Seeking a Daycare or Preschool in San Leandro

Looking for fulltime daycare or preschool

March 2004

We are moving to San Leandro in a couple of months and will be living near Washington school, around the corner from Zocalo cafe and the shops on Bancroft. I have a son who will be 2 in September and I am interested in hearing about any nurturing, stimulating home daycares in the area, as well as any other highly recommended preschool/daycare programs. I have visited the preschool at Beth Shalom and was quite impressed, but am wondering if there are other options out there for somebody who needs a full day childcare situation. Daniela

I can highly recommend both a daycare and a preschool. Silva and Sheree Daycare is an absolutely wonderful place. Both my son and his younger sister went there 3 days a week (full days) while I worked part-time. We recently moved to Moraga and my husband and I both agreed that the thing we missed most about our old neighborhood is Silva and Sheree. It's a family daycare (mother and daughter). They have created a homey, loving, and fun environment for the children they care for. It's on Portofino Court, just 2 freeway exits from your area. You can contact them at 510 351 2781. As for a preschool, my son went to St. James on Estudillo 895 9590 and he loved it. So did we. The staff is very warm, caring and well trained and they had a lot of fun, interactive, educational activities for the children throughout the day. Bobbie

There is a great organization called ''The San Leandro Parents Network'' the website is www.slparentsnet.org. This is a great way to network with other parents of young children in San Leandro and share information. We have a potluck the third Sunday of every month at Zocalos that is a great way for families to meet and discuss topics that are of interest to them. We will be adding online discussion groups soons as well. Another great online resource is the San Leandro Collaborative for Children, Youth and Families (www.sl4youth.org). They have a section on their website that lists most of the preschools in San Leandro. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions. Diana

Flexible preschool for a 2-year-old?

2002

Can anyone recommend a preschool or daycare in San Leandro for a two year old which offers some flexibility in terms of hours and days (i.e. a part time plan)? I'm also particularly interested in any recent experience with Beth Shalom Preschool. Thank you! Tamarah

My son is 2.5 and has been at Temple Beth Sholom Preschool since the day he turned two. (see Beth Sholom Preschool for the rest of this review.)

i highly recommend little lambs preschool. however, it has a christian influence which may not be what you are looking for. ryan's mom

We live not far from you. My kids have attended both Broadmoor Cooperative and Beth Shalom Preschool in San Leandro. I know that my post(s) on Broadmoor are somewhere on the website, so look again. There are also a few other options I know about. It depends on how part-time you want and if you need the preschool to also serve as a daycare, and whether you want something parent-participatory or not. So here's what I know: Tot Time- There are two, one morning a week classes that are run through the San Leandro Adult Ed program. The Wednesday one is for younger kids and the Monday one is for older ones (15mos - 33mos??). They are three hours long and a parent stays with the kid the whole time. It's a pre-preschool program and very flexible, plus the teacher leads an optional talk on parenting issues. Broadmoor Cooperative- Also run through the San Leandro Adult Ed school. It's four days a week of which a parent works one day. Starts at 2yrs 9mos and the kid needs to be potty-trained. 2 1/2 hours per day. Creative, play-based curriculum. See the ucb website for more info
Castro Valley has a Cooperative preschool whose name I can't remember. One of the teachers is the grandmother of my son's Kindergarten classmate so I can put you in touch with the family.
Sheffield Village- has part-time preschool. I don't know the age it starts, maybe 2 days a week for the younger set? Run by the city of Oakland so check with them. People who did it with their older kids this summer really liked it.
Kiddie College- run by San Leandro Parks and Rec . Parents also put some time in but not as intensive as Broadmoor.
Beth Shalom Preschool- Through the Synagogue. Kids can go 2-5 days per week and can go either just mornings or the whole day. They have a shabbat program with the Rabbi on Friday mornings. More structured than Broadmoor but more flexible than the Montessori schools.
St. James Preschool- Run by the church. They also do afterschool care so it's structured as a daycare center. I've heard very good things about it and know someone whose son goes there afternoons. She said they do "bible stories" in class.
Montessori on Foothill- I've heard only bad things about this school. My neighbors, who checked out all the preschools and wound up sending their son to the other Montessori referred to this one as "too rigid" and "militaristic". We knew another parent who moved their child from this one to Beth Shalom because of the same issue. Montessori on Washington(?)- Hope I have the street right. My neighbor sent her son here after two years in Broadmoor. He was ready for something more academic and tructured but not quite ready for Kindergarten (late-birthday kid). They really liked it but you'll have to check out if it's appropriate for the younger set. There are a few more preschools that advertise in the San Leandro Times but I don't know anything about them. Another option is to find an in-home daycare that's run akin to a preschool. I know one woman in my neighborhood who does this. I have friends who used Bernice and Joe's and liked it. ---Sophie