Lafayette Business Sienna Ranch Needs Your Support

The new coronavirus has changed life for all of us. Local businesses have taken a huge economic hit, but communities are finding creative ways to support the establishments they know and love.

In an effort to help local businesses in our communities stay connected and succeed, Patch will shine a light on some of them through a series of Q&A articles during this time.

Sienna Ranch is one of the businesses in town facing struggles during the coronavirus. You can lend your support by reading more about the company, below, and by contacting them here.

Tell us about your business and its history in your town.

Sienna Ranch is a small, family-owned business in Lafayette, California. We aim to connect Bay Area youth to nature through compelling outdoor programs to cultivate a more compassionate and environmentally-aware future. Sienna Ranch was bought in 2008 by the Kim family and has been working with the Lamorinda area as well as the greater Contra Costa and Alameda counties. We serve homeschool families and mainstream school families year round.

How has the new coronavirus impacted your business and its employees?

Our classes are in-person nature connection classes. Due to the shelter in place, we have had to shift all our programs to be online, virtual experiences. This has meant a loss of hours for all our staff, as well as a decrease in registrations. We shifted our programs to offer a virtual experience and are hoping our community will want to participate with us.

How can local customers support you now and in the future?

During this uncertain time where we are all staying home, we came up with an incredible online curriculum that encompasses a multitude of resources and activities to do at home, as well as weekly meetings with our teachers that include animal interaction videos, crafts and conversations about how we can connect to whatever nature we currently have access to at the moment from big back yards to the little plants that push their way through the cement cracks on sidewalks.

Do you have any words of encouragement for your community?

We are so grateful to the families who were signed up for Session 4 and stuck with us for the virtual experience. We have gotten so much positive feedback about the programs and we want to share some of that feedback: "Four of my kids have had their classes so far today and they’ve all enjoyed it immensely! Seriously blown away at the flexibility and creativity Sienna Ranch has shown in getting this program transitioned online."

"Logan loves this so much. Thank you for doing these! A great activity to change up the day to day quarantine!"

We are also enjoying seeing everyone get outside in the local parks and in their neighborhoods, exploring nature with their kids.

Are you offering any special services, promotions or hours during this time?

Sienna Ranch is operating our Session 4 classes virtually online through Zoom. All classes will feature a weekly 40-minute live Zoom (online video) session with your favorite Sienna Ranch instructors! Classes will include the familiar Sienna Ranch welcome howl, gratitude and nature news traditions, games, songs, interactive activities, virtual Ranch connection time (yes, there will be baby goats), age-appropriate online resources, nature scavenger hunts, independent nature missions and independent assignments that will get your children connecting with nature right where you live. There will also be hygienically-prepared project kits for classes like wood shop and pottery, for families to pick up from the Ranch and complete at home, with Zoom-guided classes led by your regular instructors.

Are there any other outstanding businesses in town you think deserve some community support?

Rising Loafer Cafe & Bakery is also a small family-owned bakery/restaurant that is great!

Do you own a local business in need of a feature on Patch? Fill out the questions in this form for consideration. Or, check out Patch's full list of resources for small businesses during the coronavirus crisis.

Thank you, and stay safe!