The Name
Cassidy owners, Crystal and Jesse Biltz, were going to name their first daughter Cassidy. When the idea of the preschool came about, it became their baby instead... thus, the name.

The Building
Built in 1938, the Cassidy building was most recently a doctor's office. "Funnier Fact": When Cassidy was in the middle of construction, a fast-walking anxious couple arrived (about 9 months pregnant) for an appointment.

The Design
Crystal designed Cassidy on a napkin while having dinner out one night. Hundreds of hours were later spent at Home Depot looking over every little detail of what you see inside.

The Construction
Starting in March 2009 with just a shell, one or two load supporting walls, and fair amount of gumption, Crystal and Jesse set off to construct the monster in Crystal's head. With the help of some great people at the City of Santa Monica, the amazing construction crew, a diligent architect, and a bit of luck, Cassidy was finished in about 5 months. Only after the fact (thank goodness), they realized this time-frame was unheard of.

The Piano
The Raspberry Room's piano was bought brand new in 1921 by Jesse's great-grandfather. It's been passed through the family and ended up at Cassidy in October, 2009. If you're lucky (and/or so inclined), you might even find an envelope with a letter inside. It was written by Jesse's grandmother and is the chronological history of every place it's lived... including photos. UPDATE: Cassidy no longer has a piano-playing teacher, so it has been moved to Jesse and Crystal's home in Woodland Hills.

The Furniture
Nearly all of the weathered furniture in Cassidy was bought from a local shop going out of business. Sad, but perfect timing.

The Desk
The desk upstairs is so long that it had to be brought in long before any framing was done. It sat up there through all of the construction and has a few scars to show for it. If it ever needs to come out, the walls are coming down, or it's going through the window.

The Trees
The indoor trees are from the same store where we got the old furniture. The space where the front tree sits was specifically designed to hold it. It ended up affecting the plans for wall placement and a structural beam under the flooring... all for a fake tree.

The Wood
Once the office-like dropped ceilings were ripped out, the beautiful natural barrel roof was exposed. All of the non-supporting cross-members were removed... and kept. Jesse (our assistant director's son) and Jesse (Crystal's husband) built a bookshelf that now sits at the front hallway. In an effort to recycle part of the old building, the wood was also used in building the arbors, the sandbox, and the stage outside.

The Monkeys
Located in the back hallway are two sock monkeys, dressed as bride and groom, swinging from a tree. They were a wedding gift to Crystal and Jesse from Crystal's mom. If you look closely, you'll see a Steelers necklace around the Bride's neck.

The Planes
Jesse has a love for flying and wanted to incorporated planes into the decor. Both the Raspberry and Blackberry rooms have model planes hanging from the rafters.

The Music
Another project of Jesse's was making sure music was piped throughout the school. Each day, the halls are filled with various genres... most notably Classic Rock, 40's, and Reggae.

The Rooms
Although not widely known (maybe until now), Crystal and Jesse named each of the four rooms after their grandmothers (Mary, Joanie, Hank, and Sally).

The Berries
Each class is named after berries that start small (Blueberries) and get larger (Raspberries, Blackberries, and Strawberries) as the kids get older.

The Boxers
Cassius and Kipi come to school nearly every day. Kipi is still learning the world, but Cassius even gets to play with the kids on the playground sometimes. I guess you could say they're the Cassidy mascots.