A place where every child is known and every family feels at home.

A small daycare and preschool in Auburn, owned and run by one family since 2002. Drop your child off in the morning and go to work with peace of mind: they are safe, happy and with people who know them.

Book a tour Call (253) 333-8224

A teacher and a boy reading a book together

Open Monday through Friday, 6 AM to 6 PM, for children from six weeks to school age. Trusted by Auburn families since 2002, and rated Early Achievers Quality Level 3 by the state.

A room for every stage

Every age is different, so each room is built around what children need most at that stage. Many arrive as babies and stay until kindergarten, so we get to watch them grow up.

6 weeks to 12 months
Infant
Your baby’s own schedule, and a note and a photo every day.
1 to 3 years
Toddler
Music, sensory play, stories, and the first routines they can own.
3 years
Preschool
Building, painting, counting at snack, and asking why.
4 to 5 years
Pre‑kindergarten
Letters, sounds, their own name, and feeling ready for kindergarten.
Before and after school
School age
Quiet mornings, homework help and room to unwind after school.

What you’ll notice

Small rooms

We keep our rooms small on purpose: enough children for a lively room, and not so many that your child becomes another face in it. At pickup you hear more than “good day”: what they played, what they discovered, who they sat next to.

Secure entry

The building is clean, supervised and secured with controlled entry. The familiar faces at the door know the children and the families who walk through it.

Reading first

Reading, talking, listening and sharing ideas are part of every day in every room, from board books and songs with the babies to stories and first sentences in pre-kindergarten.

How we teach

What looks like play has a plan behind it. Every room follows Teaching Strategies, a curriculum built around how young children actually learn: through play, routines and conversation.

Screenings and conferences

Every child has developmental screenings, and teachers complete assessments through the year. Three times a year you sit down with your child’s teacher and set goals for the months ahead. Nobody is graded.

An adult and a child drawing together at a low table

A teacher and a girl with pigtails coloring at a classroom table

Built by parents who had been there

Before Tender Years, our founders were working parents of four, handing their own children to someone else each morning and carrying the same quiet questions on the drive to work.

Are they safe? Are they happy? Are they learning? Are they getting what they need?

In 2002 they built the place they wanted for their own children. More than two decades later, some of the parents dropping off their little ones were once children here themselves. We can’t think of a better compliment.

Our teachers

Every teacher finishes the state’s required training, and ours, before they are in a room with children. The learning carries on every year after.

Read about our staff and what we ask of them

Our director

If you tour, this is who walks you through. They run the center day to day: which rooms are open, who is teaching where, every family’s questions and every form the state asks for.

Our assistant director

The person you will see most at drop-off and pickup, and the one who picks up the phone when you call. They keep the day moving: covering rooms and checking in with teachers.

What families say

Good to know

Meals, paperwork and the questions parents ask most. Everything else, ask us on your tour.

Do you have openings?

Openings change by room and by season. Call and tell us a little about your child, and we’ll let you know what is open now, what may open soon and how the waitlist works.

Thinking about joining the Tender Years family? We’d love to hear from you and talk about what would be right for your child.

What does a day look like?

Every room has its own rhythm, shaped around the children who spend their days in it. Meals, play, learning, time outside and rest are woven through the day in the way that suits each age. Some days are busy with exploring and making things; others leave more room for cuddles, quiet play and rest.

On your tour we’ll walk you through a typical day in the room your child would join, so you can picture what their days here would really look like.

Do you serve meals?

Yes. We are part of the Child and Adult Care Food Program, so breakfast, lunch and an afternoon snack follow the USDA meal pattern for young children. There is a sample week on the Meals page. Tell us about any allergy and we plan around it.

Do you work with Working Connections Child Care?

Yes. Working Connections Child Care is Washington’s subsidy for families who need help paying for care while they work or go to school. How to check whether you qualify and apply is on the Forms page, and if you’re not sure where to start, call us and we’ll point you in the right direction.

Are you licensed and rated?

Yes. Our licensed name is Tender Years Academy Center. We are a Washington State licensed child care center and an Early Achievers Quality Level 3 program, the state’s quality rating for early learning.

We believe families deserve to know who is caring for their children and what standards a program follows. You can look us up on Washington’s Child Care Check, which shows our license, our inspections from the last three years and our Early Achievers rating. Ask us about any of it on your tour.

Come and see it for yourself

Look around, see the rooms, meet the teachers who may be caring for your child, and ask us anything on your mind. Tours take about half an hour and there is no pressure, just a chance to get to know us and picture your child here. Children are welcome to come along. We’d love to meet you and your family.

Book a tour or call (253) 333-8224

Getting here

Address: 2406 A St SE, Auburn, WA 98002
Phone: (253) 333-8224
Hours: Monday through Friday, 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM
Closed Saturday and Sunday
Serving: Auburn, Kent, Federal Way, Puyallup and the greater South King and Pierce County area