When a Day Care Owner Retired, These Parents Did an Amazing Thing

Dina Saari spent more than two decades lovingly looking after children at the day care she ran at her home in Mountain View, California. Her warm, caring demeanor — she’d always greet the kids every morning on her knees with open arms — made her seem like a family member to the parents of the children she watched. “It’s like sending them to grandma’s house,” says Jennifer Friedman, who had two of her five kids attend Saari’s Kids for Tomorrow day care.

So when Saari recently announced that she was retiring and downsizing from her home to a two-bedroom condo, a community of about 35 parents who’d sent their kids to Saari over the years got together to surprise her with a renovation of the kitchen, living room and main bedroom, and updates to her master bathroom. “We wanted to make sure her retirement goes smoothly and she’s actually in a home as special to her as her home was to us and our children,” Friedman says.