Little School to close after 35 years

Sonoma Little School has made a big impression on two generations of local children. Among current parents are a handful who attended the school themselves. Some former student interns are now beloved teachers.

“In every town, there are institutions that have so positively touched the lives of the community that they become part of the soul of the town,” said former Sonoma Mayor and former Little School student Logan Harvey. “In Sonoma, one such institution is the Little School.”

The iconic grey preschool on Broadway across from Sonoma Valley High School is slated to close on Friday, after 35 years.

“I’m heartbroken as I wasn’t ready to give it up yet,” owners Sonja Rasmussen, 63, said. “If it weren’t for the pandemic, we would still be going strong.”

As a little girl growing up in Sweden, Rasmussen said she always knew she would run a preschool one day.

In her 20s, she emigrated with her new husband Peter Hodgson to the Bay Area.

“We were living in Novato at the time and biked up here one weekend and fell in love with Sonoma,” she said. They ended up raising three children here.

Rasmussen first opened the Little School in 1986 as an in-home preschool on Napa Road, but the business soon outgrew the space. She relocated first to rented space at 1254 Broadway and then, in 1995, she bought the current building – the former Dragon’s Pit hamburger stand – at 991 Broadway.

For the past three decades, the Little School has enrolled around 36 children at a time, with working-family-friendly weekday hours of 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.

When COVID hit, the school closed for three months. When it reopened at reduced capacity for the children of essential workers, Rasmussen felt badly about not being able to re-enroll the bulk of her families.

She has been running the program at a loss ever since.

“If we had more classrooms, it might have worked out,” she said. “But the restrictions of reduced capacity and cohorts just don’t work with our layout.”

A PPP loan and a few much-appreciated grants weren’t enough to stem the flow of red ink.

Last month, Rasmussen came to the painful realization that the only viable solution was to close her doors.

“It was such a shock to hear about it closing,” said local mom Liz Britell, who has two children currently at the school and one now in elementary school. “We’re so sad but also thankful for the time they did get to spend and the relationships they developed.”

Britell credits the Little School with helping her avoid postpartum depression.

“Having two kids back to back in 10 months is a lot and thanks to the Little School, I was able to go back to work without being worried,” she said.

“Sonja has been such a huge resource and support for Sonoma families for so long,” said local mom Brienne Fabela, whose three children all attended the Little School. “My youngest attended through the pandemic and Sonja did everything she could to keep the doors open. It was life-saving for us as we needed to keep working.”

Harvey said the Little School made it possible for working parents like his to drop their child off and go to work with the piece of mind that they would be cared for, loved and safe.

“It was at the Little School that so many young Sonomans learned to share, to make friends and to play nicely,” he said. “I have so many memories of that wonderful place, nap-times on the floor of the old building, being read to while sitting on Penny's knee or participating as the only boy in ballet class.”

Fabela believes she toured all of the local preschools before choosing the Little School.

“Sonja’s child-centric, loving, simple philosophy was really appealing to me,” she said. “It helped me as a parent in my own parenting as well.”

The school is Montessori-based and current parents describe the ethos as supportive and encouraging.

“We believe in nurturing children and giving them security, self-esteem and independence,” Rasmussen said. “We foster their curiosity about the world.”

Thanks to its location, directly across from Sonoma Valley High, Rasmussen developed a robust internship program with high school students who were interested in early childhood education. Her team was disappointed when the work/study program was abruptly canceled almost a decade ago.

“It is the staff there who make it so special,” said local mom Nicole Andres. “Sonya is a calm sweet personality and she hired the best people.”

Andres attended Little School in the 1980s and chose it for her three children, now 10, 9 and 6.

“My kids came home happy and they loved their teachers,” said Andres. “Everyone is devastated. I feel sad for the legacy of the school.”

“I’m honored and humbled by the outpouring of support and so grateful to the hundreds of families who have entrusted the care of their children to me over the years,” said Rasmussen.

She says she is focused on these final days and hasn’t yet thought about the fate of the building. Down the road, she and Hodgson will decide whether to sell it or look for a tenant, she said. They also own Barking Dog Roasters on Highway 12.

“The Little School had 35 great years,” said Rasmussen. “I don’t know what I will do next. Being with children has been my life’s joy and passion.”

Contact Lorna at lorna.sheridan@sonomanews.com.