Desiree's Wonderschool
Berkeley, CA
To see Department of Social Services records on this facility, click on its DSS Facility License # below.
- The owner of this daycare is also listed as the director of another daycare Aria's Wonderschool.
Parent Q&A
Parent Reviews
Parents, please Sign in to post a review on this page.Desiree runs a great program. My daughter Shania loves attending.. With covid schools been shut down my daughter who will be turning seven within the next couple of weeks had to do distant learning. I run two small businesses in the bay area i can always depend on Desiree with my schedule, her program has a great distant learning set up she's a great teacher.. My daughter Shania says she's the best.. Healthy food and snacks.. Very clean.. Very safe.. I highly recommend Ms Desiree and her program..
Hi,
I do. I moved to the Berkeley/East Bay area the weekend after thanksgiving for job training and was desperately looking for full-time care for my then 15-month-old Tot. As accommodating as some of these caretakers come off, be very cautious. I understand there are very long waitlists for most daycare in the SF/Bay area. While there are some amazing teachers and care takers out there, my experience with the Wonderschool programs as well as the Wonderschool overarching organization has been dismal.
My tot attended both Desiree's and Aria's wonderschool and the issues herein are with the program director- Desiree, and not of the other teachers. The reason you will find reviews for Desiree's wonderschool and Aria's wonderschool to be more than 3 stars is mainly due to the attention and care the other teachers put towards the babies and tots. Desiree, on the other hand, may state she has over 12 years of childcare experience, but my first-hand experience falls short of that.
While I had stated multiple times and written in the wonderschool paperwork that my son is being raised ovo-lacto vegetarian, she fed him salmon- leading to hives. During pick up he may have been the only child aside from her 5-year-old present and I have found him watching Desiree's daughter play video games or watching TV. There have been instances where broken crayons or very small toys have been left behind from her daughter prior to the start of business hours and in reach of my tot and his young classmates. While I have complained to Desiree each and every time, she has proven to be argumentative and blaming the teachers for not cleaning up or sweeping up after her daughter prior to the start of business hours. There is a lack of developmental toys and activities she provides the teachers-so they do their best with the few flashcards and repeat play items (which are all of her daughter's hand me downs) and there is a major lack of gender-neutral games, toys, and developmental tools at both sites. My son has come home in other kids' clothes even though I've provided changes of clothing (kept there in a dresser). I strongly do not recommend these programs and Wonderschool themselves have proven to be not helpful. The director should be held accountable as she holds parents accountable to agreements they sign after the several thousands of dollars in fulltime tuition they pay her. Instead of concentrating on my training in my new position, I was constantly worried about my tot's wellbeing. I have made alternate arrangements after 8 weeks in her programs. But I strongly advise against enrolling your children with Desiree.
Hello,
Unfortunately, we had a very negative experience with this care provider. I arrived early to pick up my child on the third day she was there and I never took her back.
Due to serious health and safety violations, we immediately withdrew our 6 month old child:
We asked to be refunded the remainder of the month after less than a week of time with our child in her care and she refused. After multiple attempts, she will not respond or send our deposit or tuition to us.
I strongly recommend against placing your child there.
We’ve been with Desiree’s since March 2019 with our little one Kazuo (~18 months). She’s provided a loving and safe environment and our kid is super happy. They have outside time most days and get good exercise during the day. The size is small and intimate and the little crew of toddlers is quite awesome to observe. We have not observed any of the issues below regarding dehydration or improper food consumption - our toddler is always well fed and hydrated upon pick up.
My child was enrolled at "Desiree's Wonderschool" and a representative contacted me to inform that this daycare no longer qualified to be under the Wonderschool umbrella. They said that "We made this decision based on some concerns that the Wonderschool Quality and Safety Promise is not being consistently met. Despite this decision, we have enjoyed working with Desiree and wish her well." Thus "Desiree Daycare" seems to be the new name.