What Small Size Big Mind Preschool does

Small Size Big Mind Preschool is a privately held early childhood education provider headquartered in Alameda, California. Founded in 2006 and owned by Laurence Cauchie-Chop and Malyka Chop, the business operates three campuses (Bridgeview, Pan Am Way, and Santa Clara) and delivers year-round infant care and preschool programming for children aged 0 to 6, with a daily enrollment of approximately 60 children supported by roughly 11 staff.

The service model is straightforward licensed childcare sold directly to families on a monthly tuition basis, with disclosed pricing ranging from $1,275 to $2,215 per child per month depending on program and age. Distribution and customer acquisition are described as community- and word-of-mouth-driven, with no enterprise or B2B channel referenced. There is no indication of proprietary technology, digital product surface, or AI/ML capability — the offering is human-delivered education and care.

The business is pursuing modest expansion, including an attempt to add an afterschool program at a fourth site on Central Avenue, though that initiative has encountered local opposition. Beyond this, the company has not disclosed funding events, acquisitions, leadership changes, or material operational restructuring, indicating a stable, owner-operated small services business rather than a venture-scale operator.

Name

Small Size Big Mind Preschool

Legal name

Small Size Big Mind Preschool

Website

https://smallsizebigmindpreschool.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Privately held, owner-operated early childhood education provider in Alameda, California, founded in 2006, operating three campuses serving roughly 60 children aged 0-6 through year-round infant care and preschool programs on a monthly tuition model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Early Childhood Education Services

NAICS

Child Care Services (62441)

SIC

Services-Child Day Care Services (8351)

akta.pro primary industry

Preschool Programs within Childcare Centers (EDACABAL)

Keywords

• Early childhood education
• Infant care services
• Preschool programs
• Transitional kindergarten
• Child enrichment programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Alameda

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Monthly Tuition - Infant Care: Year-round infant care and preschool services billed monthly based on days attended per week. Rates vary by campus location and age group.
2. Monthly Tuition - Preschool: Monthly tuition for preschool programs with varying schedules from 1-5 days per week, with different pricing tiers based on campus and attendance days.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Small Size Big Mind Preschool provides year-round infant care and preschool education for children aged 0 to 6 across three licensed campuses in Alameda, California. The school delivers age-tiered classroom programs (Infant, Transition, Preschool, and Transitional Kindergarten), a hands-on core curriculum focused on social-emotional learning, and supplemental enrichment activities including nature walks, music, art, soccer, and summer workshops. Monthly tuition is billed per campus and number of days attended per week.

Product overview

Small Size Big Mind Preschool is a year-round infant care and preschool service offering a unified educational program for children from 0 to 6 years old across three campuses in Alameda, California. The portfolio consists of four interconnected classroom programs: Infant Center (birth to 2 years), Transition Center (2 to 4 years), Preschool Center (3.5 to 5 years), and Brain Boost Room (4+ years Transitional Kindergarten). These programs are supported by a Core Curriculum framework focused on social-emotional learning and hands-on creativity, supplemented by Curriculum Goals and Enrichment Curriculum programs featuring nature walks, playground visits, and professional-led activities in music, art, and soccer.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Infant Center Year-round infant care program serving children from birth to 2 years old, providing individualized care, safe exploration environments, engaging cognitive development experiences, and group activities for social and emotional health.
• Transition Center Mixed-age classroom program for children from 2 to 4 years old, facilitating peer teaching, broad social interactions, individual learning styles, and including optional potty training support.
• Preschool Center Preschool program for children 3.5 to 5 years old, focusing on independence, group work, problem-solving, decision-making, time management, and communication skills development.
• Brain Boost Room (Transitional Kindergarten Program) Optional Transitional Kindergarten program for children 4 years and older, led by a Kindergarten Teacher working with Alameda School District Standards, preparing children for elementary school through focused skill development in phonics, writing, reading, and counting.
• Enrichment Curriculum Supplemental program including weekly nature walks, neighborhood playground visits, summer workshops (petting zoo, reptile zoo, mad science, magician, music shows, insect discovery lab), music classes, art classes, and soccer taught by local professionals and paraprofessionals.

Quantifiable outcome

• Waitlists of 12-36 months for high-quality preschool in Alameda
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Broad incumbents

• Celebree School: Growing franchise network of private childcare and preschool centers serving infants through school-age children with enrichment programming. Comparable year-round infant care and preschool model with community-driven GTM.
• Bright Horizons Family Solutions: Largest publicly-traded operator of employer-sponsored childcare, preschools, and early education centers in North America. Comparable as a multi-site infant/preschool provider, though at vastly larger scale and with employer-back contracts rather than the community-school model Small Size Big Mind runs.
• Primrose Schools: National franchise network of private preschools offering infant through after-school care with a defined Balanced Learning curriculum. Comparable private preschool model with year-round enrollment and proprietary curriculum framework.
• The Learning Experience: National franchise of ~600 early childhood education centers serving infants through preschoolers with a proprietary curriculum and enrichment programs. Comparable private preschool/childcare model with multi-site operations.
• KinderCare Learning Companies: National chain of ~1,500 early childhood education centers offering infant care, preschool, and school-age programs. Comparable core offering (year-round infant + preschool + enrichment) and tiered tuition model, but at much larger scale and via corporate-operated centers.

Direct peers

• Guidepost Montessori: Growing network of private Montessori early childhood centers and elementary schools with a defined proprietary curriculum and parent community focus. Comparable as a private multi-site preschool operator with differentiated pedagogy and parent-engagement model.
• Apple Montessori Schools: Private Montessori preschool and elementary school operator with multiple New Jersey campuses offering infant/toddler through elementary programs. Comparable multi-site private preschool model with proprietary curriculum focus.
• Stratford School: California-based private preschool through middle school chain with a strong academic-readiness curriculum and enrichment programs. Highly comparable in terms of California geography, private preschool positioning, school-readiness curriculum, and enrichment offerings.
• The Gardner School: Multi-campus private preschool operator offering infant care through pre-kindergarten with enrichment programs. Comparable in scale and as a multi-site private preschool serving similar age ranges with similar value proposition around quality and curriculum.

Emerging players

• Lightbridge Academy: Franchise network of private infant, toddler, preschool, and after-school care centers with a community-focused 'Solution Start' curriculum. Comparable private early-childhood operator with tiered tuition and enrichment programming.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/small-size-big-mind-preschool

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Small Size Big Mind Preschool