I've put off writing this review for quite a while now, b/c DC'ing is such a beloved institution, and also, there are so few daycares in Marin, that even if not a good fit, you may not have a choice. I ultimately decided to throw down my two cents, in case it helps a family, with similar ideas and priorities as ours, in deciding where to spend their hard-earned money and time (because this is a co-op you will be expected to dedicate work hours, too). If you commute from SF for work, good luck getting there at 6pm. I think more than a few parents hire nannies to pick up their kids or one parent only works part-time or not at all, which is how they manage it. And don't let the relaxed vibe there fool you. Even being a minute late will cost you $5, plus a few very nasty looks. Do it twice, and they threaten to expel your kid. It's a nonprofit, but they charge nearly as much as any other daycare. They have a fundraiser too that you are expected to contribute to. I raised $500 my first year there (Didn't get so much a thank you note. Makes me sorry that I traded in my "mommy capitol" among my friends and family to get them to donate, when I really could have used that effort and my friends cash for a nonprofit that would have truly appreciate it.) When you tour the place, you will see the rows and rows of diapers in the one small bathroom. Thats because easily 80% of kids are not toilet trained, including the ones who are going to start kindergarten next year. They only take the kids to the bathroom twice a day. The bathroom is hidden off in a side room, very far away from the play area. Trying to potty train your kid in this set up is a losing battle. (My kid was potty trained w/in 4 weeks at a new daycare, without me changing anything else about our routine. The new place takes the kids every hour). Initially, I thought the place had a sort of casual chic. $1300/month later, I wondered where my money was going, with the dirty toys, broken furniture, peeling paint, and all the delayed maintenance, including plumbing / drainage problems that shut the place down for a few days, that left us scrambling for daycare. Once again, they rely on that "relaxed" vibe to be what I would charterize as disorganized. If you have any questions or issues about your kid, you are supposed to write it in this notebook at the front. I don't think anyone reads that though, so I wound up spending a lot of time buttonholing teachers and telling them personally anytime I had info to convey. Meals - as you probably know if you are touring the place, you provide meals. That's fine, however, they are supposed to help your kid find, open, and eat their food. The very small kids, 3 - 5, have trouble with this. Example - my kids lunchbox had front and side compartments. I discovered that no one was bothering to open them up, and get the food out for my toddler. Meals wasted, kid hungry. 3 years old is just too little for kids for to be expected to feed themselves. My son is a picky eater as is - but even for a good eater, expecting them to find and open his own food? Like the potty issue, it comes down to staffing - too little of them. Staff - some are nice, some are less so, most of them seem overwhelmed. The owner only works 3/4 time (not there on Friday). I'm not one of those parents who minds if their kid gets dirty. My son is a very active child and loves a good mud puddle. However, I have my limits. He would come home, absolutely filthy, just about every day, including permanent stains from nonwashable markers and paint. I asked them if they could either switch to washable paint ("no, these are the paints we use") or put a smock on the kids ("no, we don't have time for that"). So, I had to add soaking and treating my son's clothes to my To Do list every day, or else have every picture ever taken of my kid in clothes looking like I dug them out of the trash. Or have an entire other wardrobe for weekends, with all my extra cash. And call me a bad person, but I would have liked to be able to go at least one day without having to give my kid a full bath. Overall, I don't think this place is understanding or responsive to the needs of working parents, particularly moms. It probably started as little coop for mommies to take the kids to a few hours a week, so they could socialize, but not as a real daycare, for working parents. Example - my kid was having a tough week, and kept asking for me. The teacher asked me if I could "spend some time with him. Just 15 minutes a day." She actually believed that I literally never spent more than 14 minutes a day with my kid - probably less! I didn't know whether to laugh or cry, but I calmly explained to her that despite having a jobs, my husband and I spent breakfast, and 6 pm to bedtime every night with our kid, not to mention of course weekends. She honestly looked flabbergasted. Then said "oh. ok. I guess you do see him." SMH. Like I said at the outset, I know I'm the outlier here. read more

I cannot say enough about this wonderful school. I credit my two-year-old son's happiness, growth and (decent ;) behavior at home to all of these absolutely wonderful providers. They have shown my son incredible patience and love (He has grown especially attached to Eva ;), and, as a single mom, it means a lot to me that they charge very affordable prices compared to other schools. read more

My son has been here for three years now and we are really grateful to have found this wonderful establishment. He has learned how to be a more concise and considerate person. The teachers are practical parents themselves and know when to coddle and when not to coddle. I have met many parents who's children are now in high school and college but they still remember there time at Daycaring with fondness. I know this chapter in my son's life will also be revered with Daycaring Preschool as the wonderful backdrop to his experience. read more

We love Day Caring. Our daughter has attended for the past year now, and the staff has really treated us like family. Everyone there truly cares about our daughter! read more

We had a wonderful life changing 2 years of growing experiences at this wonderful school. I recommend it strongly to all new parents who are looking for a place where their kids are seen as a real little person with big ideas and emotions. They will always listen to your child and look deep in them to understand them. What I found the most extraordinary at Daycaring was the amount of LOVE your child get into. We will never forget about it ! read more

We absolutely love this school! Two out of my three kids have been part of this amazing "Daycaring family". The teachers are super sweet, loving, caring and understanding! Most of them became my dear friends and my kids will never forget them. They will always be a huge part of their lives for ever! You can never find a better school anywhere else! read more

My son would not be the fine young man he is, nor I the mom I am, without the love, caring, and support at Day Caring Preschool. I can't say enough about the creativity of the curriculum, the smart and caring staff, and wonderful community of families at this wonderful school. The kids graduate well-prepared for Kindergarten, and with a firm foundation in the skills they'll need to navigate life and school for years to come. read more

Being a parent at Daycaring Preschool was like being part of an extended family, all of whom loved my son. Every day as we dropped him off we were confident to know that he was well cared for and loved by every person who worked at Daycaring. He enthusiastically strode in the door and greeted the day with wonder and the staff encouraged his wonder! The kids have a chance to be kids. Artistic expression is part of the recipe for each day and Stewart came home happy and proud each day. The loving way that each child's experience is held by the staff is so dear. Highly recommended by this Fairfax mom. Go Daycaring! read more

DayCaring Preschool was more than a daycare for my boys and my family. The staff and ome of the other parents became family. I knew my kids were in great hands whenever they went to school and they always looked forward to the days that they would be there. I never had to convince them to go. I loved that place and feel that they gave my boys the room to be kids with love and creativity without ever hurting their spirit. One of my son's was a biter and I really appreciated the care and attention and love they gave him during this phase. Anyway, two thumbs up for this preschool. read more

The absolute best preschool with teachers that truly are engaged in your child's development and learning. They go above and beyond and have an amazing philosophy about bringing out the best in your child. Both my daughters have been a part of the daycare family for over a decade and could not ever imagine life without all who are a part of this amazing school!!! read more

We are really happy with this school for our daughter who has gone there for 2 years. The teachers and director are wonderful, positive and really care about the kids. It's a happy place which teaches the kids kindness, empathy and good social skills while engaging them in stimulating activities. read more

I cannot say enough about this place!!!! MAGICAL! It has been a wonderful journey as a first time parent. My son was able to flourish and learn while maintaining his love for play and adventure! The staff have figured out how to maintain a fun atmosphere while teaching which keeps my son engaged. They treat each child individually and really understand their needs and their personalities. We are moving on to Kindergarten in September, I will miss the warmth and security I have when I drop my son off at DC. So grateful we came to Daycaring and for the amazing staff! read more

My three daughters went to Day Caring Preschool. They all three loved that place and I looked forward to every visit as I found the staff warm and welcoming and generous. Just a wonderful experience for all of us. read more

My son has been attending Daycaring Preschool since he had just turned 2 years old. This is his third year. We have been extremely pleased with the school, and easily recommending it to friends. We looked into almost all of the local schools before choosing this one. Because my son was so young when he started, it was important to us that the student:teacher ratio was so low, and he could get individual attention when he needed it. This also meant he could get assistance at lunchtime. The teachers are all very experienced, with around a decade of experience teaching each. Most (all?) of the teachers are also mothers, and this just provides such a different level of care at this age. The teachers understand my perspective as a parent, and they know how to nurture, and provide realistic boundaries, as well as educate children. I have seen my son get hurt (bonked heads in play with another child) and comfortably and immediately go to a teacher for real comfort. They have helped me come up with practical and effective approaches to life changes (new sibling, death of a pet) and good solutions to problematic behaviors. Many of the teachers are mothers of boys, and they understand little boy energy. They also helped us with potty training, and I'm sure that the help at school is the reason he potty trained quickly and easily fairly young. At nap time, they will rock each child that needs it to sleep in a glider. The teachers are a beloved part of the local community, and we frequently run into the teachers and their families at local fairs and events. The communication from the teachers to the parents is fantastic. Frequently, a teacher will take the time to come and tell me about something that happened during the day. Something sweet my boy said, or something funny, or who he plays with, and what the games were. They will go out of their way to remember it and share it, because they know I would want to know. They are also good at communicating if anything went wrong, on his part or theirs. I feel I can trust that I will find out anything I need, or would want, to know. The cost of tuition is surprisingly affordable for the quality of care and teaching that is offered. The school is run as a non-profit, to keep the costs down for the parents. I hesitate to give them ideas, but it is worth more. The snack food is healthy, with fresh food, and it is often made right there in the kitchen with help from older students. They offer many different schedule options, to meet the needs of as many parents as possible. As our family has gone through a number of changes (job changes, sibling additions, +), they have allowed us to change our schedule multiple times to meet our needs. I couldn't have asked for more support. My son is very high energy and social, and he needs space to really move and play physically to be happy. The facility has large areas indoor and out, really, you have got to see them, and it lets the children have breathing room, and space to play in small groups. The teacher ratio is good enough, that there is always an adult with the groups. They have a separate bike area, playground, art tables, edible garden, summer water play, all outside. They have multiple indoor spaces, with plenty of bright happy rooms, for when it is to hot or cold outside. My son can't wait to get into the school, often running in from the front yard, and he is sleepy and happy at the end of the day. He tells me about stories they made up in circle time, sings songs about him they made, learning letters, making bread, and comes home with incredible facepaint. We are very happy there. read more

I cannot say enough wonderful things about this school. We've been a Daycaring family for 5 years now between our 3 kids. And the love, care, and support we ALL receive from this place is unparalleled. They are our family and we know they have our kids backs. This place is truly a sanctuary. read more

I can not say enough wonderful things about this place! I toured A LOT of preschools in the area before visiting Day Caring and I knew immediately that I had found what I was looking for. The staff there is warm, friendly, and completely down to earth. Nothing feels contrived or insincere about the interactions with the children or their families. I can say with complete honesty that my daughter's confidence has grown tremendously since being there and I have no doubt that it has a lot to do with the encouragement and consistent support that she's received from her teachers at Day Caring. At one point I considered moving my child to a preschool closer to our home where her name had come up to receive a scholarship, significantly reducing her tuition. After a trial day at the other preschool I decided that I couldn't do it. I knew that she, (and I) would miss the excitement and eccentricity of Day Caring too much. The extremely loving & supportive, (and incredibly funny) staff who all truly feel like family, in addition to the earthy and creative programming are the heart and bones of Day Caring. There really is no place like this and my daughter is always exited to go "to school". This coming year my youngest will be joining the Day Caring family and I'm so exited about an additional 2+ years of being a part of the wonderful Day Caring family. read more

I had two sons go through Daycaring Preschool, and they both thrived there. The staff is loving, caring, and creative. I recommend it.

Our daughter started here in September and we were a little nervous since she was on the young side-not quite 3. But our worries were unfounded. She has flourished here. The teachers and preschool have been wonderful for her. She is outside playing a lot, she works on fun projects, and the teachers know her personality and habits. They are relaxed and understand normal kid behavior and encourage good behavior. I love how they deal with conflict and the general atmosphere is loving and creative. read more