Lil Nancy Primary Schoolhouse
Oakland, CA
To see Department of Social Services records on this facility, click on its DSS Facility License # below.
Parent Q&A
Parent Reviews
Parents, please Sign in to post a review on this page.Our son has been at Ms. Nancy’s for a year, and we cannot believe how much he has learned, how many friends he has made, and how much he loves school.
He plays well with children of all ages at the playground and we definitely have the multi age, group setting of Lil Nancy’s to thank. His vocabulary and academic skills are also impressive especially for his age, they review colors, counting, name spelling etc in their enriched program.
You won’t find Instagram parenting trends and daily photo uploads here, but what you will find is the most dedicated of caregivers who are involved in advocacy and have decades of experience helping form well mannered, happy, social little ones.
We also love the holiday celebrations for the kids, Ms. Nancy really goes above and beyond!
I am so glad we ended up at Lil Nancy’s! My daughter is 21 months and thriving here, where she has been for almost a year. The director Nancy Harvey Mackey is a true gem, and puts a fantastic emphasis on early childhood learning, but balances the “academic” learning very sweetly with outside play and fun. Her staff of care givers are kind and nurturing; my daughter likes to repeat their names to me at home! (She is also counting past ten, her vocabulary is exploding, and she is singing most of her ABCs already.) More important to me than that though was finding a daycare where my daughter would be happy to go everyday and learn to be a kind and thoughtful person, and we have found that and much more here.
Our daughter just graduated from Lil Nancy's this summer, and the past three+ years have been such a positive experience. Although we were sad to see her leave a place that has been a nurturing and stimulating second home since she was five months old, we were also thrilled that she was totally ready for preschool and beyond thanks to all the learning and growing fostered by Ms. Nancy and the other teachers. The staff are all very nurturing and caring and our daughter was quite attached to them, as well as to the other children. The kids get to spend time outdoors every day, either in the backyard or at the park down the street. When our daughter started at Lil Nancy's, we lived within walking distance. We moved a few miles away a year or so later but didn't even give it a second thought that we would keep her there, even if transportation was a little more complicated.
Archived Q&A and Reviews
Jan 2015
My 14 month old daughter has been at Ms. Nancy's home daycare since she was 5 months old. We moved out of Oakland and after a lot of heart wrenching debating, we decided to move her to a daycare closer to home. If we were still in Oakland, we would most definitely be staying at Ms. Nancy's.
Ms. Nancy and her staff are a part of our family. They have cared for our daughter like one of their own. She gets a lot of love, attention, education, and activity time. We attribute her social nature to being exposed to children her age, at such a young age, at Ms. Nancy's. Seeing her get excited to leave for school in the morning, warms my heart.
Our daughter is walking, TALKING (has been since she was 10/11 months old), sharing, playing, asking us to read to her and is just overall a happy child.
I HIGHLY recommend Ms. Nancy. She is very respected
within the early education world and truly values education and
nurturing. You will not be disappointed.
Elisa
Sept 2014
My daughter has been attending Miss Nancy's school since she was 5 months old and she is now almost 2 yrs. We are so pleased with the quality of care she has received. Miss Nancy has provided a loving and stimulating environment in her home and our daughter has blossomed into a confident, engaged, curious, and (even) caring toddler. Miss Nancy provides daily activities both inside and out of her home which include painting, reading, circle time, dancing, and singing to name a few! Her competent staff really love children and provide for a great child to adult ratio. I highly recommend Miss Nancy's Schoolhouse and urge interested families to give her a call, she's always been happy to talk to us parents! Gretchen.
July 2014
Ms. Nancy's Primary Schoolhouse in West Oakland is a fantastic place! My son has been with Ms. Nancy for almost two years, since he was four months old. Ms. Nancy's is a perfect blend of nurturing and education and my son is truly thriving there. It was difficult to find care for my newborn and of course stressful to imagine leaving him with a stranger. Ms. Nancy made that process easy for our family and in no time, her home became a second home for our son. The atmosphere, the staff, the learning, the community - it's all wonderful and I'm proud to recommend Ms. Nancy's for anyone seeking quality childcare. Go and meet Ms. Nancy and see for yourself! The visit will be worth your time. Jenny
Sept 2012
Lil Nancy's Primary Schoolhouse, my son's WONDERFUL daycare, currently has openings available. Conveniently located near downtown Oakland, they are open M-F 7:30-5:30 and care for infants and toddlers. After checking out several daycares that we found on BPN, my husband and I knew immediately that Lil Nancy's was the place we wanted our son to be. Nancy was the only provider that asked us questions about our son and the only one that asked to hold him. She and her staff are incredibely kind and engaging and they believe in establishing a safe and enriching environment for the kids. There is a Spanish teacher, an art teacher, and a music teacher that come once a week. In addition, the older kids have the opportunity to go to the park, storytime at the library, field trips and even participate in swim lessons during the summer. Nancy and her staff have taken incredible care of my son and have taught him so much. I am constantly amazed by the things that he has learned while he is there and he is always having a blast when I pick him up. I highly recommend Lil Nancy's Primary Schoolhouse if you are looking for a daycare that goes above and beyond for the children. Please call Nancy if you would like any additional information.
August 2011
We are soon moving out of the area so will be giving up our spot at Lil Nancy's Primary Schoolhouse. Our daughter is now 15 months old and has been in Miss Nancy's care since she was three months old. As working parents of a young child we were thrilled to find a place where we knew our daughter would be well cared for. Caring staff, affordable, reliable. We highly recommend Lil Nancy's as a wonderful in-home daycare option. We know she has a few openings so if interested please contact her directly.
March 2009
Safe, caring, respectful, engaging, yet affordable, Lil' Nancy's Primary Schoolhouse is superior daycare for infants and toddlers at very reasonable tuition. As working parents with full time careers, we have confidently been taking our twin sons for daycare with Ms. Nancy and her capable staff since they were four months old. Now at 19 months old, it is clear our sons have flourished- socially and intellectually- under her care and teaching.
We interviewed over 15 different family-style daycare facilities before choosing Lil' Nancy's Primary Schoolhouse and we believe it was one of the best parenting decisions and investments in our children's development we have made thus far. Contact Nancy Mackey: 510-452-5547
Aaron
August 2008
Due to transportation issues we will be leaving Lil Nancy's Primary Schoolhouse. Our 13 month old just loves it and we have been thrilled about the care provided. Ms. Nancy and her staff really care about the children and they all go to her with open arms every morning. We will truly miss taking our daughter there. If your in need of infant care I highly recommend it. Please feel free to contact me with any questions. Bryna
Dec 2005
I must recommend this childcare home! It is the best care your child and parent can receive! Lil Nancy Primary Schoolhouse is a wonderful place. My two daughters attend ages 1 year and 3 years and they both run to her saying ''Miss Nancy Miss Nancy!'' When you meet her you get that feeling that this teacher really loves the students and what she does. She is a warm person, her staff are great and my children learn from the curriculm her school offers. It it gets better she is affordable and reasonable!
Contact: Nancy Mackey, 510.452.5547
(510) 914-9295
lilnancysoakland [at] gmail.com
[moderator note: there are two options: her page on BPN: https://www.berkeleyparentsnetwork.org/recommend/preschool/lilnancy and her personal page: https://www.lilnancy.org/contact. This reply gives the number for her personal page.]