Our son was with Carmen and staff for over 3 years and she is the best! He learned so much and is so independent and thriving in TK now!can't thank the staff enough! Love you all read more

Carmen's daycare is a hidden gem! She has been running a small home daycare for over 20 years. Our child attended her daycare from age 1.5 to 3 years old, and thrived there. Carmen is loving, nurturing and treats the children as if they are part of her family. She encourages each child to be themselves and follow their interests. The days are structured and predictable. She runs the daycare more like a preschool, and would have been an amazing preschool teacher and principal. There is a daily activity schedule, themes (often initiated by child interest) and lots of outdoor time. She helped with potty training, and her experience was invaluable. Her staff (Shayla, the other Carmen) are kind, funny and care deeply about the children they care for. I recommend Carmen to almost any family looking for trustworthy childcare in Oakland. If you are looking for childcare with a slick app, the latest toys and trendy ideology- this place is not for you. Carmen has her way that she does things because it works. Logistics: Pros: the extended hours were critical for our family with 2 working parents. She provides healthy food! Very reasonably priced and my employer's FSA covered some of the cost. Children and employees are vaccinated. Cons: The school drop off traffic can be hectic if you are on the same schedule as Sequoia Elementary School across the street. We left because we moved out of state. Our child is still asking about Carmen and misses her dearly. We are so glad she was part of our lives. Do yourself a favor and see if Carmen's daycare is a good fit for your family! read more

Our son has been under Carmen's care from the time he was three months-old until now (13 months old). His personality has truly come out, and I credit a lot of his curiosity and sense of independence to this wonderful program! Carmen acted immediately with enhanced safety precautions in response to the pandemic. Children are safe, loved, and stimulated at L'Infanzia. read more

L'Infanzia Daycare - Preschools Near Me - Oakland, California

Our son was at L'Infanzia for a year between 2 and 3 after being in a nanny share about a year. Carmen and the other teachers were really amazing. Our son was still using the pacifier to sleep at the time, and the staff helped wean him really quickly. They also helped potty train, dress himself, feed himself, and become more independent. He got a lot of individual attention, and he enjoyed all the activities like participating in baking, music, fine motor skills, and pencil control. Providing meals was also a huge plus. We could be sure that he would get a warm meals and a variety of snacks every day. The health protocols were more strict, which we liked, but it did become difficult to retain older kids at the tail end of the pandemic. We switched to join a larger school with more older kids to model as he started to get more willful. He was still learning a lot from Carmen's curriculum, though, on letters, counting, and puzzles. It was great to have Carmen as a resource on parenting and childhood education, so we highly recommend Carmen and the school! read more

Our son has been going to Carmen's house since he was 5 months old. She runs an awesome program and her background as a Director of Head Start + her education in child development makes her such an expert. As a first-time mom she made me feel so comfortable with her friendly warm ease; I know our son is so loved every day in her care. He's been thriving under and learning SO MUCH through her teaching/programming. She does a mixture of structure activities: circle time, arts & crafts, gardening, sensory & water play, along with free time to just play outside and explore. She is super communicative and every day we receive a summary of our little's guys day. Carmen is so tuned into him and if he's not feeling well or she suspects something is not right and will let us know immediately - like I said he is truly loved & cared for. Carmen's staff is also so amazing! I know our son is safe, loved, and learning and I feel so lucky that he gets to spend his days with them when we have to work. Carmen is an exceptional person and caregiver to the little ones who are lucky enough to attend L'Infanzia, we are so very grateful to have her as part of our lives! read more

We needed a last minute backup care and we used Carmen for our two boys. They had a blast and her energy is amazing with the kiddos. She is very communicative and gives summary of their day. It gave me lots of ease of mind knowing they are having fun read more

Carmen runs a very nurturing & educational program for infants to toddlers from her home in Oakland. Our twins have been been going to her part time for a couple months. As a Type A mother she was able to make me feel comfortable with her structure and teaching/care philosophy from the interview to day 1 with the kids in her care. Her background as a Head Start educator makes all the difference in her approach to home based childcare. The exposure programs (music, reading, movement workshops) and experimental learning curriculum she has developed is on par with more expensive center programs we visited in the area. I feel that my children are getting a good mix of the individual attention they need to thrive as little humans and the independence they need to develop themselves. Rates are reasonable for the Bay Area and her sibling discount made it affordable for us to send both kids there. It's a very diverse environment as well and my kids are seeing kids that look like them and more. read more

My two boys are there. The older one has been for over 2 years! Very enriching, wholesome, active place! Carmen and her assistants care so much and are always so nice and inviting. Carmen makes all of the food and she is very good at this:) She has soooo much experience in children and childcare. I've always felt my babies are in good hands. She has endless activities, books, tumbling class twice/wk, toys, fun outdoor area! She helps the kids with potty training, even when you aren't up for the challenge yet:) read more

Both of our kids have attended L'infanzia and we can't say enough good things about Carmen and her staff. Connection is so important for young kiddos and both of our children absolutely love the caring, nurturing environment Carmen has created, as well as the workshops and curriculum for the older kids. Highly Recommend! read more

Carmen and the entire care-giving staff are amazing. Our sons transition into daycare was easy and he loves to go there everyday. Carmen knows a ton about child development which she studied (very cool!), and is super helpful marking milestones and giving constructive feedback. Every week we get an in depth report about how our son has been doing with his mental and physical growth, and it also highlights the many things they did that week. I love getting this to read over every Friday. My son also has allergies to some foods, and Carmen and the staff have been very on top of making sure he doesn't eat or drink the foods that upset him. Carmen's energy is a big ball of love. She cooks for the kids (very healthy food!) and gives my son a sweet embrace every morning when I drop him off. It feels good to leave him all day in a place I know he is getting this kind of love and care. I'd recommend this daycare to anyone. read more

Im with a program and All she cares is bout money . Kicked my daughter out because older kids don't give her a lot of money. Plus she used to make my daughter take a nap even if my daughter didn't want to read more

Put simply, Carmen Sims is a godsend. Carmen is such an amazing caregiver- she provides the perfect blend of structure and choice for the children in her care. My daughter loved the activities as much as she loved the free time with other children, but I believe her favorite were the delicious and nutritious snacks Carmen prepared! One of the first things I was impressed with by L'infanzia is how Carmen has it setup as a fantastic play based environment. Children are allowed to be children, explore and play to learn, all while in the safest of environments, guided gently by the staff the support Carmen. The staff that Carmen works with are some of the kindest, sweetest staff I've ever met, even when my daughter tried testing their boundaries, they always treated her with respect and dignity. Finally, there is so much more I want to say about Carmen- beyond her incredible credentials and experience as a caregiver, she has the tremendous insight into the dynamics of families. Her support for my somewhat complicated family situation will never be forgotten, and my debt to her for the kindness and generosity she showed me will never be repaid. Carmen is an exceptional human being and it has been a great honor and privilege to have her care for my daughter. read more

Carmen changed our life - she is the most amazing person, teacher, friend and mama. She taught our two year old how to be kind and considerate, how to count, and most recently, how to use the potty! She cooks amazing food, provides amazingly detailed logs of his day, does tons of arts and crafts, gardening and play. They have multiple music classes with dance and circle time every week. He often comes home singing new songs. She even caters for my son's atypical and changing napping needs - which I don't think we would ever get with a larger daycare or preschool. I don't know how she keeps up the pace, but somehow she does! I really can't rate her more highly. read more

L'Infanzia Daycare - Preschools Near Me - Oakland, California

This is a great home style preschool in the heart of Oakland. The owner, Carmen, is the kind of person you want around your child. She makes sure everything is well taken care of, and gives you the kind of communication about your child that you would expect. The teachers really work hard at making sure the kids understand them. They're patient and warm, loving and happy.; trust me, I've stayed and watched. After searching around for preschools, we chose linfanzia for both our kids. Bravo! read more

Carmen is great and very helpful with a single mother's crazy work schedule. She is friendly and warm. My daughter felt comfortable immediately. The facility is clean and well organized, with wonderful toys and learning tools. read more

I can't say enough good things about Carmen and the developmental program she runs. Our 18 month old daughter has been attending for a year, and we can't wait for her next year at Carmen's! Carmen has a gift with young people, and this is truly her calling, so she is able to understand what kids need and how to reach them. Our daughter simply adores her. A few months ago, our daughter started refusing to spend time with the babies. Carmen was flexible enough to start grouping her with the 2- and 3-year olds for activities, and her learning has grown by leaps and bounds. She sings songs by herself, knows the ABC song, counts, and knows her shapes and colors. Not only is there tons of free play inside and in the incredible learning-oriented backyard outdoor space, but there are regular developmental workshops that bring in teachers to do creative movement or cooking or circle time classes, among others. And there is a developmental specialist who works 1:1 with the children to support and track their progress on emerging skills. Carmen also always has a staff member who speaks Spanish, so at this point our daughter understands a great deal of Spanish and says several words and phrases in it as well. Carmen's program is a gem! read more

There are not enough words (or enough stars in this case) to describe how much we love L'Infanizia! Carmen and her staff are amazing. I returned back to work when my second child was 3 months old. We originally went with a provider who was a close friend of the family only to pick her up and find her with a fever of 102 degrees. Needless to say, she never returned. We heard about Carmen from my then toddler's teacher who worked with her previously. After meeting Carmen, taking a tour o her facility and going over the curriculum, we placed our youngest child with her. Her program and staff were so amazing, we then moved our 22 month old toddler to her program and never looked back. She cared for both our children until they both began school. Needless to say that by the time both of my children entered elementary school, they were ahead of the curve. My 3rd grader is currently reading on a 4th grade, almost 5th grade level, and my 1st grader is simply put a wiz (when she wants to be of course:-). We love Carmen so much that she is now a part of our family. I still call on Carmen for childcare of my school age children when in a pinch as there are very few people I trust to care for my children. From infant care to school readiness, Carmen's program L'Infanzia exceeds the expectations and creates new boundaries for other programs to have to keep up with! read more

Carmen's place is great. She knows her stuff about child development and she's accommodating and nice. our son instantly attached to her. Kids learn here. I recommend it. read more

L'Infanzia Daycare - Preschools Near Me - Oakland, California

It's difficult for me to put into words how thankful I am to have found Carmen's daycare. The second I brought my 1 year old daughter there to visit I felt good vibes coming from the setting and especially from Carmen herself. It reminded me of my own preschool growing up which I loved more than anything. Carmen exudes excitement, energy, and love towards every child that is in her care and she has always hired a wonderful staff to help her keep up with running such a special program. I always felt like my daughter was treated with respect and she always felt safe under Carmen and her staff's care. Whenever I had questions about my daughter's day they were answered thoroughly and I never once felt like she was just another kid in the bunch- they even hand wrote reports each day outlining what she ate and when she slept and what they did that day. They made my daughter feel special and loved and she still talks about her caregivers with fondness. My daughter is 4 now (she had 3 full years at Carmen's) and we ended care at L'Infanzia only because we moved out of the area. My daughter learned so many things there- started writing letters, counting, reciting rhymes and songs, and had plenty of playtime with other children of varying ages both inside and outside. They often went for walks in the neighborhood and some of the older children were able to go across the street to the elementary school playground on occasion. Carmen keeps her home clean and organized amongst all of the toys and learning activities that are available for the children. She is always cooking delicious and healthy food for everyone and serves snacks multiple times a day. It was so nice to not have to worry about providing a lunch for my daughter every day with everything else going on in my life and, as my daughter is a picky eater, it was nice for her to see her peers be more adventurous with eating and I'm sure this encouraged her to venture out of her norm more often in regards to food. I wish we could have stayed with Carmen longer. She was an integral part of my daughter's early years and I consider her part of my extended family for the wonderful upbringing she provided for my girl while I was working and studying. I feel confident in her and her staff's ability to provide a safe, comfortable, and fun environment for any child and highly recommend her daycare. read more