A child-led preschool in Downtown Sacramento for ages three to six. Emergent curriculum and a real studio, mindfulness woven through every day, and kindergarten readiness without a single flashcard. On the top floor of 750 N Street, with discounted tuition for California state employees.
Scroll to exploreA preschooler is not an empty cup to be filled. They arrive already curious, already capable, already full of questions. Our work is to follow those questions ... and to keep the wonder intact on the way to kindergarten.
Both love and limits, every day.
A play-based preschool is not a holding pattern before "real school." It is real school, run the way young children actually learn: through their own questions, with their hands, alongside friends, and at a pace that keeps curiosity alive. Three pillars hold every day together ... present, playful, and rooted.
Mindfulness, woven through the day.
Morning circle opens with breathwork and naming feelings. Through the day, our preschoolers learn to notice what is happening in their bodies and in the room before it overwhelms them. A child who can take three breaths and say "I am frustrated" is a child who is ready to learn, and ready for kindergarten.
See the preschool day →Children's interests are the curriculum.
Child-led, emergent curriculum means a child's curiosity is not an interruption to the lesson. It is the lesson. Projects grow out of what the children are wondering about this week, explored in our studio, where ideas become paint, clay, light, and loose parts. Plus weekly yoga and music, monthly gymnastics, and organic, additive-free snacks.
Step inside the studio →Made for working Sacramento families.
Top floor of 750 N Street, five minutes from the Capitol. Anyone working at our four neighbor buildings receives our VIP Rate, the deepest tuition discount we offer, written into our agreement with the state. We built the school so a parent can drop off, walk to a 9:00 meeting, and still make it back for the holiday sing-along.
See if you qualify for VIP →In a play-based classroom, the teacher is a researcher and a guide, not a lecturer. We watch what your child is drawn to ... shadows, snails, building tall, mixing colors ... and we build projects around it. The studio is the heart of it: a room of real materials where a week-long question about rain can become a painting, a song, and a working gutter made of blocks.
Academic pre-K front-loads worksheets and rote drills toward a test. Play-based learning builds the same skills ... early literacy, number sense, focus, collaboration ... through child-led projects and real materials. The research is clear: play-based learners arrive at kindergarten just as ready, and far more in love with learning.
Mindfulness, yoga, music, and gymnastics are woven in across the week. Everything is documented for parents in the Brightwheel app, so you see the thinking behind your child's day.
Join the preschool waitlist →A child who can take three breaths, name a feeling, and wait their turn is a child who can sit in a kindergarten circle and learn. We build emotional regulation first, because nothing else takes root without it.
Letters arrive when we label the block tower. Counting arrives when we share the snack. Children leave us recognizing letters and sounds, counting with meaning, and writing their names ... because they wanted to, not because they were drilled.
Our alums carry persistence, collaboration, and a hunger to figure things out. One of our families wrote that the four "scholar award" winners in their child's first-grade class were all four who came from Growing Mindfully. We think that is what readiness really looks like.
Tap any block to see what we are doing, why, and how it supports your preschooler.
Mon -- Fri · 7:00 AM -- 6:00 PM · Preschool ratio we strive for: 1:9 · Two snacks daily, organic and additive-free · Lunch from home · Nut-free facility
Most Sacramento preschools hide tuition behind a contact form. We don't. Three quick questions and we'll show you exactly what your family's weekly rate looks like, including the VIP Rate (our deepest discount) if you work at one of our four neighbor state buildings. For the full breakdown, see our rates page.
5.0 ★ across 27 verified Google reviews. A few of our preschool families, in their own words. See all 27 →
I love Growing Mindfully. My three-year-old daughter teaches me her yoga moves and tells me to take deep breaths when I'm getting upset. Every day has a different theme (Mindful Monday, Transformation Tuesday) and the kids set goals for the week. It's a great place where they get to discover and learn about their little minds and bodies and how they connect.
Our daughter is now in first grade with three others who attended Growing Mindfully. I'm currently sitting in an assembly for an academic achievement, and 4 of the 4 kids in her class receiving the 'scholar award' happen to be the four that came over from GM. Thought this was important to share.
We are incredibly happy with the care our two kids, ages five and two, receive at Growing Mindfully. The teachers truly love them both, the location is convenient, and the included snacks make our days much easier. The leadership and teachers have made it a very homey landing place for parents and kids alike.
Our preschooler knows how to self-regulate, focus on breathing, and express that he has feelings he needs to get out to calm himself. Those are skills many adults haven't yet mastered.
The teachers are attentive and provide structured playtime that helps encourage learning and positive interaction with other children. When the weather allows, they get plenty of outdoor playtime, water play in the summer, and dance time when indoors.
The teachers seem to develop real and meaningful relationships with the kids and are genuinely invested in their growth and development. Couldn't recommend this place more.
I love the focus on mindfulness and I can really see the changes in my 3.5-year-old. Much more linguistically creative and showing real thought into her communication.
The teachers really show love and care for the students, and have done so much to address any concerns my husband or I have. They were so helpful with potty training, too!
The teachers at Growing Mindfully are kind and generous with their hearts. My son has been there for the last 6 months and I can tell it is like a second home for him.
Preschool spaces (ages 3 to 6) are added from our waitlist as openings appear. The earlier you apply, the sooner we can reach out.
Tell us a little about your family and your child. Takes about five minutes through our online portal. We'll confirm receipt and let you know where you sit.
Begin applicationWe'll reach out by email to talk through your child's schedule, our play-based approach, and the practical details. This is the moment to ask us anything about the preschool day.
When a preschool space opens, we finalize enrollment together, confirm your start date, and plan a gentle first day for your child.
Our preschool program is for children roughly ages 3 to 6, up until they start kindergarten. Growing Mindfully serves ages 6 weeks through 6 years overall, so many preschoolers have been with us since they were infants or toddlers. Preschool spaces are added from our waitlist as openings appear.
Play-based means the curriculum emerges from your child's own questions and interests rather than from a fixed worksheet schedule. Teachers observe what children are drawn to, then build multi-week projects around it, explored with real materials in our studio. Play is treated as the serious work of childhood, and mindfulness is woven through every day.
An academic pre-K front-loads worksheets and rote drills aimed at a test. A play-based preschool builds the same underlying skills, early literacy, number sense, focus, and collaboration, through child-led projects and hands-on materials. Research consistently shows play-based learners arrive at kindergarten just as ready, and with their love of learning intact.
Yes. We build kindergarten readiness without flashcards or rote drills. Letters and sounds arrive when we label a block tower; counting arrives when we share a snack; self-regulation is practiced every day in mindfulness circle. Children leave us recognizing letters, counting with meaning, writing their names, and able to focus, take turns, and name their feelings, which is the readiness that lasts.
The day runs Monday through Friday, 7:00 AM to 6:00 PM. It moves through welcome and breakfast, outdoor time, a mindfulness morning circle, small-group activities, choice-based play in centers and the studio, family-style lunch, a nap or quiet rest, more outdoor play, and a calm child-led wind-down before pickup. Two organic, additive-free snacks are included; lunch comes from home.
We strive for a preschool ratio of about 1:9, tighter than California's 1:12 state minimum for this age group. It is a target we reach for, not a promise we can keep every single day. Lower ratios mean more conversations, projects that are truly seen, and each child genuinely known.
Mindfulness is woven through every day, not bolted on. Morning circle opens with breathwork and naming feelings, and our preschoolers practice noticing what is happening in their bodies and the room before it overwhelms them. Plus weekly yoga and music and monthly gymnastics. Parents often tell us their child starts teaching them to take deep breaths at home.
On the top floor of 750 N Street, Downtown Sacramento, California 95814, a five-minute walk from the California State Capitol and four nearby state office buildings. Families searching for a preschool near me in Downtown Sacramento, including state employees, are exactly who we serve.
Two snacks per day are included, prepared with organic and additive-free ingredients. Our facility is nut-free. Lunch is brought from home. Tuition also includes weekly yoga and music, monthly gymnastics, all classroom and studio materials, and the Brightwheel parent communication app.
Yes. Growing Mindfully is licensed by the California Department of Social Services, Community Care Licensing Division, and complies with California's childcare-licensing standards.
Use the three-question calculator on this page to see your family's exact weekly rate, or visit our rates page for the full breakdown. State employees receive a discounted rate, and those at our four neighbor buildings receive the deepest VIP Rate. Tuition is also eligible for a Dependent Care FSA, so it can be paid with pre-tax dollars.
Three steps. First, apply to our waitlist through our online portal. Second, we'll get in touch by email to discuss schedule, our approach, and the practical details. Third, when a preschool place opens for your child, we finalize enrollment together and plan a gentle first day.
Play-based and child-led. Emergent projects in the studio, mindfulness every day, and kindergarten readiness without flashcards.
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