Ranked among the top 10 childcare centers in Davis. Fewer than half of all centers in the city reach this level across our full 11-dimension scoring.
Best for Safety
Earned the highest safety score in Davis. Our safety dimension weighs inspection history, deficiency records, and parent-reported safety culture across reviews.
Most Compassionate
Earned the highest compassion score in Davis. This dimension captures how families describe staff empathy, how concerns are handled, and the emotional environment of the center.
Best Management
Earned the highest management score in Davis. This dimension reflects director responsiveness, communication, operational consistency, and the overall tone families experience from leadership.
Full Ranking Detail
childcare
Applegate Nursery School, established in 1976 at 1701 Russell Blvd in Davis, is a small, child-centered preschool serving ages 2 to 5 with a strong foothold in the progressive Davis community. The center operates a focused three-hour morning program (9:00 am to 12:00 pm) during the school year, plus summer camp options, and holds a long regulatory history as a licensed child care facility. Families seeking full-day care or infant services will need to look elsewhere; this program is purpose-built for part-day preschool learners.
Safety6.0
Curriculum6.0
Art / Music6.0
Infant care4.0
Kindergarten readiness4.0
Teacher quality7.0
Compassion8.0
Management7.0
Culture8.0
Extracurriculars6.0
Programs & curriculum
Curriculum & approach: Describes itself as a child and family centered preschool program. No specific teaching philosophy (e.g., Montessori or play-based) is stated on the homepage.
What sets it apart: Runs a morning program five days a week during the school year. Operating since 1976; located at the Lutheran Church of the Incarnation, 2040 Bishop Place, Davis, CA 95618.
Recognition of Excellence — Website Badge
🏆 For Center Directors
Your center has earned independent recognition based on verified parent reviews. You are welcome to display this badge on your website. Paste the snippet below into your site's HTML — it links back to this verified recognition page.
Top 10 in Davis
<!-- Recognition of Excellence: Applegate Nursery School -->
<a href="https://creativemindsmontessori.com/US-wide-childcare-preschool-rankings/california/sacramento/davis/applegate-nursery-school/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">
<img src="https://creativemindsmontessori.com/US-wide-childcare-preschool-rankings/badges/rank-10-city.jpg"
alt="Top 10 in Davis - Applegate Nursery School - Davis, CA"
width="120" loading="lazy">
</a>
Best for Safety
<!-- Recognition of Excellence: Applegate Nursery School -->
<a href="https://creativemindsmontessori.com/US-wide-childcare-preschool-rankings/california/sacramento/davis/applegate-nursery-school/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">
<img src="https://creativemindsmontessori.com/US-wide-childcare-preschool-rankings/badges/dim-safety.jpg"
alt="Best for Safety - Applegate Nursery School - Davis, CA"
width="120" loading="lazy">
</a>
Most Compassionate
<!-- Recognition of Excellence: Applegate Nursery School -->
<a href="https://creativemindsmontessori.com/US-wide-childcare-preschool-rankings/california/sacramento/davis/applegate-nursery-school/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">
<img src="https://creativemindsmontessori.com/US-wide-childcare-preschool-rankings/badges/dim-compassion.jpg"
alt="Most Compassionate - Applegate Nursery School - Davis, CA"
width="120" loading="lazy">
</a>
Best Management
<!-- Recognition of Excellence: Applegate Nursery School -->
<a href="https://creativemindsmontessori.com/US-wide-childcare-preschool-rankings/california/sacramento/davis/applegate-nursery-school/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">
<img src="https://creativemindsmontessori.com/US-wide-childcare-preschool-rankings/badges/dim-mgmt.jpg"
alt="Best Management - Applegate Nursery School - Davis, CA"
width="120" loading="lazy">
</a>
This recognition is awarded independently by Creative Minds Montessori based on publicly available parent reviews and public records. Centers do not pay for or request these rankings. Scores reflect editorial synthesis of verified parent experience — not center marketing materials. Rankings are updated periodically as new reviews are analyzed.
