Bright Minds Childcare and Preschool

Our Teachers

Hello! I am Karla Martinez, the founder of Bright Minds Childcare and Preschool. I was inspired to start my own program because it has always been my dream to design my own space where children can blossom and grow. I have 11 years of experience working with young children.

Testimonials

“Karla Martinez was my daughter’s preschool teacher at Bright Horizons 221 Main about two years ago. She led the pre-K class (4-5 year olds). Karla is an awesome teacher, loved by both the children and parents.

Karla is a dedicated and organized teacher. She structured each day with activities that engaged the children in different ways and encouraged them to learn. My daughter looked forward to going to school every day to learn new things and enjoy new experiences with her classmates. Each week also had a different theme for learning, e.g. healthy eating, outer space, things around the neighborhood, etc.

The children in her class adored Karla, but they also had great respect for her. Karla strikes the perfect balance between showing concern and setting a standard for discipline. She genuinely cares about the children and knows how best to comfort and sooth them if they are hurt. But she draws a line when they are not behaving and promptly addresses such behavior by taking them aside to talk to them. She was also great about getting the children to work issues out amongst themselves, since these were 4-5 year olds that would be moving on to kindergarten. Karla was also consistent in following up with parents if such behavioral issues came up and partnered with the parent to help work through those issues with the child.

I would highly recommend Karla to other parents looking for top-quality childcare.”

• Edna Lin, parent

“Karla has consistently demonstrated her deep commitment to children and families. During our time teaching together, Karla shared her experiences with a variety of educational approaches and pedagogies to help our classroom meet the needs of a diverse community of learners. Her creativity often shined as she contributed to our project-based curriculum plans, developing an child-centric classroom environment while strategically balancing academic and social-emotional learning objectives. I look forward to following her journey as she continues to contribute to the field of early education through her commitment to providing high-quality opportunities for the children and family in her program, Bright Minds Childcare and Preschool in Oakland, California.”

• Tiffany Schaefer, past co-teacher

“Karla is an exceptional educator and coworker. We had the privilege of working together as part of a teaching team at the Bright Horizons/Marin Day School, Fremont St campus for a few years. During that time I was constantly impressed with Karla’s focus, drive and her ability to get things done. She is extremely organized and trustworthy. I am fully confident that she will create a unique and fun environment for those lucky enough to be at her center. I would enroll my child in a heartbeat if we lived anywhere nearby.

The songs and activities Karla brings to the table are always entertaining and educational. I still sing a few of the songs she taught me in Spanish to my little one. She is a quick and creative problem solver and knows how to keep everyone’s attention.

Children love Karla and feel comfortable in her care. She has mastered the mix of a loving yet firm discipline that allows children to feel safe while still free to be themselves. She knows how to identify teachable moments and make the best of them. She was an inspiration to me then and now.”

• Breanna Bibeau, Early Childhood Educator

“Karla was the lead teacher for our pre-schooler at Bright Horizons in San Francisco. She was simply fantastic! She ensured the class had a rich and engaging curriculum. We received excellent communication on our child’s activities and development, and Karla was always open to questions and feedback. She made our daughter feel safe and cared for every day, particularly helping with her confidence and classroom participation. I would highly recommend Karla as a teacher!”

• Chris Nichols

“We had a pleasure of having Karla as our daughter’s preschool teacher for a year.  Karla is an incredible teacher who led a teaching staff of three and prepared 20 kids in her classroom ready for Kindergarten.

I was most impressed with Karla’s unique ability to relate to kids of all personalities.  She is caring, loving, and compassionate, yet at the same time strong enough to command respect and admiration from kids.  

She has organized the classroom to be an incredible learning space and provided kids with opportunities to shine.  She even had kids to be able to perform and present in front of a large parent community in many occasions!

She had worked in Kindergarten curriculum into her classroom and my child was more than ready for Kindergarten.  We feel incredibly fortunate to have Karla as our daughter’s teacher and I would strongly recommend her to any families of preschoolers.”

-Makiko Tada

“Karla has been caring for our children for the past 5 years.

She was a teacher in our son’s pre-school, Bright Horizon’s in San Francisco; our frequent babysitter including joining us on weekend trips and most recently our personal family nanny. Through out the time we have known and worked with Karla she has always expressed the goal of opening her own childcare center. We are so sad to see her go, but could not be more proud and happy for her. 

Karla has a passion for teaching and caring for children unlike any other. She has cared for my boys, now 2 and 6 since they can remember and has become a member of our family. She understands children, how to motivate them, teach them to be great little people and have fun with them at the same time. She is patient, loving, and compassionate. She also knows when and how to push and motivate them to achieve things and build their confidence. From getting our infant on a sleep schedule, to encouraging our picky eater to try new foods and coming up with creative ways to teach phonics, letter and numbers; she does it all.

I constantly get compliments about my children’s behavior and my amazing nanny from other parents in our community. They love the way Karla always puts the kids first and teaches them to respect her, us, themselves and others.

Karla also understands parents. She is a professional through and through and made being a working parent with a long commute easier. She is willing to go the extra mile to send photos and take the time to tell us about the day. She is always on time and was willing to be flexible with hours when needed. She took it upon herself to proactively grab things at the store when needed, helped with birthday party prep; school projects, etc. 

Through sharing her childcare experience as well what she has learned in her early childcare education course work she has helped enable us to better understand how to communicate with our boys and be better parents. 

We whole heartedly recommend Karla and Bright Minds for parents who are looking for their children to learn and thrive in a creative loving environment.”

-Lori & Nick Polsky

Philosophy

The onboarding philosophy at Bright Minds Child Care and Preschool encompasses Montessori, Reggio Emilia, Nature Base, Play Base, Project Approach, STEAM and Bilingual approaches. In addition, the center’s philosophy revolves around providing individualized care to meet the needs of each child and family, prioritizing safety and inclusive education. The curriculum is designed to promote social/emotional, physical, and cognitive development, tailored to each child’s learning style. Through project-based learning, children engage in collaborative investigations on topics of interest, encouraging curiosity and creativity. The approach fosters brain development, problem-solving skills, critical thinking, and overall confidence while providing a stimulating and nurturing environment for lifelong learning.

Location

Bright Minds Childcare and Preschool is located in a welcoming, spacious apartment in the Dimond Park neighborhood.

We’ve designed our care environment with play and learning areas that allow children to explore various developmentally-appropriate activities based on their interests. Some of our favorite areas include dramatic play area (for self-expression and empathy), reading / cozy area (for literacy, relaxation, and respite), and art area (for expressing emotions and ideas).

Children will spend about half of their time outdoors at a local park or playground. Connecting with nature lets children gain deeper knowledge of themselves and the world.

At Bright Minds Childcare and Preschool, I want to provide an environment that supports the cognitive, social, and emotional growth of each child.

Admissions

Join the Bright Minds Childcare and Preschool community in four easy steps:

1. Explore our website

We’ve provided information about our philosophies and offerings to help you decide if our program may be right for your family.

2. Tour our program

Come see what makes Bright Minds Childcare and Preschool unique. Please schedule a tour or attend an Open House event.

3. Submit an Enrollment Application

If you would like to enroll, please submit an application. Please note that we require tours for all prospective families. Please do not submit an application if you have not visited the program.

4. Enroll

After reviewing your application, we’ll send an enrollment invitation. Upon accepting your invitation you’ll pay your enrollment fee, fill out enrollment documents and review our Parent Handbook.