Our daughter joined Emma's Daycare at two years old, and it has been an incredible experience for her--and for us! She absolutely loves it here: the delicious food, her sweet friends, and the caring teachers who feel like family. Over the past two years, her language skills (both Chinese and English) have blossomed, and she's always excited to tell us about the fun activities Emma plans so thoughtfully. We especially cherish the photos Emma shares, which give us a glimpse into the joyful, nurturing environment she's created. What stands out most is the close-knit, family-like atmosphere--the children clearly adore each other, and it's heartwarming to see our little one thrive in such a loving space. We're so grateful to Emma and her team for making daycare feel like a second home! read more

My son recently graduated Emma's Daycare, a place that has truly been home for him since he was two years old. I searched far and wide before choosing Emma's - touring the large institutional Montessori ones to the family style centers. Pedagogy was important to me, but what I was really looking for was a place where my child would be loved and cared for, at my admittedly high standards, as much as possible. I feel blessed to have found Emma's, a truly special space where my child has thrived from day one - from mediation and exercise in the morning, to learning how to share with others, from the home-cooked meals, to the one-on-one attention, to the creative daily artwork projects to the fluent singing in Mandarin (a language not spoken in our home!). All of the physical spaces Emma has built for the children are beautiful and creative, fostering that sense of magic and discovery so important for very young children. During the past three years, my child learned to ride a bike at Emma's, learned to write his name, learned to count in Mandarin and Spanish, learned to go potty, the list goes on. I was astounded how every single day for the past three years, at pickup Emma knew exactly what my child ate and how he felt and how he played - and how all of the other children were similarly doing. As a parent, it felt so good to be absolutely secure in the knowledge that my child's needs - whether that's washing hands or staying hydrated or getting comforted after a fall - were seen and met with love every day. Every day, my child would regale me with tales about his friendships, his wonderful teachers, his activities. During pickups, the children would all swarm around to say goodbye. It was the perfect setup and size (10-14 children, 2-3 teachers) for my child to explore personal growth, relationships, and the first touch of community in a safe and joyful environment. I'm so grateful we had Emma and the space she creates and holds for these critical firsts. What Emma has created is so rare and genuine. It was an easy decision to hold off on sending my daughter to formal fancy "preschool" with her brother - we want her to experience another year of growth and joy with Emma. Thank you Emma for all of your extraordinary love and care! read more

Today is my son's last day at Emma's as he starts kindergarten on Monday. We could not be happier with the loving care and engaging lessons he has received for the past three years. Because Emma taught him Chinese, his grasp of the language grew by leaps and bounds; she even sent me a video of him reciting a long poem! Without her patience and encouragement, he wouldn't be going to a Mandarin immersion school. Beyond academics, Emma also excels at keeping the kids active with games, physical activities, and fun art projects. I truly treasure each of his creations, from a pair of binoculars fashioned from two empty toilet paper rolls glued together and festooned with pom poms and colored paper to a bunny dangling from a wooden stick, made to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival. Our younger son is starting Emma's soon--we are excited for him to experience the joy and wonder of going to Emma's and recommend her day care without reservation. read more

Emma's Day Care - Binoculars for spotting pots of gold. - Child Care & Day Care Near Me - El Cerrito, California

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We are very lucky to find Emma as our son's one and only daycare/preschool. My son has been at Emma's for three and a half years and he feels happy EVERY SINGLE DAY! We love all the teachers and staffs here. The kids not only get good cares, but also learn A LOT! We can't appreciate Emma and her team more. My son will go to kindergarten this Fall, and we already miss Emma and her team. Luckily, all the kids graduating this year will go to same school to continue their friendship. Thank you Emma's Day Care! read more

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We had attended other childcare facilities and toured quite a few places, so I have some experience to base my assessment on. Everything you read in the other reviews is true. The meals are home cooked and healthy. The teachers are caring and supportive. Emma has in place a well-rounded curriculum that includes structured activities, academic readiness, and social emotional learning. The environment is fun, warm, and incredibly vibrant. There are lots of activities, birthday parties, and holiday celebrations. The parent community is wonderful. The list goes on and on. It's abundantly clear that Emma and Po Po have a genuine love for the kids, and truthfully they were a real ally to us as parents. Every day I dropped off my son, I felt secured in the knowledge that he would come home well fed and hydrated, that he washed his hands and went to potty when he needed to, and that he learned something new and cool. Every day I picked up, I got a detailed report about his days with lots of cool tidbits, which, frankly, you can hope for but not expect in group care situations. Emma taught my son the full alphabet, how to write (in English AND Chinese), how to ride a bike (without training wheels). She even got him to hold the pen correctly with a tripod grasp when I tried and failed repeatedly. We moved pretty far away while attending Emma's, but for a whole year we drove through soul-crushing traffic to send our son to her. And we are not the only family that does that. Why? Because it's worth it. Because so rarely you find someone who is not only great at what they do, but they love it and treat it with personal, genuine care like it's a part of their life. When you find that, you hang onto it with your dear life. read more

SO lucky to have found Emma's! Best decision we have ever made! My child just graduated to kindergarten recently from Emma's, after being there for 3 1/2 years, and my younger one is currently going there. My husband and I could not be happier with the care our children have received by Emma, her mother, and their other teachers. I also love that Emma takes beautiful pictures throughout the day that parents can view, and see all the fun activities the kids have done! They have hot meals, (my kids go crazy for Po Po's fried rice!) and a wonderful schedule and activities and learning based on the child's age. My children have advanced so much here, socially, academically, and about the Chinese culture/language. And my kindergartner was more than prepared to start school! We truly feel like everyone at Emma's genuinely loves our children like they are their own, and know that they are in amazing hands during the day. We could not imagine anyone else watching the kids! The kids have always been so excited each morning to go, and don't want to leave in the afternoon, and miss Emma's on long breaks. I would recommend Emma's Daycare to anyone 100% !!! read more

Previous to attending Emma's Day Care, my toddler son attended a Montessouri facility and every morning was a fight to get him into class. So we were naturally very anxious when he started at Emma's. But on that first day, he just waltzed right in as if he was going to a friend's house. Since then, Emma and her staff have proven time and time again to be creative, loving and supportive teachers for our son and our family, throughout the ups and downs of the pandemic. She has kept good COVID safety protocols in place. She provides healthy meals which is a huge help. Her house is a warm environment, with lots of creative activities. She is constantly building new colorful playsets for the kids to climb on. There are lots of parties and holidays. My son just graduated and was so proud from the graduation ceremony Emma put together. An extra plus for us is the addition of a Chinese learning environment. It is not immersion, but my son loved reciting his Chinese songs for us when he came home. Even though my son has moved on to kindergarten, Emma has been flexible enough to allow my son back for aftercare in the afternoon. We have all been so grateful for all her help throughout these tough years. read more

Our eldest daughter graduated recently and we couldn't have been more happy with the progress she made here. Emma is a caring and thoughtful educator. She not only helped reinforce our daughter's Mandarin, but also taught the kids social skills like sharing, cooperation, and independence. The play yard is filled with unique, homemade gadgets and more than enough toys and structures to keep the kids occupied. They are always bringing home arts and craft projects and they even memorized a classic Chinese poem at one point. The schedule is flexible and the food is healthy and, since it's a small day care, there is a nice sense of community among the parents. Being small also means that Emma can give feedback about how each kid is doing. Our youngest daughter is currently enrolled here so we look forward to a few more years with Emma's Day Care! read more

This home-based daycare is located in a quiet suburban neighborhood conveniently located near 880 and shopping centers. A few weeks back I stopped by to drop off my nephew. As I walked onto the property I noticed personal touches of Emma's creativity. When I arrived I had the pleasure of meeting the owners, Emma and her mother. The moment you walk into the home you feel invited as if you're part of their family. I took a short tour of the home and just adored the landscaped yards, hand painted murals, and little handmade decorations. I love how Emma's mother prepares fresh cooked meals for the kids while Emma takes care of the kids. At the time there were about five other kids--all so adorable! As the first to review this daycare, I hope more people find out this cute daycare and spread the word. Emma is incredibly sweet , artistic, and treats her clients like family. read more

Emma's Day Care - Front porch. Cute mailbox. - Child Care & Day Care Near Me - El Cerrito, California

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I love this place so much! If I could give it 100 stars I would. This is the only daycare I know where my daughter is truly being taken care of. Awhile back my daughter was being picky about her lunch, Emma was nice enough to make something different for her. Who does that?!? Although my daughter stop attending this past January I still bring her to visit her friends once and awhile. Emma and her staff are truly the best. read more

My daughter has stayed in Emma's Day care since she was one and half years old. She just turned five, so she graduated from her 'Emma school' and will start her kindergarten soon. My daughter was always happy everyday, and refused to go home when I picked her up. She loves the food there, much more than I cooked. She loves the teachers, the little friends there. More importantly, She learned and practiced writing about alphabets and numbers, which made her well prepared for kindergarten. She had not only a chance to learn English, but also Mandarin, Cantonese, and Japanese. It is a very diverse, peaceful, and encouraging environment.  Emma and the teachers have always been very nice and helpful. I highly recommend Emma's Daycare. read more

My daughter started Emma's Daycare at the age 3. She loved Emma's Daycare from the first day. We never had hard time to take her there. Emma and team are very friendly, loving, caring and reliable. She is flexible with schedule, which helped me a lot. The price is also reasonable. The most wonderful part of Emma's Daycare is, my daughter learned to read and write alphabets, numbers, simple addition/ subtraction and arts and crafts, which is helping my daughter for kindergarten. The Daycare environmental is excellent. She also provides healthy snacks and lunch. Emma is always been very helpful, appreciated. We are very happy with Emma's Daycare. This is a wonderful place for your kids, so I highly recommend Emma's Daycare. read more

Our son Dorian attended Emma's Daycare from 2016-2020. We absolutely love Emma's Daycare. Emma, her mom and the teachers do lots of fun and educational activities with the children. Several times our son surprised us by singing a new song in Mandarin or Cantonese. The kids also do a lot of nice art projects which they bring home to share. Before covid, Emma would have halloween parties and easter egg hunts every year, they were really well done and all the kids had a lot of fun. They also provide food for the kids which is VERY nice. Our son can sometimes be a handful and we are very appreciative of the patience Emma--and her mom--showed our son. We are a bit sad that our son's time at Emma's has come to an end, but Kindergarten awaits. We will always look back with very fond memories of our son's time at Emma's. Thanks for a great 4 years Emma and for taking such great care of our son! read more

My son started at Emma's when he was 3. This was his first daycare experience. Emma made sure to ease both him and I into it. She is so caring and loving that it felt like I was leaving him with a family member. She teaches the children their letters, numbers and colors. They sing songs and have structured games and activities. When my son started at Emma's he was still in diapers, with her help, he was potty trained in no time. I cannot say enough about Emma, her staff, and her daycare. The kids are safe, well cared for and engaged. Your kids will socialize, learn and make friends. My son is about to start kindergarten and is more than ready and prepared for school, not only educationally but socially as well. The other thing I really loved about Emma's daycare is that she had events where we got to meet and socialize with the other parents. There is a real feeling of community and family here and I got to meet some really wonderful families, with whom we still keep in contact! Emma is such a lovely person and I am so happy that we found her daycare. While my son was in her care I had peace of mind that not only was he safe but he was thriving as a toddler! read more

My son has been attending Emma's Daycare for two years. He is happy and very well cared for by Emma and her family. Emma's attention is excellent. My son is reading and writing, and learning important social skills in time for kindergarten. Emma also is very good with arts and crafts and keeps the kids always engaged. She is flexible with her hours and has always been a help to me when I needed a few extra minutes. I just love Emma and recommend her highly. read more

I live in Lamorinda and yet I have chosen to drop my toddler off at Emma's in El Cerrito for over a year, and I cannot say enough great things about Emma's Daycare. I am so glad I found them, and I recommend Emma's for anyone I can looking for daycare in the area. We love Emma's (and really her entire family), and I have been so grateful to them for taking such wonderful care of my daughter. They have also worked hard to make the facility and grounds a fun, very special place. Emma is very artistic and also always has creative projects for the kids to work on and bring home. Emma also takes time for the kids to work on art projects (and an annual Easter Egg hunt and open house), read books, learn songs (Chinese and English), and work on alphabet, vocabulary and numbers when age-appropriate. The kids also get exposed to Mandarin and Cantonese which is a big plus. She is kind but great dealing with the kids and somehow imposing order with toddlers, and also helps with potty-training. The location is very convenient (near 580/80) and also close to Ranch 99, Target, Costco, El Cerrito Plaza/El Cerrito Norte BART, Trader Joe's and a great Safeway, so it's great for running errands around the daycare. Equally positive and consistent reviews here through Google+: https://plus.google.com/107224849010655025651/about read more