Both of my children attended Sunflower Daycare for several years, and we couldn't have asked for a…read morebetter experience. Ms. Helen is incredibly kind, patient, and attentive. She was wonderfully supportive during potty training, made sure the kids were dressed appropriately for the weather, and created a warm, nurturing environment. The daycare has a great outdoor play space, serves delicious home-cooked meals that my kids still talk about, and is exceptionally clean--my children rarely got sick while they were there, which is a feat in itself! Ms. Helen also has a strong background in early childhood education and incorporates age-appropriate learning, arts and crafts, music, and early academics into the day. By the time my daughter started TK, she was very well prepared. Since Ms. Helen speaks Mandarin with the children, both of my kids were also able to maintain their Mandarin fluency. One thing to note is that Ms. Helen is more comfortable communicating in Mandarin than English. This was fine for me since I speak Mandarin, while my husband usually communicated through email or Google Translate. We feel lucky to have found Sunflower Daycare. It felt like having a trusted family member with expertise in early childhood education caring for our children. I highly recommend it to any family looking for a loving, enriching daycare.

Both of our kids went to Albany Sunflower Daycare and loved it there. Ms Helen is a very kind,…read morepatient and caring teacher who made our children feel at home. The daycare is located in a residential safe area, the house equipped with everything the kiddos need- large outdoor space, room for play and room for naps. I knew my kids are getting fed hot meals, getting their naps and lots of vitamin D outside. Operating hours are the best for working parents which made our drop offs and pick ups less stressful! We can't recommend Ms Helen and family enough for anyone looking for a daycare in Albany area. Mandarin language exposure was a huge plus for our kids even though none of us (adults) speak it at home. Thank you!

Our daughter arrived at CEC around one year old from another school. She was in infant care at CEC…read moreand we immediately felt at ease. All the teachers were very caring (Luz, Louise, Angelica, Cameron, Aster). Two teachers tag teamed and once our daughter gravitated towards one teacher, that teacher became the primary teacher. There's also a procare app showing when our daughter ate, was changed, and it photos. The app easily allowed for communication between the teacher and parent. When our daughter moved up to the next level (2-3), it took about a week for her to adjust. She bonded with her primary teachers (Huiqui, Maria) and her cohort of friends whom she moved up with. She is thriving and happy to go to school everyday. What our daughter liked best about CEC were her teachers, friends, and fun things (walks, music class, painting). What we liked best was how CEC handled COVID, the generous care hours w/ few holidays, the ease of communication, the child- centric approach, and the kids night out giving parents a break every month. We can't recommend this place highly enough. It's a hidden gem with flexibility and little bureaucracy. Finding good care was such a sigh of relief!

We've had at least one of our children at CEC since 2015 and can't recommend it highly enough! Our…read moreoldest started when he was 1, our middle kid started when he was only six weeks old, and our youngest will be starting soon at four months. Ever since we started, CEC has been a wonderful second home and community for our entire family. Even in the classrooms with the youngest children (0-2), the teachers are attentive, creative, and engaged. Even the smallest kids spend time outside, and even go on "field trips" to the nearby park. There's painting and dress-up and dancing and stories -- all of those fun things you aspire to do with your small children but can't always summon the energy for are a regular part of the day at CEC. Starting in the 2-year-old room, the children take longer field trips, using the bus and BART, or walking. This year my kids have checked out the marina, gone to the library, gone to a play, gone to various parks, as well as the Habitot children's museum, Oakland Museum of California, and the Lawrence Hall of Science! I love how familiar and comfortable they are with using the bus and BART, thanks in part to their field trips. They also start doing cooking activities in the two's room, which has been a great experience for my kids. In the 2-year-old room, the teachers work with parents to tackle potty training, and they have the patience of saints. The program is Reggio-inspired (similar to Montessori, but with a less structured, play-based approach), and it's not uncommon to see kids joyfully running around in their underwear, or proudly covering themselves in mud or paint. It's the closest you can get to experiencing the liberated and liberating school environments of western Europe, as enviously portrayed on NPR and the like -- and also one of the most affordable center-based daycares in Berkeley. The teachers will even occasionally host all-night sleepovers at the school, for kids as young as 2 or 3; my two oldest kids have loved the sleepovers, and come back feeling very grown-up. For a more lightweight experience, most months there's a "parents' night out", where for an extra fee you can pick up your kids up at 9:30 PM, after they've had dinner, done activities, and/or watched a movie with their friends and teachers. Many teachers are open to babysitting outside of school hours, and it's been great having a potential pool of babysitters who the kids already know. Even though the kids are in age-based classrooms, they have a chance to get to know teachers and kids in other rooms. (My 4-year-old went through a period of checking with his 2-year-old brother's teachers every day to make sure his brother was behaving.) The "parent participation hours" requirement (4 hrs/month) are a way to get families involved, doing everything from chaperoning field trips, to doing laundry, to bringing fruit for snacks. (I've done mine by sewing dress-up clothes.) If you really can't make it work, there's a fee you can pay instead. We (and our kids) have made so many friends through CEC; three of our kids' teachers came to visit at the hospital when our youngest was born. We're sad to see our oldest (and his friends, and their families) moving on, but grateful that many of his friends still have younger siblings who will be around for a while yet. We're looking forward to four more years here with our youngest, starting soon!

Our son has been in Little Ducklings for 2 years, and we couldn't recommend it more highly. Paty…read moreand Jaime meet each child where they are, and then help them blossom into the best version of themselves. We feel like we've found not just an incredible learning environment, but another family. Paty and Jaime care about the kids like their own, and you see that reflected in the love the kids have for each other as well. Paty and Jaime have really crafted a very special, supportive, nurturing environment and community. We also love the focus they have on making learning fun. Paty adheres to a curriculum, but follows the kids' interests to keep them engaged, and works elements of the curriculum in to everything they do. Truly play-based learning! We also love the enrichment classes they have. Our little one has been teaching us songs and yoga poses he's learned from some of the specialist teachers.

My twins were at Little Ducklings Day school for the past year, and they loved their time there…read more Paty and staff are wonderful. They give lots of love and attention to each child. Paty has an excellent curriculum that teaches letters, numbers, etc. My favorite part though was that my twins were always bringing home beautiful art projects they had done at school. The school is clean and welcoming, with a nice play area in the back yard. My twins made lasting friendships there. I highly recommend!

My baby was going here for 6+ month and I am extremely happy with how the team cares for my baby…read more What I especially like: - great hours: I am able to drop off my baby early enough to be at the office on-site in time for the day to start (I am not allowed to work from home) - they are great about feeding my baby his milk and are great at feeding his food as well. - the team got my baby into a great sleeping routine. I highly recommend.

My son attended Sunny from 7mos to 3 years old and I could not be happier with Mayra and Sara…read more.. and Vivi and Andre too. They truly helped me raise my son, which as a solo parent I very much appreciate. From crafts, to early learning activities, to outdoor play, to live music and singing my son left Sunny a more fulfilled child and fully ready for preschool. I had not planned for my son to be bilingual but l the Spanish he learned at Sunny made the decision to continue to a Spanish immersion preschool a must for me. And the food! I honestly do not know what we will do without the wonderfully cooked often-Colombian inspired meals, with organic ingredients. My son also had an egg allergy that they worked around so well. I feel very lucky to have found Mayra and her team.

I waited a couple of months after starting daycare before posting a review, and now that our son…read morehas been at Orkidz for over two months, I truly can't say enough good things about it. There is a reason this place only has 5-star reviews! As a first-time mom, I was extremely anxious about leaving my son with caregivers outside of family. What I didn't expect was that the wonderful teachers at Orkidz would start to feel like extended family to our baby. Before enrolling, I had heard plenty of horror stories about daycares where staff seemed disengaged or unhappy in their jobs. That has absolutely not been our experience here. The women at Orkidz genuinely LOVE children, and it shows every single day in the warmth, patience, and care they bring to the classroom. We toured several daycares before Orkidz, but the moment we walked in for our tour with Ms. Sheila, we were sold because no other place could compare. We were amazed with the facility, their library, their beautiful outdoor space, and the impressive commercial-style kitchen where they make yummy food for the kids. As for our son, I had prepared myself for difficult drop-offs and lots of crying. Instead, after a brief moment of confusion on his very first day (not sadness or separation anxiety because the teachers got to distracting him right away!), he settled in and adjusted to daycare immediately. He loves being around his little friends, is excited to go every morning, and is all smiles every time we come back to pick him up. Our son loves all the teachers, his face lights up when he sees them every morning, and he is especially attached to his primary teacher, Ms. Azadeh. They also have fun and engaging classes and we absolutely love the daily updates and pictures! In just a couple of months, we've already seen our now toddler become more social, curious, and comfortable around other children and adults. He also eats so well there and they have a variety of homecooked meals that I could never replicate. If you see a spot open at Orkidz, consider yourself lucky and save the spot as soon as you can - you will not regret it!

Our son started at Orkidz about six months ago, when he was 14 months old, and we couldn't be…read morehappier! Beyond all the great things about the daycare - the beautiful classrooms, the great outdoor space, the fun activities, and the amazing homemade food- the most important thing is the truly wonderful teachers. They give so much care and love to our son and all the other kids. He absolutely loves his teacher and happily runs into daycare every morning. As first-time parents, we had a lot of worries about the transition from being together at home to his first daycare and I feel choosing Orkidz turned out to be one of the best decisions we made. It's such a great feeling to know he's somewhere he feels safe, happy, and loved. We couldn't recommend Orkidz more.

Our toddler spent 2 years at Flora and Jack's daycare from 2 to 4 years old. We loved it! During…read moreour pre-enrollment visit, Jack immediately dumped out construction vehicles and other toys for my toddler to play with. Their understanding of how to make children feel safe and comfortable made the transition to a new school smooth. My toddler used to cry at dropoff at our old school, but at Flora and Jack's he sometimes walks in without saying goodbye to us :P. They were extremely accommodating with my son's food allergies, offering immediately to substitute ingredients for their entire menu. Their provided lunch lifted a lot of stress and cognitive load on us. We also appreciated their inclusiveness. Unlike in other settings, we never felt like our son's energy would be "too much." We were not worried about being kicked out for potentially being neurodiverse. They notice his interests and how he is developing and bring out toys, books, puzzles, etc. to match his needs. He even started reading before 4 years old. They also helped him paint his nails and loved the shiny dresses that he wears. We highly recommend Flora Child Care!

Caring, reliable, and attentive--my sister loved it here! Highly recommend this childcare service.read more

I'd highly recommend hiring Adela to care for your children. My son has been going there since he…read morewas 6 months old and now he is 3 - and he never had a day he didn't want to go there. She welcomes them every day with her friendliness and it makes drop off much easier. My son has grown a lot in this time - she teaches them a lot in both English and Spanish. The kids are all very close and she creates a very caring environment. And when we were on day 3 of potty training she was not phased and my son never had an accident there at all - she's a pro! Her place is always so clean and well organized too. She also came to my son's birthday and all of the kids clearly love her so much. It's wonderful to entrust your child to someone you know cares about them so much.

Adela's is great. Her and her daughter Leslie are so caring and loving to all the children. They…read morehave a nice set up with plenty of space for the kids. They take them to local restaurants for breakfast every once in a while and to the surrounding parks. The make all there own baby food and cook fresh for the older kids. It's always super clean even through out the day they teach the children how to pick up and to put the toys where they came from. Check them out you will fall in love.

My 20m old attends L'Academy and she loves it every time I tell her shes going to "La Escuelita"…read moreshe gets sooo happy and she starts jumping and clapping. She comes home singing a new song every week either in Spanish or in English. I love how I can see her through the day throughout pictures (they use the 1core app) I can see her face and see if shes been happy or sad and I just love love that. She loves her teachers they are nice and sweet. I love how efficient Ms. Rachel is always answering questions and concerns on a timely manner. I definitely recommend L'Academy and my baby will also be attending here when shes old enough. Great school great services. Thank you for all you guys

Our child was a part of L'Academy from age 18 months to 4 years old, entering their toddler class…read moreand eventually moving to their Mandarin class. We really cherished our experience with L'Academy. L'Academy has a great balance of play and learning. Their outdoor playground is really interactive, and I appreciated how dirty my kid would get at school. He would also surprise us with how much he learned. The hours are really great for working parents, and there aren't too many school closure days. They also are very accommodating of allergies. Rachel was a really great director. She was easy to communicate with, and she was very involved in our child's care and education. I liked how she would send out newsletters and implemented new ways for us parents to get involved. They also take a lot of photos and videos that they share on a daily basis so we could get a peek at what our kid was doing. My kid loved reading, and Rachel would always make sure there were new books available in the subject he liked. Ava Laoshi, the Mandarin teacher, was very caring and loving. My kid still talks about how much he misses her. My kid picked up a lot of Mandarin, even though we barely speak it at home. I was impressed at how my kid enjoyed learning Chinese. He would always sing the songs he learned there and he would try to engage us in conversation. It was really clear to us how much Ava Laoshi shared her heart with our kid. L'Academy also was a great place for us to meet other parents. They often have parties or events for us to attend. From our experience at L'Academy, we ended up making a lot of friends and we now have a little parenting community together.