Beehive Kids Childcare

Our daughter started at Beehive when she was 15 months old and left just a few months ago at age four. Our experience there was exceptional. Most importantly, Evelyn and Bertha were unfailingly loving and kind. As other have mentioned, the food they cooked each day for breakfast and lunch was delicious and healthy. These ladies are smart and crafty and our kiddo loved the art projects Evelyn thought up. She also got to spend lots of time outdoors at the park and in Evelyn’s yard, where many of the art activities happen. The Spanish immersion was such a treat. Amani’s receptive Spanish and pronunciation are impressive. Amani left Beehive ready to blossom at pre-K. Lastly, we were impressed by the families Evelyn selected to work with — they were unfailingly really nice people. If you have a chance to send your little one to Beehive, take it.

We highly recommend Beehive Kids Childcare. Evelyn and Bertha really go above and beyond to create a creative, safe and fun environment where our son was able to flourish. We loved the balance between creative art projects, activities and free play outdoors. Thomas loved the food, the loving attention from Bertha and Evelyn, the wide range of activities and his friends. Evelyn puts a lot of attention into the planning to foster bonds between the kids and make sure that they are always learning and having fun!  We feel so lucky to have found this gem!

Beehive Kids provides an intimate, play-based day care environment that creatively facilitates the cognitive growth and development of each child. My daughter was in the loving care of Evelyn and Bertha from 14 months to 2.5 years old. Evelyn and Bertha genuinely care about each child’s well-being and happiness. Both are incredibly encouraging, positive, and dedicated, and have a natural understanding of how to relate to children. They made everyday fun and full of new learning experiences. Activities included reading, introducing interactive toys that show cause and effect relationships, playing outdoors, as well as exploring through sensory play and hands-on arts and crafts, cooking, and science-based projects. The children quickly bonded and formed sweet friendships. My daughter loved spending the day at Beehive and returned home fully content and with plenty of beautiful art projects. Every project and interaction my daughter experienced at Beehive made her transition into preschool seamless and filled her up with confidence, curiosity, and imagination. I give all the credit to Evelyn and Bertha for preparing my daughter for preschool and highly recommend Beehive!

I cannot say enough wonderful things about Beehive! Evelyn and Bertha cultivate a great atmosphere for all the kids. My son started at Beehive when he was 8 months old (now 2.5 years old), and the individual care and relationship building that happens with each baby/child is really special. I really appreciate their willingness to allow each child to explore his/her interests and learn through play and creative art projects. Evelyn also sends out pictures each day to all the parents (recapping the activities, funny moments, play time, etc.), and we really love looking at the pictures and discussing the day with our son at dinner each night. I dread the thought of finding another school one day because I know that it will be hard to match the attention, care, and fun that happens at Beehive.

We love Beehive Kids! Evelyn and Bertha are wonderful caregivers and teachers. My slow-to-warm 4 year old has formed strong bonds with them, learning and growing so much in her time at Beehive.

As a parent I've loved how creativity is a focus here; daily art making that explores materials and processes has inspired my child's playful, open-ended creative growth. Evelyn and Bertha are both bilingual and it's so exciting to see my daughter acquiring and using a second language. The kids get lots of outdoor time, with trips to the neighborhood pocket-park to run around, a weekly field trip to library story-time and outdoor activities on nice afternoons. And the healthy breakfasts, lunches and snacks they cook at Beehive are such a gift to a busy working Mom! 

My daughter has made close friends in the dynamic, diverse and caring environment, it is a great place for her and for us! I highly recommend Beehive Kids.

Beehive Kids is a fantastic daycare for any infant or toddler. Our son started there when he was just six months old and, as new parents, we found Evelyn and Bertha, exceedingly caring, knowledgable, fun, and hard working. They were helpful and patient every step of the way. Coming into it, our son hadn't established a steady sleep schedule and Evelyn and Bertha, rather than forcing one on him, really worked to develop a schedule that suited his needs, which also made life A LOT easier for us at home. They helped our son experiment with real and healthy food, various educational toys and activities. They even took the kids on several field trips! The methods at Beehive are art-based and play-based, which allows for exploration and developing a healthy curiosity, which we notice continually in our son. The social environment has always felt warm and family-like. Our son, being the baby of the bunch, seemed to develop a close kinship with the older kids who, through Beehive's friendly culture, lovingly dote on him. 

The kids spend much of the day outside playing, exploring, and making art. Evelyn truly cares about the kids and loves working with parents to provide the best experience possible. She updates a Facebook page daily with descriptions of activities accompanied by pictures and is readily available via text and email.

Being near the borders of Berkeley, Oakland, and Emeryville really makes drop off and pick up a breeze. 

Above all, we feel that our son is safe and truly cared for at Beehive. His face lights up every morning when he sees Evelyn and Bertha and, while he still loves to see his parents when we pick him up, we can tell that he misses his buddies when he's not there. We have seen so much growth in the short time he's been there. We recommend Beehive wholeheartedly. 

I HIGHLY recommend Beehive Kids as a daycare for an infant or toddler. I cannot say enough about how wonderful Evelyn and Bertha are, and what a fantastic experience Beehive Kids has been for my son. He has been attending this small and intimate art-based daycare since October of 2016 at age 2. Over the course of the year Rowan has grown so much, in large part due to Evelyn's thoughtful and art-centered curricula. He has learned to love making art, gardening, and getting down and dirty with friends from infancy to toddlerhood. 

The crew at Beehive is the perfect size, and two main cohorts of infants and toddlers. Being around a diverse age range has helped Rowan learn to share, to be gentle, to communicate with not yet verbal little ones and to engage in social and cooperative play with his peers. He loves his friends and every day looks forward to going to play with them! 

In addition, Beehive provides breakfast, lunch, and snacks, with an eye toward simple and healthy options, often organic. Evelyn and Bertha are both great cooks and our kiddo has learned to love foods from matzo ball soup to pupusas. We often integrate the recipes he loves into our at home meals, since he loves them so much! Both Bertha and Evelyn are Spanish-speakers and they speak to the kids in both Spanish and English, which has meant that our guy now integrates Spanish into his conversations and play.

Evelyn is a great communicator and she does a fantastic job of reasoning out toddler behavior. Her background is in art and child development, and the combination means that she plans curricula based on age-appropriate learning, play, and social development. The kids always make an art project and always (weather permitting) enjoy outdoor time- in fact, much of the day is spent at the park nearby or in the play garden at home. The kiddos have been on fieldtrips including the Botanical gardens, Amtrak station (a hit!), and Fairyland. The small size of the daycare means that R. has gotten to know each friend and has a unique relationship with each peer.

We have loved every minute of Beehive Kids and highly recommend for families in Emeryville, Golden Gate, and N. Oakland/Berkeley!