Tender Learning Care

My daughter attended Tender Learning Care and it was truly a wonderful, child-focused environment. From the very beginning, she felt welcomed and safe. She made friends easily with both the children and staff, and she always looked forward to her days there. The staff took the time to get to know her personally — they remembered the little things that mattered to her and made her feel seen and cared for. I was always impressed by how nurturing and patient the teachers were. They encouraged creativity, kindness, and teamwork, and I could see the positive impact on my daughter’s confidence and happiness. She would often come home excited to share what she had learned or tell stories about her friends and teachers. It was clear that the preschool prioritized not only education, but also the emotional well-being and development of every child. The directors, John and Shirley, consistently showed professionalism and dedication to the children in their care. They created a safe and structured environment where the focus was always on the best interests of the kids. As a parent, that gave me a great deal of comfort and peace of mind. I am truly grateful for the time my daughter spent at Tender Learning Care. She thrived there and will carry those early positive experiences with her as she grows. I would highly recommend this preschool to any family seeking a warm, supportive, and genuinely caring place for their child. Thank you to all the amazing and caring staff within this facility .

Saying goodbye to Tender Learning Care is so bittersweet for our family. My daughter has always been a bit of a tough one, and we’ve had our share of ups and downs. Through it all, the amazing staff here have been patient, loving, and endlessly supportive. They have always kept open and honest communication with me, making sure I knew how my daughter was doing every step of the way. During some of the hardest times in my life, they not only cared for her but also guided me with kindness and encouragement. Thanks to their dedication, my daughter has grown so much and is doing better than ever. Tender Learning Care has been more than just a daycare — they’ve been like family to us. We will truly miss everyone here and will always be grateful for the love, care, and memories you’ve given us. 💛

1 star review for this is awfully generous. PLEASE READ FOR CAUTION OF YOUR CHILD: My fiance and I enrolled my step daughter in this daycare. Upon enrollment the staff received copies of 2 court orders. One providing clear documentation that my fiance has full sole legal and physical custody. We ran into multiple situations where the court orders were not followed and deliberately disobeyed by the school staff, more importantly, the owners Shirley and Jon. The staff allowed the non custodial parent to make decisions about attendance without contacting my fiance. As well, they provided copies and access of all the enrollment paperwork my fiance provided (one of the court orders is a restraining order my fiance has against the noncustodial parent- keep in mind). Upon investigating how the noncustodial parent obtained that, it was found they were harassing the school for the paperwork for up to two weeks. The staff never informed my fiance of this happening for my fiance to handle it with his legal team. Ontop of this, there are multiple other safety concerns surrounding this facility. There are rat feces covering the inside of cabinets, the school has a distinct awful smell when you walk in as if it’s never been cleaned, there are ants EVERYWHERE that coated my step daughters backpack, the staff seems it’s appropriate that when the front door lock doesn’t work they just put tape on the door lock so anyone from the public can have access into the building let alone a child just walk out. Once we finally got the approval we needed, we immediately removed my step daughter from this facility. Upon conversation with Shirley, the owner, about the concerns we had and why we were removing our daughter, she acted in a VERY unprofessional, unethical, and disgusting manner that does not present a safe and nurturing environment for children to be around. She made defamatory remarks about myself and my fiance and decided to involve herself in personal court matters by making unsupported statements about the custody arrangements and environment our daughter is in. She refused to provide a refund for the tuition that was paid for the month our daughter would not be attending and then asked for another 30 days of payment. When CDSS was referenced, Shirley went even further to involve herself into court matters and sent very inappropriate and inaccurate statements to what she thought was the judge. After filing a complaint with CDSS, it was found that our concerns were SUBSTANTIATED by CDSS for two Type A violations and a Type B violation that reflects immediate safety and health concerns for the child. My fiance has still not received an apology nor a refund. Shirley and Jon went even further to provide the private conversations between my fiance and them, to the noncustodial parent. I have worked in child cares, preschools and have taken child focuses courses myself. I am absolutely appalled at the behavior shown and the practices of this school and ownership. DO NOT BRING YOUR CHILD HERE FOR THEIR OWN SAFETY!! Please be cautious to read about them and their previous violations on the CDSS website.

My daughter has been attending TLC for four years and recently left for First Grade. I cannot speak highly enough about this school and their teaching methods. My daughter has an excitement for learning and her reading is beyond 6 years. This skill has helped her feel confident in academics. They also encourage creative play time and I often would find a theater play going on or adventures being created in the structure and sandpit. I never worried about the safety of my child and I was always informed when if any type of incident. The children created wonderful art whilst learning about their country and singing is a huge bonus. This school is a secret in Davis and if you are fortunate to have your child attend it, you will not be disappointed. Fantastic staff and curriculum.

Our son went to Tender learning care for 3 months just before he started his kintergarten at public school. Depsite this short stay, tender learning care left a deep impression as an exceptional organization. The founder Shirley is an extremely kind and knowledgeable person. She gradually groomed our son to read/write, and was deeply vested in his learning and ensuring his growth continues in kintergarten. We are truly grateful for that. All teachers in TLC have worked there for 10+ to 20 years, which is unheard of.. they are also very flexible in accomodating needs of parents. Lastly when I asked one of the teachers on the first day of month, if I should pay half months fee or full month for the last month, she spontaneously answerered just half the month, without needing to check with Shirley, this told me that teachers are trusted to take decisions in this place. Overall we could not be happier with TLC. It is an asset in Davis community.