Sunshine daydreams preschool: Sunshine Daydreams | Empowering Minds and Bodies.

Sunshine Daydreams | Empowering Minds and Bodies.

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Sunshine Daydreams is family owned with some of the most loving teachers. My daughter is excited to go to school especially on yoga days! The location is great, the hours are perfect, it’s always clean and organized. I couldn’t be happier with this school and will miss going next year. My daughter is a great kid and even better now graduating from sunshine day dreams.

– Sandra K.

Sunshine Daydreams is a wonderful preschool. My daughter (6) graduated from SD last year and her sister (2) is currently attending. The teachers are creative, patient, and caring. Their respect for the children they teach is evident in everything that goes on at the school, from the way they greet each child as she arrives in the morning to the way they handle discipline. As a play-based school, the focus is on providing opportunities for the kids to engage, explore, and follow their interests. The kids draw, paint, build, cook, read, write, play instruments, dress up in costumes, play make-believe, do science experiments, garden, ride bikes, dance, and do yoga…sometimes all in one day.

I have also appreciated all the support the school provides for parents. Parent-teacher conferences happen twice a year, but David and the teachers are always available to answer questions or offer advice. They even help with potty training and kindergarten recommendations!

SD is a truly special place–I highly recommend it!

–  Becky S.

We love Sunshine Daydreams. Our daughter (5) went there and now our son (3) attends as well. The school provides a truly loving and nurturing environment for children to grow both emotionally and intellectually. They cater their care to the needs of the individual child, helping them through difficult transitions, with potty training, and in developing emotional and social awareness. There is regular communication with parents as they work to improve on weaknesses while accentuating areas of academic strength.

Our son loves playing outdoors with his friends and all the various activities. There are motorcycles to ride, structures to climb, a sand box to dig in, a vegetable garden, science experiments, and daily arts and craft activities. The children get weekly yoga classes to improve physical skills.

Our daughter left Sunshine this year to begin kindergarten. She was lucky enough to be joined by one of her Sunshine friends. The two of them were the first two students of the month in their new kindergarten class. We remain close with other alum parents and we hear regularly about their children’s successes.

I think what sets Sunshine Daydreams apart from other preschools are the teachers. They show so much love and dedication to our children. Now that our daughter has moved on to kindergarten I have more and more appreciation for the special place that is Sunshine Daydreams.

– Joe C.

It was love at first tour with Sunshine Daydreams. Our first impression was that the facility was clean, had a warm feeling and a great play yard. We loved that the teachers keep an ongoing scrapbook of artwork, photos and achievements as a memento of the preschool experience. There was a focus on environmental education and learning through play and exploration. They help with potty training and teach hygiene by focusing on hand washing and tooth brushing. We were sold. Little did we know this school would well exceed our expectations which were already high.

Dave the Director is a guru when it comes to preschool aged children. His approach to conflict resolution is something we’ve implemented in our own home. He empowers the kids by giving them choices so they feel in control. He is our go to guy anytime we don’t know the right approach to take with our 3 year old twins. He always has great strategies.

The preschool is family owned and they have their heart in every child. They focus on creating a community for the families. There is everything from Yoga, dance, music and crafts to trains, Dino’s and a make believe area with plenty of princess gowns. If you are looking for a wonderful preschool for your kids, look no further. You’ve found it!

– Debbie Shell & JP Bedoya

Walk into Sunshine Daydreams and what do you see? Happy kids! There is an energy about the place, a happy homey vibe, that draws you in and makes you want to stay. To strangers, I often refer to Sunshine Daydreams as a “hippie dippie” preschool, and I mean that in the best possible way. It is a place where ideals like fairness, honesty, caring about the environment and helping our community are actively pursued. A Sunshine Daydreamer knows how to plant, recycle, do yoga, appreciate music, and, most importantly, how to treat others.

-Laurie Zerwer

About/Staff | Sunshine Daydreams

Sunshine Daydreams was started in October of 2003 by Jackie and David Frank, a mother and son team. We joined together to create a fun and exciting learning environment that helps encourage children to become life-long learners while focusing on social and emotional growth.

Our program hours are 8:30 a.m to 2:30 p.m. Drop off is from 8:30-9:30 and pick up is 12:30-2:30. We offer 3,4,5 day programs based on availability. Children may enroll in our program as young as two years of age up until they are ready for kindergarten.

Directors:

David is the director of the program and has been in the child development field since 1997. David received his B.A in early childhood studies from Antioch University. He has always aspired to open his own program. He spent six years on the board of directors of North Bay AEYC (our local affiliate to NAEYC). He has also been a CA mentor teacher and continues to try and find ways to help improve the field. He is very passionate about the field and dedicated to the program. He is continually looking for ways to help the school evolve.

Jackie, mother of three, previously spent many years as an office manager and has gone through UCLA Extension Program to obtain her Early Childhood Education units. She currently plays many roles at the school. She is our a floater teacher and office manager, while still providing the motherly and nurturing feel for our students and parents alike.

Assistant Director:

Amy Basler has been involved in the school since before it has began. She is Jackie’s daughter and David’s sister. She took on an official teaching role in 2005. She has a B.A. in Communications from Northridge and completed her preschool teaching certificate at Santa Monica College. Amy is an extremely valuable part of our program. She brings a wonderful mix of creativity and structure to our environment. She is continually researching and trying new activities with the children to help promote self awareness and self confidence. She is also a proud mother of two boys who have graduated from Sunshine Daydreams.

Teachers:

Cristina Parks joined our program in 2012. Cristina has been working in the early child development field since 2010. She has her B.A in Anthropology from UCLA. She is very interested in the Reggio Emilia approach and is looking forward to experimenting with different types of creative projects to do with the children.

Mana Acosta joined Sunshine Daydreams in 2021.  She has completed over 39 e. c.e units and brings an energetic and playful style of teaching to the school.  She is inquisitive and ask the children open ended questions.

Cristal Mendez joined our program in 2022.  She has been working in the child development field since 2018 and has over 24 e.c.e units.  She seamlessly helps builds the children’s self confidence while promoting problem solving skills.

What our children dream about

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Parents

“What is your biggest dream?” For some, this question forced them to think, while others immediately gave out the answer. Some clarified: “Speak about a realizable or unrealizable dream?” or “Maybe a few?” The little ones told in detail, sometimes they lacked words, and they began to draw.

The schoolchildren seemed to have made up their minds a long time ago and were now presenting their dreams to me clearly and seriously. With each new story, I felt more and more that in children’s dreams there is a “double bottom”: this is not a whim, but something deep, personal, a reflection of such needs that cannot be described in any other way. ..

Parents used to leave the room where we were talking, but then they would ask anxiously: “Well, what? What did he say?” And often sincere children’s answers caused them bewilderment, annoyance, disappointment. It turns out that the dreams of our children do not always suit us. Why?

From fantasy to dream

In the dreams entrusted to me, there were echoes of fairy tales, films, family realities and TV news, other people’s experience and my own feelings. One child dreams of wings like a fairy, another wants to “learn how to draw cartoons” – is there a significant difference between these two desires?

“Yes, there is,” says Jungian analyst Anna Skavitina. – The fact is that we often confuse dreams and fantasies. Fairy wings are more of a fantasy, but learning how to make cartoons is a real, “realizable” dream. It has a certain goal and attempts to somehow get closer to this goal, a willingness to act.

To fulfill his dream of animation, the boy comes up with a script and learns to draw. And if a girl dreams of becoming a ballerina, she tries to dance to the music and goes on pointe shoes, imagines herself in a ballet tutu, asks to send her to a ballet school. But such constructive dreams do not arise immediately.

At first, fantasy and dream are one and the same, because a small child in his imagination “really” talks to a wizard in the forest, understands the language of animals, and flies.

“Children can live in the world of their dreams, unlike adults,” says child psychologist Marina Bebik. “They “live” their fantasies, they can become kings, princes, fairies, play different roles at the same time, and for them this is reality …”

The inability to distinguish between fantasy and reality persists until the child is 7–8 years old, says educator and psychologist Ed Le Champ*. But even then, the work of the imagination helps to realize and accept one’s own feelings, to survive the inevitable periods of deprivation, to learn how to act in the real world.

“Today’s children spend most of their time in a state of frantic activity, and they simply need to replenish their spiritual resources through fantasy,” emphasizes Eda Le Chan. “In addition, fantasy is a necessary condition for liberation from the constant control and interference of adults.”

The Most Desirable

“A child grows, knows himself better, he has more desires, so some dreams are replaced by others,” explains child psychotherapist Daria Krymova. “Dreams allow children to feel themselves, to choose a direction – where to move.”

At different ages, children dream of different things – to fly like Peter Pan, to meet a handsome prince, to receive a radio-controlled helicopter or a set of dolls. But it happens that even in early childhood, a child dreams only of what is quite achievable: at four years old he wants a children’s car, at five he wants a bicycle, at seven he wants a game console. What does such pragmatism mean?

“This is a sign that the child’s imagination is underdeveloped,” says Darya Krymova. “These kids rely entirely on logic. They can be helped by developing emotions, sensations, intuition. Or they simply do not have the habit of dreaming about the unrealizable: for example, because their parents do not like to dream, or they have enough fantasies in books, films and games.

Hidden messages

A dream tells not only about the experience and inclinations of the child, but also about what worries him and what he lacks.

“If he dreams of living in Ancient Egypt or meeting dinosaurs, it means that he lacks something in the present, and he “escapes” to the past, where he finds something good,” explains Anna Skavitina. “He needs to be helped to see the good in the present, so that it gives him the strength to move forward.”

“A ten-year-old girl who dreams of having friends is a reason to pay attention to the situation in the classroom and figure out what prevents her from making friends,” Daria Krymova develops the theme. “Perhaps she has experienced stress and needs help to build relationships with her peers. ”

One child may not be sure of himself and therefore wants to become strong in his dreams, another is lonely after the birth of a brother or sister and he dreams of a friend, an interlocutor…

“When a magician or a good fairy appears in his stories , this may mean that he is looking for protection and support. I would ask a child who wants to meet a magician why he wants to, – continues Marina Bebik, – and, perhaps, I would get an answer: “Because he is omnipotent.” This means that the child most likely feels helpless, he lacks self-confidence. Playing with him, an adult is able to help him live this meeting with a wizard, to fulfill his dream. And the child will gain confidence that he can change something in his life.

The area of ​​freedom

“Tell me what you dream about, and I will tell you what you will become,” suggests a cunning witch in an Italian fairy tale. But we are mistaken in taking seriously the firm decision made at the age of 5-7 to become a banker, super spy or traveler.

A girl who wants to understand the language of animals will not necessarily become a zoologist, and a boy who wants to see volcanoes will be interested in constellations with the same passion in a year.

“If your daughter wants to become a ballerina now, this does not mean that she will become one,” comments Anna Skavitina. “But she has a desire, and it is very important for her growing up. Desire leads her to the goal, helps her find ways to fulfill her dream.

While dreaming, children develop their imagination and learn to act, discover the limits of the possible and find what they really like. That is why it is so important to take their dreams seriously, to be able to hear children, to talk to them about what inspires them. In a word, join the game, or at least not deny and not destroy the world of their fantasies.

Why are we sometimes confused and disappointed by childhood dreams?

“It often seems to parents that a child’s dream is unsuitable (stupid, unrealizable, ordinary) or that it’s time to finally stop believing in wizards, fairies and talking animals and get down to serious business,” explains Anna Skavitina. – Or they suddenly realize that their child lacks affection, sympathy, attention … And they have to admit that they are not good enough, and this is very difficult. If a father, for example, thinks his son’s dreams are meaningless, he gets scared: “I’m educating him wrong, it would be better if he dreamed of becoming rich and famous or studying better than anyone!”

We are annoyed if the dreams of a son or daughter are not similar to ours, and we are unhappy if they coincide with what we ourselves dreamed of in childhood: what if he repeats our mistakes and failures?

Familiar or strange, in any case, dreams are an area of ​​freedom that we can neither control nor direct. But thanks to them, we can get to know our children better, get closer to them, and strengthen mutual trust. Children are waiting for our support, and we should carefully consider even their most incredible ideas.

We can’t always buy the desired toy, let alone resurrect Michael Jackson or teach the language of animals, but we can invite a fairy to a holiday or arrange a flight on a dizzying attraction. Didn’t we all want in childhood to be in the place of the Kid, who was finally given a dog?

“It is important for a child to have the experience that dreams come true,” concludes Daria Krymova. “Then it will be easier for him to endure the inevitable disappointments.”

* Author of When Your Child Drives You Crazy (Prime EUROSIGN, 2008).

Photo source: GRIGORY POLYAKOVSKY

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“Wish Closet”: how unfulfilled childhood dreams interfere with life

Every second, every minute we make a choice. Sometimes these decisions seem big and vital, sometimes they are completely unconscious, but they are there nonetheless. Even after listening to ourselves for a moment, we can forgive a person whose words or actions once hurt. Ultimately, each decision helps you grow, recognize yourself and open up like a beautiful flower.

From philosophy to practice. I constantly have to deal with the fact that, with rare exceptions, each of us carries around a suitcase of unfulfilled desires. The statute of limitations here is very different: childhood, adolescence, a couple of months. The main thing is that they arose from the very depths, from somewhere in the heart, and for some reason ended up in the “archive”. There is no time, money, there are more important things – here is an approximate list of the fact that throughout our lives we accumulate choices that are far from in favor of what our gut asks for. And it is a pity that so far no one has measured the amount of energy that is released when, finally, even the smallest thing is pulled out of the closet of desires. For the first time, I felt this amazing effect on myself when one of my mentors in the profession literally led me by the hand to fulfill an old childhood dream of a real Teddy bear. Now I periodically send adults for wooden trains, tickets for a retro movie or even somewhere on the island.

Soul, heart, higher self, inside — there are many definitions for this inner call. Yes, and God with the name, what is important is that we store and put off, maybe illogical, but very necessary for us, things for later. We earn money, we try to raise children, build relationships, forgetting that we can only share what we have in abundance. And it turns out that this excess consists in anxiety, stress, sacrifice and self-denial. And this is not a bit resourceful, in our coaching language. That is, this is the path that leads to physical and emotional exhaustion.

It sometimes takes a fair amount of courage, a pinch of perseverance and even willpower to start dismantling this closet. But how expensive is the radiant gaze of a woman who has been an exemplary hostess for 20 years and dreamed of only one thing – to learn to dance the Argentine tango, postponing this desire and discovering many “logical” explanations for her choice. And how, for example, can one evaluate or measure a serious illness that has receded after a person’s decision for the first time in decades to leave their fears and go to the ocean in the midst of working hours?

My personal breakthrough came when my childhood desires ended and there was nothing left but some incomprehensible load inside. Then I remembered that all my life I wanted to have a dog. The decision was made for a long time – after all, here it was no longer about a toy, but about a living being. While I still did not admit to myself that I was already going in this direction, a lot of interesting stories from my childhood and different beliefs about life and the world surfaced. For example, once my childish mind concluded that I could cause suffering to another living being – and it turned out that it was this childish fear that for a long time stopped me from completely immersing myself in psychology and daring to call it my business. There was probably something in the intonations or circumstances then, but, in response to the care of my parents and their attempts to educate me in a responsible attitude towards my choice, I accepted as the truth something completely different. No less discoveries were made by those conscious citizens who, even twisting a finger at their temples, overcame the obvious strangeness of the recommendation and went to sort out their desires.

By dismantling these inner lockers, we give the opportunity to enter into life something new, free from dissatisfaction and learn to understand how important it is to just think a little about yourself and realize what we really need. It’s a paradox, but for some reason this is often a way out of a protracted lack of money, insipidity in relationships, for some even the body seems to be changing – getting younger and healthier.

People often come to a psychologist or psychology under a load of problems, forgetting that a problem and a failure are also a signal: we got lost, stopped caring about our true goals. But this is the very healthy egoism that turns life from a series of sacrifices and losses into the joy of creation, no matter what it concerns – relationships, careers, home, leisure. It takes time and, again, a lot of courage to step into your Pandora’s box. Only I suggest that you look at the wrong shadow that has gathered from pain, jealousy, fears and other dullness. And the one that is fraught with our real needs.

Many effective methods are very simple, although the explanation of their mechanism could take many volumes. Therefore, I suggest not to be lazy and spend a few minutes to remember a couple of long-standing desires and forgotten childhood dreams, take a deep breath and fulfill it. And after that I guarantee a feeling of joy and all sorts of pleasant bonuses!

About the expert:

Women’s psychologist, personal growth coach and assistant in putting things in order in life.