You Are My Sunshine Preschool - Folsom, California

Diane

Fantastic preschool for your little one! Ms. Jennifer and her fellow teachers are very kind and caring. At this school my little one learned all the letters of the alphabet, beginning reading, several Spanish words and came home happy every time. This preschool has rabbits, chickens, chicks, and overall a great setup for learning and playing in the outdoors. When extreme temperatures come around, the kids are brought indoors where the setup for learning and playing is great there too. I highly recommend this preschool!

Ben L.

This school was an extension of our family. The care, love, patience, learning atmosphere and experience was amazing for our daughter to experience. Our daughter spent 3 years at this school and we couldn’t of been happier. Weekly news letters with photos, feedback on child’s development were given. Our daughter learned Spanish, science and many other subjects. I highly recommend this school and your kid will love this experience. Thank you Mrs. Jennifer for being a part of our family. My daughter is sad she is not returning due to kindergarten.

Whitney T.

When someone shows you who they are, believe them.

I originally thought this was a positive place for our child. 7 months later, that all changed in less than 24 hours. It has left a disgusting feeling for me and my husband.

Our child was coming home from preschool happy, loving the hard working teachers, making friends and excited about projects to show us. Our child started telling us frequently about another child hitting, sometimes throwing objects, and pushing her. At first I thought, “ok this is bound to happen when a class of kids comes together and are learning what not to do, and discovering boundaries”.

I talked about it with my husband and wrote an email of concern to the head teacher, Jennifer, on November 9th 2023. She wrote back a thoughtful, very specific response and we were impressed with her fair conflict management plan. Her wording made me think she was very open and experienced with working through conflict. I also assumed this was a pretty common issue to deal with in school settings. If her interventions didn’t work, she wrote, “if it continues, I obviously won’t be able to have the child continue”, and “it has been increasing lately, so I am definitely going to be focusing on seeing if we can work this out or not”.

Fast forward to March 2024, it seemed the behavior had decreased with our child, but was still an issue with other children, as evidenced by what our child was telling us. She is very verbal and articulate. We felt Jennifer needed this feedback to keep other kids safe, and we were also worried that other children who may not be as verbal, might not be telling their parents. We wanted to keep an open communication about what was going on from our point of view and shared this with her.

We received an email response from Jennifer that was vague about what had been done, what was being done, or what she plans to do as far as any actionable steps. My husband and I were curious and confused about the email, thinking “what does she actually mean by that?’ So my husband emailed back Jennifer on March 12th, including asking simply what was being done and that we do remain concerned about safety and the well being of our daughter.

Less than 24 hours at 3:30am on March 13th, she responded to my husband, and did not include me. My husband was not able to check his email before work and I woke up to a very confusing email notifying me that our son’s tuition and preschool placement for the fall of 2024 was canceled, who had not even started preschool yet! We also got an email around 3:30 am that our daughter’s March tuition was in process to be partially refunded. I emailed her about the tuition problem we were having, “is this a mistake?”, and she responded that it seems we are not a good fit for her program anymore, and in summary our daughter is not welcome back for the last 2 months of the school year.

I was very confused and did not think she would retaliate against my family for asking questions about what was going on in the preschool. I also wrote that I would have thought she’d think about a conversation with us before this step. No response from Jennifer about that.

In summary, You Are My Sunshine Preschool fosters an environment which allows bullying to continue without boundaries. In our shocking experience, Jennifer has shown us through her actions that she is happy to retaliate quickly to punish families and children who speak up about unjust behaviors and safety concerns. She truly does not value open communication, and might perhaps have a habit of making rash, emotionally charged decisions in the middle of the night.

My overall takeaway:
Other people will not like you advocating for your child, or for other children who may not be able to speak up for themselves. Keep advocating anyway.

Krystal V.

I absolutely LOVE !!!!!! this preschool I always feel so safe knowing my kids are with some amazing teachers, and always so happy and excited to go learn and play I couldn't thank Mrs. Jennifer enough for all she has done to get both my kids beyond ready for kinder 🙂

Michelle K.

When my husband and I chose Folsom as the place to raise our family, we were drawn, as many people are, to the quality of the schools. We wanted our daughter to have the best start possible, so we thoroughly researched our preschool options in the area, and as soon as we visited You Are My Sunshine I knew we had come across something truly special. The children there really have the best of both worlds: a warm and nurturing place to play, imagine, and explore as little ones love to do, all while learning an incredible curriculum and valuable social skills that not only prepare them to succeed, but set them up to excel in the high caliber schools Folsom is known for. I honestly feel that an in-home preschool provides an environment that can't be matched by larger facilities and we feel very lucky to be a part of the You Are My Sunshine family.

Alicia S.

We are so lucky to have found You Are My Sunshine Preschool! Mrs. Jennifer, Ms. Heidi, Ms. Sara, and Ms. Kyndra are fantastic teachers. The ratio is low, and the activities are so much fun. Each day, Mrs. Jennifer sends out an email detailing what the children have done that day, and then pictures of them at the end of the week. Having this connection to the classroom was priceless, and very much appreciated! Every part of the program is so well thought out and executed. The art, science projects, great learning toys, and the dream backyard make this program ideal for both the kids and the parents. We love You Are My Sunshine!

Nicole B.

You Are My Sunshine Preschool is absolutely magical! I found out about You Are My Sunshine Preschool while my son was getting a hair cut. I was talking with the lady next to me and she couldn't stop talking about how amazing her son's preschool was. After checking it out, I couldn't wait to enroll my son. The preschool is located at a home rather than an industrial size preschool. This means small class sizes that allows each student to truly get to know their teachers and other students. Ms. Jennifer brought a wide range of curriculum into the classroom and taught it in FUN ways. She created a very structured atmosphere so that the students came in and knew what to expect and were comfortable- at the same time making the students see how learning is FUN and WONDEROUS. I loved hearing all the stories after preschool. My favorite was my son telling me how he got to make chemical reactions! (I teach science in high school so I was a little biased here haha). Ms. Jennifer doesn't just teach your children. She invests in their progress. She truly wants every child to succeed and knows that in order to do that, you need to find the child's strengths and weaknesses. She communicated to each parent on a regular basis. She provided emails of each day's events so if your child was shy about talking to you , you would still know what happen. She also sent photos! The other thing that this preschool provides is a sense of belonging- not just the student but the families. Because it is a closer more intimate setting, strong bonds formed. My son remained friends with many of the students. Not only that but the values that Ms. Jennifer's school teaches tends to transend into the families. The families who attend this school are amazing. My son was in two different classes here and in both groups every parent was more than willing to help Ms. Jennifer with anything that the preschool needed. Families supported each other. This school taught my son to be confident, caring, and helpful. It taught him to have fun while he learns and to never give up. It taught him how to make friends, how to play. I know that last one sounds silly, but a shy kid sometimes needs help learning how to initate free play. I am so beyond thankful for meeting that lady at the hair salon because this preschool was AMAZING. She wasn't lying. Now I am the lady who can't stop bragging about You Are My Sunshine!

Kennedy L.

You are my sunshine preschool is a fabulous place! My son attended for the last 3 years, and my daughter will begin in the fall. Over the past 3 years, I have been nothing but impressed by the school and teachers. My son has learned so much and I know he is well prepared for Kindergarten.