Which Daycare/Center for an Infant?

Hi local parents! We’re lucky to have secured a spot at two great daycares for our son starting at 6 months, and we’d love your input if you’ve experienced either one.
 

Blue Skies for Children
 Offers meals/snacks, early intervention (speech therapist & psychologist on-site)
 Strong emphasis on developmental readiness and smooth transitions
 Parent skill-sharing welcomed (science, dance, carpentry, etc.)
 Dedicated chef & operations staff
 More expensive ($42K/year for 8:30 am - 4:30pm) & located in a slightly less safe area (occasional helicopter lockdowns)
 Charges vary by pickup/drop-off time
 

Child Education Center (CEC)
 Lower cost ($35K/year) & in a safer neighborhood
 Fixed hours 7:30am–6pm with flexible pickup/drop-off
 Monthly date-night option until 9:30pm for $45
 Field trips & summer outings for older kids
 Requires 4 hrs/month parent participation or $50 opt-out
 Noticed caregiver/infant ratio wasn’t met during our visit
 

Both programs go through kindergarten, have great outdoor space, music lessons, and use Brightwheel. We're a remote/hybrid household, so schedule flexibility is helpful but not essential.
 

Would love any feedback or experiences to help us decide! Thanks in advance!

Looking for recommendations of daycares primarily in Downtown Berkeley (but open to North Berkeley or South Berkeley) to reach out to that will accept infants in Spring 2026! I initially searched on the Berkeley Parents Network on https://www.berkeleyparentsnetwork.org/daycares/search?name=&city%5B%5D=3&zip=&age=5 but did not see a lot of options for my zip code, and one of the options (Happa Baby Daycare) it turns out has moved to Emeryville. 

Thanks in advance!

Hi everyone, I'm new here, about to be a single mom, just moved to Grand Lake area in Oakland. I'm 30 weeks pregnant and will have about 3.5 months maternity leave, so I'm looking for a daycare starting July or August 2025 for a 3-4 month old. I'm open to any type of care that would fit these needs: 

• Location: close to Grand Lake neighborhood
• Hours: Full-time care (8:30am to 5pm, M-F)
• Age: 3-4 month old
• Timing: July/August 2025 start

I would appreciate any advice on how to go about finding something. Any openings you know of for that young of an infant? Do I need to be calling/emailing anyone and everyone asap with this timeframe? 

Thanks so much!

Hi BPN,

Could you recommend some of the top-rated daycares in the El Cerrito/Berkeley area? My child is 6 months old, and we're looking to get on a waitlist.

Specifically, we're interested in daycares that cater to the toddler stage.

Thanks! 

Hi Mamas! 

My daughter is due on Aug 8, 2024, and we're looking for a nanny, nanny share, or infant daycare in the area (i.e., East Richmond Heights, El Cerrito, Berkeley, Pinole, El Sobrante). I will be taking 5 months off for maternity leave and returning to work in early January 2025. I'm feeling a bit behind in the childcare search as I know you can get waitlisted for quite a long time, but I'm hoping for the best. We will need childcare 3-5 days a week. Do any of you have recommended options in the area? Is it more difficult to find childcare for part time than full time? 

Thank you! 

Alexa

Hi, I'm a first time parent looking to start my son in daycare in November or December, when he will be 6-7 months old. It is so hard to find availability! I would really appreciate any recommendations of in-home daycares that might have availability anywhere near Laurel, Fruitvale, Dimond, or nearby neighborhoods. Our only requirement is a safe and loving environment where our baby will get enough attention. Outdoor space and healthy meals would be very nice. We are a bilingual English/Spanish household so would be fine to work with a Spanish-only daycare.

Thank you!

Dear all! I was wondering if you know a good daycare in east bay that has cameras installed, so we can see our babies whenever we want on our phones.

Thanks!

Niki

Dear all,

I have been looking for a daycare that let me stay with my three month old baby. I don’t want to leave the baby for the whole day and leave, and since I am studying online, I am just looking for a place that my baby is entertained while me being there (maybe in a separate room studying at my laptop). Please let me know if you know of such a daycare.

thanks a lot,

Niki

Greetings!

My husband and I are looking for daycare, preferably in-home daycare, starting the first of November for our daughter, Claudia.  She will be 4.5 months old come November.  We are located in Oakland by the zoo and are looking for daycare anywhere in Oakland or San Leandro.  Any help or referrals would be greatly appreciated! Thanks and have a great day!

Ryan and Brig

Can anybody recommend a good, AFFORDABLE daycare located in Berkeley? It’s for a 9 month old. The daycares all seem to be for 2+ Year olds. Many are around $1,300 per month, when we can really only afford 1/2 that. We are looking for larger group settings and possibly foreign language immersion. 

Hi wise parents,

We have a child who will be 4 months old on March 6 and we can't find infant care anywhere!  We commute from Richmond to Berkeley via El Cerrito, Albany, and Kensington. We have a tight budget $1200-$1300 so a nanny share is out. I'm headed back to work on March 5th and would love to have something lined up so that I can enjoy my babe and prep my lessons for being back in the classroom. I've called over 50 spots and have been having a very hard time getting people to answer or call back.

Any info on who's got an infant opening would be greatly appreciated!

Let the search begin! (again) Our daycare plans fell through for mid-March for our baby who will be 4.5 when we'd need care. We're looking for somewhere she could attend until she goes to preschool in June of 2020. Looking for full day openings and/or suggestions for an in-home daycare for mid-March or the beginning of April (or May/June...) in North Berkeley/Albany, if possible.

Hi, we are looking for an infant care program (family child care or center) in Albany or Emeryville for our daughter, born 3/16/2017 starting January 2018! Thanks, Peggy

Hi there! We have been looking for a daycare for our daughter who will be four months when I return to work in October. We have somewhat of a tight budget ($1300-1400) and are looking for a place near El Cerrito. Please let us know about any openings you may know of- we're feeling a bit stuck. We've tried Bananas but haven't quite heard back from places we've reached out to.

Holly

Hi, 

We are new to the bay area and are expecting our first baby this October!  I have done quite a bit of research online but do not have many friends/network to ask for personal recommendations on day cares in the area.  Does anyone have any daycares to recommend in the concord/walnut creek/pleasant hill area?  Appreciate any input or feedback that would be helpful in making this important decision :)  My baby would probably need to start around 4 months old but I can be flexible if needed.

Thank you!

Hanna

Hi! My husband and I are expecting our first child at the end of October. We are looking for daycare options when I return back to work at the end of February/early March 2018. We are in Kensington but are open to areas near, north and south of us. Our primary concern is closing time/evening pickup flexibility, as both of our jobs can be unpredictable. Thoughts and ideas are most welcome! Thank you!

Hi there

I'm searching for a part time daycare for my baby who will be 4 months old in August. Please let me know if you have any suggestions for daycares in the Albany, El Cerrito or North Berkeley area.

Thanks!

I am looking for recommendations for daycare centers that accept 3-4 month olds in the Crocker Highlands or Lake Merritt area. I have found a few online but would prefer a recommendation or information on additional centers that may not be listed.

My husband and I both work full-time. While our offices have been accommodating by allowing us to work from home some of the time (we're currently alternating MWF/TH home/in-office), this isn't sustainable for either of us. We're on the waiting list for ECDC but it's unlikely they'll have an opening until this fall when they move their classes.

We really need help finding a place for our currently 10-week-old daughter by mid-May (when she'll be 4 months). Can anyone provide guidance? While we'd prefer a center, we're willing to consider in-home with references. We are both monolingual and do not have strong preferences for foreign language immersion education. I'm a fan of Montessori methods as I grew up with it, but it's not a requirement. We live in Emeryville so we'd prefer something in the Emeryville/Oakland area, but would consider Berkeley or something further south (San Leandro, etc.) if necessary.

Really we are just looking for a safe, friendly space for our infant to stay while we're at work! Ideal hours would be 8am to 6pm but we can work something out.

Hi there! I'm looking for M-F fulltime daycare starting in May for my daughter, who will be 9 months old at that time. I've tried calling as many places as possible and am having no luck getting a spot for an infant! Any help would be much appreciated. Closer to Del Norte Bart is best, but I'm flexible. Thank you!

Hi BPN, our childcare plans didn't work out as expected and we are now looking for daycare for our baby girl in El Cerrito or the surrounding area beginning in April. I work in El Cerrito for WCCUSD, and will be returning to work April 17th. I work 8:30-4 during the school year with some intermitten work in the summer. Lucía will be 5 months old the week prior to me returning to work. If you have an infant spot available at your daycare or can recommend someone who does, please contact us. We prefer a small in home daycare.

Thank you!