Ms. Maria has been wonderful with our kids. Our oldest was there from around 6 months of age till she went off to Pre-K and our youngest also started around 6 months of age and is still attending. They both have learned so much. From their letters, colors, yoga, counting, days and months, writing and a great vocabulary. Almost every day the kids bring home an art project or worksheet they completed that day. The food provided is home cooked and smells delicious, they never come hungry because they did not eat or tired because they did not nap. Both kids have enjoyed their time there and often run towards the entrance with excitement. With all the challenges due to COVID, Daydream has been consistent in providing quality care for our children. Ms. Maria is very careful in selecting her staff and has had only top-notch help even in these challenging times with labor shortages. I have felt very safe with both my children here. read more

We randomly came across Daydream Childcare during a walk one day. Our son started when he was about 6 months and he was there until he was almost 3. We absolutely loved Ms. Maria and the teachers. Our son especially loved yoga days and share days on Friday's and would bring art work home almost daily. He learned to crawl, walk, and talk here and we are always getting complicated on how well spoken he is for his age (all thanks to Daydream!) Unfortunately we moved a few months ago and were so sad to leave everyone. We would have 100% sent out daughter there if we were still in the area. We are struggling to find a daycare for our premature daughter and are always saying how we wish we could have taken Ms. Maria with us. We can't recommend her daycare enough!! read more

We found Daydream through a recommendation from family. My older one has been attending since 6 months old and is now a talkative, happy, rambunctious little 2 year old. The growth and development we've seen is astounding (counting to 20, singing the ABCs (and many other songs), speaking in sentences, reciting the months of the year, and more). As such, I did not hesitate to start sending my younger one (now 6 months old) there this past week. While Daydream is an in-home daycare, it's run more like a school vs. a babysitter. Ms. Maria (head teacher and owner) used to teach at a Montessori school for years so she applies the same methodology, while also adding some more structure. The day consists of story time, crafts, music, play time, guided learning, etc. Breakfast and lunch are provided as well as snacks in between. For infants, you are to bring your own milk/formula and baby food. Naps are from 1-3:30 (infants have an additional short nap in the morning). One of the reviews mentioned an unfriendly environment, but I think it could be a cultural and generational difference. For me, personally, I am willing to oversee that given how well they take care of the kids and love on them. There are pros and cons to each day care and the pros win in my case. read more

I can't seem to get a hold of them. I've left messages. So this isn't a review of the daycare.

I have had 8 nieces and nephews go through Ms. Maria's daycare with rave reviews, so it was only fitting that when it was time to look at day care facilities for my daughter, that I consider Day Dream as an option. I was certainly glad that I did! From my initial meeting with Ms. Maria she was very professional and I could tell that she ran a tight ship. I found out that she was trained as a Montessori teacher and uses the same techniques in her facility. (What a bonus) The daycare room is light, bright and is exceptionally clean. The outdoor play area is large, safe and well equipped to have 12 children running around. My daughter was 1 1/2 when she was enrolled. She cried just about every day for 6 weeks when I dropped her off each morning. As a parent, it was heart wrenching. As with everything, it takes a little time for a child to adjust to a new setting. Today, my daughter runs to the entrance and looks forward to a day filled with learning and playtime with friends. The children have routines from the moment they walk through the door. They have a wonderful balance of educational learning and playtime. Ms. Maria will discipline your child and she will also make sure to tell you about the challenges that she encounters in the process. She expects you, as a parent, to discipline as well. It may seem harsh, but it is for the best. It is always hard to accept that your child isn't perfect, but children need to know and respect boundaries and this is what Ms. Maria enforces. Sick children are sent home so that the other children at the daycare are not exposed to the illness. Yes, it is inconvenient for a working parent, but if the table was turned, and your child was left in an environment with a sick classmate and eventually became ill, wouldn't you be upset?! Ms. Maria and her staff are wonderful. They truly love and care for the children that they watch. When my daughter walks out the door at night, she turns to Ms. Maria and tells her that she loves her and Ms. Maria does the same and gives her a big hug. To say that I made the right decision sending my daughter to Day Dream is an understatement. The education that my child has received has set her on a path to succeed - for that, I will be forever grateful. read more

Pros: Day care is clean, neat and tidy room, good price for San Jose area. Cons: Absolutely unfriendly environment for a child/children. We've been enrolled to this day care with my two kids for about 2 weeks. That was the maximum my kids and us (including my husband) could stand the day care owner's attitude. All the time that my kids were attending this day care I spent few minutes during drop-off to undress them, take of their shoes and settle them before leaving. Not even once I saw a day care owner Mrs. Maria smiling at them, asking my older one (3.4 y/o) how was his evening/weekend or trying to make it easy on them to get separated from parents in the morning. On the contrary, all I heard was her giving orders to my older child in a very demanding manner to take off /or put on his shoes, come and eat, so on. My kids, that usually take day care pretty calm didn't want to go there and cried every time I left. I was hoping it's just in the beginning, but now we enrolled them in a new day care after this one and I see a difference! Not only my older one doesn't complain, but he runs to the new day care ahead of us! While, in Daydream he would hold on my leg and whisper to take him back... What a difference! On the second week the day care owner refused to accept my younger child because of minor cold and even after me taking him to a hospital and clearing for a day care attendance she still gave me very hard time on keeping him in that day and the day after. The last drop was when I brought children one morning and my younger one started to whine a bit, because he was obviously sleepy, she told me she won't accept him like that and she will call me to pick him up if he cries... And my child usually doesn't cry at all... Rude both to kids and parents, not to mention that I got yelled at several times, when asking some simple questions. I've never seen a child care provider in my life before who would yell at a parent of newly (2 weeks) submitted kids things like: "Don't tell me what to do, as I've been having this business for more than 10 years and I know what I'm doing!" or "If you don't like it, take them and go" and that's all just for asking simple questions about children well-being.. God forbid, you ask anything else.. My husband was openly afraid of asking her anything whatsoever.. She is right, it's just a business to her. Absolutely, no attachment and no dedication to child care, not to mention expression of any positive emotion. Nothing personal, just business. I'm so happy that my children are off to a much better care now that they really enjoy it. read more

We have had kids with Maria for over 7 years and we are so grateful to have found her. Because of her our girls are independent, self sufficient, patient, well mannered, loving kids who love school. Her program is successful because it is structured and kids know what to expect. They aren't coddled or pampered, but they are treated with kindness, respect, and love. And she adapted to my daughter's special needs. Many kids age out right into kindergarten knowing how to read simple words and basic math and feeling prepared for independence. Because it is mixed age, you work at your pace. It isn't for everyone. If you are a nervous parent or want lots of detail, or baby cams, you might be happier in a more corporate environment. read more

The rudest daycare owner that I ever spoke with. This is verbatim translation of our phone call: Me: I am interested in getting some information about your daycare. Can you please tell me how many kids can your daycare take? Maria: How old is your kid? Me: xx months Maria: We are open from xx to xx, provide breakfast, snack and lunch. You can come for a tour. Me: How many kids in all can you have? Maria: I have 9 right now. Me: How many under 2 year olds can you take? Maria: 14 Me: 14 might be your total capacity. Licensing usually limits the number of under 2 year olds. How many under 2 year olds can you take? Maria: I told you I have spots. If I am telling you that then I know my job better than you. I told you I have spots. I know my job. I cannot give you this information on phone. Do you want to come for tour or not. Me: No I don't. Thank you. read more

We LOVE this place. Our son started with Daydream at the age of 10 months and daughter at 4 months. Miss. Maria and her team have become an extension of our family. As first time parents when we joined, it was very important for us to have a personalized and affectionate care for the children. The daycare has a great reputation for having kids go directly to Kindergarten. I can see why that is true, the kids are taught to be independent, self sufficient and confident. We really like that it is a mixed aged kids as it helps kids develop academically and socially with ease. It's a good mix of play and study. Miss Maria worked very collaboratively with us when it came to setting a consistent structure and helped transition out the bottle, pacifiers and diapers. We highly recommend this place and Miss Maria. We've had great experience and will be thankful for all that her team does for the kids. read more

Making a daycare decision for your child is certainly not something that you take lightly, so when Ms. Maria came highly recommended to us by a colleague we went to visit her in-home facility. She made sure we came at a time when children were present so that we could see how she runs her "school" which we appreciated because we saw how happy all the children were there. My son started with Ms. Maria when he was just 5 months old and adjusted very well from the beginning. He absolutely loves all 3 of his teachers at Daydream and is a social, happy, thriving 1.5 year old today. My husband and I are extremely grateful to Daydream and the love and care they provide for our son. He is so loved there but also disciplined as appropriate. We respect Ms. Maria and the business she runs--at the end of the day our son is learning his manners, between right and wrong, etc. We have had times when we couldn't bring our son to school for several days at a time due to illness but that is all common sense. Nothing would frustrate me more than when I would go to pick up my son from school and I'd see other children with visible illnesses. It is our responsibility as parents to keep our kids home from school when sick. I cannot recommend Ms. Maria and Daydream Childcare enough. My niece is going to start at Daydream this year and so will my second child. If I had any doubts about Ms. Maria and the other teachers I certainly would not recommend her but thankfully that is not the case! The children that attend Ms. Maria's daycare all come from families with educated, professional parents and you really can't beat the price for the Bay Area. read more

If I could leave no stars I would. This childcare came recommended to us, however I am not sure if the people who attend there are fully aware of how dangerous this place is. Upon our first visit, which was a scheduled tour, everything seemed fine. The kids were outside playing and being watched, her set up seemed normal and she even bragged about doing calendar and circle time with the kids, and that she had been in the business for over 20 years with 10 years Montessori school experience. We enrolled our daughter who would be 5 months old when she started. Below is our 3 day experience with Ms. Maria... On our first day at drop off, Ms. Maria took our baby and put her in a swing which I am sure is a Graco swing from the 1990's, no buckle, push to move, and for sure not meant for a 5 month old who cannot sit up on her own yet. We paid for 2 weeks as our daughter would only be attended half days for those 2 weeks to adjust before I went back to work...even though we did not have to pay that amount up front. This was a huge mistake. Although I felt reservations about leaving her there, I summed it up to first time mom blues. When I returned at 12:30 to pick her up, she was laying in what seemed to be a very old rock n' play which was on the floor (not even up on legs, not that that would have been any better) with other kids walking around her. Ms. Maria said she had an ok day, so off we went. Day 2. At drop off I offered to have my husband bring by our MamaRoo swing so that way they could have something other than their current set up in their establishment, she said ok. She plopped my daughter on the floor in a bumbo chair while she attended to other kids. When my husband arrived later that morning to drop off the swing he noticed that our baby was not in the room with the other kids. He asked Ms. Maria's sister who also works there, where our baby was. She said she was in the other room with Ms. Maria sleeping. He asked to see her, the woman became flustered and agitated and told him she could not leave the kids alone to go get Maria and our daughter. Confused, but assuming the best, he said ok, and left. In hindsight, it is against the law for them to refuse her guardians access to her. As I was driving to pick her up that afternoon, Ms. Maria's daughter called me and said, "Hi, you need to come get your baby. She is crying too much and we can't have her here because she is crying so much." But wait, aren't you a daycare provider of over 20 years? Shouldn't you know how to calm a crying baby? When I arrived my baby was in the arms of Ms. Maria's sister, perfectly fine. Ms. Maria told me our swing was very dangerous (even though it remains one of the most popular and highly rated on the market) and said she would leave it outside until I could take it home. She said our baby barely napped and cried all day. She told me the nipples on my bottles were the wrong size (even though we have 0 issue at home) and that I needed to bring new ones tomorrow. I was sad for my baby and now feeling even more concerned. Day 3. We decided to keep her home. Day 4. At drop off she was again placed in a bumbo chair on the floor. When I went to pick her up that afternoon she was screaming and Ms. Maria upon seeing me walk up quickly took her to change her diaper. She told me she did not sleep, she cried all day, and barely ate. She asked me, "Do you hold her a lot?" To which I replied, "Yes, she is a baby." She said, "Stop it. You hold her too much. You need to stop please." When I told her I would parent how I see fit she told me I was making her job "more difficult" because she "cannot hold her all day long". I said nothing. I asked for all of her things under the guise that I would be washing them over the weekend. I did not get everything. As I was signing her out, a girl who was about 3 walked up to Ms. Maria and was just staring at her. Ms. Maria yelled, "What are you doing!? Stop staring at me! Where is your book!? Sit down now with your book!" The little girl sat down and looked around wide eyed and obviously scared. Another infant in her care was on the floor in that same old rock 'n play with a blanket nearly covering his head, crying while an empty baby bottle lay on his chest. I heard from Ms. Maria that Sunday night to let me know she would be closing to do COVID-19. I let her know our baby would not be returning and I would need her remaining items as well as a check refunding us for the 2nd week ($350). She said she requires 2 weeks notice. How could I give notice when we had only been there 3 days? I am now in the process of reporting her to the licensing board and filing a claim with small claims court for a refund of our money. In the end: her facility and the items she uses with the children are all very outdated and unsafe, she is not warm or inviting to adults or kids, and she overall rude and dangerous. Avoid leaving your child here at all costs. read more

Our daughter started at Daydream Daycare at the age of 5months. We were referred to Daydream by a good friend. Ms. Maria, the owner, runs a very organized and clean school/daycare. The days are structured with learning time, art activities, yoga, and outdoor play. Ms. Maria also teaches the kids important development skills such as sharing by dedicating time each Friday for the kids to share a toy they brought from home with the other children. We love that we can feel secure with our daughter at Daydream. We also have seen our daughter grow over the last year from from A,B,C's to doing downward dogs which is so adorable. read more

This is a hidden gem in San Jose. I am extremely thankful that my daughter was able to attend Day Dream. Ms. Maria runs an organized, home-based Montessori preschool program. As much as my daughter learned during her time there, nothing can compare to the amount of love she received there. I was referred to Day Dream by two different friends who had sent their children there. They loved having their children with Ms. Maria, and they wanted my little girl to have the same experience. They were not wrong! My daughter started when she was just three months old. I remember how scared I was my first day leaving my infant daughter. However, Ms. Maria put me right at ease. She took great care of my princess. As the days continued, I saw her blossom into a confident girl ready for school. I have all the precious little gifts that my daughter made for my husband and I for each holiday. I have a ton of pictures from her early days with her best friends. I remember when she finally had enough hair to put into pig tails, and Ms. Soheila was the one to put her hair up. We have drawings and finger paintings on our wall from art time where my daughter first decided to depict our family. I have the papers where she first learned to write her name. All of this is because of Ms. Maria and the special teachers at Day Dream. Not only did my daughter learn her abc's, how to write her name, her colors, and how to make art projects, she learned how to be ready for school and be a good citizen. Ms. Maria understands children. She understands their need for play and a chance to explore. That's why each day has a new activity: dress up, dance, yoga (my daughter's personal favorite), and tons of time to play outside in her back yard. There are special events like bike day, pajama and movie day, and even dress up for Halloween. Because she has 12 children in her home, she knows that children need rules and structure to get the most out of their day. Children respond well to the clearly defined boundaries that she lays out for everyone, including the parents. It is this structure which prepares children for the transition to school. What more can you ask for? A loving environment where your child learns and is ready for school when the time comes.... Talk about a win-win! Because of Day Dream, my daughter had no trouble adjusting to school when she started this fall. In fact, her teacher has raved over how prepared our daughter was for school and how advanced she is. While my husband and I would like to think it is because of all we have tried to do at home, we know it is due to the amazing years she spent at Day Dream. Thank you for everything Ms. Maria! read more

I had taken my boys at Daydream Daycare when they infants until they were ready for kindergarten. Ms. Maria and her staff are wonderful and caring people, and I was grateful to have found Daydream Daycare through a friend whose family had taken them here in a span of 14 years. I had every confidence that my children were well cared for and they spent many fun hours learning and developing through various activities. I highly recommend them! read more

My oldest kid, now 20, my middle child, now 15, and my youngest kid, 6 years old, all went to DayDream Daycare. Things have only gotten better over the years. Thanks to Ms.Maria, the list of positive qualities in my kids is never ending: patient, kind, healthy, well-mannered, independent, cooperative, empathetic. They also learn all the skills you would in Kindergarten here which put my kids ahead in the game. With blind eyes, I could recommend Ms.Maria to anyone. read more