Photograph by Tsutomu Fujita
Jamie Perez, one of the teachers at Little Oak Preschool, shares a laugh with students (from left) Madison O'Carroll, Maria Cullar and Chloe Weiner, all 3. Voters named Little Oak Los Gatos' best preschool.
Best of Los Gatos 2001: Kid Stuff
No matter what their race, gender, religious or cultural backgrounds are, there are certain characteristics that nearly all children possess: enjoyment of the party and presents that arrive with their birthday, and the desire to climb, swing and slide on playground equipment! On a more serious note, kids obviously need to be clothed against the cold of winter and the heat of summer, and it is often to their advantage to socialize with their peers in a daycare setting before enrolling in kindergarten. Even playing with toys is something that, although taken for granted, is necessary for a child to develop good hand-eye coordination, creativity and problem-solving skills.
Fortunately for the many families living within Los Gatos' borders, the town offers all these opportunities and more for its youthful residents. Here are the best.
Best Place for a Kid's Birthday Party (Tie)
Vasona Lake County Park
Oak Meadow Park
It's not surprising these parks tied for the honor of being the best place for kids' parents to pack a party. Each park alone has enough amusements to fill even the busiest kid's afternoon, but put the venues together and the mixture is pure dynamite!
Of Vasona's 151 acres, 45 can be used for informal games of Frisbee, volleyball, soccer or softball, not to mention kite-flying or simply rolling around on the grass. For more formal fun, there's the new waterfront-themed playground for kids of all ages. Although the weather is getting a bit nippy to play in the water's spray, there's still plenty of colorful, rugged and modern equipment on which to climb, slide, run, jump and swing.
Speaking of water, Vasona also offers a placid lake on which youngsters--with adult approval--can test their sea legs with paddleboats, kayaks or sailboats. When all these activities cause little tummies to growl, there's also plenty of barbecues and picnic tables for chowing down and opening presents.
Although Oak Meadow Park encompasses only 12 acres, it is not about to be eclipsed by its neighbor Vasona! On those 12 acres, party-goers can play on another set of modern and exciting playground equipment, make-believe on an antique fire engine that was just refurbished last year or take a ride on the park's two main attractions--The Billy Jones Wildcat Railroad or the carousel.
The Billy Jones Wildcat Railroad is a narrow-gauge, open-air choo-choo that winds its way through both Oak Meadow and Vasona parks. The W. E. "Bill" Mason Carousel features hand-carved, painted horses and music that hearkens back the calliopes of old-time county fairs. If that's not enough, the park also offers picnic tables, barbecues and grassy meadows, just like its "big sister" next door.
Vasona Lake County Park and Oak Meadow Park, both accessed off Blossom Hill Road between Roberts Road and University Ave. Open during daylight hours. Vasona: 408.358.3741; Oak Meadow: 408.399.5770
Best Neighborhood Park
Bachman Park
Situated on a modest 3 1/2-acre lot in the middle of the Glenridge residential area and just a few blocks from bustling downtown, Bachman Park could easily be overlooked by the casual visitor to town. That's fine with Los Gatans, however, who have named this unspoiled oasis as the town's best neighborhood park for the umpteenth time in a row.
What doesn't this park have? A playground full of challenging, modern equipment? Check! Swings for toddlers as well as bigger kids? Check! How about a sandbox? Yes, that too! For outdoor eating, Bachman also has a scattering of nice stone picnic benches, not to mention well-placed garbage cans.
For relaxation, it offers a rolling expanse of soft green grass and plenty of trees, including mature oaks, redwoods, cedars and misplaced olives. A quaint walking path meanders lengthwise through the park, accommodating joggers and dog-walkers. For the latter, Bachman even provides a discrete dispenser of "poop bags." All in all, this little gem simply has a good sense of place.
Best Daycare/Preschool
Little Oak
When an ethnic restaurant boasts customers of its ethnicity dining there, that bodes well for the food quality. Likewise, when local kindergarten teacher Amy Despars sends her own two children to a certain preschool, it's obviously earned a passing grade!
That school is Little Oak, where young acorns begin putting down roots. Owned by Los Gatan Kim Burt and directed by Jen Potmesil, it enrolls children from 2 years and 3 months old through 5 or 6--depending on when they begin kindergarten.
"It's clean and well-organized, and all the teachers are very friendly and kind," Despars says. "You always notice them adding new things, like a science project or a book rack or books."
According to teacher Lisa Dowdakin, Little Oak maintains a 1:6 teacher-to-student ratio, even though California only requires 1:12. She says this close relationship allows for more learning. All teachers possess a minimum of 12 Early Childhood Education credits, and most also hold bachelor's degrees.
But what do kids care about that? They're more interested in cooking and science projects, arts and crafts, reading, counting, music and, of course, the playground. Twice each month, students also meet special guests from the community, such as firefighters, police officers or interesting businesspeople.
Little Oak Preschool, 16837 Placer Oaks Road, 408.356.7554
Best Kids Clothing
Gap Kids
For many young people, fitting in and being cool is tantamount to eating, drinking and sleeping. Once upon a time, the majority of "trendies" were high school students, but the age at which clothing matters has become much younger nowadays.
That's no problem for elementary- and middle-schoolers in Los Gatos, however, because they have Gap Kids. Open since 1999, the store carries merchandise in every style and size. There's tried-and-true apparel such as jeans, shorts and T-shirts--favored by boys and girls alike--along with more specific "fad" fashions such as the hippie, preppie, retro, grunge, skater or club look.
Even babies and toddlers can get into some cute and colorful clothes at Gap Kids, from activewear to jammies and everything in between.
Gap Kids, 120 N. Santa Cruz Ave., 408.395.4431
Best Place to Buy Toys
The Wooden Horse
It may have turned 30 this year, but this is one horse that is still as youthful and active as ever. Perhaps that's because it's actually The Wooden Horse, Los Gatos' premiere toy store and a perennial favorite place for gift-gifting Gatans.
Its humble beginnings came in 1971, when Karen Scarvie (then Karen Holland) opened shop in the Old Town shopping center. In 1988, The Wooden Horse moved to bigger, better digs in Kings Court shopping center.
One thing that sets it apart from chain toy stores is The Wooden Horse University, which all employees attend. It consists of fun yet informative workshops on every category in the store. And that's a lot, since merchandise caters to youngsters ranging from toddlers to teenagers.
A mere sampling of the goodies found in the multi-room store include stuffed animals, board games, card games, puzzles, musical instruments, trains, balls, boats, blocks and dolls. They're all designed to assist children in some element of growth and development, be it physically, intellectually or emotionally.
The Wooden Horse, 796 Blossom Hill Road, 408.356.8821
Best of Los Gatos 2001
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