Who we are

My name is Claire and I am a mother, teacher, and artist. I attended San Francisco State where I earned my Bachelors in Technical Theater, a preliminary Multiple Subject Teaching Credential, and an Early Childhood Education Site Supervisor Credential.

I’ve been working with preschool-aged children since 2005, and I created Slanted & Enchanted in 2011. I’d love to share a little bit more about my professional journey so that you can get a sense of who I am and the kind of space Slanted & Enchanted is.

Early days

My journey in education started as a big sister and, by the time I was 10 years old, I was working as a mother’s helper and beginning to babysit. I was a nanny throughout high school and college, and as a young costume designer trying to make things work in the city, I took on multiple early childhood teaching roles while simultaneously pursuing additional credentials from San Francisco State.

I worked at a home-based preschool in Twin Peaks for four years, followed by a corporate childcare center.

It was through these formative experiences that I dreamed up a preschool of my own.

A new school

I opened Slanted & Enchanted Pre-K in 2011 in my own home. The name was inspired by a Pavement album and our location on a steep San Francisco hill. Quitting a full-time job and renovating a rental to accommodate a preschool was a huge leap of faith, but the school was a success and, within two months, we were full.

After several years of living in the city, in fall of 2019 I brought Slanted & Enchanted back to my hometown of Benicia. Our new location opened right when COVID started, so we had to quickly adjust to meet the new needs of our community.

What we focus on

As those needs continue to shift, so have the ages of the children we serve. Though specific birthday cut-offs may shift from year to year, creating similarly-aged groups of play partners is our guiding star.

If you had asked me what I was most proud of when we first opened in 2011, I would have said it was the art and theme-based curriculum which introduced emergent math and reading skills. Social and emotional learning was there, but it took a back seat.

But during the pandemic, we saw a big increase in anxiety and big emotions. The strategies that had worked in the past were not working anymore. The state of California increased funding for mental health services and my staff and I were lucky enough to be able to work remotely with a therapist in order to make social and emotional learning a much more visible and intentional part of our program.

So if you ask me what I’m most proud of about our program now, it’s our focus on creating a positive and safe space for social and emotional learning.

Our team and you

I am also tremendously proud of our steady and dedicated team of teachers and the solid relationships that they build with the children. In a world full of distraction and constant bids for our attention, we are raising a generation who need presence, communication, and strong relationship skills to grow physically and mentally healthy.

Our small and individualized environment allows families and teachers work as a team to create a smooth and steady transition into the broader world of education.

As I hope you will come to know, Slanted & Enchanted is a very special place where your family will feel at home and your little one can blossom and grow.

Testimonials

We are so grateful for Claire and all of the teachers at Slanted & Enchanted. Our son started part-time and transitioned to full time this past year, and we have seen him flourish in the S&E environment. His social skills, language, and creativity have blossomed. We appreciated all of the communication, the daily newsletters, and the flexibility for our family’s needs. We feel so lucky to have the S&E community!
-Molly Murphy
We feel so incredibly fortunate to be a part of S&E. We have sent both of our children to Claire’s school and the amount of thought and care that goes into every detail, every single day, continues to blow our minds. We appreciate how much she values each unique spirit that walks through her door everyday. Our children have loved their experience here— and we’ve all made some great friends through this wonderful community she has built.
-Anne Lauck De Santis

Since our 3-year-old started at Slanted & Enchanted, we have seen huge strides in her emotional intelligence, confidence level, and intellectual milestones like counting and letter recognition. S&E has given her the gifts of critical thinking and compassion for her peers and I never worry about her after drop-off. I know that she is safe, loved and getting a balance of thoughtfully directed enrichment activities and free play that just can’t be duplicated at home or in traditional classroom-based preschools. We absolutely love this place!
-Carly Waterstraut

There are few things in our life that we feel more evangelical about than the magical space and dedicated staff of Slanted and Enchanted. During the two years our child has been there we have watched him explode in confidence, skills and compassion. Claire and her fellow teachers at S&E have created a nurturing world where children can truly thrive, interests are supported, curiosity is activated, and kids are motivated to learn and try new things, respect others, accept differences, honor boundaries, and become well rounded emotionally intelligent people. We feel so incredibly fortunate to have found this very special place.
-Dan and Esther Wilch

We are so grateful for our year at S&E with Teacher Claire. We had a good feeling when we went on our initial tour, and that feeling was spot on. Our daughter arrived somewhat shy and anxious, and she is leaving a confident kid who has grown into herself so much. She has truly blossomed here. Teacher Claire and her assistant teachers create such a nurturing, creative, safe, loving and fun environment. We look forward to her wonderful newsletter every day, which sparks so much conversation with our daughter about her friendships and her learning journey. Additionally, Teacher Claire builds a lovely, connected community of families. We wish we could stay another year!
-Tracey Seay Dashjian
Our family has been so thankful to be a part of Slanted & Enchanted. From the very beginning, we felt welcomed and knew our son was in a place where he was cared for, supported, and encouraged to be himself. It has been so special watching him learn, gain confidence, make friends, and become more independent during his time here. Claire and the teachers have created such a warm and loving environment where children feel comfortable being themselves and excited to come to school each day. We truly appreciate the dedication, love and care that goes into everything they do. They've given our son and us, so many wonderful memories and experiences that we will always be grateful for. We feel very lucky to have been part of this community, and we are so excited that our younger son will be joining the S&E club soon! Thank you, Claire, and the entire team, for creating such a special place for children and families. We are so grateful for the impact Slanted & Enchanted has had on our family and look forward to continuing to be part of this community.
-Zuleicca Chadwick
Where do I begin?! Our experience at Slanted and Enchanted has been so wonderful. Claire and her staff have created such a sweet, loving, and independence-building environment for the students (and parents!). There are so many sweet little touches that they incorporate for the kids to feel wonder and magic in the ordinary. There is a steady consistent structure that the kids can count on AND the teachers are flexible to roll with organic learning/enrichment opportunities that may arise. 10s across the board-can’t recommend highly enough.
-Allison Romero