The TTT Story

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In early 1979, Ida Dubois read about a drop-in childcare center in a Texas shopping center. As her children were beginning school, and Ida did not want to return to elementary teaching, she approached her friends, Sharon Alcalde and Judy Robinson, who were in the same situation, and proposed the drop-in concept to the Serramonte Shopping Center.

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A lease was set and Temporary Tot Tending, Inc. opened its doors at Serramonte in October, 1979. As there was no outside play area and the square footage was limited, when a wing at the Fairmont School became available for lease, these three women were able to open a full pre-school and childcare center. The company philosophy was to be dedicated to working parents. Hence, Fairmont opened as a seven-day-a-week, 24-hour-a-day operation for infants through school age children. When the school district closed Fairmont School, the program was moved to Westview School for 3 years and then to Sunset Ridge, its current location.

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TTT South San Francisco was created in 1982 when we were able to take over a defunct Montessori school. TTT’s licensing capacity has grown to 300 in four separately licensed programs.

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In 1982, Dion Dubois, Ida’s husband, proposed the offering of a summer school for high school students, using his experience as a high school teacher, counselor and administrator. This successful venture then led to the opening of TTT #2 in San Mateo, offering a full pre-school and childcare center for 2-5 year olds.

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In 1984, Judy Robinson moved to Oakland and when an opportunity to open TTT #3 became available, a full pre-school and childcare center opened at the Eastmont Mall in Oakland, August 9, 1984. In May, 1986, Judy became sole owner of the Oakland facility and Ida, Sherry and Dion became owners of TTT #1 and TTT #2 in San Mateo County.

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After 19 years, the San Mateo School District needed to reclaim the building we had been leasing. We were able to find Trinity Baptist Church in San Mateo with 3 classrooms and a social hall available. We closed this center in December 2010.

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The management today has been heavily immersed in professional activities. Ida served on the Board of the Child Care Coordinating Council; Sherry has been on the PACE Alternative Payment Program and Dion has served as President of PACE, the California Child Care Association and served on the Board of the National Child Care Association.

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TTT currently operates 4 Centers (Sunset Ridge, South San Francisco, Ocean Shore and Ortega) with 29 employees. We are very proud of the programs offered, the staff employed and the continuing excellent business relationship we have with our landlords, vendors and suppliers.

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School Holidays

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Scheduled holidays observed by school closure are as follows:

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New Years Day • President’s Day • Independence Day • Labor Day • Thanksgiving Day • Christmas Day • Martin Luther King Day • Memorial Day • Staff Appreciation Day • Veterans Day • Day Following Thanksgiving

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Cultural Celebrations

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Varying cultural observances will be made, recognizing special days from different cultures. Hopefully, the parents will feel free to suggest a wide range of activities pulling from their own personal experiences.

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Birthday Celebrations

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Arrangement to recognize individual birthdays of children need to be made with the staff a week prior to the birthday.

 

Vacations

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The school requires a two-week notice prior to a child’s leaving the program for vacation time. Tuition for the child continues during this time to guarantee a reserved space upon his/her return to school. Please note that tuition must be paid in full without deduction for absences. This is because our staffing and other operations expenses are arranged on the basis of fixed enrollment levels and must be met on a continuing basis. Few of the operating costs of the facility are eliminated when a particular child is absent.

 

Early Closing

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During certain holiday times (usually Christmas and New Years) TTT may close early or combine programs at one or two sites. Parents will always be given two weeks’ notice. Staff training days will be offered once or twice a year and some or all programs will close.

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