Teacher’s Pet is open Monday – Friday from 7:45am – 5:45pm. We currently have full availability in our preschool and toddler classes. Children can start as soon as their second birthday. Children do not need to be potty-trained in order to start. Please call today (707-442-4877) to schedule a tour, pick up your registration paperwork, and reserve a space.
Our afterschool program has a few spaces left. If you are interested in enrolling your TK – 5th grade child afterschool, please call as soon as possible to reserve a space. We only pick up children from Washington Elementary School. Children from other schools are welcome to enroll, but you will need to provide your own transportation. We are open during most school breaks and are closed on major federal holidays.
Children can start in our toddler classroom as early as their second birthday. They do not have to be potty trained. Our primary focus with Teacher’s Pet’s toddler classroom is on social-emotional development. In this classroom, we teach the skills that children need in order to be successful in preschool and kindergarten. We teach them how to share, cooperate, actively listen, sit in group, and follow classroom routines.
As soon as parents are ready to begin potty training at home, we will start potty training at Teacher’s Pet. For toddlers who have not yet been potty trained, our teachers regularly check and change diapers. Parents supply diapers for their own children. We supply the diaper wipes, but parents are welcome to bring in their own wipes if desired.
Our toddlers are also busy making some of their first friends! We help them build friendships and learn how to be a good friend.
Our preschool program readies children for TK/Kindergarten. By the time most children graduate from our preschool program, they have learned the following basic academic, school readiness, and social-emotional skills:
Academic: Most of our preschool graduates can recite and begun to write the alphabet, can recognize and name colors and shapes, have begun to count, have practiced writing their first name, know how to hold a pencil, and have practiced safely cutting with scissors.
School Readiness: By the time they enter kindergarten, our students have practiced following directions, listening to teachers, are used to a routine, and have experience in the classroom environment.
Social-emotional: Our graduates have had practice forming and maintaining friendships in a formal school environment, are familiar with the concepts of both sharing and respecting each others’ space, and have learned how to be good and caring friends.
In June, we hold a preschool graduation ceremony for those students who will be moving on to TK/Kindergarten. We have had families who, for various reasons, opt to leave their child at Teacher’s Pet rather than enroll in TK. This is an option for any families who wish to enroll their child at Teacher’s Pet. Children can stay in our preschool program until as late as their sixth birthday.
We are open throughout the summer. Preschoolers are welcome to attend even after their June graduation. During the summer, we have less structured academics in favor of more artistic and outdoor activities.
Our afterschool classroom is for children who are currently enrolled in elementary school. On school days, our afterschool program is open Mondays from 2:00pm – 5:45pm and Tuesdays through Fridays from 2:30pm – 5:45pm. During summer and holiday breaks, this program is open from 7:45am – 5:45pm.
Our afterschool program follows Eureka City Schools’ calendar. We pick up children after school from Washington Elementary School. Children who attend other elementary schools are welcome to enroll as well, but families will need to provide transportation to Teacher’s Pet.
7:45 Teacher’s Pet opens
7:45 – 8:30 Arrival/inside play time
8:30 – 8:40 Clean up
8:40 – 9:15 Outside play time (weather permitting)
9:15 – 9:45 Inside play/morning diapers*
9:45 – 10:00 Clean up
10:00 – 10:15 Circle time
10:15 – 10:30 Morning snack
10:30 – 11:45 Outside play time (weather permitting)
11:45 – 12:30 Lunch/after lunch diapers*
12:30 – 2:30 Naptime
2:30 – 3:30 Wakeup time/afternoon snack/afternoon diapers*
3:30 – 4:30 Outside play time (weather permitting)
4:30 – 5:00 Inside play time/late afternoon diapers*
5:00 – 5:45 Wind down time/merge with preschool classroom for pickup
5:45 Teacher’s Pet closes
*All children’s diapers are checked at these times. Diapers are also changed throughout the day whenever needed.
This section is under construction. Please check back at the end of the week.
This section is under construction. Please check back at the end of the week.
Teacher’s Pet has been serving children and their families since 1980. Our Owner/Director, Kathy Vitale, has a Bachelor’s Degree in Child Development. She has been with Teacher’s Pet since it began.
Our goal is to provide a safe, nurturing environment for children to grow and learn. We work to help children feel confident in their abilities as well as find success when they eventually enter an elementary school classroom.
To reach this goal, we provide an array of activities and curriculum for our students. These activities include art, music, story-time, circle-time, math and science activities, letter and number recognition, dramatic play, etc.
Since each child’s social/emotional development is equally important, we provide many opportunities for free play with teacher supervision and guidance.
We have a toddler classroom for ages 2-3.5 years. These children do not need to be potty-trained. We have two preschool classrooms for ages 3.5 to 5. We have a school-age class for ages TK through 5th grade.
We offer a variety of scheduling options. Families can schedule their child for any of the time blocks listed in the table. You may drop off your child later than their scheduled start time and pick up your child earlier than their scheduled pick up time.
Children can attend anywhere from one to five days per week (however, most children do best when they attend at least twice per week).
We do require that children have a set schedule that is the same from week to week. Once enrolled, you may make changes to your child’s schedule. We will accommodate these changes as long as we have availability.
Last updated September 9, 2026:
We currently have full availability in our toddler and preschool programs and very limited availability in our afterschool program (TK – 5th grade). If you wish to enroll your child for the fall, please call soon to schedule a tour, pick up your registration paperwork, and reserve a space. Spaces may fill up quickly.
Teacher’s Pet is open all year with the exception of most major holidays. We are closed New Year’s Day, President’s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, two days for Thanksgiving, and two days for Christmas. We also close an additional day each year depending on where the major holidays fall on that year’s calendar. For example, in 2025 we will close the Friday after Christmas.
As a holiday approaches, we will post notices to remind everyone that we will be closed. The dates that we will be closed may change according to the director’s discretion.
