Luci's Day Care

Our family had a great experience at Luci's Daycare, and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a daycare for young children. Our son started attending Luci's Daycare when he was 15 months old; he just finished this summer to start TK at 4.5 years old.

Luci's daycare was just the right balance of school elements (learning, activities), playing, and home for our son. He learned so much there, but he also could find a welcome lap to sit in when he needed it. Every day, we knew he was safe, well fed and cared for, interacting with other kids, playing and learning. At the beginning, when he couldn't talk yet, Luci regularly sent us photographs so we could see him during the day and he usually had a big smile. When he left, he knew his alphabet, numbers under 100, and could write his name. What a surprise it was when he started reciting the letters in his name when he was two - that was all daycare! At Luci's, he ate well, developed a passion for coloring, and, magically, he took a long nap everyday. But even more important, Luci's daycare helped him learn the rules of how to interact with other kids and adults, like taking turns, being careful of children that were smaller than him, and asking for things nicely. He isn't perfect at it (obviously!), but Luci's helped him learn and practice these skills.

We also appreciated the nice community of families at Luci's. It was a friendly group of kids and parents.

I am so grateful we found Luci and her daycare. It was such a relief to know our son was in good hands every day.

Luci’s Daycare was an amazing starting point for my child. My husband and I enrolled our daughter part-time when she was a little over 15 months old. Like any first-time parent, I was very anxious at the time about sending my kid to daycare so young, especially since she had never been cared for outside of our home before. However, Luci put my mind at ease from the very beginning. She sent photos of our daughter throughout the day, communicated with me regularly and promptly, and always respected our specific rules and precautions.

Luci and her staff (shoutout to Jessica) were incredibly attentive to my daughter’s needs and well-being. For example, our daughter has a peanut allergy but is fine with most other nuts, like almonds. When Luci asked about using a specific brand of almond butter for the kids’ lunch or snacks, she gave me a jar to take home so I could be with my daughter when she tried it. Whenever my daughter had difficulty napping, Luci and her staff would patiently work with her (they even put up blackout curtains in the room!) and update me frequently. Whenever my daughter was sick, Luci would check in with me and it never seemed perfunctory or obligatory—she was always genuinely concerned about my girl’s health.

Over time, it became obvious to me that my daughter loved Luci, Jessica, and her overall experience. Her language, social, and gross motor development blossomed. She took home adorable art projects, learned how to identify letters and count to 10, began to sing, overcame her fear of riding bikes, and was thrown a super cute birthday party. If she could only type (she’s barely 2), she would have written this review herself!

We cannot thank Luci and her staff enough for their amazing care, attention, and warmth. For any parent(s) looking for a daycare in Pinole, we recommend Luci’s Daycare without hesitation.

I can’t say enough wonderful things about Luci’s daycare. My daughter has been going to Luci’s in Pinole for two years and I couldn’t imagine a more loving, safe environment for my child. Luci, Jessica, and Alyssa are incredible caregivers. My daughter is so well cared for, she learns so much, and most importantly she is happy at daycare. 
Luci provides healthy breakfast, lunch, and snacks for the kids daily. They do projects, circle time, music, and outdoor play. My daughter is learning to be a good friend and a good listener as well as age appropriate academics! Luci’s space is impeccable - I don’t know how she keeps things so clean!  I need to take some lessons from her. 
I am moving my daughter to preschool soon and we will miss Luci so much. Choosing a childcare facility for you precious babies is such a stressful, difficult decision. I am so so grateful that I found Luci’s and have never worried about my daughter since her first day there. The passion Luci and her helpers have for caregiving is so apparent and you could not put your children in better hands. 

I absolutely LOVE Luci’s Daycare! My son (who is now 2 years old) has been going there since he was about 4 months old and I could not be happier! I truly believe that Luci and her amazing assistants Alyssa and Jessica have helped shape C into the sweet, happy and fun-loving toddler he’s become. I could go on and on about how much I love this daycare but here are some of the highlights for me:

• First and foremost - it’s important to Luci to have a community of parents and children who mesh well and I REALLY appreciate the fact that Luci will turn down a potential client if she doesn’t feel the family is a good fit. Luci truly loves the children and wants what’s best for them (even if that means a negative review from an angry parent).

• Luci has grown to feel like a friend to me – she is so bubbly and sweet and full of encouragement! She is SO responsive to texts and so accommodating. She always lets me know when C is having a hard day because of teething or something else, and she works with me to find a way to make him more comfortable. She’s also extremely professional, organized and safety-oriented and she always puts the care of the children first, even if that requires her to have tough conversations with us first-time parents who don’t know what we’re doing 😁

• I was initially really nervous about sending my 4 month old to a daycare where there are so many older kids who require lots of attention but the amazingly wonderful Alyssa quickly took on the role as C’s “daycare mom”, making sure his every need was met. C grew so attached to Alyssa that during one of his fussy periods, he would cry whenever Alyssa left the room. He loves her so much and I know she loves him just as much (if not more) because she tells me that almost every day 😊 it melts my heart!

• Luci is such a great cook and makes a variety of meals for the kids which I appreciate so much because C gets to try different/fun foods that my husband and I may not expose him to at home. Luci has the most amazing backyard! She has a a playset with swings, water table, play house, a slide, cars the kids can push/ride in, a picnic table, basketball hoop, and so much more! It’s seriously every child’s dream backyard and I feel so lucky that C gets to enjoy it every day!

•Luci always throws big birthday parties for the kids on their birthdays! It’s so sweet that she makes such a fuss over them on their birthdays! Last year Luci also threw a Halloween party where she invited the parents over and spoiled us with amazing food while we watched the kids play together in their adorable costumes. I LOVED getting to meet some of the other parents and selfishly hope she has the party again this year as well 😊

•There is so much I’ve had to learn as a first time mom and Luci, Alyssa and Jessica are always happy to stick around for a while during pickup to listen to my struggles and give me advice/suggestions. It means so much!

•Having consistent caretakers for C over the last year has been invaluable! My sister has 2 kids in a large daycare and turnover at the daycare is so high which is really hard on her/her boys. I’m so grateful I never have to worry about turnover at this daycare – Alyssa and Jessica LOVE their jobs and the kids (which they constantly emphasize to me).

•My little guy is always so happy when I drop him off and pick him up. He’s gotten to the point where he doesn’t want to leave because he loves it there so much 😊

With all that being said, my heart feels so full whenever I think about this daycare and the experience we’ve had. I know I never have to worry about my baby while he’s there because he’s in such amazing, capable and LOVING hands ❤️

My daughter attended Luci’s Daycare starting at age 2 when we moved to Pinole, until age 3.5 when she “graduated” to go to preschool. If we had lived in Pinole when she was a baby we would have chosen the same daycare J All of the teachers were very attentive and loving to all the kids, ranging from infants to preschool age, and my daughter was very well taken care of and safe when I was at work. I highly recommend Luci’s Daycare.

Many things I loved about the daycare:

• Art projects every day, including special projects for Mother’s Day, Father’s day, holidays..  it always gave me something to look forward to to see what the project of the day was when I picked her up. I can make an “alphabet book” for her out of the letter of the day projects she made during her time with Luci’s Daycare!
• Home cooked breakfast, snacks, and lunch provided by the daycare – very convenient for me not to have to pack a lunch. As a bonus, my daughter always came home with a cute hairstyle because the teachers would style her hair into braids, pigtails, etc during the day!
• Reasonable hours – many other care providers I looked at did not have full time hours that work with my job schedule. Luci's Daycare hours allowed me to drop off in the morning and pick up in the evening without stress.
• Up to date illness protocols and very clean/tidy environment. My daughter attended the daycare full time 5 days per week, and hardly ever got sick. There was never an “outbreak” at the school, everything was very controlled. At the same time the illness process was not too restrictive or unrealistic.
• Secure drop off and pick up process – kids cannot wander away or be picked up by a stranger. The daycare is gated and there are security cameras.
• Photo and video updates from the teachers. Always made me happy during the work day to see a video of my daughter playing, singing, dancing etc.
• Fun birthday parties, holiday parties, theme weeks etc for the kids. I loved receiving photos from Luci of the kids celebrating their birthday, Thanksgiving, Christmas and Valentine’s Day. Even on my daughter’s last day, I was so touched to see that the teachers and kids were all having a graduation party for her!
• All of the teachers and other parents at the daycare were very kind and easy to communicate with.

On the academic side, my daughter graduated from daycare with noticeable skills, like being able to hold a pen, knowing all numbers and some letters, reading certain sight words, and being able to write her name. In addition to doing an art project every day the teachers would also do age appropriate worksheets with the kids. After Luci’s Daycare, she began attending pre-k at her older sister’s private school and she’s already ahead of the other kids because of the fact she knows her numbers, letters and how to write her name already.

My daughter loved her time at the preschool and was very attached to all of the teachers and other kids/babies. One day I picked her up early and she cried because she wanted to stay! I made sure not to pick her too early after that! Every morning when I got her out of her carseat she would run to ring the doorbell to go play with her friends. In her own words she loved Luci’s Daycare and all the teachers and that is what was most important to me. Thank you for everything Luci’s Daycare, we miss you!

We love Luci's Day Care. Our son went there from 15 months until he turned 3 years old. Luci is very warm and loving to the kids, which to us was the most important thing. She feeds the kids breakfast, lunch, and snacks. Even when our son went through a period of being a picky eater at home, he would finish all of Luci's food! I appreciated that Luci was always available by text. We communicated frequently and I especially enjoyed getting photos and videos of my son at daycare. 
Luci also has a curriculum where the kids get to do art projects, sing, dance, learn the alphabet, numbers, days of the week, etc. I was blown away how early our son started singing the ABCs, we sang it at home but not often enough that I knew this came from daycare. I like that while there are structured activities indoors, there's plenty of outdoor play time as well. She also throws lots of fun parties for the kids for all the holidays and birthdays that it felt like every month there was something special for the kids to look forward to. 
I'll also add that Luci handled the COVID-19 pandemic professionally. She quickly adopted all the public health guidelines and best practices like checking temperatures at the door, sanitizing, getting rid of small toys hard to sanitize, and having kids change into indoor shoes upon arrival. 

We always felt like our son had a good time at Luci's. At pick-up, he would smile and wave bye to Luci and her assistant and blow a kiss on his way out. We love Luci and are happy to speak with anyone who would like to hear more about our experience there! 

We are very happy with Luci's Daycare! Our 6 month old son starting going to Luci's about two months ago. From Day 1, it is clear that Luci shares excitement, joy, and love in caring for him and seeing him. She speaks to him in a calming and loving tone of which he will respond to with a big happy smile. He is happy when we drop him off and happy when we pick him up. She takes him outside to enjoy fresh air and the sun, he's given productive floor time, and he's given opportunities to practice his new skills. He enjoys all the other little kids at daycare and gets very excited when he sees them. The kids also love him and tell him "bye baby" when he leaves. Luci gives us daily reports of his sleep, eating, and diaper changes. We love his reports because we can see when he ate, how much he ate, and when he slept too, along with any other comments. Luci is consistent and quick with communication and text messaging any questions, updates, or changes in schedules. We text each other throughout the day and she will send pictures and videos of him. In regards to the covid-19 pandemic, Luci has followed covid-19 protocols and we feel safe with the consistency and implementation of protocols which is reassuring. We know that our son is in very good care at Luci's and we trust that she has his developmental, social, and emotional needs in mind when caring for him. We are very grateful to her and her team and we recommend Luci's Daycare!

We highly recommend Luci's Day Care! Our two boys have been going to her daycare since they were babies, so a span of about 2.5 years, and we absolutely trust her with our kids. She has been so conscientious with helping our kids develop and reach their milestones - it's thanks to Luci that they learned to eat by themselves with utensils, become potty-trained, and learn the alphabet, which is just to name a few. I love that Luci's home environment is loving and welcoming. The kids always come back happy and excited, bringing back arts and crafts that they worked on. Also, our kids often talk about how yummy her food is, and we are fortunate that she provides nutritious meals and snacks for them.

Luci has a helper, Esther, who is also a very fun and loving presence for the kids. There is always a lot of dancing and singing from the videos that I get, and they even do a little classroom time with learning things like shapes, numbers, etc. I think they provide a lot of variety of activities for the kids, and there is also a sizable backyard space to get decent outdoor time. Luci and Esther really make memorable events for the kids on holidays, which often involve dressing up, baking a special treat, and doing special activities. We have so many lovely keepsakes, like ornaments and mugs, that the children bring back.

I would also like to add that in difficult COVID times, Luci has managed to remain open throughout the 2020 year without any incidents and follows all the public health guidelines. We feel completely safe bringing our kids there. Without her, I'm not sure what we would've done. It's definitely with sadness that our boys will be moving on to preschool this year, but we definitely plan on keeping in touch with her because she has been such a big part of my boys' lives. I'm happy to speak to anyone interested in this day care!

Luci is my daughter’s “other mother.” She is simply that amazing. We sent our daughter to Luci’s Daycare from when she was 3 months to 2 years old. Luci and her assistant Suellen are warm, loving, treat all the children like their own, and give us comfort knowing our daughter is safe everyday. 

Outside of them being incredibly kind and compassionate, the other thought that comes to mind is clean. Luci runs a tight ship with her cleaning routine, and it’s not uncommon to catch her in gloves cleaning and vacuuming (a weird observation, but hey, it matters to me)! My daughter also came home with a clean bottom and diaper cream on her less than better days. 

My daughter also loves Luci’s food. Luci makes delicious, organic, home cooked meals that all the kids love...from what I can tell, often more than the food their parents send to daycare:-). I would recommend Luci over and over again. I’m happy to provide a reference or speak to anyone with questions. Thank you Luci, our entire family loves you!

Both of my daughters have attended Luci's Daycare and I couldn't be happier! Luci and her helper Suellen are caring, compassionate and love all the kids as if they were their own. I love that Luci provides healthy meals (breakfast, lunch and snacks) which makes my life as a working mom so much easier! The hours are also great for parents who have to commute great distances to work.

She has a good curriculum for the kids including lots of singing,dancing and art projects. My daughter always has a smile on her face when I pick her up!

I would highly recommend Luci's Daycare to anyone looking for loving home based daycare.

Where do I even start. It’s a bittersweet feeling writing this post because I honestly can see how happy my little one is going to Luci’s, so it’s sad to say good bye.

My son started this daycare at 4months and at now 18 months the only reason why I am transitioning is because I wanted to have one pick up/drop off and Mandarin exposure (we speak it at home), that’s why the transition is happening now since my older son’s school accepts kids at this age etc... I will be honest though, the thought has crossed my mind to just not switch schools because we love Luci’s so much.

However, lets get back to the point, we love love love Luci. My little guy is arms out ready to go when I drop him off. They provide breakfast which is great for days you’re running late. I love how the daycare is open as early as 7:30am.

She and Suellen are so attentive and loving, they truly care for my son as if he is their own. They communicate regularly throughout the day. I love the fact that the daycare is small, so you end up getting to know all the kids that are there. The daycare is clean (shoes off) and she actually has it professionally cleaned (during school break)!

I have also grown to appreciate the pick up process where they bring the kids out to you at their door. That way the kids don’t lag and drag their feet, which is totally what happens when I pick up my older one.

They do have more holidays than I was used to (compared to other home based daycares), so hopefully you have a work schedule that is a little more flexible. This is probably the only “negative” I can think of, but honestly, we all need breaks!! 

Our son has been in Luci’s Day Care full or part-time since he was just under three months old, and we have been really happy with her care.  Luci and her helper provide loving care to about eight or fewer babies and toddlers on a given day, and I appreciate that she keeps her child to caregiver ratios fairly low.  I have found that her program grows with the child and their interests, and by the time our son was two he knew the whole alphabet, could count to ten, and could identify most shapes and colors.  Her home is clean and organized, and there are lots of newer and age-appropriate toys, books, costumes, and play equipment for the kids. They have circle time, dance with music, and are introduced to yoga.  The children also color educational sheets and bring home seasonal art projects - including some really sweet ones that included our son’s hand/footprints or photo.

As a working mom, I also really appreciate the little things that made my life easier!  Luci has convenient hours, feeds the kids organic and nutritious breakfast, lunch, and snacks, and would always send my milk and containers for homemade baby food back squeaky clean.  Both Luci and her helper are Brazilian and I see it as a big positive that our son can understand some Portuguese! That said, they both regularly communicate clearly with parents and children in English.  Luci is in touch as needed throughout the day, in addition to daily sleeping/feeding/diapering details, which really helped when I was returning back to work. My son is always excited to go to Luci’s house to play and see all his friends, and it is great for me to know that he is happy and nurtured.  I recommend Luci’s Day Care to parents in the Marina Bay, Point Richmond, and greater East Bay area and am happy to honestly answer any questions anyone may have about our experiences.

Luci runs an amazing in-home day care in Richmond that is a true hidden gem for those seeking quality childcare for working parents and she has provided a consistently nurturing and safe environment for my son to thrive and learn critical social skills during his most important early years of life. I have sent my son there from when he was barely walking at 12 months, and he will be graduating this summer when he is transitioning to preschool at age 3. Luci is very dedicated to all of the children in her care, alongside her assistant Suellen who is equally caring and loving. At Luci’s everyone is family and I feel very fortunate that we were able to bring her into my son’s life. Luci keeps a very clean and organized home, and engages kids in a lot of festivities throughout the year and it’s always a delight to see her house occasionally turn into a wonderful, sensory stage for kids to have fun and stretch their imagination. My son already knows his numbers and alphabets so I don’t know what else he has to learn at preschool! We love Luci and I know you will too.

Luci's Daycare is wonderful! Luci took amazing care of our 2 children (baby and toddler). She is so kind and caring and helped my children feel welcome and loved. Everyday the kids eat healthy food, play, and work on wonderful crafts and learning projects. My daughter especially loves all of the dress-up costumes available for play! Luci also has fun celebrations for the kids on many occasions. She is very communicative with the parents, and is very thorough in keeping track of naps, bottle feedings, etc for the baby. She even got my very picky toddler to eat her meals- no easy task! I highly recommend Luci's daycare if you are in the Richmond area. It's a safe and loving place and we love her very much!

Luci's Day Care is an amazing in-home daycare.  My son started at Luci's at 4 months old.  He was a hard baby who cried a lot, but Luci and Geane gave him the cuddles and love he needed. Because Luci has a full time helper (Geane) and keeps her numbers fairly low, they are able to give the kids individualized attention when needed. I came to pick him up on several occasions to find him either asleep in Geane's arms or on the floor with her helping him stack blocks.  

As he got older I came to appreciate the learning and activities that are a part of Luci's daily routine. Luci and Geane run organized circle time with art projects, dancing and education.  At 2 1/2 my son has learned everything from his colors to counting and yesterday while we were singing the ABC's, I noticed he was signing them!

All of that being said, the biggest reason that I feel fortunate to have found Luci's Day Care is that my son wants to go. He is excited every morning to be dropped off and that makes all of our days start off better. In my opinion, you cannot find a better combination of the loving, caring environment of an in-home daycare and the organized learning of a preschool.