The following memories are from current and former LeafSpring Schools families and staff. To share yours visit https://leafspringschool.com/30years/ or email corporate@leafspringschools.com.
My daughter was at LeafSpring/Rainbow Station for all her years of daycare. Every year there was Spring Fling, which included the children performing a song. Every year, my child hid in the back and typically cried. She did not want to be in a show and was terrified of all the parents gathered to watch. But she loved school and loved her teachers. Each day they nurtured her and helped her to gain confidence in herself. At the end of her time at LeafSpring, at the gold room “graduation,” Hannah was the first student to stand up and lead her peers in the pledge. She had her head held high and spoke with pride. I got teary-eyed at how much my child had grown, not just in that one year, but over the course of her time there. That night as I tucked her into bed, she pulled me close and said, “Can Ms. Chandra be my mommy?” Now it stung a little that my daughter was asking if her gold room teacher could be her mom, but I knew that it was just her way of saying how much she loved Ms. Chandra, and my husband and I love her too and all the teachers we have worked with! LeafSpring School is a magical place, and we are so blessed that both our children were able to spend some of their most formative years there being nurtured by the best early childhood teachers in the world.
One of the best pre-schools in Richmond. My daughter, Anika, has done with pre-K graduation; I am waiting for my son to join in Leaf Spring at Wyndham. They have an excellent curriculum, every member of this school greets everyone with an awesome smile ?!!
I was a lead teacher in the Blue Room at Rainbow Station for about a year, around 2004. The Blue Room was home for the 4-year-old group, an incredible age for a child. They are so fun, and curious, and have amazing personalities! Now, 15 years later, I work at a college, and several of my former preschoolers are current college students there!! They remember me, Rainbow Station, and the fantastic times we had there. Rainbow Station gave them the solid framework of education and socialization in their early years which I know has helped them to be the successful young adults they are today!!! I will never forget my days at that school.
When I was a nursing student in 1979 at MCV-VCU, one of my pediatric preceptors was Gail Johnson. She talked about her concept of providing nursing care needs in a childcare setting and I thought it was a great idea. Although I looked into Get Well Place Nursing in the initial days, it did not fit with my schedule needs at that time, but I never forgot it. A year ago, my daughter saw that LeafSpring Get Well Place was seeking an RN and suggested that I apply. I have since recently had my one year anniversary and can not imagine working any place else.
No matter how sad our sweet girl is to leave us in the mornings (some days are much better than others) when we pick her up from LeafSpring she is always beaming from ear to ear, having a blast. We have loved each teacher dearly.
We have had our sons enrolled here for 4 years, and my youngest has been enrolled for almost 2 years. We love the staff and love that my oldest gets to go on field trips that are enriching. The caroling at the nursery home is an amazing experience for them to enjoy at such a young age. Thank you for the opportunities y’all give to my kids. They love all the extracurriculars as well, which helps give them the opportunity to try new things with their friends.
Before LeafSpring we have struggled to find a daycare fitting for our daughter. After making to switch, almost immediately we saw improvement in her behavior when dropping her off. All the teachers are always smiling warmly. One thing in particular that stood out to me was when I had a day off I asked my daughter if she wanted to stay home with me or go to school. Surprisingly, she chose to go to school and that’s when I KNEW I had made the right decision. Thank you LeafSpring for that you do for our family.
Our daughter Alex started at LeafSpring when she was 6 months old. Her first day was rough for all of us! She barely napped, barely ate, and I think both of us shed a lot of tears that day. Fast forward almost 1.5 years later and we’re in a completely different place! She loves going to school and seeing her friends and teachers each day. She never wants to leave! They do so many fun activities that stimulate her and tire her out – she sleeps like a champ! We got this photo a few months ago via Brightwheel during one of her naps and it melted our hearts to see our girl sleeping so peacefully. We love LeafSpring!
We are very happy to be part of LeafSpring family. The experience thus far has been fantastic and I couldn’t ask for a better place for my son. So thank you very much for creating such a positive environment for the families.
Fall Carnival was a blast this year! Gold room had a great turnout riding the barrel train and going crazy in the bouncy castle! Tripp got his face painted for the first time and loved his Batman mask done by Miss Asia! We had a fantastic time and look forward to Spring.
The teachers and staff are what make LeafSpring so valuable. Thank you for hiring teachers who truly care about our babies. As it is a hard thing to leave an infant to go off to work, but peace of mind knowing the teachers care makes it so much easier.
We recently moved here from Texas and my son, Zane, had never seen snow. The first time it snowed (November 12, 2019), his wonderful teachers, Ms. Tori and Ms. Kassy, took him outside to experience it for the first time. They even sent me a video!
LeafSpring Wyndham has instilled such comfort in my son that he wakes up so excited to come to school. He has friends he made in Orange room that will be graduating Pre-Kindergarten with him this year, and the love he has for those friends are priceless. Thank you Rainbow Station/LeafSpring School for making his early years unforgettable.
We came to LeafSpring in the Fall of 2017 due to some problems at our prior daycare. Jakob, my now middle so,n can very anxious and scared of anything new. Prior to LeafSpring he strongly disliked going to daycare. It only took him about 2 weeks to adjust and love going every day. Now, 2 years later, he still loves going to the village. This has been a major stress relief for us knowing that he is now somewhere he is loved and loves being.
Joseph waited one year before being able to join LeafSpring. He has made so many new friends and is able to connect with other kids. He has strengthened his language capabilities and is able to socially interact much better than just a few months ago.
We are currently part of LeafSpring School in Cedar Park and couldn’t be happier. The staff is amazing. The teachers have great tenure and it shows why. It will be a sad day when we leave for grade school.
Oh man, where to start? There are so many wonderful memories from the past 3 years at LF. Instead of one instance, I’ll say the overall theme of inclusion running through the building and the people who work there. I’ve found that everyone says inclusion, but not everyone means it. Our son Pace has always been welcomed, included, loved as much as any other kid in his class. Did he need extra help? Did he need some creativity in teaching styles? Yes, absolutely. His teachers in Red room learned sign language to better communicate with him. His teachers in Yellow room welcomed in his therapists and wanted in on his IEP goals. His teachers in Blue room met him where he was at and celebrated with us when he met milestones long since reached by his peers. Did I ever feel like he was a burden to anyone? Never.
I hope he finds himself in an environment like LF throughout his schooling. It’s a fact that children learn more when they’re having fun and feeling loved and I KNOW it’s a large part of why he’s a thriving, smart, confident 5 year old.
And in that same vein, I’m grateful our daughter is growing up in an environment that shows her what it means to include everyone, no matter how they learn. She’ll be a more kind and accepting kid because of it.
I love that every day when I pick my kids up and ask what their favorite part of the day was, they tell me about all the things they did at LeafSpring. I have to intentionally ask about what happened at elementary before they tell me about what they did at school. They love LeafSpring and all the activities they have for the kids!
When our first child started attending LeafSpring, it was still Rainbow Station. My daughter was an infant. Now, both of our children, ages 2 and 4, attend LeafSpring. We couldn’t imagine sending them anywhere else. The school itself is a colorful, magical setting. The staff is friendly, engaged, and educated. They have become like family to us. The curriculum is challenging and well rounded. Our children have learned so much from their teachers. I am consistently amazed and what my kids come home with as mastered skills. We truly believe they are getting the best head start possible for their lives through LeafSpring. It will be a sad day for us when the kids no longer need to attend.
In February 2010, Nicole Lambert hired me at Rainbow Station at Wyndham. From that day, I have had the honor of teaching children from toddler age all the way to school age. I have worked my way up the ladder from AA, to Village AD, and now to Village Director. During the past decade, LeafSpring School has helped mold me into the person I am today. I came in as a young adult, fresh out of college and am now a mother of 2. This place is not only my home, but it is also my children’s home, and I am honored to have them here with me. I cannot wait to see what the next 30 years brings us. The picture included is with one of my former students. It was taken over 6 years ago, and to this day, I still keep in touch with the family.
I started as the Assistant Director in December of 2009 and was then promoted to Director at Boulders. Boulders had been through some rough patches when I took over, but I have so many wonderful memories of working at Rainbow Station. I am still a Preschool Director 10 years later, and I wouldn’t be half the Director I am without all that I learned from Susan Bishop. She taught me so much about management and running a business. I am forever indebted to her! My husband is Active Duty military and we move every 3 years. Since working under Susan, I have been extremely successful in every Director position I have taken. I will forever be grateful to Rainbow Station and to Susan! Congratulations on 30 years!
We started out with my oldest at the Boulders location when he was 3 months old. When we decided to move, we were so excited to hear of the Charter Colony location opening. He began at that location on the first day it opened when he was 10 months old and he loves it! He is going to be 4 in January. Then we had our second and he has been there since May! We love it and they both have grown so much. I love the friendships my oldest has made so far. We don’t worry because we know they are in amazing hands and feel even safer knowing they have wonderful nurses on site! Such a peace of mind!
We have only been at Leafspring for a few months. After switching from another daycare we couldn’t believe the difference in the cleanliness, professionalism, quality and curriculum. Our son loves going to Leafspring and talks about his teacher all the time. We are so glad we found this wonderful gem.
Rainbow Station/LeafSpring School has been a part of my life for the last 20 years. It was my first job out of high school and I’ve been able to move up within the schools and franchise organization over the last 20 years. Not only has LeafSpring School shaped who I am as a professional, they’ve also helped me raise my children. Both of my children started in the infant room and have benefitted from exceptional early education, Private Kindergarten, and school recreational programming. The doors LeafSpring School has open for me and opportunities provided to both me and my family are countless. I couldn’t imagine not being a part of the LeafSpring School family and I’m looking forward to the next decade of excellence!
Our daughter Jenna has been with LeafSpring since 2016. She is now in the private kindergarten program and learning so much with the amazing teachers. We are thankful for our experience this year at LeafSpring. Many more summer camps to come.
My daughter has been attending LeafSpring since she was 3 months old. She and another baby were placed in an overflow room in the Get Well area. Nine years later, she is now a leader in the Village, and she is still good friends with the other baby from the overflow infant room. My daughter’s best friends are from LeafSpring and it’s amazing how much they have learned and grown over the years. LeafSpring helped them blossom from babies, to precocious toddlers, to smart young women. Thank you, LeafSpring!
My family joined the Wyndham Rainbow Station family in early 2010. We had just moved across town and my daughter Savannah just turned 1. My son Hayden had just turned 6 and was in 1st grade. Rainbow Station instantly became apart of our family in more ways than one. We were blessed with so many wonderful teachers that cared and nurtured our children through the years. Each of them prepared our children for school and just how to be good people. My daughter Savannah grew up with a group of kids at Rainbow station. She was the only girl in the group of boys that she hung out with.
Fast forward to the spring of 2014, they graduated and headed off to Kindergarten. Included is a picture at their graduation. Through our journey, the families have remained close and they are some of our best friends. Without Rainbow Station, we never would have been brought together. This year we celebrated the children’s 10th birthdays at starting 5th grade. You can see how much have they grown. My daughter is now a Club 5 member at LeafSpring and loves Camp Blue Sky. My son attended his last summer camp at LeafSpring just 2 years ago. Thank you for blessing us with wonderful teachers and friends that are our family now.
We were so impressed with LeafSpring (then Rainbow Station) when we toured while I was pregnant with our first child. All of the children, even the young ones, seemed so happy and were so welcoming, greeting us with big waves and smiles. Now our son is in the Red Room, and we recently received a “Kudos” that he was happily greeting visitors himself- full circle! We are so grateful for the care he is receiving at LeafSpring to help him become a happy little citizen.
One of my fondest memories of those early days at the Station was when I accompanied my daughter on a field trip to see the local AA baseball team in the summer of 2013. Naturally, I had to buy the matching field trip shirt so we could be twinsies! She is still there today and this summer will likely be her last as she ages out. Maybe we’ll go on another field trip together?!
Eddie and Lucy love all their teachers and friends at LeafSpring Wyndham! Their favorite event is the Fall Festival. They loved decorating pumpkins, getting their faces painted, the dunking booth, and eating popcorn. They especially loved playing in the bouncy houses!!!
My son, Brodie, has been going to the same school since he was 20 months. He’s now 5, and we absolutely love it. We left for about 6 months and immediately had to come back… we were welcomed with open arms. I love that all of the teachers love my son like their own. It’s very close-knit and I’m mind blown with how awesome he’s doing in Pre-Kindergarten there and the amount of knowledge being added to his tiny brain. I’ll be so so sad when preschool is over next year. The photo included is of him at the holiday program and he’s so excited to see us in the crowd!
Marisa and Colin are twins and have attended LeafSpring since they were infants. They have grown up together and they have unique personalities. Thanks to LeafSpring they have developed good social skills and communication skills that have helped them become very well mannered individuals. There are plenty of social activities at LeafSpring that have helped my kids be more social, enthusiastic, motivated about life/ adventures. Thank you Leaf Spring!!