Little Lion Preschool & Childcare
Alameda, CA
At Little Lion Preschool & Childcare children are encouraged to communicate and participate in group activities, but never pressured. We are play-based and we believe that preschool years are a time for the development of social skills. Learning is experimental and exploratory and each child is an unique and capable individual, with their own strengths and growth areas.
Little Lion PC serves mostly vegetarian meals, with chicken or fish maybe twice a week. Since they serve veg/tofu meals often, I would ask them to leave out meat on the other days. While not vegetarian, we had great responses from them on other dietary restrictions.
Our son has been attending Little Lion Preschool for the last two years (since he was 15 mo.) and absolutely love it. Run by a husband and wife and located across from Upper Washington Park, it is small (<12 kids) family daycare with great people and a great environment. Lots of outside time, art and music. Has really helped our only child grow comfortable among other kids. Plus they serve hot lunches, which has been a lifesaver with my kid, who is already eating at teenager levels.
Archived Q&A and Reviews
May 2014
I wanted to share with you all how wonderful Little Lion Preschool and Daycare in Alameda is. My daughter has been attending Little Lion for the last three years, and my son has been attending for the last year. We chose Little Lion because it is a nurturing, play based program. When our daughter started attending, I mainly saw it as a place for her to build social skills, but in the years she has been there I have realized it is so much more than that. Dropping them off every morning there are no tears, only excitement. They look forward to going, and are excited to learn it is a school day.
Students eat breakfast together each morning to begin their day and often help prepare food for snacks and other meals. Although each day follows a familiar cadence and routine, each also has a variety of new and exciting activities to engage the students in learning gardening, having a parade, enjoying music, painting, or water play are just a few. Our children have been learning colors, letters and number concepts through stories, art and music along with the use of their imaginations and at the end of the day they are excited to share with us all of the things they have done. My walls are covered in art, my shelves in sculptures, and my garden with flowers they have brought home.
Every week the children learn about a different theme, recent themes have included: planet earth, Dr. Martin Luther King, Chinese New Year, travel and vacations, types of transportation, insect life, small mammals, feelings, and Dr. Seuss. I am often surprised by the fun facts our daughter will share in conversation, about the life stage of a ladybug, or the ways in which we can help our planet. I am thoroughly delighted by the types of information she has absorbed during their classroom discussions as well as her joy in being able to share what she has learned.
Rosane and Jeorson are very patient and thoughtful. They really took the time to get to know our children and tailored learning and activities to their needs and interests. Both are gifted in the art of conflict resolution and work together to create a safe environment in which students know they can use words instead of actions to communicate their needs.
Little Lion has a charming outdoor space that includes a small playground and a wonderful little garden, as well a paved area for bikes, chalks and balls. The setup of the classroom and yard is perfectly sized for a small group of children and suits their needs; allowing a certain level of independence in play while still keeping them comfortable and safe.
In the years my children have been attending, Roseane, Jeorson and the other children and families have come to feel like an extended family to us. I highly recommend Little Lion as a preschool and daycare and would encourage you to visit and see for yourself. Erinn
Nov 2013
Our 3 year old daughter has been attending Little Lion for the past year and a half and has really thrived there. I researched and visited many facilities in Alameda when looking for a placement for my daughter and knew as soon as I visited Little Lion that it was the place for her. It is run by a husband and wife team. Their rates are really reasonable and offer care for 1-4 year olds up to four days a week, 8-5 Monday through Thursday. They serve home-cooked meals for breakfast and lunch and also provide snacks. They have a wonderful program with weekly themes and a focus on certain letters and numbers. There is a large outdoor play area and they get experience working in the garden, planting flowers, watching caterpillars cocoon become monarchs, using magnifying glasses to investigate plants and insects and just have fun digging in the dirt. Pictures are posted for parents on a monthly basis so they can see all of the fun things their children are doing during the day. They have music and art and physical movement activities that my daughter has really enjoyed. Our family is moving out of state this winter and we are so sad to be leaving Little Lion. Our daughter has learned so much and has thrived there and I just want to spread the word about this wonderful place!
Nov 2010
Wanted to take moment to recommend the day care that my 17 month old son attends. We've been really happy with Little Lion Childcare in Alameda (located close to Washington Park). The husband and wife team provide a very warm, fun and interactive environment for the kids. The kids are served nutritious meals (breakfast & lunch) and snacks each day. They really cater to parents looking for a good part- time child care option for kids infant to 5 years, although they have the full-time option as well. They have a big backyard area for the kids to play (outside toys and play structures) and just recently opened a new indoor playroom for use when the weather is bad and for preschool activities. My son is so happy here and has developed very sweet relationships with Rosane and Jeorson, as well as the other kids. I just found out that Little Lion has openings right now and would love to welcome some new children into their "family." For more information, go to http://www.littlelion.net/ or contact Rosane at (510) 521- 8190 to schedule a visit.
Nicola
August 2010
There's an opening at our son's preschool next month, so I wanted to give my recommendation - Little Lion is a wonderful place. Our 3.5 year old has been there for a year and a half and we couldn't be happier. We love that they spend most of the day outside playing and exploring, and that he eats healthy snacks and home-cooked meals every day, and that they take pictures regularly and post them online, and that he's almost reading (!!!), and and and... so many things. There's a lot of information and a bunch of great pictures up on their Web site (www.littlelion.net). I'd be happy to answer any questions you might have; please feel free to email me.
Jhana
Oct 2007
My son is 1 and has been going to Little Lion's family day care in Alameda and I can't recommend it enough. Rosane and her husband watch the children together. They take babies through school age from 7:30-5:00. Their home is very calm and loving. They also have two school-age children of their own and have a lot of experience with babies/kids. They provide many activities, a nice backyard play area, their home is very close to a large popular park and the library. Rosane provides healthy meals for the kids. It's been a special place for us. If you're looking and interested, please call Rosane Zenha at 510.521.8190 Contact: Rosanne Zenha, 510.521.8190
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