meet our discovery bay families

Brett and Wendy Alston joined PRO Sports Club
several years before they decided to have a family.
They were drawn to the state-of-the-art facilities
and all the various services the club has to offer,
which became even more important when their
first child, Julia, was born.
52 PROCLUB.COM JULY-AUGUST 2015
Photos: Gerald Pope; istockphoto.com
The Alstons
AGES
What brought us to
Discovery Bay
Being able to use the childcare facility when we
needed it (rather than full-time) was key for us. As
Wendy was only working part-time, we liked the
flexibility that it offered. Both our kids have been
coming to Discovery Bay since they were three
months old, and Julia is now in her third year
of Pre-K. She joined the Learning Academy at
Discovery Bay the first year it opened. Although
convenience and flexibility drew us to Discovery
Bay, it’s the people who have kept us here.
6-8 yrs.
ADVENTURE QUEST
STEM CAMPS
SCIENCE · TECHNOLOGY · ENGINEERING · MATH
Shout-outs
When you enter Discovery Bay, there’s Maria
at the front desk. Nicole is an amazing preschool
teacher. And Pep was our first introduction. She’s
a family friend now. Tyler has a fondness for all
his teachers too: Carmen, Margaret and Meghan.
Fond memories
We’ll always remember dropping off Julia on
that very first day and going to work out. Pep
reassured us saying, “We’ll get through this and
Julia will learn to love it here.” And sure enough,
she did.
Unique curriculum
In addition to the small class size and the
cleanliness, we like the extra activities for the kids
like swimming and playing soccer. The Learning
Academy also presents interesting and unique
topics, and brings in outside speakers. They did a
session on recycling and another one on different
types of balls,. They're currently learning about
trees, where they’re mapping tree rings and
learning about the seasons. The kids also get jobs
like calendar helper, line leader, cleanup crew, and
there’s even a “praiser,” whose job that day is to
say nice things to others. What they’re learning is
applicable to everyday life.
Kids combine problem solving with exploratory
learning in a fun setting with highly qualified
teachers. Technology, science equipment and
hands on activities engage the young mind and
make learning fun! Daily swimming included.
5 DAY CAMP: JULY 6-31 & AUGUST 3-21
Monday-Friday, 9 AM-3 PM
$375 (M), $450 (NMCM), $470 (NM)
7/6: Machines, 7/13: State of Matter, 7/20: Private
Investigators, 7/27: Engineering, 8/3: Inventor’s Workshop,
8/10: Patterns All Around, and 8/17: Food For Thought.
Lifelong learning
Ultimately, you want your kids to be excited
about learning. And Julia definitely is.
What the kids say
They love their teachers and they’ve made
friends here. It all starts from when they enter
the club. Roxanne always greats them with a
smile and says hello to them individually –and
then they literally sprint from the front door to
Discovery Bay.
Part of our team
We have a saying: “People who are on our team.”
These team members are people whom we trust
implicitly. Discovery Bay is a member of our
team. It’s not often you find people who love your
kids the way you love them. You can be certain
that the kids are well cared for and that they’re
also having fun.
SIGN UP today in Discovery Bay. CALL (425) 861-6247 or enroll online.
AGES 4-5
MONTHLY
Science Club
THURSDAYS, 4-5 PM
Dates: Sept. 10, Oct. 8,
Nov. 12 & Dec.10
Each month we’ll do a different
scientific experiment and record it
in our science journal.
PROCLUB.COM 53
Why we chose the
Learning Academy
Tabriaz began attending Discovery Bay
when he was two months old. Initially, it
was a matter of convenience as we lived
nearby and had heard wonderful reviews
from friends. We’ve since moved twice and
even though there’s a Montessori school
walking distance from our house, we’ve
re-enrolled him for Pre-K because we’ll
get the best possible education for our son.
The level of care, attention and warmth
that we’ve experienced, have made us loyal
to Discovery Bay. We couldn’t be more
satisfied.
Shout outs
All the teachers and caregivers are
wonderful and there are some who hold a
special place in our hearts. During his infant
days, Ms. Teresa, Ms. Pep and Ms. Nicole
took exceptional care of Tabraiz and grew
to be part of our family. Even now, when
Tabraiz meets them, he recognizes them
instantly and runs over to hug them and
tell them all about his day. As a toddler, his
favorite teacher was Ms. Jackie, who always
knew how to calm him down when he was
going through a bout of separation anxiety.
Little did we know then how Tabraiz
would grow to love all of his teachers at the
Learning Academy – Ms. Kayla, Ms. Megan
and Ms. Jackie. He even names his toys
after them. They’ve not only helped with
his academic education, but his mental and
social development as well and under their
care and fantastic routine, we’ve seen our
son blossom into a kind, caring, friendly,
brave, and bright young boy.
Memories
The Haq-Ansaris
SA A D, SA N A & TA B R I A Z
22 PROCLUB.COM MAY-JUNE 2015
Photos: Gerald Pope; istockphoto.com
Tabraiz’s first giggling fit was caught by
Ms. Nicole on her camera phone when he
was about six months old. The uninhibited,
gurgling, infectious laugh that she recorded
for us is one of our favorite family videos.
As a first-time mom, Sana found it difficult
to drop off Tabraiz and kept going back
to check on him. I remember Ms. Teresa
being so kind and understanding. One
day, she stepped out with me and
said, “You keep looking in and I
know you’re doing it because
it’s hard for you, but from
the child’s perspective, you
need to understand that he
keeps thinking that you’re
coming back to get him.”
She was so supportive and
gentle that it helped me
change my behavior. Sure
enough, Tabraiz adjusted
well soon after.
Cultivating Social Skills
Tabraiz was initially a shy, quiet
child. He preferred to observe
rather than participate in
activities, and had a hard
time sharing. The Preschool
experience, while very
strong on academics,
was instrumental in
helping him cultivate
social behaviors. Now,
he shares, wants to
play with others, loves
being the center of
attention, and – most of
all – enjoys learning. He
takes swimming classes and
just took his first summer
camp here. He has become very
confident. He also learned social
cues like using an indoor voice or how
to behave calmly at the library that can be
applied in other settings.
Raising a bi-lingual child
It takes a village
Tabriez is fully bi-lingual. At home, we
only speak our mother tongue, so he knew
certain words in Urdu before he knew
them in English. When we’d drop him off
at Discovery Bay, we’d write out the words
phonetically so the teachers knew what he
was asking for. When we got past “The First
100 Words,” the vocabulary book used at
the Learning Academy, we wondered how
we could build upon sentence structure and
grammar. In addition to the weekly lesson
plan we’d receive, we’d also get a daily
report about what they’d done that day,
what song they’d sang, or what book they’d
read. So we began to mirror those activities
at home in our language. Often, we’d recreate the same activities. So if they did a
leaf drawing at school, over the weekend,
we’d go for a walk, pick up some leaves
and do the same activity with the same
instructions, just in Urdu. This helped him
learn both languages at the same time.
Coming from a community-based society
with an extended support system, it was
easy to turn to others for parenting advice.
However, living here without any extended
family around, we always felt that there
would be a gap. We were pleasantly
surprised to find our “village” at Discovery
Bay. We found ourselves asking for advice
about sleep training or introducing new
foods or activities to do at home. It was very
comforting.
Overall experience
Even before we had Tabraiz, we frequented
the club. We both had trainers and worked
out regularly. Sana is also a huge fan of
The Spa! Since we’ve had our son, we’ve
found this to be the best “one-stop” location
that offers multiple benefits – we get the
best childcare, the best workouts, the best
relaxation and fantastic food, all in one
place!
He shares, wants
to play with others,
loves being the
center of attention,
and – most of all –
enjoys learning. He
takes swimming
classes and just
took his first
summer camp here.
PROCLUB.COM 23
The Youngs
DA N , H E I D I , M AYA A N D AVA
34 PROCLUB.COM NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2015
If you ask Dan and Heidi Young about
Discovery Bay and the Learning Academy,
you’ll get a warm and emotional reaction
– the kind you’d expect from someone
describing an old friend or cherished
relative.
The reason for that heartfelt response is
the impact it’s had on their two daughters,
Maya (age five) and Ava (age three). The
Youngs attribute this to the structure
and quality of the program, as well as the
sincerity and dedication of the staff.
Having been members at PRO Sports Club
for almost 12 years, Dan and Heidi first
introduced Maya to Discovery Bay after
she’d been to daycare elsewhere. It was
that prior exposure of what’s commonly
accepted as daycare that gave Dan and
Heidi a basis for comparison.
At first, their reason for switching was
purely logical. Dan and Heidi could drop
Maya off at Discovery Bay while they
exercised, and then they’d enjoy a meal as a
family in The Bistro – all in one stop.
And, while convenience was a primary
factor in the beginning, Dan says that they
soon discovered that, “Discovery Bay was
10 times better than regular daycare due
to its high standard of care-giving, the
superior environment and the phenomenal
quality of the staff. They also had a very
well thought-out program for the kids.”
The Youngs were sold on the program from
the outset due to its educational as well as
physical curriculum. It made sense that,
after Maya was already in the program for
a couple of years, Ava would follow.
Dan describes how Ava’s first day was
filled with excitement and some anxiety,
but how quickly she was put at ease by the
Discovery Bay staff. He gives a shout-out
to Kayla, Nicole and Heidi as the
primary caregivers, and how much
they’ve meant to their daughters.
Highlights for Maya include the
day she passed her swim test and
her pre-school graduation day
– major milestones for her and
meaningful occasions to Heidi and
Dan because they felt that there
simply wasn’t a better preparation
for kindergarten.
Dan says, “Maya and Ava are
receiving important lessons in
socialization, educational support,
as well as valuable adaptive
guidance in sports – all of which
are great first steps in preparing
them for life in general.”
Maya and Ava
are receiving
important lessons
in socialization,
educational
support, as
well as valuable
adaptive guidance
in sports.”
PROCLUB.COM 35
Why we chose the Learning Academy
We chose the Learning Academy for our
daughters, Tesla and Cashel, three years
ago because they were too young to go to
some of the other preschools in the area.
They weren’t quite three years old, but
we knew that they were mature enough
and ready for preschool. They had already
been going to Discovery Bay on a regular
basis, so it was easy to transfer them to the
Learning Academy.
After the first few months, we knew that
the Learning Academy was exceptional.
We had initially thought we’d transfer
the girls out of the Learning Academy and
go elsewhere, but Ms. Nicole is a fabulous
teacher and the girls excelled in the
program. The program has the right mix of
academics, music, athletics, social and playbased learning that was a fit for us. We’re
now in our third year at the Learning
Academy (K Prep) and I’m so glad we
kept them in this program. Ms. Heidi has
introduced swimming lessons and outdoor
play at Grass Lawn Park, which are added
benefits. I wouldn’t mind if they started a
choir too.
Shout outs
The Heddle's
BOB, PAULA, TESLA AND CASHEL
4 PROCLUB.COM MAY-JUNE 2015
Photos: Gerald Pope; istockphoto.com
We’ve been members at PRO Sports Club
since 2009. We don’t have any family in
the area and the club has proved to be a
wonderful support network – whether
it’s Roxanne at the Front Desk saying,
“Hello” every morning to the wonderful
staff at Discovery Bay, including Ms.
Linda, Ms. Jackie, Ms. Marg, Ms. Stephanie,
Ms.Nicole, Ms. Tao, Ms. Maria, Ms Jennell,
Mr. Anthony and Ms. Heidi. They’ve all
supported my girls and make our day so
much brighter! Before Paula headed back
to work, she enjoyed being able to drop the
girls off at preschool, get a workout and
then run off to do errands or drop the car
off at the Auto Salon or use The Spa. She
now visits The Spa on weekends – and says
that Anita is the best!
Paula would also like to give a shout out
to her trainer, Matt Campbell, whom she’s
worked with for many years and helps her
reset her workout routine whenever she
needs a tune-up. Paula struggled with pain
in her legs and hips after the twins were
born and had a hard time sleeping. After
visiting various doctors and receiving
physical therapy, she briefly mentioned
her pain to Matt. He introduced her to
Trigger Point Therapy and she hasn’t had a
problem since. That was three years ago.
Tips for other parents
We tried Discovery Bay when the twins
were six months old and that just wasn’t
the right time for them. However, when
they were a year old, we tried again.
Heidi gave us the advice to start with just
10- minute increments. The girls would
be in Ms. Linda’s room (Sea Turtles) and
they’d have 10 minutes with her, and then
we’d return. We did this three times, then
gradually increased the time. By the time
the girls were two years old, they stayed
for two hours and thoroughly enjoyed
themselves. They gradually moved up to
three and then four-hour increments.
What we really like about Discovery Bay is
the convenience. If Paula is stuck at work
or their nanny is sick, we can call and see
if Discovery Bay has the availability to
take the girls into the daycare until she can
pick them up. We like knowing that my
girls will always be safe and they’ll also be
having fun.
Memories
We love the sight of my girls running
up to the Front Desk, with confidence
and kindness, to say, “Good morning” to
Roxanne and then say, “Ta-ta for now,”
as they walk down to preschool. We also
enjoy hearing the teachers Ms. Cami (last
year) and Ms. Jennell (this year) lead the
kids singing songs while they’re walking
back from swimming lessons or other
activities. Last year, you may have heard
Cashel leading the group in “Let It Go.”
Overall experience
Our girls simply love preschool. They
have fun, they feel safe, they’re active and
they’ve made some friends (which can be
difficult for twins). It has been a great place
to develop their confidence, strength and
kindness. I’ve recommended the Learning
Academy to all my friends and they’ve
taken tours. Some have enrolled and some
have wished they could enroll.
PROCLUB.COM 5