Higher Reach Learning Center

Berkeley, 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:
Yung Carlisle
510-644-1709
Location:
Berkeley
94705
Elmwood - Dana St.
Maximum Capacity:
12
Language(s) Spoken:
English,
Korean
Ages Served:
0 months - 60 months

Parent Reviews

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Seems to be closed -- phone number is disconnected and the state license link is invalid and a search does not turn up the school.

Archived Q&A and Reviews


Aug 2012

We strongly recommend Higher Reach Learning. Our daughter has been there for 2 1/2 years, and has absolutely thrived in the safe, loving environment that Michyl, Aaron, Mama Yung, and Marina provide. The high caregiver-to- child ratio was a key feature in attracting us to Higher Reach. The teachers at HRLC are absolutely wonderful to work with. Anytime we had a question they were happy to speak with us. HRLC was such a positive experience that our daughter absolutely "loves school". All of the children at the school are well spoken, kind and caring, and it's clear that this is due largely to the wonderful environment fostered by the teaching staff at HRLC. Our daughter enjoys the structured learning (her "class work") and creative art projects. We've been amazed at the number of songs & poems that the children have learned during her time there. When we pick her up at the end of the day, she's always happy to see us and tell us about her adventures. The low turnover of children at HRLC means that they become very close, and our daughter and her classmates would very often ask to go straight from school to Willard Park so that they could continue playing together. We can't imagine a better introduction to education for our child. HRLC has been a wonderful experience. - Angella & Isaac



Feb 2010

Our daughter loves Higher Reach Learning Center and we are happy to recommend them. She has been there since she was 4 months old and she is now 21 months old. She has thrived there. They cater to infants through five years old. They have about 8-10 children. The teachers Michyl, Marina, Aaron and Mama Young are great and provide consistent, loving and reliable care. Our daughter gets lots of one on one attention and enjoys the ordered and nurturing environment. Every day she surprises us with something new she has learned. The structured environment includes dancing and singing, storytime, art projects and "lessons" for the older kids. Our daughter has already learned the alphabet, counting to 12 and colors. Higher Reach is very clean and has a large play yard. We feel lucky to have found Higher Reach and we highly recommend them. Contact: Michyl Collins , 510-644-1709



Jan 2010

I am writing to recommend Higher Reach Learning Center, where my son has been thriving since just after he turned 1. It's a small but diverse family daycare run by Mama Yung and her daughter Michyl (pronounced MY-shel.) My son has loved it since his first day. I love seeing how proud he is of the art projects he makes at school, which he is always excited to show me at the end of the day. His favorite game now (after 2 yrs at HRLC) is ''classwork'', in which we write letters and numbers together. HRLC does a great job helping the children learn to play with each other, it's wonderful how the kids become real friends with each other. In addition to lots of good indoor and outdoor play, and HRLC is a place where children learn to look forward to school. I hope all my son's academic and social situations are as positive as this first formative one! Contact: Michyl Collins, 510/644-1709



Nov 2007

We highly recommend Higher Reach Learning, a wonderful, small, home-based daycare run by Mama Yung and her daughter Michyl. My daughter was there from 5 months old until she was 3-1/2 yrs old. They cared for our daughter like she was their own (she would come home every day with her hair beautifully braided -- a sign of how much personal care each child receives). We loved the small atmosphere where there was consistent care (there was zero caregiver turnover as this is a family-run daycare). Many of the children are there starting as infants; my daughter started out with two other little girl babies and they grew up there together like sisters. We also loved the structured learning for the toddlers -- my daughter learned her alphabet and how to begin writing there. They also do a lot of beautiful art projects every day (we were constantly amazed -- how do they think up so many wonderful projects?) They also love to sing and dance every day. We felt very lucky to have found Higher Reach. It's a warm, loving environment where children learn and thrive. Contact: Michyl, 510-644-1709



July 2007

Our son just finished one year at HRLC from the time he was approximately 22 months to 34 months old. We researched many daycares/preschools in the berkeley area and absolutely loved HRLC. Michyl, Mama Yong and Aaron were incredibly caring and loved our son like he were their own. We had complete trust in their care and felt absolutely blessed to have such a loving and secure environment for our son. In addition to being kind people who were innately great with children, HRLC provided structured and age- appropriate classwork (basics of numbers/letters, artwork, concepts like opposites, etc.), weekly gymnastics, and a playgroud-like backyard for daily physical activity which not only helped with socilaizing, but honed our son's motor skills and made him more confident at the playground. We wholeheartedly loved HRLC and will miss them dearly! Contact: Michyl Collins, 510 644-1709



October 2004

My son was only one when I entrusted ''Mama Yung'' with his care.It should be obvious that she loves children and is devoted to their healthy development.Yungi's daughter,Michyl,shares in the care and affection as well as the responsibilities of the center.She brings a fresh, more progressive style.She implemented structured learning--my son's favorite time of the day, and we later realized gave him the self-confidence that is so important for school.Coming from a small daycare filled with love as well as the social experiences, gave him an advantage in school that his teachers continued to recognize well beyond kindergarten.I couldn't imagine a better environment for young children.This center was one of the best choices we made in my son's life.
Contact: Yungi Carlisle, 644-1709



July 2004

We highly recommend the home daycare Higher Reach Learning Center in Berkeley. We have had a child with Mama Yung & her daughter Michyl for 5 years; our kids started at 6 months of age and stayed until they were 4. Their home daycare has been a fantastic experience for us. It is a caring, loving environment, & our kids adore it. The day includes classwork (e.g., learning exercises, art projects), reading, singing/dancing, outside play, and free play. Michyl & Mama Yung provide a strong learning environment that is fun. They prepared both our kids for the transition to pre-school, teaching them letters, numbers, colors, days of the week, names of the months, etc. If we have a concern about anything (e.g., child's behavior, method of discipline), Michyl takes the time to talk to us. We feel very lucky that we have had the opportunity to have Michyl & Mama Yung be part of our kid's family. Feel free to contact me. Elizabeth



July 2004

My son Alex (2 1/2 yrs.) has THRIVED under Mychel and Mama Yungs loving care. The HRLC is intimate (5 - 7 kids) and the children have fun through structured play - art, music, puppets, outdoor gym - under close supervision. They are taught to share, to follow directions, to be responsible to each other and care for their play space. Mychel and Mama Yung are warm, energetic, creative, offer direction and have loads of fun with the kids. As a first time mom, I rely on their 30+ years of professionalism and expertise and have learned about how to set limits in a definitive, yet gentle, respectful and loving way. Turnover is low, most kids are there for 2 - 3 years - which is wonderful for Alex. I couldn't recommend them highly enough and would be happy to talk with anyone considering this facility. Call or email. Suzanne



February 2003

Has anyone any experience with the Higher Reach Daycare at the corner of Dana and Derby? It's in my neighborhood, but I don't know anyone who knows anything about it--don't see it mentioned in the archives. Jennifer



I tried out Higher Reach daycare last August when I first moved to Oakland from Cambridge, MA. My interest in the center was due to the fact that Young, who has over 25 years of experience in running a daycare, is Korean and can speak fluently. My husband and I are Korean-American and we were hoping our daughter could have some exposure to the language. Young is in her 50s and runs the daycare with her daughter, Michyl, who is about 35 and a mix of Korean-American and African-American. In some ways, Young plays the warm, nurturing, granma, while Michyl keeps the place in order, runs the business. (This is how one of the parents described the two women to me, and I would agree.) After a couple of trial days, however, I decided not to keep my daughter in the center. The reason is because I was not happy with the way Michyl handled my questions and concerns. Had I felt that my concerns were being listened to and taken into account in some way, I would have kept my daughter there longer. But because I felt that it was either ''Michyl's way or the highway,'' I decided to look for another daycare. (Example: Michyl believed it best if for the first few weeks I dropped my daughter off (sometimes at the door) and then disappeared as quickly as possible. I preferred to linger in the center a bit and then to say ''goodbye'' to my daughter, a routine she was used to from her previous daycare.) To be fair, I should point out that we used the daycare for such a brief period and that someone who has had their child there longer would most likely have a very different perspective.
Tried it once