Molly Rowe's Daycare

I highly recommend Molly's Daycare. My daughter started at Molly's 2 years ago after being in a nanny share. I looked at a number of daycares in the area before making our choice. When I walked in, I knew immediately knew that this was the place. I met Molly and immediately felt at ease. She is easy to talk to and listens to parent concerns. What I most appreciate is how Molly is so consistent. She teaches the kids to be kind, to share, to think of others, how to say sorry, and how to listen to their bodies. When my daughter enters into imaginative play, I hear her talk for her toys repeating the same problem solving techniques that Molly teaches everyday. Molly helped us through potty training, some biting, and reinforces the expected social skills a toddler should know. As soon as my second daughter was old enough, she started at Molly’s as well. Despite a 2 year age gap, Molly was able to get them both onto a consistent schedule and takes care of their differing needs. My younger daughter had some medical needs that Molly was more than willing to accommodate. Molly’s Daycare feels like family. She is so amazing!

I wanted to recommend Molly Rowe, or Miss Molly's Daycare. It's a small home daycare with the most loving, awesome caretakers. I knew when I talked to Molly on the phone, and then confirmed it in person, that her energy and sense of humor were going to be a perfect fit for our family. And she was. We started after a pretty rough experience with a nanny share, and Molly eased the transition. She was flexible in working with our then-7 mo son to get him acclimated. Despite the fact he was a crappy sleeper, she worked patiently with him to figure him out and get him napping 3 hours a day, consistently, without fuss. There are many days she still has to wake him after 3 hours! The other caretakers are the most loving ladies ever, and are affectionate with my son (so heart warming!). Her sense of humor and flexibility has been amazing. When my son was in the hospital for 10 days this spring, Molly came to see him twice to boost his spirits and give us hugs. We are leaving at the end of
July, and I want to bawl my eyes out about it. I will miss her so much. She is the most wonderful daycare provider. I can't recommend her enough.

Our 21-month-old son started at Molly's when he was just 9 months old. It's never easy to go back to work after maternity leave, and I had a lot of anxiety and sadness during the transition. Luckily, Molly really helps with that transition. She offered to use the Baby Connect app to log all bottles, meals, naps, and other important notes during the day until he turned one. Throughout my workday those first few months, the app would send push notifications about what my son was up to. I was so thankful for that connection to him during the transition.

We first heard about Molly from our midwife's apprentice, Ellie Griffinger (now a fully licensed midwife!). She highly recommended we consider Molly when it was time for me to return to work. When we visited, we loved the environment at Molly's. The benefit of a family daycare is that it simulates a family. Kids are in a home, and they get to play with kids of different ages just as they would if part of a large family. While our son was with Molly, he formed strong bonds with the other kids and the caregivers. We have no regrets choosing a family daycare over a nanny.

Molly's is now located near Highland Hospital in Oakland. We didn't know that neighborhood well, but it's very convenient to the highways and pretty close to Fruitvale Bart. Her home is tucked back in a quiet neighborhood with friendly neighbors and very little traffic. Molly's home is warm and calm. The inside playroom is organized and filled with books, a big train set, real-life play toys like a kitchen. Molly keeps it tidy and as kids get older, they learn to clean up after themselves. There is no TV in any area where kids spend time, and a TV is never on while kids are there. Outside (where the kids spend much of the day) is a large back yard full of fruit trees, play areas, and lots of places to explore.

Our son has learned so much at Molly's. She is a great communicator. She works with parents as important teachable moments arise. In recent months, we've had a lot of conversations about helping our son manage his emotions. She offers great advice and strategies on particular challenges. She and the other women on her staff are so loving toward the kids. We're sad to be leaving Molly's in the fall, but our son is ready for preschool. If you are considering a family daycare situation in Oakland, you can't go wrong with Molly.

Our daughter has been at Molly's Day Care for nearly a year and will move on to pre-school in the fall. We have loved having our girl at Molly's. We have seen her thrive in the fun, organized and playful atmosphere and her vocabulary has shot through the roof over the last 6 months. Molly does a great job communicating with parents and fills her daycare with great toys that keep the kiddos interested and engaged. Our daughter is happy to go to school and happy to see Molly, the other caregivers, and all of her little friends. I have especially appreciated how hands-on Molly and her team are. Frequently when we drop off or pick up our kiddo, Molly is sitting on the floor with multiple kiddos on her lap, reading to them or singing songs. Molly celebrates birthdays and milestones and truly loves our girl - and that makes all the difference to working parents! We will miss having our daughter with Molly but anticipate bringing any future children to Molly's daycare one day!