Little Blue House Preschool
Richmond, CA
Both of my children attended The Little Blue House until it was time for Kindergarten. There are no words to express the gratitude I have for Ms Alvarez and Beto and the whole family. When your kids attend LBH they become family. The kids are safe and loved and fed healthy delicious home made meals. Ms Alvarez excels as a teacher too. My children have both been very well prepared to enter school. They have the foundations of reading, know how to hold a pencil and work with scissors. More importantly they know how to behave and what expectations they have to meet to work with a teacher and in a group of kids. And she achieves all of this while having fun! My children have loved every day at the LBH. Ms Alvarez also incorporates craft projects, holiday celebrations, spirit weeks and has been teaching the kids Spanish. If my children succeed in school (and they are/will) Ms Alvarez gets a lions share of the credit. There is so much more to say but it would never be enough. I am so grateful have had the Alvarez family as part of my kids’ upbringing.
Contact Ligia Alvarez at Little Blue House Preschool on Arlington in Richmond. I don't know if she has openings or not. She only takes 14 kids at a time and only a few can be infants. Her whole family is wonderful. Our son thrived there (after failing at a bigger, fancier preschool in El Cerrito).
(510) 234-83325834 Arlington Blvd
Richmond, CA 94805
We love this daycare. Currently we have our 2 year old son and 4 year old daughter here. Our daughter has been with them since April 2014. We enrolled our son when he was 3 months old. The Alvarez' treat our kids like family.
Mrs. Alvarez has both taught preschool and then opened her own daycare. Beto, her husband is the only other adult who helps. They keep their enrollment small, 12-14 kids or under. They structure the kids' day and activities. Food for breakfast and lunch is provided. Both adults are caring and supportive. Employ some good discipline without being overbearing.
We can't say enough about them! Also the price is so super fair. We were at a different daycare before our son was born. We were paying almost double at the former daycare and it did not include the nutritious food they have at LBH.
There are openings at this moment for this place. If you are in Richmond in need of daycare-- check them out!
Archived Q&A and Reviews
Jan 2013
In September 2011, my husband and I asked for a recommendation for a good preschool for our son who about to be kicked out of his current preschool for behavioral issues. We were very concerned that he would never be able to sit still or follow directions and, thus, would get kicked out of preschool after preschool. We were referred to the Little Blue House Preschool in Richmond. Our son has been there now for 1 1/2 years and we could not be happier. The prior preschool viewed him as a problem that kept them from having the maximum number of students and making the maximum amount of money because he needed more individual attention than many students. They complained about him running around (even on the playground) almost everyday. At Little Blue House, they treat our son like the wonderful child that he is. When we explained the behavioral problems that he was having, Mrs. Alvarez approached it like a personal challenge where she would succeed where others failed. She has succeeded. Our son now knows all of his letters and numbers and, more importantly, can follow directions. He loves going to school. He will be heading to kindergarten next year and I'm convinced now that he will be ready. This is a great program. Happy with our choice
Sept 2011
I highly recommend Little Blue House Preschool and day care located in the El Cerrito/Richmond Hills area. It is a well structured, nurturing environment that emphasizes cooperative learning. My son has been attending LBH for the last 3 years since an infant. At 3 years old he knows his alphabet, numbers, and is learning to read and write. Mrs. Alvarez provides healthy, home-cooked meals and encourages the children to develop their artistic sides through music, art, and performance. The day care is open from 7-6, five days a week, and after-care is available for children attending elementary school. If need be you can arrange for child pick up from school and delivery of healthy lunches. There are currently 5 slots available for new children age 0-4 years for full-time care (and the prices are ridiculous for under $900/month)! It sounds to good to be true, but Mrs. Alvarez provides nothing short of wonderful attention and education to her kids--she loves kids and believes in offering affordable care to working parents! RB
Sept 2011
Re: Preschool with a low student/teacher ratio, willing to work with a child with behavioural issues
Try the Little Blue House Daycare and Preschool in Richmond. On the Arlington right before it ends. Its a small, in home school, with about 14 kids and 2 teachers. They are warm and loving, and I have known kids who have issues similiar to what you are describing that have gone there and done well. I know they have have openings right now. Good luck with everything! April
August 2011
I can't say enough about Mrs. Alvarez, her family and the Little Blue House! Our son has been with her for the last 4 years and he has learned so much in her care. If he didn't have to go to Kindergarten I would have loved for him to stay with her until college! She provides a warm, loving, clean, educational environment for all of her children and they absolutely adore her and her family. We were lucky to find a daycare/preschool that provides meals, music, potty training, circle time, arts, crafts, some computer and opportunities for learning spanish and reading. During our time with her, she has had students of varying degrees of leaning, temperament and personalities and has worked with the families to make sure that their child gets the assistance they need and get them prepared for environments beyond her school. The cost of her school is reasonably priced for all that is offered. A HUGE thumbs up for the LITTLE BLUE HOUSE! As of this posting (8/2011) she currently has a few openings. You can reach Ligia Alvarez at 510-234-8332. RobinY.
July 2011
I would highly recommend the Little Blue House Preschool & Family Childcare (in Richmond, at then end of Arlington Blvd., near Wild Cat Canyon) to anyone looking for a quality, dependable daycare/preschool. There will be a few positions opening this coming September due to students going on to kindergarten. My son will be one of the students leaving and he's been at the Little Blue House since he was 14-months old. Ligia is a trained preschool teacher. She and her husband run the daycare/preschool on one entire floor of their home - separate from their living area. It has a kitchen (where they make the kids nutritional, home-cooked breakfasts, lunches and afternoon snacks) and is thoughtfully set up with different "stations" for learning. There is also a fenced-in outside play area. The children's days are spent in a routine and structured way. They know what's expected of them and what they can and cannot do. Ligia not only provides a clean, safe, educational environment, but also cares deeply about the children in her care. When my son was about 2 1/2 she recognized that his speech was slightly delayed. She was worried that once he turned three, and she started him on the preschool curriculum, that he would become frustrated with being unable to properly communicate and fall behind. She arranged for someone from the Contra Costa Child Care Council come to the school to evaluate him and work with him for a few months. Being a first-time mother, I'm sure I would not have recognized this delay and I'm extremely grateful to Ligia for caring enough to take the actions she did. She also completely held our hands and walked us through potty-training, shoe tying, learning colors, numbers and letters...you name it! My son will absolutely be ready - academically and emotionally - to start kindergarten this year because of the tools Ligia has provided him with and I will be forever grateful for the love and kindness that she has shown him. Please feel free to contact me for a reference. Regards, Connie
March 2007
Our 2 year old daughter has been attending The Little Blue House since she was 11 months old and both my husband and I are just simply enthusiastic about it. It is the only place we found that provided the same quality of childcare we were used to in Germany.
Ligia Alvarez is not just a licensed provider, but also has a degree in early childhood education and follows a Montessori/Reggio Emilia type teaching. Furthermore, both her very sweet husband and mother help run the daycare which contributes to a real loving family atmosphere. The children learn to like and respect each other in a very harmonious environment. They do art and crafts, have circle/reading time, and just recently, Ligia hired a music teacher who comes twice a week. They have just renovated their whole backyard to make it a wonderful playground for the children and are always working on making some kind of improvements. I can only recommend them very heartily Contact: Ligia Alvarez, 510-234 8332
Nov 2005
I'm writing about my wonderful childcare provider, Ligia Alvarez. Her home-based daycare and pre-school, Little Blue House, has several openings for infants and toddlers/ pre-schoolers. Our son has been attending the Little Blue House for 9 months and absolutely loves going there. He's in a loving, safe, happy and fun learning environment. Ligia has 17 years of childcare and teaching experience; she and her husband are fantastic with the children. They provide home-cooked meals and a warm family atmosphere where the children can learn respect, sharing, and socialization. They are bilingual (English and Spanish), so this is a great opportunity for the children to learn both languages. The daycare is licensed and Ligia is current with her infant CPR, first aid, and child safety classes. I highly recommend the Little Blue House as a terrific place for the children to be.
Contact: Ligia Alvarez, 510-234-8332
Parent Reviews
Parents, please Sign in to post a review on this page.