About us

La Rue building Front
Our History

High Quality, Early Education

John Hillis grew interested in high quality, early education when he became a father, and built his first Montessori school for his then three-year-old daughter in 1974.  He incorporated the center as Campus Childcare in 1985, when he opened Russell Park CDC, which was the first center in Davis to offer infant care. 

Russell Park became so popular that Mr. Hillis was eventually able to expand Campus Childcare Inc. to include Montessori Country Day, La Rue Park CDC, and Montessori Country Day II.  Our four centers provide care every year for approximately 360 children, ages 0-5.  We pride ourselves in providing a foundation for strong social skills, and a love of life-long learning. 

Our Philosophy

Creating a better World

We believe that we have an opportunity to create a better world by providing children with security, warmth, and nurturance; reflecting on the values of each respective family in a positive way, and making each child’s world a place of social responsibility and positive, creative experiences.

Our school is founded on the premise that each child should be treated and respected as an individual. Each child is encouraged to develop at his/her own pace through positive reinforcement and discovery, and through experience which piques their individual curiosity.

Each child has the right to develop to the height of his/her ability through the guidance of creative and talented teachers, and interested, involved parents. The child’s parents and their home culture are respected and reflected through our environment, and our inspired, creative curriculum. We believe that when the child, the school, and the family work together each will receive the ultimate benefits.

Child doing a puzzle

Campus Childcare Inc. provides warm and caring Montessori-based environments for children from birth to five years of age.  Our two locations on the UC Davis campus are accredited by the NAEYC, while the two off-campus locations are more traditionally Montessori, with AMS certified teachers. Between our four locations, we have something for everyone.  Our program prides itself in having a stable, well-educated, and highly nurturing staff.  We strive to provide the best quality of care to families in our area.  Our universal goals are to help families establish strong relationships within the community, and to help children develop independence, self-confidence, and valuable social-emotional skills to set them up for success throughout life.