Mt. Taylor Children's Centers

Mt. Taylor Children's Centers offers activities that include art, music, storytelling, and outdoor exploration. The program follows a play-based approach and includes outdoor play and active learning opportunities as part of daily care. Snacks are included each day, and diapers are accepted for children who need them.

• Ages: 2–6 years old
• Schedule: Monday–Friday, 7:30 am–5:30 pm

Mt. Taylor Children's Centers is a licensed preschool and childcare provider with three locations and an average ratio of one early childhood educator for every eight children. The program offers full-time and part-time childcare options, support for children with special needs, and before- and after-school care. The curriculum is described as developmentally appropriate for children ages 2–6.

The stated purpose of Mt. Taylor Children's Centers is to provide a safe and caring environment where each child may develop socially, emotionally, cognitively, and physically at their own rate. The mission includes providing consistent loving direction, appropriate activities, and encouragement, and serving as a resource for parents. The program’s goal is to offer care, guidance, and education for young children in an atmosphere of love, respect, and cooperation, with the belief that being responsive to children’s emotional, intellectual, physical, and developmental needs supports positive self-esteem, confidence, and a caring attitude toward others.

Mt. Taylor Children's Centers has been caring for Sonoma County’s children with preschool and childcare since 1991 and has been serving Sonoma County families since 1991. The facilities are licensed under license numbers 493010316, 493010315, and 493010314, and the program has been awarded Sonoma County’s Small Child Care Center of the Year three times.

Owner Varala Durai has a business degree from Madras University in India and pursued child development education at De Anza College in California and UCLA, and has volunteered hundreds of hours in public schools as a Spectra teacher. Spectra is described as a comprehensive, discipline-based art education program for grades K–8. Varala is also a trained member of the YMCA Project Cornerstone Silicon Valley. The leadership team includes Varala Durai as owner; Karen Guerin as director of the Slater St. site in Santa Rosa; Amberly Bunch as director of the Vineyard Creek site off Airport Blvd.; and Martha Avina as director of the Rohnert Park location and Mt. Taylor Too in Rohnert Park. Karen Guerin has been working with children in Sonoma County since 1979 and started working at Mt. Taylor in 1999. Amberly Bunch has been working with children in various capacities since 2010, holds an associate degree from Santa Rosa Junior College, a bachelor’s degree in human development from UC Davis, and is a trained member of the YMCA Project Cornerstone Silicon Valley. Martha Avina joined Mt. Taylor in 1998.

Parent testimonials describe Mt. Taylor Children's Centers as a “sweet preschool” where staff took “utmost care” of a child who learned to write all letters and is entering transitional kindergarten, and where the child also learned about kindness and skills important to the family. Other parents report that their children attended full-time for two years, that the school was “very affordable,” and that staff were flexible with summer plans and days of the week. Parents state that their children are excited to go to school each morning to see friends and teachers, that toddlers have gained confidence and “found their voice,” and that children “thrived through their play based curriculum,” adored their teachers, and left at 5 years old “kindergarten ready.”

Last updated June 26, 2026.