Where do I even start?! Happy Hippos DC, run by Iuliia, is the best place I have ever sent my child and probably ever will. If you are looking for a daycare where your child will feel at home, truly loved, and completely cared for, this is it. My daughter started here just after turning one, and now that she's approaching two, I can't even begin to explain how much Iuliia has positively influenced her life. My daughter has learned to share, clean up her toys, and listen to directions (she's still a toddler!). Most importantly, she has become kind and gentle with others. I truly believe that comes from the example Iuliia sets every single day. And my daughter is not the easiest child, she has very strong opinions about everything: how she sleeps, what she eats, playtime... everything. Iuliia accommodated all of her needs and made her feel completely at home. There was never a moment where I worried about her while she was there. Quite the opposite! I always knew she was having an amazing time playing with the other kids, doing crafts, and enjoying homemade organic meals like soups and oatmeal. The environment is another huge plus. The play areas, living room, nap spaces, bedrooms, and outdoor space are all incredibly clean and well cared for. That was very important to me, and it gave me peace of mind knowing she was in a healthy, safe space. Iuliia is also incredibly flexible and understanding. She was accommodating with schedule changes, makeup days after vacations, and even extra days when needed (with notice). When my daughter got very sick with a high fever during a trip and ended up in the hospital, Iuliia checked in on us every single day just out of genuine care and kindness. That meant so much to our family. If you are looking for a daycare that feels like home, is safe, clean, and above all filled with kindness, look no further than Happy Hippos DC. read more

Happy Hippos Dc - Nanny Services Near Me

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Yula is an absolute gem! She treats the kids in her care like they are her own. She is always interested in the proper care, so she'll always ask you how you want your baby to be cared for. I have seen her take in the smallest infant and watched them grow while in her care, because most families love her so much they don't want to leave. She took care of my daughter and she was always smiling when she would come home. She hardly wanted to leave, and once I had to wait until she was ready, because she wanted to keep playing. It was so cute! Yula helped the kids make so many projects, my daughter had a huge art wall with just projects from her daycare. It was my favorite thing to see everyday because I knew that she was learning to be creative, while also learning numbers, colors, patterns, and holiday traditions. Yula is fairly priced for everything that she includes. She makes food for the kids... And whatever is in the chicken soup must be magic, because my child always asked for it, and when I made chicken soup, it was never right! One day she even gave me some to take home because my kid ran up to me and said "Mama, I want soup!" And I had to tell Yula about how I couldn't recreate it, and if she would give me the recipe... She gave me an entire tub of soup instead. My child ate the whole container. She takes pictures and texts them to you, and you can bet you'll get some great photos of your kids in action, living their best lives. I can guarantee you, you'll get every cent worth from this program, and you will love to see your own children thrive with Yula. It's what I wish every program could be, and some try to say they are... Happy Hippos will be the absolute best decision you've ever made. (All the photos are from the program, except the art gallery, that one was taken in our home, after all the projects she brought home. So colorful and fun, knowing how special they were, we couldn't throw them away.) read more

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When my son was 1 year old when he started going to Iuliia's daycare, and I couldn't have been happier. She's warm, caring, and truly dedicated! She gave each child so much personal attention. My son was always happy to see her, and I felt completely at ease knowing he was in such loving hands. Highly recommend! read more

My daughter goes to Iuliia for almost half a year. She really likes to be there and her little friends. Iuliia is super nice, takes very good care of the kids, and I feel very lucky I found her read more

Iuliia is a hidden gem for daycares in Concord and we are so thankful we chose her for our daughter's daycare provider! Our first impression of her daycare during our tour was that she kept her place very clean and there was plenty of open space to roam around in so the kids wouldn't feel claustrophobic or confined in one small space, unlike some other daycare centers we've explored. There was also two outdoor play areas as well with ample of toys. She was also the first daycare our daughter (Covid baby) was receptive to and she did not cry when she met Iuliia, so we knew this was the place for our daughter who was 1.5 yrs old at that time. On our first day, Iuliia welcomed our daughter with balloons and knew what to do to manage the tears and the parents' fears. She knew how to calm the nerves of not only the child but the parents too. Trust me I was so nervous dropping off my first child with a stranger and she made the experience very comfortable and reassuring. Slowly be surely we saw the growth in our daughter. When it came time for potty training, she would help us with that, which led to a faster successful potty training experience. She was just very patient, caring and genuine with all her kids and a pleasure to work with. My daughter learned a great deal from her daycare, from art projects to singing and self feeding... and we cannot thank Iuliia enough for all the love, teachings and care she provided us and our daughter. Hands down would we recommend her to our friends and family and hire her again for our future kids! Thank you Iuliia! We will miss you! read more

Iuliia's daycare has given my family warmth and reliability. She's very trustworthy, responsive, and flexible. Everything you'd want in a caregiver! We actually pulled our daughter out of another daycare after touring hers because I couldn't ignore how kind and trustworthy she was. The first daycare was much closer to our house, but it just didn't feel right. I trusted my mother's intuition with Iuliia and haven't regretted since. Now our 2nd daughter goes there and she is taking care of both my daughters together! I can attest to how great she is with all ages. She's been so helpful with my infant as we start purées, helped my first daughter get potty trained at a young age, and also gives super creative and educational art projects for my toddler to learn her numbers, letters, shapes, etc. I've referred all my friends to her and will continue to even after my daughters grow up! read more

Iuliia is an amazing care giver! THE BEST! My son joined her daycare when he was 1 y/o, he had a rough transition after being at home with me, Iuliia was super patient with him and two weeks after he was already settled in, not crying at drop offs and sleeping in a crib (which he didn't do at home). Iuliia shares photos of the kids playing, dancing and make art, and you can see that all the kids are happy. I'd give her 10 stars if that was an option:) read more

My son loves going to day care and enjoy playing with his previous buddies. He always surprise us with new skills or words he learned from Lullia. We appreciate her love and care to our son and we trust her that our son is safe and happy while under her care. I highly recommend this daycare especially for new moms or moms with younger kids. read more

Iuliia is amazing!!! I have been bringing my son here since he was 3 months old (July-present) & he comes back home happy every time. Iuliia always finds time to send me pictures of my son throughout the day & responds to any of my text messages at a reasonable time frame. She also let's me know at pick up how much he ate & how naps went. The daycare is always clean & the kids get along so well. I also brought my 5 year old daughter for the summer before she started kindergarten. My daughter had such a blast here & Iuliia was able to get her to eat raisins/dried cranberries with oatmeal! I feel so lucky & blessed to have found Iuliia. I highly recommend her to care for your kids. You will not regret it! read more

Leaving your child at a daycare is never easy but we were lucky enough to find Luliia! Her home is very clean and is setup with a lot of open space for the kids to learn and play. We felt comforted immediately by her kind and nurturing disposition. Most importantly we could always tell how much our son loved her too so we never worried about the care he was receiving. Not only that but he thrived developmentally and learned so much there. We also really appreciated the daily photos we received so we could see the different activities he was doing throughout the day. Because of Lullia, our son's transition to preschool was so much smoother. We truly could not have been any happier with our experience and would 100% recommend Lullia's daycare. read more

I had a very hard time getting comfortable with sending my little one to a complete stranger. Julia was the 3rd daycare I visited and right when I walked in her door I was immediately impressed. The day care was very clean, no weird smells (considering it is an at home day care), no tv (which assured me my son wouldn't be in front of a screen), a good assortment of learning activities and a very friendly/caring/empathetic demeanor. 2 yrs later...I'm fortunate enough to have memories of him captured in photos everyday by Julia, my son is happy, he knows the alphabet and numbers and most importantly he loves Julia it is hard to move on to the next chapter but we are more than blessed to have found her to care for our son the first two years of his life. Thank you Julia!!! We appreciate you so much!!! And would recommend you to anyone looking for day care for their lil one!! read more

If I can give 10 stars or more for how amazing Kapitoshka day care is, I would. Iuliia is like a second mom to all the kids. As soon as my daughter walked in the door for the first time she was as all smiles. I had a horrible experience with a home day care before I found Iuliia and feel so lucky that my daughter was there from 14 months until 3 years old. The only reason I had to pull her out is to be closer to home due to my exhausting new work schedule. The other kids started there since they were infants and if I was a first time mom with an infant this is the only daycare that I would feel my child is safe and happy at. Iuliia provides home cooked meals, lots of fun projects and most of all love to the kids as they were her own. She also send pictures and updates daily, which is really comforting to see your child happy and playing. Thank you so much Iuliia for taking the best care of my baby! read more

This review only scratches the surface of the gratitude and appreciation we have for Iuliia, and how much of an impact she made on our daughter. Our daughter was with Iuliia for 1 1/2 years: since she was 16 months until recently when our daughter entered preschool. When the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns happened, my husband and I still had to report to the office every day, given the nature of our jobs, and I did not want to heavily rely on my parents for childcare. Then I happened to be on Yelp one night, desperately looking for a home-based day care after hearing from a number of places that they were not accepting any more children or had to place me on a waitlist. Iuliia responded to my Yelp inquiry immediately, and my daughter started part-time day care (2 days/week) the following week. I enjoyed Sophie bringing home art projects and practicing what she learned from Iuliia at home each week. Iuliia evaluated and recommended when my daughter was ready to move on to preschool. When I took our daughter to check the preschool, the director was impressed by her language proficiency. She was initially placed in the 2 year old group but quickly moved up to the pre-K class group with older 3 year olds. I recently received feedback from my daughter's teachers that she is so "versatile," "perceptive," "sociable," and they "love her energy" because she gets along with her different classmates and thrives in whatever setting she is in. Already, my daughter has made quite an impression at school. I attribute this success to Iuliia's extreme care and attention she gives the children in her care, from the nutritious meals and the different activities the children do each day. This helped my daughter developmentally; and given the preschool's feedback, really aided my daughter in getting ready for preschool. My daughter really enjoys school. Iuliia is awesome! She was very accommodating and is so generous and kind. I highly recommend Kapitoshka Home Day Care. My daughter is a big sister as her baby brother was born recently. We definitely plan to entrust our son to Iuliia's care in the future. read more

My kids, then 2 and 4, spent two years under Yulia's care, 5 days a week, back when she was an associate at a different day care. She was awesome!! It's been over a year and the kids still ask about her. She is a warm and very responsive person, always greeting you with a smile, always with a right attitude. Never had a single issue with her, and I'm a pretty picky customer! Highly recommended! read more

Iuliia is a gem and my son and I couldn't have been luckier to have stumbled upon her. I guess I wasn't prepared because I didn't know you had to plan ahead for daycare arrangements. I searched high and low for openings between my home and work without luck. I was initially paying higher prices I couldn't afford as a single mother and it was killing me financially. I finally found her via Yelp, just starting her own daycare she had the availability, reasonable rates, and a clean home in a desirable location which were all key for me. I was so scared to take the leap but Im glad I did. She takes such good care of my son and she loves him like her very own. She goes out of her way often without any further expectations and she makes herself available often. I'm not sure what we would do without her. She is the only other person I truly trust with my son and I just know he adores her, as do I. She keeps me engaged in his daily activities throughout the day with updates and pictures which make me feel connected to him while Im away at work. She is so thoughtful, that even when he is out sick she texts me to see how he is doing. When he is there he is always playing, learning, and happy. She means the world to us. Thank you for everything Iuliia, words will never express our gratitude for you! read more

Yulia is wonderful with my kids, she is kind, fun and caring. My kids love her and I am confident that they are in good hands when they are with her. The place is clean and Yulia provides delicious and nutritious home cooked meals. read more