Dear Moilan, Mark, Teacher Erika, Teacher Kathryn, and all of the staff at Pride and Joy,

Thank you so very much for the love, kindness, and gentleness you brought into my Alexandra's life and education. I am so grateful for the peace of mind you provided me every day that I left my treasured little daughter in your hands. We will miss you terribly, and plan to visit sometime this year, so she can tell you all about Kindergarten!

And special thanks to you, Moilan, for the beautiful and thoughtful poster you made for Alexandra. We love it! We will hang it in her room so she can be reminded of her happy moments at Pride and Joy.

Much love and gratitude,

Sharon and Chris Tucker

The first things I noticed when I walked through the front gates of Pride & Joy were the welcoming smiles, warmth and graciousness of the staff. They made me and my child feel welcome and special.

There was so much eye candy around, that my daughter and I had a hard time deciding what to look at first! She gravitated towards the sand box and toys, and I walked toward the framed art projects of the students. Everything had an individualized touch! Each child’s art project had next to it a photo of the budding pre-schooler artist, with a description of the project and material they used. Every piece of art told a story.

Walking inside, I could clearly visualize how my daughter would spend her day at Pride & Joy: Dressing up in the fantasy costume room, reading a book in a nook surrounded by a cocoon of cascading fabric, finger painting, playing in the sunny yard with toys and sand box, practicing yoga in the Zen-like room under a stream of natural light in sight of a majestic tree, or just simply hanging out and being silly with the other kids, all the while under the watchful gaze of the staff and director.

No wonder my daughter did not want to leave when I said it was time to go home!

Maha

Pre-school is the time when the child makes the transition from home to society and Briana not only made this leap, but she thrived. As her grandfather and as a former kindergarten teacher, I saw Briana from several vantage points. I witnessed and was privileged to watch this Girl grow in confidence and competence. She learned that she belonged and that she was capable of contributing to others. When she walked into the classroom at Pride and Joy, she would be greeted and thrilled by her classmates with “Hi Briana.” She learned of success and adversity and when failure arrived, she learned of resiliency, a gift that will stay with her into adulthood. Briana learned to trust her loving and compassionate teachers who treated her with patience and dignity.

Her social skill development was remarkable. I remember at Open House when I saw Briana run up to her best friend and give her a huge hug, the ultimate gift of receiving and giving. I watched her nurture others when they needed help and learned empathy for how others feel.

I can’t tell you how fortunate that Briana is to have such loving and committed parents. I can’t tell you how fortunate Briana has been to have this partnership between her home and her school. I can’t tell you how fortunate some kindergarten teacher will be when she or he has This Girl as a student. Watch Briana smile, she knows.

I don’t know what it takes to add Love to the Pride and Joy name but this place of learning and acceptance and discovery has exceeded all expectations.

With Gratitude,
Fred Tombor

I am the parent of two happy children who have thoroughly enjoyed the Pride and Joy Preschool. I emphasize "happy" because that is what I value most for my children. They have both learned valuable social skills in a supportive environment. It is also a very international experience with teachers and children from many diverse cultures. Moilan Manning has assembled a group of caring and responsive teachers who relate to the kids very well on their level. One of my children has now successfully entered kindergarten and has already learned from preschool how to get along with others, share, be helpful and communicate well. I recommend Pride and Joy's program to families who believe in the importance of social development and lots of fun and love along the way!

A. Shimada

We are so happy with Pride and Joy. It's wonderful knowing that our daughter is in a caring and nurturing atmosphere which emphasizes tolerance and acceptance. After moving back to the U.S. from Japan -- and as an international couple -- we wanted a preschool with opportunities for our daughter to play with other bilingual kids and teachers. The teachers and staff are so kind and really do their best to help our daughter develop to her full potential. The kinds of activities that the kids do are very impressive, such as yoga, learning sign language, singing songs in different languages (e.g., Chinese and Japanese), and fun art projects. After her school day, our daughter is always happy and talks about how fun her day was with her friends and all of the new things that she did and learned at Pride and Joy.

Laura Sacia and Klaus Dragull

Our son has been at Pride and Joy for almost two years and has loved it from the beginning. The program has nurtured his changing needs as he has matured. The staff understand children, have a common-sense philosophy and are open to parental input. We especially enjoy the emphasis on building social skills. Our son loves telling us about new yoga poses he's learned, riding tricycles, and singing songs he has learned in English, Japanese, and Mandarin. Already at age 3, our child has learned most of the academic skills necessary for kindergarden (letters, counting, etc) and we often hear "A-B-C-D-E-F-G, H-I-J-K, LMNOP..." as he plays by himself at home. Even as the children are allowed ample free play time at the wonderfully equipped facilities, they are carefully watched. The teachers intervene if necessary and explain to the little ones what went wrong and how to correct it. This has given our son a strong sense of how one should treat others, which has nurtured his confidence and self awareness.

Hans and Mary Katherine Johansson

Our experience of Pride and Joy is that it is the most loving, safe, healthy environment where every child is treasured and encouraged to learn. Not a day goes by when I am not delighted to hear my daughter start a new song she’s learned. The "ABC Song" was an early favorite (mastered by age 30 months), but her current repertoire includes "I’ve Been Working on the Railroad," with "Old McDonald," "Are You Sleeping Brother John" and "Yankee Doodle" close seconds. Her language is blossoming in comprehension and pronunciation and she takes great delight in her own ability to communicate. This was a child who never heard the English language prior to her twenty-second month of life. And who recently said to me as we watched a PBS program of opera, "I like that music, mom. I hear that at Moilan’s school."

My daughter thrives on the structure provided by the program, the healthy meal program, and in her friendships with the other children who attend. She often sings the "Good Morning" song, pretending she is each and every one of her classmates by name. Once a shy, reserved child, she has learned enormous social skills, sharing, imaginative role-playing and enters any new situation with people of all ages with confidence. I attribute my daughter’s amazing independence in dressing herself, feeding herself, helping clean up, being helpful to others, being self aware and aware of her environment, not to mention being potty trained to the Pride and Joy program much more than my own encouragement.

The attention to physical movement is so important at the preschool level, and Pride and Joy’s Yoga lessons have resulted in agility, strength and willingness to challenge herself and model others - it's an inspiration to me as a parent who was afraid I wouldn’t provide enough of a positive role model and might instead raise a couch potato.

I fear this reads more like a love letter than a reference. But a love letter it is, for my daughter and I have both found a wonderful place to learn how to be a happy family together. Our only disappointment is that we can’t go to school on the weekends, too.

Ester

Our son Maximus is the youngest infant at Pride & Joy, joining the preschool at just 3 months. It didn't take us long to decide that P&J was the best preschool for Maximus. The staff provide a warm and encouraging environment for babies. We love the fact that Maximus gets to interact with other children and the staff spend lots of quality time with Maximus to help him practice the crucial developments of rolling, sitting and so on. Communication between P&J and us is excellent as the staff keep us informed of Maximus' activities during the day through daily logs. We are so very lucky that Maximus is with such wonderful caregivers during the day. Maximus continues to develop in leaps and bounds since his 3 months at P&J.

Linda & Scott

My four-year old daughter began attending Pride and Joy Preschool this past August of 2008. After about three months of attending three days a week, she has fully adjusted to the schedule and is very comfortable with the rules and expectations. She walks into the front door of the school upon arrival in the morning, with her head held high and full of such anticipation that she will have a fun, rewarding day. Her teachers are so wonderful with her, addressing her in such a pleasant tone and giving her that praise and acknowledgment which continues to build her self-esteem. I do want to touch note on the special relationship that my daughter does have with her teachers in that before she began at Pride and Joy, she was not potty trained at all. As of two months ago, we can attest to the fact that she is now completely day trained. I strongly feel that due to not being forced and positively encouraged and modeled through the process at school, my daughter did a 180 degree turn in believing that she can take the lead and be proactive with this big milestone. We are so very proud of her for not only having a wonderful beginning in her first school experience but continuing to thrive in an environment where kids are respected for who they are and their contributions they make to the larger group. Thank you very much, Moilan, and your wonderful staff for caring with such big hearts!

Susan Gonzalez

We sincerely thank you for the wonderful time and care Nordon received at the school for the past 3 years. The activities you plan, the beautiful rooms you decorated and the friendships she made at the school is incredible. It has helped our daughter (Nordon) believe that school is fun.

Thanks for everything from the bottom of our heart!

Karma and Sonam

Our daughter, Kayla, started at Pride and Joy Preschool right around her first birthday. She had been with her mom and dad – or her nanny – until then. We were nervous about the transition, but after months of research, we decided to give it a go. It was the best decision we could have made. Kayla looks forward every morning to meeting with her best friends – the other toddlers as well as her caregivers. While I’m dressing for work in the morning, or she’s having her breakfast, she’s happy to tell me what’s on her mind: “Emma, Emma,” she says, “Maximus, Roman.” When we pick her up in the afternoon, she’s happy and proud to show off what she’s learned: “ABC… TUV…Y and Z” Kayla is our miracle baby. Our miracle daughter. We’re so careful to give her the best we can. Pride and Joy is one of the best things we’ve given her.

Kim DaRosa