Tiny Treasures Preschool in Santa Rosa, California, is more than just a preschool and daycare center – it’s a local institution. “We’ve been providing care in the community for so long that we now have children of past attendees in our school,” says owner, Elizabeth Fiori. “Parents who met as children have stayed friends throughout the years, later married and now their children attend Tiny Treasures!”

As a local institution that is often the preferred preschool and daycare for essential workers such as fire fighters, police and nurses, Fiori did everything in her power to remain in service during the pandemic. “It was so hard, but we kept all the staff working and honored our commitment to stay operating so these essential workers could go and do their critical jobs.”

With such a commitment to community, Tiny Treasures is the perfect partner for Columbia Bank’s Pass It On Project. Knowing how important childcare is to so many families, Tiny Treasures Preschool is providing scholarships to a few families that need a little extra help, and Columbia Bank is paying the bill. “We are passing it on by providing free scholarships to two families who really need the help,” says Fiori. “One family has just adopted three children, and another is a young family just starting out and with Columbia Bank’s generous support, we are going to help them as best we can.”