. My husband and I both work full time and have been with Children’s Village now for 5 years.>
-Elizeba Ninan

We are alarmed at the possibility that such a rich community resource might be taken away from the children of San Francisco, many of whom represent some of the most vulnerable children in the City. Our youngest daughter – Sabine – is one of those children. Sabine was born deaf in one ear and with multiple physical disabilities resulting from an underlying congenital neurological disorder. Many daycare facilities that we visited were outright unable or unwilling to deal with Sabine.

But not Children’s Village. From the time that Sabine first entered Children’s Village at 1 year old, Molly and her staff proactively worked with our family to provide support for her – both emotionally and developmentally. From the teaching staff in the Infant and Toddler rooms, to extra support from specialized staff such as Freddie and CV’s child psychologist Miriam, everyone has gone out of their way to make sure Sabine can thrive as she develops. I know of no other facility in the City that would have gone to such lengths to ensure that Sabine was given every chance to grow up as a “normal” child.

Sabine is now an outgoing, active, social little 2-year old in the Ladybug classroom. Children’s Village continues to work with us and to coordinate with Sabine’s many outside therapists (including Occupational, Physical, and Speech therapists) to ensure her continued success. We cannot begin to imagine not allowing Sabine to continue in the footsteps of her older sister – Isabela – who is in her final year as a Preschooler (Monkey) at Children’s Village. Especially after all the efforts we have all put into helping Sabine adjust and thrive in the CV environment. Please don’t take Children’s Village away from Sabine and other children like her in San Francisco. >
-Chris and Kate Sofis

My daughter Eva is thriving at the Children’s Village. As a toddler, nothing could make her happier than playing in the wide open outdoor space at the village; riding tricycles, reading under the “palm tree”, painting au-plein-air, digging in the sand house, so many ways to play outside. After looking at the options, I’m certain that no other facility in SOMA, or even San Francisco, comes close to providing such a foundation for childhood. I don’t know what we would do without it.>
-Kathryn Shantz Tobiano

Children’s Village provides a wonderful environment for children. It has an excellent group of teachers and a tightly-knit and active community of parents. The teachers-to-child ratios are excellent. The standard of care is amazing, and we are extremely happy to have found such a wonderful place for our daughter. It is also one of the very few high-quality, affordable places available for childcare in San Francisco. Infant care in particular is difficult to find: all the good locations in San Francisco carry long wait lists of 1-3 years, and most include high price tags. Children’s Village is a gem, and we are truly at a loss as to what we will do if it is closed down.

- Jennifer Wong

Children’s Village is one of the hidden treasures of San Francisco. From the magical mural at the entrance, through the classrooms busting with children’s artwork, to the flower gardens that reveal a Japanese foot bridge, a hammock, and a fire truck, this school is a treasure. My son started at Children’s Village when he was 7 months old and is now a confident, active, thoughtful, and sensitive kindergartener. My daughter is currently in the cub’s room where she gets to play with her favorite friends (adult and child) on a daily basis. Like most San Francisco families, my partner and I agonized over our decision to stay in San Francisco by continuing to work so we could raise our family. How fortunate we were to come across Children’s Village, where the staff has helped us to raise our children with love, care, and warmth. In fact, Children’s Village is less a school and more of an extended family of caregivers. The same teachers who helped us raise our son are now helping us raise our daughter and we think they are fantastic. I can’t express how much these people mean to us. Presiding over all are Molly, Dana, Dedrea, Sherry, and Claire who have transformed the school into a magical place where learning is fun, and all children feel safe and confident. Just walk by the school at any time of the day, and you will feel the energy. It would be a tragedy if San Francisco were to lose Children’s Village.

- Tim Schuman

Imagine a place in which families of all conceivable backgrounds and means joyfully congregate to celebrate their children’s development. Imagine a school where the enthusiasm, creativity and dedication of the staff are boundless, resulting in a constant stream of enhancements to the educational offering. Imagine a facility with expansive outdoor space, interactive gardens, and imaginative play structures that foster age-appropriate exploration for toddlers and preschoolers. That’s Children’s Village!
Our daughter began at “The Village” in 2001 at nine months of age and left for kindergarten in 2006. During those 5 years, Children’s Village provided nurturing care and inspirational curriculum for our daughter and an enriching experience for our whole family. Children’s Village should be held up as a model for the potential of other programs. The closure of such an exemplary program would not only be a tremendous hardship for the families currently enrolled, but also a tragic loss for the city of San Francisco.

- Ann Shepherd

I’d like to think we are the kind of family that would be welcome in many communities—we are two professionals who have decided to pursue careers that benefit the community as opposed to our pocketbooks. My husband is an architect for low-income housing developments and I am a scientist studying treatments for neurological disorders, and we have an infant daughter who we’d like to raise in this city. We are lucky and proud to live and work in San Francisco. Unfortunately, living in this city is expensive. We have forfeited home ownership and a backyard to take advantage of the beauty and environment provided by San Francisco. Prior to our daughter’s acceptance to Children’s Village we feared we might have to leave San Francisco. Reasonably priced, excellent infant daycare is near impossible to find in San Francisco, let alone gaining acceptance off of a wait-list is not guaranteed. We were extraordinarily lucky to gain admittance to Children’s Village; our daughter began when she was 4 months old and we couldn’t be happier. The staff truly loves her and knows her as an individual, and we love the fact that she interacts with diverse children from different economic and social backgrounds. Children’s Village represents all that is good in San Francisco. Without Children’s Village, I do not know how we can afford to live in San Francisco; we cannot afford a nanny, we cannot afford Marin Day School… We will almost definitely have to join the masses of middle class families who have left San Francisco in order to afford to raise a family.

- Robin LeWinter

Having access to affordable childcare is paramount. To have access to affordable and amazing childcare in San Francisco is almost unheard of…enter Children’s Village. As I was getting ready to return to work after my first son was born, I was freaked out. How was I ever going to trust someone else to care for my baby the way I care for him? I ran many scenarios through my head: becoming a stay-at-home mom, continuing to live in our tiny, one bedroom apartment, and spending our savings on day-to-day living instead of trying to buy a house for our family. Eventually, I decided to go back to work, and I entrusted the care of my infant son to the wonderful caregivers at Children’s Village. Boy, did I make the right decision! They not only took great care of Aidan, but they helped me become a better parent by giving me, a new mom, great advice based on their years of experience with children. Now, I have my second son in the infant program while my oldest is flourishing in the preschool program. While many of my friends in San Francisco are stressed out about finding the right preschool that they can afford and has openings, Aidan seamlessly moved from the toddler program to the preschool program leaving me stress free. Just to give you an idea of how important Children’s Village is to me and my family. I have turned down several opportunities for work closer to our home because I do not want to move my children from this amazing program.

- Stephanie Lapachet

If San Francisco leaders sat around a table to design a child care and preschool center, they would have designed Children’s Village at 10th and Howard, and hired the many-talented Molly Skuse to run it. A staff and families who mirror the socio economic and racial diversity of our city.
- A curriculum that combines creativity, strong academic preparation, and conflict resolution.
- A location in the heart of the city that provides a safe learning space.
-Lots of room outside to run and play and plant an urban garden.
Over the last two years, the families attending Children’s Village had the great fortune to watch a diamond-in-the rough get polished till it sparkled. When there were financial challenges to the organization, we saw a staff rise to the occasion, turn the situation around, and infuse the families with a sense of ownership and a shared commitment to the school. We saw a staff demonstrate passion and compassion by example. We witnessed a complete transformation of the physical space, and a staff that never stopped finding new ways to make the center better. We attended community celebrations with mariachi players, French storytellers, salsa bands, Middle Eastern fusion, you name it. Now that my daughter is in kindergarten, I am enjoying the benefits of her full time care at Children’s Village from 4 months to 5 ½ years. She entered school with confidence and enthusiasm, ready to read, write, and deal with conflict in a positive and confident way. I cannot believe that the will does not exist in the city of San Francisco to save this gift to our children. Let Children’s Village thrive!

- Judy Agnew

My daughter Rachel began attending Children’s Village when she was five months old. I had put Rachel on a waiting list for another program (that we couldn’t really afford), but even after a year there was no availability due to the incredible shortage of infant care in San Francisco. I was ecstatic when I learned that Rachel was accepted to Children’s Village. Naively, I thought in a few short days she would begin taking a bottle, napping, and being able to be out of her mother’s arms without crying. In reality, Rachel never took a bottle and had her own, unique nap schedule, but due to the unbelievable dedication of the infant room teachers, Dedrea, Oliea, Valerie and Rose, she flourished. She is a happy, self-confident little toddler who loves her teachers, her friends and her school. Now that she is in the toddler room, Rachel is right on track, napping like a champ, producing beautiful artwork, dancing, singing, running around and laughing at the top of her lungs. Sherri, Denise, Nena and the entire staff go out of their way to make the Cubs room a special, loving place. Now Rachel is trying to get me to stay there with her at the end of the day so she doesn’t miss anything! One of the many things that I love about Children’s Village is that the entire community, staff and families alike, are reflective of the diversity of San Francisco as a whole. This cultural diversity is celebrated every day. Children’s Village is far more affordable than any of the other child-care centers that I had considered, and the program and outdoor areas are far superior. I feel incredibly fortunate to have such excellent care for my daughter, as I find myself writing in cards over and over to the staff “thank you for all you do to make my daughter so happy there everyday.” The program is truly a gem!

- Robyn Stukalin and John McLaughlin

Children’s Village provides our children with a safe, nurturing and diverse environment in which they can grow, learn and explore. The facility is exceptional; we particularly appreciate how the outdoor space is utilized to allow the kids easy access to fresh air and space to run, climb, play and learn about plants and wildlife. Because of Children’s Village, we have been able to continue to work toward achieving our professional goals, safe in the knowledge that our children are in a high quality, developmentally-appropriate childcare program. The sense of community and continuity that the Center fosters is truly remarkable. We feel very fortunate to be a part of this invaluable program.

- Jen Peters

As a family with two working parents, we were desperate to find quality childcare within San Francisco that allowed us total peace of mind. From the first day we visited Children’s Village, we knew instinctively we were where we wanted to be. Our daughter Devon started at nine months old, and left three days before entering kindergarten. Children’s Village played a major part in making her a happy, independent and considerate child, and the diversity of the staff and families was essential to our experience. There is not one staff member that did not know my child by name, nor one she did not adore. Children’s Village is an urban oasis for our children and parents that we simply must not let slip away.

- Bronwyn and Hector Acosta

In 2002 when I found out I was expecting my first child, I thought only about child care. Instead of reading “What to Expect When You’re Expecting,” I worried about child care and decided to put my energy on finding the best childcare center. We toured over 10 locations until I narrowed it down to 2 places we would leave our new baby. Children’s Village was our first choice. The reason why it was our first choice was the center had a vision and a plan. For example, they told us they would plant flowers and vegetables, develop a play yard and make a strong community. Even though these things were not completed in 2003 when my daughter was ready for child care, we loved the energy of the staff and decided that Children’s Village would help us raise our daughter. We knew with a caring staff and a strong parent group we could help them accomplish their vision. We truly feel blessed that our daughter, and now our son, has experienced such a wonderful loving and caring environment. The teachers that are now helping us raise our son are the same teachers that helped us raise our daughter. The staff and parents work together to solve problems and to improve the center. Even though this is not a co-op preschool, it really feels like when you see parents and teachers working in the garden together or going on field trips with the kids. When I heard that Children’s Village might close I felt a deep sadness. The Finnemore family loves Children’s Village and cares deeply for the staff as if they are part of our family.

- Riaz , Lisa , Maya and Deven Finnemore