Caring Connection Children's Center

This is our second daycare with our child and we are extremely happy with Caring Connection. We left our old daycare because of what we felt was chronic mismanagement by the executive team which we felt led to instability.Caring Connection has an amazing team and aenvironment. Our daughter has learned so much in the last 8 months and loves all her teachers. The kids get a lot of play time outside as well as time to explore developmentally appropriate art and sensory play. The value is also one of the best around and all of the meals for the day are included.

Our 2 yo has been attending Caring Connections for about 6 months now and we are very impressed. Their art room is great. We love their philosophy on "family style" eating at mealtimes. Their curriculum allows the toddlers to explore a lot of sensor throughout the day without things being overengineered. They also run a very safe operation which is appreciated. I highly recommend, especially for the 18 mo-36 mo toddler room.

Our daughter, now 4.5, has been at Caring Connection since she was 2 years old, and it's been a great experience for all of us. The initial transition was tough -- lots of tears and separation anxiety -- and the staff did a great job of helping make our daughter feel comfortable and easing our parental anxiety. In the time since then, our daughter has had a great experience. We love that she gets to spend lots of time outdoors playing freely, getting messy, and learning about different themes every week. Also, it deserves a mention that CC provides ALL meals and snacks, including breakfast, which is so nice as busy working parents.

This daycare is great. My kid comes home dirty from playing outside and covered in (water-soluble) paint from doing arts and crafts inside. She eats well and is always happy and excited to tell me about her day. The teachers are great and have a level of patience far beyond my abilities, and they seem genuinely happy to see my daughter in the morning. I'm sure some parents want their child catered to and hovered over like some aristocratic courtier, but building independence, resilience, curiosity, and empathy seem far better for a child's development. My child is well-taken care of here, and I have no concerns about safety or cleanliness. She has made wonderful friends and generated countless pieces of ... art? I guess it's art, I don't know, I'm not a critic. But regardless, she brings a lot of it home and is quite proud of the work.

If the safety of your child is a priority, then stay far away from Caring Connection (also called Enlightened Play preschool). They do not prioritize safety. Caring Connection's philosophy on childcare is SAFE, KIND, and CLEAN, but in practice they are none of those things. Let me explain why:SAFE - We ultimately pulled our child out because of severe face/mouth injuries. Our child got facial injuries on 2 consecutive days, and they were bad enough that I needed to leave work to come pick her up. She ended up with a punctured lip, 3 chipped teeth, 2 front teeth knocked loose, a hematoma on her gum, and cuts on her face. They try to explain away injuries by saying that their philosophy is to encourage kids to take risks. The reality is that they simply do not prioritize safety or creating a safe space for children. They also constantly have issues with the gate to the play yard, and on occasion it would be left completely open, with direct access to busy J Street and also open to the vagrants that frequent the area.KIND - Some of the teachers are not kind. Kyleigh in particular would regularly withhold food from our child in the mornings, even though we arrived in time for breakfast. I'm not sure what kind of person looks at a hungry child sitting at a table and denies them food simply because they're ready to clean up. Breakfast hours are breakfast hours. We brought it up with the director, but the staff member continued to do the same thing. The staff will also regularly let your child sit in wet clothing, socks, and shoes during the cold/rainy months. I would pick my child up and her socks would be so wet I could wring water out of them, and her feet looked like prunes. Brought this up with the director as well, but the problem continued. There is no "kindness" in that kind of treatment.CLEAN - I'm not sure why this is even part of their philosophy. They will tell you up front that your child will go home filthy because it's a nature play school and they spend so much time outside. In the summer, the children will be covered in dust and dirt. During the winter, they go home in sopping wet, muddy clothes. The classrooms are clean, but your child sure won't be. I'd rather the staff help the children to be clean rather than prioritize classroom cleaning. Why are children sitting around in dirty, wet, uncomfortable clothing while you're mopping the floors? Makes no sense.The longer my child was at this school (which was about 6 months), the more I realized that this school just doesn't have enough staff to adequately care for the high number of children in attendance. As a result, children get neglected. If you want proof, look at the number of citations they've received on their California Dept of Social Services webpage. Facility number: 343617412. Please do the right thing for your child and stay away from this place.

I can't say enough about our past two years at Caring Connection. Our son just loved every minute of it. As parents we loved that there was an app where teachers sent pictures of him playing throughout the day and the weekly newsletter was a very nice touch. He is now moving on to transitional kindergarten and we feel grateful for the foundation he got over the last two years. Thank you to the amazing teachers and staff that took time and interest in our little one. You all will be missed!

The best daycare/ preschool facility in Sacramento hands down! My daughter loves this school and has flourished there. The staff truly cares about every child and they have a wonderful philosophy (Kind, Clean Safe) which as a first time parent was so helpful even at home! The play area is amazing, the food is so healthy, and I just can't say enough great things! Thank you for providing such a safe, fun space for our family!

I'll try to keep this fairly short and simple (though there is so much more I could say).My son did not like being there. He's never had separation anxiety a day in his life until I brought him to Caring Connection. He was fine at his school before, and he's been fine at his present school. I had high hopes because I thought a play-based preschool was what he needed. Clearly, it wasn't. They get 2 stars from me for teaching the kids a bunch of fun songs (that was my son's favorite part) and for their lovely outdoor play area.They terminated my son from their program - which is not why I'm upset. When Ms. Jenkins-Sathe said, "I just don't think we're the right place for him", I appreciated her honesty. However, when she continued on to say that my son lacks empathy at age 3 1/2, and that I should have him evaluated for Asperger's and/or ADHD, I was dumbfounded. She told me that the teachers had been telling her "for weeks" about my son's behaviors. She said that the "other kids don't even like playing with him." Ouch. In my shock, I simply asked how much notice she was giving us. She gave us one week. My husband and I found him a new preschool in 3 days because we refused to send him back there.To be clear, doling out diagnoses when you are not qualified to do so is utterly irresponsible and unprofessional. After my son met with a psychologist, Asperger's was completely ruled out, and she noted he showed signs of giftedness. (The kid, now 4 years old, insists he wants to be an astrophysicist when he grows up!) He was TOO YOUNG for a diagnosis of ADHD. Please, Ms. Jenkins-Sathe, be mindful of the weight of the words you speak to parents, and please know your own limitations in understanding atypical children. Not all kids are ADHD or on the Autism Spectrum just because they seem different.As a side note, I hear stories from my son's current school about how he comforts other kids when they're feeling sad, how he helps his teachers clean up, etc. So, Ms. Jenkins-Sathe was actually right about one thing: Caring Connection was not at all the right place for him.

My experience with Caring Connections has been great since the beginning. My daughter was not a happy camper when we first moved here (we moved from Colorado, the only home she knew) and it was a big adjustment. Although she never had a problem at school, she "turned on" her bad behavior with me. The teachers were so great in helping me deal with it, even meeting me for coffee to discuss tactics (Thanks Rose - the behavior chart is still working!). She loves going to school and loves her teachers, classmates and me now - lol. I have really appreciated the community here since we were new to the area and would recommend this preschool for anyone looking for a nurturing, play-based environment.

This place is all about taking your money...after taking ours for over a year at $1600 a month. They had to down size and close their downtown location and all kids were moved to west sac one. 1 month after the move, they decide to tell us that, "they felt their daycare was not the right place for our sons needs." ...WTF..? You take our money for over a year, over $20,000 , and now it's not the right place for him.? But we were ready to pull him out anyways after a parent literally stopped us one day to tell us that kyleigh, one of the staff members, physically grabbed our son by the arm and yanked him hard to the side but then realized a parent had walked in...this place is also a kids pig pin as they feel it's easier to let the kids get filthy so the don't have to clean up after them..not to mention how many times we picked up our son and he was in a dirty, #2, diaper...this place is definitely not worth what they charge...dont be fooled by the "snacks" they say they give the kids ...for what they charge the kids should be getting more than just a small cop of raisons...this place is a waste of your money..