Our Story: The Rise and Shine Journey
Founded as Rich Family Day Care Home in October 1990, our organization has been proudly serving families in Sonoma County for more than three decades. In 1992, we expanded under the name Paideia Educational Heritage, growing into a large family day care home with a full preschool program and a K–12 homeschool initiative—deepening our roots in the community through a commitment to education, stability, and whole-family support.
In 2017, our original family day care home was tragically destroyed in the county-wide firestorm. With resilience and unwavering dedication, we continued serving families under a six-month waiver at another licensed provider’s home. When that waiver concluded, we embraced the opportunity not only to rebuild but to reimagine what our program could become.
On April 2, 2018, we reopened as Santa Rosa Rise and Shine Child Care Center, focusing on care for infants and toddlers aged 2–24 months. Our new name represented a fresh start and honored the strength of the community that helped us rise from adversity.
In the spring of 2018, we received a facility grant to support establishing a new permanent home. After two years of planning and dedication, we opened our center in 2020 on the campus of Santa Rosa Nazarene Church and Happy Time Preschool—during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite unprecedented challenges, our doors remained open to families in need of safe, stable, and nurturing care.
Our journey of growth continued in October 2022, when we opened a second Santa Rosa location in the Junior College district. That same year, we introduced an in-house financial assistance program for income-eligible families as part of our commitment to expanding access to high-quality infant care.
In early 2023, we embraced our broader mission by becoming Rise and Shine Child Care Centers & Family Services Agency. This rebrand reflected our expanded purpose—not only offering exceptional infant care but also strengthening family support, resources, and community advocacy.
In 2024, we deepened our family support efforts by providing CACFP meals, along with free diapers and wipes for all enrolled families—removing additional burdens for parents and caregivers.
By 2025, our community recognized our dedication by nominating us for the Press Democrat Reader’s Choice “Best of the Best” award. That same year, all three of our facilities were awarded a First 5 Sonoma County Grant—an incredible milestone honoring our long-standing commitment to high-quality early learning. This grant allows us to expand developmental resources, strengthen family engagement, and invest in specialized infant and toddler equipment, including sensory tables, climbing structures, play kitchens, and building materials.
As our program evolved, so did the funding landscape. Our in-house financial assistance program concluded on December 31, 2025. Although we no longer administer a subsidy directly, we continue to support families through private pay as well as by accepting a wide variety of community-based funding sources. Our dedication to accessibility, partnership, and family-centered care remains unwavering.
With the opening of our third facility in Rohnert Park, Rise and Shine now proudly serves families across three locations—each rooted in the same mission of nurturing, stability, and developmental excellence.
For 35 years, Rise and Shine has stood firm in its purpose: to provide a warm, stable, developmentally enriched environment where infants and toddlers can grow, thrive, and experience loving care. With the support of the families we serve and the strength of our community partnerships, we look forward to building even brighter beginnings for generations to come.
