Readers' Choice Winner: El Jardin Bilingual Preschool

The saying goes "mothers know best," so Patch tapped into Watsonville moms (and some dads, too) to find the favorite local preschool this week.

In our , 117 people voted for the preschool they entrust with their toddlers.

And the winner is:

The school received 63 votes in the contest, a tight race with .

Families interested in learning more about El Jardín can .

"El Jardín builds friendships between all the families of the children attending, and it builds bridges between Spanish speakers and English speakers," Teacher Tammy McCroskey wrote in a review of the school posted on Watsonville Patch. "Children excel in social skills as well as academic skills, even though the program is play-based."

Parents, of course, have a lot of praise for the school.

"My kids are both graduates of El Jardín and now successful students at Alianza Charter School, a bilingual immersion elementary school," former El Jardín parent Pam Sexton wrote in a review on Watsonville Patch. "We spent four years with El Jardín, and it is more than a preschool, though it is certainly a top-rate preschool by any standard. It is also a community of families all committed to learning and growing together."

was a close second with 44 votes. Parents said they appreciate that the school offers free family events, like an .

, , and also tallied a few votes each. Child's Garden Preschool in Corralitos, Cabrillo College Children's Center in Aptos and got write-in votes. Check out the poll below to see all of the votes.

Parents of preschoolers—or fans of any other local business—should review it on Patch. How many stars does your preschool deserve and why? Rate it here.