About us
Seventeen years of one simple promise
That every child who walks through our door is safe, known, and genuinely excited to be here — and that every parent knows exactly what happened today.
Mission
To provide exceptional, developmentally grounded care in an environment so warm that families call it a second home.
Vision
A community where every child enters kindergarten confident, curious, kind, and deeply loved by the adults who taught them.
Promise
Small ratios, stable teachers, real food, honest communication, and no surprises — ever.
Our values
Four commitments we measure ourselves against
Warmth first
Children learn best from people who delight in them. Connection precedes correction, always.
Curiosity as curriculum
We follow children's questions into deep, weeks-long investigations.
Partnership with families
You are the expert on your child. We build every plan alongside you.
Radical transparency
Open-door visits, published ratios, and daily documentation of the real day.
Our history
How the Haven grew
2009
The Haven opens
Marisol Vega opens a single preschool room on Meadowlark Lane with twelve children.
2012
Infant program launches
A purpose-built infant wing opens with 1:3 ratios and a dedicated nap suite.
2015
NAEYC accreditation
We earn national accreditation on the first submission — top 8% of centers nationally.
2018
The studio and garden
An atelier and a quarter-acre natural playground with a children's garden are added.
2021
Haven Scholarships
Our need-based fund begins, awarding over $340,000 in tuition support to date.
2024
Second building
The Pre-K and school-age wing opens, adding a STEM lab and homework studio.
2026
1,400 families
We celebrate seventeen years and more than fourteen hundred families served.
Meet the founders
A family business, still run by the family
Marisol Vega
Founder & Center Director
A preschool teacher for ten years before opening the Haven, Marisol still reads to the Twos every Wednesday and knows all 148 children by name.
Elena Vega-Brooks
Co-Founder & Operations
A former pediatric nurse, Elena wrote our health, safety, and emergency protocols and audits them twice a year.
Licensing & accreditation
Credentials worth checking
We're proud to be inspected often. A Child's Safe Haven maintains every credential below in good standing.
- Oregon Childcare License #CC-448120
- NAEYC Accredited since 2015
- Oregon Spark 5-Star Quality Rating
- CACFP Food Program participant
- Brightwater Chamber Business of the Year, 2023
- Oregon ECE Employer of Choice, 2024 & 2025
Community involvement
Rooted in Brightwater
Brightwater Food Bank
Monthly family food drive and 4,200 pounds donated last year.
Meadowlark Elementary
Kindergarten transition partnership and shared literacy nights.
Brightwater Public Library
A visiting storyteller in our lobby every second Friday.
Oregon ECE Apprenticeship
We host and mentor four early-childhood apprentices each year.
Come see the difference in person
Tours run Monday through Friday. Meet the teachers, walk the classrooms, and ask us anything.