The town of Ben Lomond is abuzz with excitement as a new preschool gets ready to open its doors. On July 6, Busy Bees Playschool Two will officially open—the classrooms are ready, the sensory tables are filled, books line the shelves and tiny chairs wait patiently for their first occupants.
For co-founders Michelle Mathews and Kim Scalla, however, the opening represents much more than a new preschool. It is the culmination of decades spent nurturing children, supporting families and believing that the best learning begins with curiosity.
“This year marks 40 years for me in early childhood education,” said Scalla, who began her career as a teacher’s aide while still in high school. Since then, she has taught preschool, worked in kindergarten classrooms and operated a home daycare for 11 years.
Rather than simply watching children while parents worked, Scalla ran her home daycare much like a preschool.
“I ran my home daycare like a center,” she said. “I had preschoolers in the morning and an after-school kindergarten program. I wanted children to have the same opportunities they would receive in a classroom.”
Her years of experience are now paired with Mathew’s passion for play-based education.
The two first met years ago while working together at Circle of Friends Preschool in Scotts Valley. Mathews later earned a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education from San Jose State University before completing a master’s degree at UC Santa Cruz. She taught in public schools before finding her professional home at a Reggio Emilia-inspired private school.
“I actually only interviewed there to practice interviewing,” Mathews said with a laugh. “But I fell in love with the school.”
The experience changed how she viewed education.
“It was child-led and project-based,” she said. “The children’s interests fueled what we learned instead of pulling out a folder and saying, ‘Today we’re doing this.’ Everything had intention.”
That philosophy now forms the heart of Busy Bees.
Instead of rows of desks and worksheets, children will spend their days exploring nature, creating art, building with blocks and asking questions.
“I love creating games,” Mathews said. “If I wasn’t teaching, I’d probably be writing curriculum. I love taking science, math, literacy and art and weaving them together so kids don’t even realize they’re learning. They think they’re just playing.”
For Mathews, those moments of discovery are where education truly begins.
“When children are little, you see these sparks of curiosity all the time,” she said. “They find a cocoon outside or notice something growing in the garden. Sometimes those sparks fizzle out if adults don’t stop and turn them into teachable moments.”
Busy Bees hopes to do exactly that.
The preschool’s curriculum emphasizes social-emotional development alongside academics, preparing children not just to recognize letters and numbers but to thrive when they eventually enter kindergarten.
One concern parents occasionally raise is whether a play-based preschool will adequately prepare their children for school.
“I kind of want to ditch the word ‘ready,’” Scalla said. “What does ‘ready’ really mean?”
For her, readiness extends far beyond memorizing the alphabet.
“It’s being emotionally ready,” she explained. “There’s so much more that’s important than simply knowing your ABCs.”
The preschool’s second location complements an existing home-based Busy Bees program, which has become so popular that families were routinely placed on waiting lists.
“I hated having to turn people away,” Mathews said.
Finding commercial space proved difficult until this former house became available.
“It still feels like a home,” she said, while looking around the bright classrooms. “Sometimes childcare centers can feel sterile. I wanted families to walk in and feel comfortable.”
Before opening, Busy Bees hosted three open houses to introduce the new space to local families.
“The kids didn’t want to leave,” Mathews recalled with a smile.
To fine-tune the classrooms, she even invited children from the original Busy Bees Playschool location in Boulder Creek to spend time exploring.
“It’s one thing when we’re designing a room ourselves,” she said. “But once children are actually in it, you realize what works and what needs to change. Suddenly it becomes a living, breathing space.”
Affordability has also become a cornerstone of the program. Mathews knows firsthand how expensive childcare can be.
“I wanted everyone to be able to come,” she said.
Compared to many traditional childcare centers, Busy Bees charges significantly less while also accepting childcare vouchers.
“I saw families struggling,” she said. “I wanted this to be fair.”
Scalla shares that same commitment.
“We have a passion and compassion for children,” she said simply.
Together, they hope Busy Bees Playschool Two becomes more than just another preschool. They envision it as a community gathering place where families build relationships alongside their children.
Already, the original Busy Bees location has become exactly that.
“Our families feel like family,” Mathews said. “Parents help each other. The kids grow up together. I hope we create that same feeling here.”
Future plans include family events, community workshops, music programs, sensory play experiences and professional development opportunities for fellow educators.
“I want people to feel like this is a community space for learning,” Scalla said.
As opening day approaches, there are still boxes to unpack and finishing touches to complete. But the excitement is unmistakable.
Outside, the expansive yard provides the perfect backdrop for a preschool built around exploration and wonder, with plans to install an herb garden and fruit trees for the children to cultivate. Inside, every shelf, book and learning center reflects two educators who believe childhood should be filled with discovery.
For Scalla and Mathews, success won’t be measured by test scores or worksheets completed. Instead, it will be found in connections made through socio-emotional experiences and the countless moments when a child excitedly asks, “Why?”
“We’re so excited to welcome families into our newest home,” Mathews said.
Busy Bees Playschool Two, located at 7985 Highway 9 in Ben Lomond, welcomes children ages 2-6. Operating hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, contact the center at bu**************@***il.com.
