Finding daycare/preschool mid year
Our daughter is 19 months old and we are looking to transition her to a daycare/preschool situation ASAP. Looking for advice on finding a situation mid year on short notice. Here’s my list of ideals, which I know we may not get... play based, outdoor time, 20-30 hours a week, location flexible. Albany/Berkeley/Oakland are all possibilities or even in the city (SOMA or Castro/Lower Haight) could be okay.
Jan 25, 2019
Parent Replies
I did this when my daughter was little. I just started calling around to preschools that worked for me geographically. I luckily found one that had just started a new toddler program and she started right away. So that's my recommendation, google preschools near me and start calling!
This recommendation might not be helpful right now, mid-term, but for next school year definitely check out CCC, on Walnut Street in Berkeley. Our niece was there last year, so we got to know first hand what it is. Parents participate one day a week, so you experience the pre-school. Lots of creative play time, outdoor time, teachers respectful and engaged with kids, teaching respect and problem solving. Only wish I had gone there as a pre-schooler.
I am not sure if our preschool has any openings right now but I know they accept mid-year students. We go to Storybrook Oakland. They have a nice website that should pop up if you do a search.
It is playbased and they have outdoor time, rain or shine. The outdoor space is very large and the staff to student ratio is great. They provide all food. My son loves it and so do I!
Good luck!
I would look into home-based daycares. Both of my sons went to Cheburashka Daycare. The food is amazing and home-cooked. The teachers are warm and caring. They have a nice tree shaded yard plus they go every day to one of 2 parks. Also they are walking distance to North Berkeley BART. Owner is Victoria Scott 510-287-6873. Working hours 8-5:30pm with very few days off.
Victoria
The Model School in Berkeley has openings. Call Marina at 510.549.2711. Our son goes there, we love that school, and so does he.
The Model School (in south Berkeley) has openings now. We have our daughter in the Toddler 2 class and she loves it. They are play-based, Montessori-modeled curriculum. The school has outdoor play yards, dance class, music class, and singing story time - all weekly for each class.
Feel free to reach out out if you have questions.