Kidsland on Dwight

Community Subscriber

Berkeley, CA

Facility Type[?]:
Home Daycare
DSS Facility License #
013423650 [view license]
Owner:
Ana Castro
Team [at] kidslandatberkeley.com
Location:
Berkeley
94702
West/Central Berkeley - Dwight/San Pablo Ave
Maximum Capacity:
14
Language(s) Spoken:
English,
Spanish
Ages Served:
5 months - 60 months
Hours
8:00am - 5:00pm
Affiliation:
Montessori
Additional Services & Features:
Afternoon option,
Part-time available,
Pre-K program,
K-5 afterschool available,
Year-round,
Breakfast provided,
Lunch provided,
Snacks provided,
Organic options,
Vegetarian options,
Special diet support,
Cloth diapers accepted,
Potty training support
Editors' Notes:
About the Program:

We offer specially designed programs and curriculum for kids of all ages and interests. 

Parent Reviews

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Our son goes to Kidsland Berkeley and we absolutely love it. Feel free to message me if you have any questions, otherwise I highly recommend reaching out to Ana and doing a tour. Facility is super clean and my child lights up every time we walk up to the door—he loves his teachers and it’s mixed ages which I think is so great for development. Good luck!

Recommended:

Kidsland Dwight has been a dream come true for our family! I’m a first time mom who was very nervous putting my daughter in daycare. After touring many different places, Kidsland Dwight stood out because of the Spanish immersion, the clean/organized/well-stocked facility, and Ana was so warm and kind right from the beginning. After just a few weeks, our daughter loved going to daycare and seeing all her friends. Ana and the other caretakers are so welcoming, loving and responsible. They are communicative and great about updating us about her day at pickup. They also plan little holiday activities and get togethers that family can attend which is fun. Our daughter comes home talking about Ana and Laura in her toddler babble, and it’s such a comfort and relief that she loves her caretakers! I highly recommend Kidsland Dwight.

I strongly recommend KidsLand Addison for both their daycare and preschool programs. Our son started at KL when he was 6 months old and he is now 3 1/2 years old. He loved it there! He quickly bonded with Ana and the other teachers, and pretty much every day didn't want to leave when I picked him up.

Our kid understands and speaks Spanish at a pretty impressive level (he's teaching us vocab), and we are excited for him to build on the language and skills he learned at KL. They go on super fun field trips 1-2 times a week, healthy food is provided for the older kids (2+ years old), and Ana and her staff were very open and accommodating of our special dietary needs (we brought in prunesauce for his constipation, tried various non dairy milks at various times). She knew before we did when he was ready to start potty training and provided much appreciated and expert guidance on that & many other milestones. There is a big playhouse in the huge backyard where the preschoolers spend most of the time in, and lots of space to run around and play, plus there are chickens, bunnies, and a garden they help grow. The kids produce great art and projects and our son has grown so much in the time he spent at KL. Ana and her team clearly love kids, and their dedication and commitment is impressive.

We are so grateful our kid had the experience of being cared for so well by Ana and her team and we will miss them so much. Contact Ana for current openings (I believe there are a few openings for toddlers/preschoolers), and feel free to contact me with any questions.

I have been meaning to write this review for the last couple of years--my wife and I are so grateful to Kidsland/Ana's for all the love, attentiveness, and stability they have offered our children for the past 3 years. We have our second child there now after our first spent two years here. Ana is the kind of person who immediately inspires a sense of trust-- she is clearly driven by something bigger than just doing her job. She and her staff go over and above what even the most entitled of us could reasonably hope for. Our first child became very attached to Ana, and they developed a special relationship. I often joke about how I feel like a bad parent after observing Ana, her family, and dedicated team, and I regularly feel inspired by their attention to detail and spirit of community over self. All food is provided for the day, and it all seems to be made from scratch and very healthy. There are always incredibly sweet gatherings to celebrate birthdays and holidays, and I'm regularly impressed by how Ana and her family go above and beyond to make your children feel loved.

After visiting many different daycares, my son was placed at Ana's Daycare since he was 6 months old and he is about to turn 3. I cannot say enough great things about this daycare.
I wholeheartedly agree with the previous post about the activities and facility Ana's daycare has to offer. You can't ask for a better place!
Early drop off, fresh meals, engaging activities and fun field trips makes this daycare stand out above the rest.
I also really appreciate the love and attention my son gets from Ana and her assistants. They truly love what they do and have admirable work ethics.
Ana has also created a fun filled preschool program for the older kids which made my husband and I very excited.
There are a few openings right now for toddlers and preschoolers and it's totally worth checking out!

I would like to very strongly recommend the Kidslands in Berkeley. We are very happy parents of a child at Kidslands Addison who has been there for almost 2 years. He is now 3 and loves going to school and interacting with the care providers. The quality of the care is unparalleled--nurturing, supportive, and very positive. They have recently started a new preschool program where the children older than 2 have structured activities and themes. There is a wonderful mixture of art, stories, dance, and time outside. Both the indoor and outdoor spaces are nice and we especially enjoy the lovely backyard where there is a tree house. One thing that we really appreciate about Kidsland is that there are regular outings to the library for Spanish-speaking story time and trips to local parks and natural areas (e.g. Aquatic Park, Crown Beach, Steam Trains at Tilden). Each day, the children eating nutritious yummy food (breakfast, lunch and 2 snacks). I'm not sure how Ana does it, but my son eats all of his veggies there, when it is struggle at home!

My son's Spanish is very strong and while we speak other languages at home, he says that Spanish is his favorite. We thank Ana for instilling in him an interest and appreciation for the Spanish-speaking culture.

When comparing the Kidsland program to other Spanish-immersion preschool programs, it is superior for so many reasons: generous hours (7:30 to 5:30), food (included), price (cheaper than all programs we looked at), vacation schedule (less time than all other programs we looked at but still reasonable for staff), activities (a good mixture of structured activities, play, and time outside).

For all of these reasons and the ''little things'' (my son has learned good manners like saying please, thank you, and reminding us to not talk and eat; the community of parents that is so wonderful; the parking is definitely manageable), we know that we have been extremely fortunate to have found Kidsland Addison.

There are currently one or two openings for children older than 3. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

Happy Kidsland Mama
[email protected]

Archived Q&A and Reviews


April 2015

RE: Spanish immersion alternative to KISS

We have a child at Kidsland Addison and we love it! They are a daycare that has been caring for kids 3 months thru kindergarten that is just starting a separate program for the preschoolers (children 2+ years of age). The separate program just means the littles and the bigs are going to be separated into to two different rooms instead of all together, and then the preschool portion of the big kids program can be more structured. Our son thrived there as a little & has learned SO MUCH already I can't wait to see what more will come as the program gets even better!

The school is full spanish immersion, and tuition includes healthy meals and snacks. The care is very loving/nurturing.

Our son is 2.5 and has attended since he was 6 months old. So far he is fluent in spanish, knows how to say his ABC's and 123's, can count his numbers on his hands, can identify most any animal/car/truck/etc, and can draw circles and triangles. He's learned all sorts of life skills like saying please, thank you, and excuse me, waiting your turn, sitting quietly, asking for permission, getting himself dressed, picking up his toys, etc. Kidsland even helped potty train him!

Oh yes, and the older kids go on fun field trips 1-2 days a week to places like the library or the Tilden trains.

The program is run by Ana 510-861-7972. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions. Good luck in your search! kacey.tsb


March 2015

RE:  Seeking Spanish Immersion Preschool

I would like to very strongly recommend the Kidslands in Berkeley. We are very happy parents of a child at Kidslands Addison who has been there for almost 2 years. He is now 3 and loves going to school and interacting with the care providers. The quality of the care is unparalleled--nurturing, supportive, and very positive. They have recently started a new preschool program where the children older than 2 have structured activities and themes. There is a wonderful mixture of art, stories, dance, and time outside. Both the indoor and outdoor spaces are nice and we especially enjoy the lovely backyard where there is a tree house. One thing that we really appreciate about Kidsland is that there are regular outings to the library for Spanish-speaking story time and trips to local parks and natural areas (e.g. Aquatic Park, Crown Beach, Steam Trains at Tilden). Each day, the children eating nutritious yummy food (breakfast, lunch and 2 snacks). I'm not sure how Ana does it, but my son eats all of his veggies there, when it is struggle at home!

My son's Spanish is very strong and while we speak other languages at home, he says that Spanish is his favorite. We thank Ana for instilling in him an interest and appreciation for the Spanish-speaking culture.

When comparing the Kidsland program to other Spanish-immersion preschool programs, it is superior for so many reasons: generous hours (7:30 to 5:30), food (included), price (cheaper than all programs we looked at), vacation schedule (less time than all other programs we looked at but still reasonable for staff), activities (a good mixture of structured activities, play, and time outside).

For all of these reasons and the ''little things'' (my son has learned good manners like saying please, thank you, and reminding us to not talk and eat; the community of parents that is so wonderful; the parking is definitely manageable), we know that we have been extremely fortunate to have found Kidsland Addison.

There is currently at least one opening and there are likely openings for the late summer/Fall for children older than 2, and for especially those 3 or older. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

Happy Kidsland Mama