What parents have to say
I have in the past had the privledge of helping raise some pretty amazing children.
Some of my children and families have been kind enough to reflect on their time with me.
Comment box at the bottom if you have something to add.
Amanda M. 2016 - Present ~ Sebastian
I wish there was a way to give 10 stars! Finding Sand Land has been so amazing for our family. She has more energy and creativity than any teacher I have ever met. She is kind, compassionate, and truly cares about the development of each of the children in her care. She is able to find developmentally appropriate activities for all children regardless of age, and her model of a mixed age classroom to allow growth for both the older and younger children is executed to perfection. She also provides a wonderful breakfast and lunch (and snacks) to our little one, which has helped with exposing him to new foods, tastes, and textures. Her organizational skills are exceptional. We would not hesitate to recommend Sandy Land to anyone we meet.
Ceci R. 2016 -Present ~ Ali
Sandy Land rocks!!! I had the chance to stay home with my daughter for her first 16 months so I was very nervous about finding the right caretaker for her. I must've interviewed close to 20 different places- both home and center-based care. I even interviewed a couple of nanny's. As soon as my husband, baby, and I stepped into Sandy's home we knew we'd found our spot. Her energy is awesome. She provides a structured environment conducive to learning, educational games, and creates the funnest atmosphere for kids to socialize. Above it all, she offers tons of love and care for both the children and families. I feel so lucky to have found her.
Lynn A. 2003-2012 ~ Shannon & Emily
Both of my daughters, Shannon and Emily Anderson were in the care of Sandy Hall. My oldest daughter, Shannon started with Sandy in October 2003 when she was almost three months old. She stayed with Sandy until she was four years old and moved on to pre-school in 2007. Emily started with Sandy in July, 2007 when she was three months old and stayed in Sandy’s care until August, 2012 when she started kindergarten.
During the time my daughters were with Sandy, they were raised to be polite and caring young children. Sandy helped teach them proper table manners and respect for others. She helped them through their first steps and with potty training. Sandy’s house was their home away from home. Sandy truly loves all the children in her care and we could not have asked for anyone better to help raise our kids during the work day.
To this day, my girls still love Sandy to death and very much miss seeing her on a regular basis. I cannot express how grateful I am to have her in our lives and for all she has done for us as a family.
Shirley K. 2004-20012 ~ Alex & Mitchell
I can't begin to say enough about the care Sandy provides to my two boys. Sandy has been a part of our family for the past 4 years, caring for our 5 and 2 year old sons. They LOVE Sandyland and so do I! Sandy goes above and beyond the call of duty for "her" kids...and their moms (dad's too)!! There have been countless times I have gone to Sandy looking for advice regarding anything from bottle feeding to potty training, whatever phase my kids are going through Sandy has been through it a dozen times over! The care and concern for the children and families does not stop at the end of the day. The children are treated with respect and admiration and are always given plenty of affection and attention. Kids live what they learn, so being with Sandy they learn respect for others, manners and a great sense of self worth that I have not seen in other day care situations. Arts/crafts and lessons are taught daily and give my boys such a sense of accomplishment when they can show me what they did at the end of the day! My older son (now in school) wants to come with me every day to pick up the 2 year old just so he can see what they did/made that day! Sandy land IS an adventure land with no shortage of things to do, the kids are never bored and are always encouraged to be the best they can be. Being a full time working mom, I feel so lucky to have found Sandy and couldn't imagine anyone else caring for my children... I wish there were five more stars, I would give her a 10!
Gilbert M. 2005-2009 ~ Jake
Our son Jake was in the care of Sandy Hall. As far as an evaluation goes on a scale of 1-10, we would give her
a 20. She is a very caring giver we just loved her.... Still do© I was able to go to work and not feel too guilty for being there knowing that my son was in good hands and being well taken care of.
Ruth U. 2003-2008 ~ Christopher
I just need to let you know that I am very thankful that I had you as my childcare provider in the early years of my son's up bringing. Apparently, he is a very smart child according to his 1st grade teacher. This is what she told me, he should be in kindergarten, but academically his mental status is of a 1st grader. The school district where he is under see’s him as a kindergartener, but according to his teacher he exceeds beyond that and was skipped to 1st grade. Therefore, I want to thank you and your teaching skill while you had him because it paid off; and will be moving unto 2nd grade in the fall of 2009. Again, thank you for being such a great childcare provider and caring so much for the children you tend too.
Janet M. 1999 – 2005 Justine & Rebecca
We always felt our girls were loved, safe and secure in Sandy land. They encountered a positive, learning environment while becoming social with other children. They loved going to Sandy Land and still love seeing Sandy now!
Deanna L. 1998 – 2005 ~ Alex & Daniel
My two sons Alex and Daniel L. had the most awesome pleasure of being in the care of Sandy Hall at Sandy Land for the first five years of their life. Sandy's daycare was a great place for my sons to learn and be well taken care of. As a new Mom, I felt very thankful that I had a place for my children when I was working that offered a stable, structured and loving environment. I would highly recommend Sandy Hall to any parent looking for daycare.
Heather V. 1999-2003 ~ Vincent
Where to start, Sandy Hall cared for my son, Vincent, from the time he was 1 year, 8 months old to 4 years 10 months old. From the moment we went for our initial interview I knew this was the place I wanted my son to be. Sandy was not only a caring and efficient day care provider, she was fun! I liked that her entire home was geared for the daycare and the kids were welcome throughout, not being kept in one small area for an entire day was important to me. This place became my son’s second home, one he would have preferred to remain at instead of going home on many occasions. It was such a great feeling to know that he was happy while there. Once Vincent was old enough the day care transitioned into a pre-school setting for him and he enjoyed learning new things while at Sandy’s. She prepared him well for kindergarten and beyond in the private school setting. My son learned so much from her during this time and it is the one place, at 14 years old, that he still loves to visit. The things that I appreciated most about Sandy was her enthusiasm for whatever they were going to be doing and her always making us parents feel like we were part of the day, even though we weren’t there. I cherish the paintings, drawings, early writings, and pictures that were done at Sandy Land Daycare and thank my lucky stars that Sandy came into our lives and became a part of our family twelve years ago.
I would, and do, recommend Sandy to anyone who is looking for daycare for their little ones.
Colet B. 2000-2002 ~ Zackery & Ryan
Like our extended family! our two children went to sandy land for two years when we lived in Salinas, ca. our two boys loved it there. It is wonderful to be able to go to work and not worry about your children because you knew they were in good hands. They enjoyed the different activities and especially loved celebrating Christmas with Santa at Sandy land. We moved out of state in 2002, and still keep in touch with sandy and her family. Sandy land is an extension of our family. We greatly appreciate the care and attention our children received at sandy land!
Julie C. 1995-1999 ~ Allison, Jennifer, Brandon, Kristalee, and Katie
Sandy cared for five of my children Allison, Jennifer, Brandon, Kristalee, and Katie between the years of 1995 - 1999. These were invaluable and cherished years that will never be forgotten.
Over the period of time she was with our family, there were two somewhat serious problems experienced. The first issue was getting to work. You see, NO ONE ever wants to leave Sandy's house, parents included. Dropping the kids off in the morning was instantly rewarding. Plans for that days amazing home made (from scratch) food were underway, kids were cheerfully waving goodbye to mommies and daddies, and laughter filled the rooms. We, as the parents, had to leave and go to work - that simply was not fair!!! However, Sandy took equal care of us in the morning, seeing us off with a big smile and positive thoughts. Issue number two was moving to Fresno and having to leave Sandy Land. Making our move was hard and a big part of our concern was losing Sandy, Michael, and Paul who had all become a loving part of our family. We knew then we would not replace the love and dedication she showed our children every day.
Sandy treats the children in her care like they are her own. She teaches them about science, nature, math, letters, reading, etc ... but more importantly she teaches them to be kind, thoughtful, and responsible. These are not things you learn in a typical "daycare" it takes a special person to take the time to nurture children the way Sandy does and her dedication is truly appreciated by all who know her. Sandy Land was never daycare to us; it was like an extended family.
One example of Sandy's excellent skill in child care comes directly from my very poor mistake as a parent that could have had very serious consequences. My daughter Jennifer was about two when she nearly overdosed on Acetaminophen. On the way to Sandy's house, I secured Jen into her car seat at the back of my van. I put her open diaper bag next to her in the seat. Along the way Jen had managed to grab the bottle of Children's Tylenol, open the cap, and eat the entire bottle on the way to day care. I casually grabbed Jen's things, took the baby inside, and left her in Sandy's care. On my way out the door Sandy stopped me. She had noticed the open empty bottle of Tylenol at the top of the diaper bag. Before I could get through the door Sandy had already checked Jen and noticed the smell of the grape medicine in her mouth and the stained residue on her chin. Sandy calmly helped me through the process of contacting poison control and getting Jen immediate medical care. She did this with love, encouragement, and a calm cool demeanor that helped me from panicking through the process. The hospital was able to get enough of the medicine out of Jen's system before any damages could be done. I THANK SANDY to
this day for being so attentive and for her knowledge of first aide and safety in these things. She taught me how to be more aware as a young (19 years old) mother and I use that education to this day in raising my children.
Overall Sandra Hall is a kind, honest, dedicated and reliable person. Any family, team, company, or group would be greatly benefited by her wonderful demeanor, skilled attention to detail in her job duties, and loving personality.
Jessica R. 1993-1999 (former student)
You taught us so much. You had all of these really fantastic ways of making learning a game, like letting us touch snakes and birds and telling us things about them. I remember sitting by you and trying to read and instead of telling me I should get a different book you helped me through all the words I didn’t know. I learned about a million things I never would have been exposed to otherwise and i think when you’re teaching children there needs to be a level of fascination with what you yourself are teaching too, which you definitely have. It makes kids want to learn. You're house is a wonderland :)
Pete A. 1991-1995 ~ Susanne
From 1991 through 1995, my two eldest children attended Sandy Hall’s preschool. This was a crucial time in their lives, and I am happy to report that Sandy Hall provided excellent care. My oldest, Susanne, began attending in 1991 when she was less than 2 years old. Of course as first time parents we were petrified by the prospect of our child attending a daycare, especially since she wasn’t potty trained yet. To our surprise, Susanne behaved as though she was simply waiting for daycare to potty train, and within a month or so, I was greeted at the pickup with a smiling toddler with a poster covered in handprints which read: “Today I made my father a happy man!”. I still have that poster in a photo album. When our second child was due, we arranged for Susanne to stay at Sandy Hall’s after hours if the baby came at an unexpected time. Of course, that’s exactly what happened, and Eric arrived with unexpected speed. We dropped off Susanne enroute. At the time she was almost three and she went into Sandy’s facility with happiness and expectation. When I picked her up early the next morning she was happily asleep under a table. We are forever grateful to Sandy Hall for her generosity in watching Susanne. Life with Sandy was based around a fixed routine, with plenty of creative changes worked into the schedule. There were many “hands on” activities with lots of opportunities for physical movement and exploration. The TV was seldom if ever on: my only memories of the television were during times when children stayed after hours or pick up was unexpectedly delayed. I also noticed that the food was quite good, featured raw vegetables, and included a lot of variety. I don’t recall ever seeing any food that I regarded as junk. In fact, I took home several good recipe ideas from Sandy’s, especially ideas for food which the children could make. Also I noticed that Sandy Hall’s daycare was often chaotic and cluttered but never dirty. There was no dust or filth in the corners. The kids were like little tornados, of course. But there was never crud building up in the corners. I noticed that the emotional atmosphere always featured lots of genuine smiles. Bullying was a special concern of mine, but to my knowledge it was never tolerated at all at Sandy Hall’s Daycare.