Part of the Village

Shannon Sivadon and Erica Metzen are co-owners and directors of Acorns to Oaks Preschool and Daycare in Chico. They aren’t just business partners though, they’re lifelong friends. Shannon moved to Chico in 1998 and Erica was her first best friend in junior high, then into Pleasant Valley High School, and even roommates during their college years. As they moved into their different fields, they’d share virtual morning coffees on the way to work, always staying connected even as their paths separated.

Shannon received her degree in child development and went on to work in various daycare facilities. In 2018, she worked in Paradise running the childcare at Beyond Fitness. The Camp Fire completely destroyed the fitness center, and Shannon was then without a job. She says Erica had always encouraged her to open up her own in-home daycare, but she never felt confident enough to do that. However, she explains the fire provided the impetus needed to take the leap and branch out with her own home daycare business. She chose the name Acorn to Oaks because of her proximity to Hooker Oak, along with the fact she had always liked the phrase, “Mighty oaks from little acorns grow.”

Erica’s path took her to Chico State to earn a degree in liberal studies with the intent of becoming a teacher. However, after graduation, it just didn’t feel like the right fit for her, so she went into finance. She worked at a local bank for 12 years, gradually working her way up into an auditor position. While she liked what she did, she would come home and tell her husband, “I wish I actually made an imprint on someone’s life.” She wanted to feel like she was making a difference. Her husband Dan, who she shares is extremely supportive, told her to quit her job if she wasn’t happy there. Six months later, she became pregnant with her son and elected to stay at home with him until she was ready to work in an outside field again.

She knew how successful Shannon was in her business and realized that with her own background in finance and accounting, a partnership between the two would be a good fit. Erica’s husband, who is a contractor, purchased a building and together they worked on renovating it in preparation for expanding Shannon’s at-home daycare business. Erica and Shannon opened the new Acorns to Oaks Preschool and Daycare in March of 2023. It consists of two buildings—one holds the infant center for 0-2 year olds, and the other is the preschool for children ages 3-5 years. A beautiful oak tree mural painted by Christine MacShane graces the wall of the entrance, complete with friendly forest animals scampering on and around it. There are two spacious classrooms, the owl room and the fox room, each decorated with coordinating wall murals and lined with cubbies labeled with the preschooler’s names. A colorful “Look What I Did” wall showcases daily pieces of art the children worked on recently alongside visual cues on colors, shapes, and numbers. Shannon shares that, “Although we are curriculum based, we do a balance of both curriculum and play.” They employ the Mother Goose Time model of curriculum and offer additional information about it on their website, www.atochico.com. Shannon has over twenty years of experience working with young children and is extremely passionate about what she does. “I, along with Erica, put our heart and soul into the business, and I think it shows.” They share how important it is to be present in the day-to-day running of the business. “Our passion and our drive in wanting to be part of the village raising our children is why we’re here.”

Acorns to Oaks Preschool and Daycare is located at 555 East Avenue in Chico and can be reached through their website, www.atochico.com or by phone at 530-715-7315. They’re open Monday through Friday from 7:00am to 6:00pm.