About Sunflower
Built for Nashville families, by a Nashville parent.
In 2012, Patricia Huang set out to create the childcare center she couldn't find for her own kids. Thirteen years later, Sunflower Learning Center has become a Nashville institution.
Our Story
Why Sunflower exists.
In 2011, Patricia Huang was a first-time mom researching childcare options in Nashville. What she found frustrated her: beautiful facilities that felt institutional, high ratios disguised by good marketing, and staff turnover so frequent that her daughter would have three different "lead teachers" before her first birthday.
So she built the place she wanted. Sunflower Learning Center opened in September 2012 in a renovated 6,500 sq ft space on Belmont Blvd with 8 children and 3 staff. Today we serve 68 children with a 12-person teaching team — but the philosophy hasn't changed.
Every decision at Sunflower is filtered through one question: Is this what we'd want for our own child?
13
Years serving Nashville families
Mission & Philosophy
What we believe.
Child-led learning
Children are natural inquirers. Our Reggio-inspired approach follows their questions, documents their thinking, and trusts them as capable researchers — not empty vessels to be filled.
Partnership with families
You know your child better than we do. Our role is to share what we observe, listen to what you know, and together build the environment each child needs to thrive.
Intentional preparation
Play is not the opposite of learning — it is learning. Every center, every schedule block, and every teacher interaction is designed to build the skills children need for kindergarten and beyond.
Credentials
Licensed, inspected, improving.
TDHS License
Tennessee Department of Human Services Licensed Child Care Center. License #TN-CHILDCARE-12847
NAEYC Pathway
Active participant in NAEYC's accreditation pathway program, working toward full accreditation in 2026.
Fire & Safety
Annual Nashville Fire Marshal inspection. Zero violations in our last three inspections.
Food Service
Registered with Metro Nashville Food Safety for our on-site kitchen. Most recent grade: A.
Community
Rooted in Nashville.
Nashville Public Library Reading Partnership
Monthly storytime visits from NPL librarians bring new books and library card sign-ups directly into our Pre-K classrooms.
Bells Bend Farm Visits
Pre-K children take two annual field trips to a working Nashville farm to connect food systems to our garden curriculum.
Vanderbilt ECE Student Placements
We host 2–3 Vanderbilt graduate students per semester as supervised observers and assistant teachers.
Neighborhood Composting Program
Our kitchen and garden waste composts in partnership with a local urban farm, teaching children about soil health and sustainability.
Our Facility
6,500 sq ft designed for childhood.
Located at 1847 Belmont Blvd, Nashville, TN 37212, our facility was designed from the ground up (with a pediatric environment consultant) to support how children actually learn.
- Four age-separated classrooms with full-length observation windows
- Two outdoor play yards with age-appropriate equipment
- Sensory room with calming lighting and tactile wall panels
- Nature garden with raised beds tended by Preschool Prep and Pre-K
- On-site licensed kitchen (no cold lunches — hot meals daily)
- Nursing/bottle-prep room for infant families
- Secure keypad entry on all classroom and exterior doors
Parent Reviews
Hear it from Nashville families.
4.9★ on Google across 340+ reviews. Real families, real experiences. We don’t cherry-pick — the full review set lives on our Google profile.
“After touring five daycares in Nashville, Sunflower was the only one where my daughter ran through the door without hesitation. Ms. Yuki remembered every detail from our tour visit and had a cot already labeled. The daily Brightwheel updates have completely eliminated my drop-off anxiety.”
“Our son has made more developmental progress in 4 months at Sunflower than the previous 6 months at our last center. His vocabulary literally doubled. Mr. Tomás sends photos every single day and my son talks about his teachers at dinner every night.”
“We were terrified about Ms. Patricia’s sick-child policy at first. But once we understood it was protecting ALL the kids — including ours — we became believers. The community this place has built among families is something we didn’t expect and now can’t imagine living without.”
“My daughter started Pre-K at Sunflower not knowing her letters and left reading simple sentences. Her kindergarten teacher asked me what preschool she attended. I can’t thank Ms. Brianna enough. Worth every penny and then some.”
Give your child the best start.
Licensed. Nurturing. Rigorous. Sunflower Learning Center is open for enrollment. Schedule a tour and see for yourself why Nashville families keep choosing us.