3 Best Day Cares in Oakland, CA

We love Katrina and the First Choice Daycare, our daughter has been there full time since she was about 5 months old. She is now eleven months old. Katrina and her staff are great with the kids, my daughter now happily waves and 'talks' to Katrina every morning when she's dropped off. They have a good schedule throughout the day for morning recess, snacks, lunch, nap time. She also tailors where each kid is for learning and needs into the daily program. Even as a new mom I felt comfortable leaving my little one with Katrina. Highly recommend.

My son attended First Choice for two years. Before meeting Katrina, I had interviewed with three other daycares. I felt most comfortable with her for a few reasons. She had years of experience, children of her own, and concern for children’s development through diet and minimizing screen time. Watching my son develop and retain information was a joy. He learned so much including Spanish basics which I was happy for the introduction. My son also developed a genuine friendship with another child which has been amazing to witness outside of daycare. He has now gone to summer camp and which I don’t think he was prepared for without his daily nap but it is nice to know Katrina and her daughters prepared him for so much more!

Our toddler son loved coming here every day before we moved. Katrina and the staff are so kind and patient with the children. They are very attentive and always kept us updated on his development. They truly care about all the children and their families. Perfect family-run daycare.

We're thankful to have found Sunflowers! Our daughter has been there for a year and her younger brother has just joined her there. We like that there's a fun mix of different activities (cooking, yoga, music, outdoor play, nature walks) and learning. The kids play well together, I often hear about things like whose favorite color was what that day and cute songs I haven't heard before. The teachers are so wonderful and in tune with our kid's personality/needs/temperament and they make a point to nurture their interests.

Sunflowers has been a nurturing home for our child for over 2 years. He has thrived there, made friends, and learned so much. The owners and teachers are great and kids get individual attention. From wholesome food to educational programming everything at Sunflowers is done with care and love. We can’t wait to send our next kid!

Our son has thrived at Sunflowers socially, developmentally and intellectually since starting as a two year old about a year ago. He was very shy around other kids. Now he engages kids we meet at the playground to play. I appreciate that the teachers greet my son with a hug each day and welcoming words, so he feels cared for. Our son loves his teachers. I like that they gently remind children of manners (eg. "yes please, no thank you, excuse me"). At home our son sings the days of the week and months of the year and shows us yoga poses learned at preschool. Not many preschools in the area provide all meals and snacks, but Sunflowers does, which is a huge timesaving bonus. The fresh food Sunflowers provides is healthier than I could send in a lunch box, and I'm sure enjoyed more by my son. My family is very grateful for the care given by Sunflowers.