Temescal Tots

Oakland, CA

No longer in business

To see Department of Social Services records on this facility, click on its DSS Facility License # below.

Type:
Home-Based Daycare/Preschool
DSS Facility License #
Owner:
Simone Stevens
(510) 658-6197
karinetemescaltots [at] gmail.com
Location:
Oakland
94609
Temescal
Maximum Capacity:
12
Language(s) Spoken:
English,
French
Ages Served:
15 months - 36 months
Monthly Cost:
$1850
Hours
8:00am - 5:30pm
Additional Services & Features:
Snacks provided,
Potty training support
Editors' Notes:
  • June 2020: the owner notified BPN that she has closed her daycare.
About the Program:

The Temescal Tots Infant/Toddler Program, founded in 1996 by mother of two children herself and child development specialist, Simone Stevens, provides quality day-care and learning enrichment services to children: from 15 months to 3 year olds. We are open Monday-Friday to provide a safe and welcoming environment to your precious children. We understand the need for working parents to be confident that their child is not only safe, but is in an environment where their development is stimulated and enhanced.

Parent Reviews

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My husband and I visited tens of local daycares and knew we had found “the one” the minute we were welcomed by Simone Stevens and family into their lovely home. We were struck by Simone’s warmth, professionalism, and knowledge of infant and child development and happy to find the children enjoying story time, being led in social-emotional learning, and engaged in interest-driven play and exploration. The primary spaces used by the children include a bright and open living room with well-organized and stimulating books and toys (our son, who started as an infant and stayed on until preschool, especially enjoyed the blocks, puzzles, and dinosaurs) at the children’s eye-level as well as a new outdoor play gym and slide in the backyard. For little ones spending the workday away from home, I cannot recommend a more special place in which to learn and grow.

I highly recommend Temescal Tots for anyone seeking a warm, loving and fun environment. My son Myles started at Temescal Tots when he just turned 2 years old. As a first time mother, I wanted to ensure that my son received the love and care and personal attention he was used to at home. Temescal Tots felt more like a family environment rather than a sterile daycare facility. Myles was the kind of child that was hesitant with people he didn’t know and needed a little extra TLC…well a lot of TLC. When his teacher Miss Simone would greet him in the mornings her warm hugs made him smile and his teary morning goodbyes eventually turned into “a cheery wave and… bye mommy.” Miss Simone did a great job at balancing stimulating learning activities inside with fun play outside. I loved that Miss Simone would text me pictures to let me see that Myles was transitioning so well, having fun and participating in activities. Taking that extra step raised my comfort level tremendously and gave me a piece of mind to actually “see” him interact with friends rather than just rely on hearing how his day went at pick up. I do not think we would have gotten the personal attention we did in a big “center.”

Simone Stevens and Temescal Tots were the best thing that could have happened to our family when we were searching for daycare for our (at the time) 7 month old daughter. It was a hectic phase for our family: my husband was commuting from Oakland to school at UC Davis and I was working 11 hour days at a start up company. Maddy was going to be spending a lot of time in daycare. The question was where? Simone’s home daycare made sense in so many ways. To make life easier for parents, she had long hours, and provided a healthy breakfast, lunch, and snacks for the kids. No need to pack food each day, so a real time saver. Most importantly, for our daughter, Simone’s house was essentially a second home. Maddy never seemed to feel that she was “out all day” away from home. She was just spending time with her extended family, Simone, her husband Spencer, and the other daycare kids, in a similar way she would have if we’d had local grandparents to watch her. At the end of the day, when I would come to pick her up, she didn’t run for the door. Instead, she’d keep playing with toys, or want Simone to finish reading a book. And finally when we did prepare to leave there were many rounds of hugs to be given, not just one. Miss Simone and Mr. Stevens each received at least two big squeezes from her strong little arms. It still makes me tear up when think of how happy Maddy was there. Thanks Simone and Temescal Tots!

My daughter started spending her days with Ms. Simone when she was four months old, and stayed until she was 3. We felt so comfortable with her in Simone's care. With about eight kids in the daycare at a given time, each of the kids benefits from enough playmates of a similar age but also real one-on-one attention from the adults. When my daughter started preschool, her teacher told me she was "uncommonly verbal" for her age, which I attribute in large part to being actively engaged with attentive caregivers throughout the day.

I also appreciated that Simone is always working to improve the space and experience for the kids. When my daughter was around 2 (and the oldest of her group), Simone had an awesome new play structure installed outside--I was always sure that my daughter was getting a lot of fresh air and running-around time. Since we left, she's beautifully remodeled the space and it looks like a Crate & Barrel ad. :) But maybe more importantly, she's always switching out toys and activities from a seemingly endless closet of Child Delight.

You should know that this isn't the kind of daycare--at least two years ago--that provides written daily reports on how much your kid has eaten and pooped throughout the day, which I understand some other daycares do. I didn't feel that was necessary, especially because I was always confident that Simone or her assistant would let me know if there was a problem. They were great about checking in, and even texting along photos when my kid did something cute. It really felt like leaving my child with family, not with a business.

Temescal Tots is an Oakland institution going back many years into the simple but highly effective tradition of personal attention, love and caring for our dearest little ones. When we first brought our son to Simone (the proprietor of Temescal Tots) at the age of 14 months after visiting several centers and home-based child cares in Oakland, we found Temescal Tots to have that rare quality of being warm, cozy and personal largely because of how Simone had devised the program and policies. Simone insures that the cohorts are small, has a lot of stimulating activities and books for the children and takes personal care in each and every child. Temescal Tots also provides the children healthy breakfast, snacks and lunches which I must say as a busy parent I have found to be quite convenient. When our son was 2 years and 6 months, we transferred him to a more structured pre-school program and admitted our 4 month old daughter to Temescal Tots. Simone took care my daughter with the same love and care that we had come to expect and with the additional support that my infant needed. Additionally, Simone was able to connect us with fellow parents and share our experiences. If you are looking for a place that can nurture your child while providing the necessary love and caring that they deserve, look no further – Temescal Tots is the place for you!