Caterpillar Kids Daycare
Community SubscriberBerkeley, CA
To see Department of Social Services records on this facility, click on its DSS Facility License # below.
Daycare Service West Berkeley full time
Caterpillar Kids Daycare LLC
5 months to 5 years
* CPR, First Aid & Preventative Health
Nutritional Meals and Snacks, Daily Learning, Daily Report, Potty Training, Safe Environment, Family Setting
We also accept child subsidy from the County of Alameda childcare referral office
Bananas
https://bananasbunch.org/current-child-care-subsidy-families/
Parent Q&A
Parent Reviews
Parents, please Sign in to post a review on this page.We highly recommend Caterpillar Kids Daycare!
Our 8 month-old son has been with Caterpillar Kids for 3 months now, and we couldn't be happier with our choice in daycare. Each day, our boy is excited when he arrives at daycare and happy when he's picked up at the end of the day. Calvin, Eliane, and their staff are nothing short of tremendous. It is evident that the staff at Caterpillar Kids care for our child with the same love and affection that we provide at home.
Some things we especially love about our experience so far:
- daily pictures and/or updates
- Calvin and Eliane are easy to contact and respond quickly
- they have been flexible and accommodating to our requests
- they are professional
- they provide meals
- they are very perceptive of our son's developmental growth (e.g. readiness to start solids, transition from 3 to 2 naps, etc)
- competitive price
We are so grateful to have Caterpillar Kids be part of our extended "family"!
Finding a daycare is not easy! We took a chance with Caterpillar Kids (at the time they had no reviews) but once we met Calvin and Eliane we knew they were the perfect fit for our family. We started our son when he was 6 months old and now he is 10 months and LOVES going. He gets so excited when we walk up to the door.
What we love about Caterpillar Kids:
- meals are included
- safe neighborhood/easy parking
- no set drop off time, we can bring him anytime during school hours
- super accommodating with special requests
- amazing at helping with milestones! (sitting up, crawling, eating solid foods etc.)
- good communication (texting and pictures throughout the day)
- they take the kids outside to a park that is close by
- small home vs. large school (my kid doesn't get lost with all the others)
- they genuinely care about my baby
- clean environment/lots of toys and activities
We bring our own formula, diapers and wipes. We were pretty nervous (since this is our first kid) but Calvin and Eliane made us feel very comfortable and we quickly realized that they probably know a lot more than us. We are so grateful that we found Calvin and Eliane and we tell all of our friends that we got so lucky with our daycare!
Calvin and Eliane care for my 15 month son. I stayed home with him until he started daycare about a month ago. I couldn’t not have asked for better people to care for him. They prepare delicious, nutritious meals for him. They have plenty of toys and books. They go outside everyday. My son is so well cared for. His development has increased tremendously. I love their little updates throughout the day and he always seems to come home just as clean as when he got dropped off.
I’m thankful I’m able to spend my time at work actually working and not worrying about my child. You can’t go wrong placing your little one here.
300% RECOMMENDED
I can make a long review, but in fact the best way is to look at my son's face, Ethan. He is so happy with Elaine and Calvin!
We started mid-April, not knowing very well how Ethan was gonna respond; I'm a first-time mom, no family around and my baby is so sensitive... But I was really overwhelmed, that we needed help. My husband and I visited them to get info, see the place... and that afternoon was just so natural, Ethan was surprisingly calmed. They offer a 2 weeks trial, so we decided to try, more like a drop off style... Result?? He started may going 3 days a week, full day. They save my mental health big time. Leaving my little baby (turning 4months this may!) required absolutely zero adaptation time. They are so sweet with Ethan, and he pays back with huge smiles and chuckles. When we pick him up, he is happy and content, nearly sad of leaving! We always get a little report on how he felt, what he did... From our side, we can just "forget" and focus on our job, because it feels like leaving him with family. I trust them 100%, and I also feel that they are on my side as a mom, supporting me. It has been a blessing.
Other topics that I can talk about...
1) Elaine and Calvin are so accommodating and understanding. Communication is great. They get to meet your little one, and even offer advice, telling what works for them. In my case, sleeping is a hard one for Ethan, so we are all cooperating to help him in this department. They think on every detail... I got my first mother's day gift! It was just adorable (Thank you!)
2) They send pictures and videos, you can (video)call. It's great to see my baby having so much fun or resting so peacefully, so I can keep working without worrying.
3) The place is absolutely new, and looks awesome. They put so much love and interest on their daycare, to have happy kids enjoying their days.
3) They will follow the kind of education you prefer. For example, we are starting to introduce sign language to Ethan. But they will follow the kind of education/schedule you want for your child.
4) It's not a huge school, not massive... so from the perspective of children getting sick is better. It is also more family-style, helps creating my child's confidence, and it's more personal.
5) It's a nice location, safe and quiet. There's a park close by where they go twice a day. Very convenient for UCBerkeley parents, like us.
6) Competitive price.
I'm in the same boat! Considering them for our 8mo old in August but I don't see any reviews for them either.
Are you referring to Caterpillars on Princeton St in Oakland? If yes, I can highly recommend it. My daughter attended from about 18 months-2.5. She thrived there, learning to communicate in both English and Spanish. The team are all wonderful caretakers who create such a warm, welcoming environment. We only left because we moved out of state, but having such a nurturing environment was a life saver in the throes of early Covid (we started in summer 2020). Happy to discuss more if you have specific questions.
Thank you so much for inquiring about us. We are working on getting reviews we have a family's comments about our daycare and their experience here on our Facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/100090398167611/posts/pfbid0H2qks94iiu7XDHLth3…
Hi! I'm Ethan's mom :) I wrote a review just now. I guess that depending on what you are looking for. If you want a big classic school, with a class full of kids their age, this is not it. However, if you look into a warm place that feels like family, when kids are individually treated, then I sincerely recommend it. Cheers!