Peaceful Heart Family Childcare

There are many times in life I am tempted to complain about how difficult things are or how I feel unsupported but I can say with utmost sincerity that finding Rana has been one of the most fortunate things to happen to us since the birth of my daughter. As first time parents, we were very nervous about enrolling our LO in daycare and there's really no way to quantify how relieved we are to have someone as talented, attentive and caring as Rana looking after her. Rana has a seemingly endless amount of engaging ways for the kids to explore their curiosity and entertain themselves and she keeps us updated throughout the day with pictures of the kids going about their activities and projects. They get plenty of outdoor play time and even a whole day each week where Rana sets up a tent in the forest where they can develop their connection with nature. She's an excellent cook and feeds the kiddos organic food and snacks each day. Plus she speaks to the kiddos in both Arabic and English which is practically unheard of at daycares in the Bay Area and was very important to me as an Arab myself. Honestly my only worry is how we're ever going to find something comparable once my daughter ages out of her school. Fortunately that's still a couple of years away...

It is hard to put into words what a gift it is to drop my kid off at a daycare with someone she adores and where she is happy to go. Rana has given me that gift. My kid loves Rana, and loves going to Rana's. She talks about Rana and the other kids daily. I get photo updates throughout the day, so I know that she is given a waterfall of interesting, developmentally appropriate, and engaging activities, from art projects to outdoor playtime, to activities that help her develop her vocabulary in English and Arabic, gross and find motor skills, and her own interests. I see pictures of the delicious looking home cooked organic food Rana cooks her. I love that she's fed fresh vegetables every day, not given processed foods, and that they toys and activities she plays with help her explore and use her own imagination and are low stimulation-- no flashing lights and loud sounds. By the way my kiddo interacts with playmates and the other kids at the daycare, I can tell that Rana takes care to support the kids in learning to care for and treat each other well, and that my kid is used to be treated with respect. Rana is a gem. I'm so glad we found this place early on in my kiddo's life, and that we have years still for her to be here. <3

Our little one has been going here for a about a year and my husband and I recommend Rana highly. She is loving and warm; she is so creative with the kids. Rana includes a lot of play, art, music, cooking, science, and reading. She has helped to spark so many curiosities with our kiddo. Every week she does a forest day with the kids, which brings a wonderful connection to the land. We really love her and feel so fortunate there was an opening when we were looking for care.

We are so happy with the in home day care our son attends. Rana, the owner and caretaker, is warm, kind, fun and loving. She does the most amazing activities with the kids, including art, science, and gardening. She cooks healthy, amazing food and even does cooking with the kids. She is Montessori trained and it shows. The art my 2 year old makes with Rana is beautiful and unique, a true expression of himself. There’s no super guided precut or fabricated art projects at Rana’s. Our son loves the time he spends there and we wouldn’t have it any other way. 

Rana’s program is such an amazing place for our son. We started sending him when he turned one and I returned to work, and her loving and fun approach eased so many of my worries immediately. Rana provides hands on, creative, and engaging activities every day that always surprise me - interesting art projects, baking, gardening, learning about different cultures, scientific exploration, you name it. The kids are encouraged to follow their own interests and I know my son’s personality is allowed to shine and thrive. She is so loving with him and is happy to see him every day. She provides all of their food and sends pictures and videos every day of all of the fun they are having.

We took a long break when Covid hit, and ended up moving over 20 minutes away. We enrolled my son in a Montessori preschool just before turning 3, where he experienced so much stress and anxiety. He started resisting every day, and the teachers told us he wasn’t engaging in the activities, was tantruming at naptime, and was terrified to use the bathroom. We were always nervous about his day and it was hard to focus on work. After three months, we pulled him and sent him back to Rana’s (it had been 18 months since he last attended at the age of 20 months, so he didn’t really remember it). It was night and day. He immediately relaxed, he started napping again sometimes, he tells us so many happy stories of his day, and goes happily in the mornings. He is finally brave enough to use the bathroom outside of the home. We can relax and focus on our work knowing he is so well loved, and getting pictures and videos throughout the day of him having fun and learning makes my heart so happy! 

Right now Rana has kids in a mix of ages from under 1 to 4. The spread is so wonderful for creating a fun, natural community of kids. My son loves telling us about the cute and funny things that the babies do, and also playing with the big kids. 

Rana has been a part of our family for the last four years. We are incredibly sad to be leaving her to return to Australia. She has looked after both of our kids (4.5 years and 8 months old) since they were tiny babies. Rana does an incredible range of activities with the kids -- cooking, art, gardening, math, english and arabic -- in a warm and loving environment. Both our kids absolutely adore her (as do we!). Our 4 year old is way ahead on math (addition, subtraction and multiplication) and it's all thanks to Rana nurturing his love of numbers and writing from an early age. My wife and I cannot recommend her highly enough. If you are able to get a spot when she has an opening you are incredibly fortunate!

I can't say enough good things about Rana and Peaceful Heart. Rana is a natural caregiver and fosters strong curiosity in my children. I originally found Rana through word of mouth because she was literally the ONLY Arabic speaking childcare I could find and I had to wait a few months before I could get an extremely part-time spot and then was able to gradually add more days as things opened up. It was so worth the wait. My toddler loves daycare at Rana's and my baby has just joined and is enjoying it. The educational activities she does with the kids are special and my toddler likes them more than any other care situation or daycare they have been to. They always ask to go to Rana's house.

I could go on about all the great things, and I'm happy to answer any questions anyone might have. Rana is a gem. If you can get a spot when there's an opening, you will not be disappointed. Love love love

My son has been at Rana's since he was 17 months and we have had a great experience!! Rana is very loving and also very professional, organized, and communicative. She does all sorts of fun and creative projects with the kids, like cooking, nature study, gardening, art, sensory play, etc. She uses thoughtfully chosen Montessori materials and high quality art supplies, and the space is welcoming and well-organized. My son was very little and had never been in group care before, and I was super nervous about sending him to "school," but I felt very comfortable with Rana's program and I loved getting pics and videos of him doing all sorts of amazing things all day. She also successfully got him to nap in a crib (without nursing) on the very first day, which I had been worried about, and she was supportive when I decided to potty train him at 21 months. She also encourages a lot of independence in the kids, Montessori style, like learning to cook, wash their hands, serve their own food, drink from real cups, etc. Most of all, I am eternally grateful to Rana for inspiring and nurturing my son's love of art. He's almost three now and is really passionate about art, and very devoted to it - I told Rana she's going to be the guest of honor at his first solo art show!

My son is currently in Rana's care and I can't say enough about how great she is. He is very active and I love that she has a play structure outside and a climbing structure inside. Rana is very caring and supportive. She sends photos and video to keep us updated from time to time. The children do everything from baking flatbread to art. I would recommend Rana and Peaceful Heart Family Daycare to anyone. 

We’ve entrusted both of our kids, now ages 3 and 5, to Rana’s care since they’ve were newborn. She continues to impress us with her loving manner, ability to provide each child with  seemingly undivided attention and care, and her dedication to both education and play based care. She stands out from other sitters in her home based Montsssori style approach. She additionally provides homemade organic meals; bilingual English and Arabic language education; assists with sleep or potty training; and is easy to communicate with and eager to help with any developmental goals. Over the last 5 years, she is truly now a permanent “auntie” in our family. All of the families we’ve known that attend her school feel like they’ve found a gem and partner in caring for their children. Although, we were sad to graduate from her program to start preschool, our preschool teachers were so impressed with the academic, art, science foundation they saw in our children (and in which we give Rana much credit!). Also important to note, we also felt safe and trusting of her. She follows her credentialing and licensing guidelines very strictly. Please reach out to me if you’d like further feedback about her program. 

We have been nothing but happy with Rana's care since our daughter began at her daycare a year and a half ago.  After a negative experience at a previous daycare, I was so happy that without asking for the first almost year of attending, Rana sent my daily pictures and videos of my daughter and all the activities she was doing throughout the day (even a video of her napping when we were having trouble at home to get her to nap!).  She continues to send me pictures and video several times a week as well.  Rana has been trained in the Montessori method, and I have been so happy to see all the "works" my daughter has access to that I remember from my own Montessori education, and so much more than I expected from a home daycare.  Many daycares we looked at were hesitant about or would even not accept our daughter using cloth diapers, but Rana had no problem with this, and when I decided to potty train my daughter at 19 months, Rana was encouraging and on board to help, which contributed to our success.  Although it was not something we were originally looking for, I value that Rana speaks Arabic with the children and that our daughter has been able to learn some.  In addition, Rana cooks healthy meals for the children and gets my picky eater to eat much more varied foods than I can!  Whenever I have any concern, I feel I can openly address it with Rana and have great communication with her (and same goes for her with me).  I truly feel that I have a partner in raising my daughter with Rana and highly recommend her daycare to anyone who is looking for a small family environment.

Rana is truly a gem. I am so lucky to have found her about a year ago when I nervously had to enroll my son in daycare and go back to work. She is a professional that adheres to guidelines set by the state and customizes care based on parent requests ranging from special diets to potty training assistance. She is very attentive, nurturing and highly skilled. She fosters social and academic child development through her creative curriculum and safe activities. She also provides organic and nutritional meals throughout the day and gets my picky eater full which is a major victory. The indoor and outdoor home/facility is very clean and safe.I get updates, pictures and artwork from my little guy which always perks up my day. My son is blossoming under her care and I cannot thank her enough. She communicates openly with me with regards to my sons achievements or concerns should there be any. I've witnessed children that graduated her care and enrolled into school come by with their parents for a brief visit because they miss her so much. I have no doubt that she will make this lasting impression and strong bond with my son as well. Her loving and caring home in juxtaposition with her professional and parenting experience was the reason I was comfortable going back and continuing to work. I feel like I am leaving my son with a trusted family member every morning and cannot recommend Rana enough!

My daughter is thriving in Rana's care.  Rana is patient, loving and so dedicated to the kids in her care.  She puts so much thought into their curriculum. The projects and activities they do are so far beyond what I ever expected at a home daycare.  There is a lot of stimulating play, and my daughter comes home singing new songs, counting, teaching me little dances - all things she's learned with Rana. She also naps and gets her hair brushed every day that she is there - both things I struggle to get her to cooperate with at home! My daughter will ask for Rana over long weekends, and is so excited to go there each day.  Rana and her whole family are wonderful. Rana makes wonderful home-cooked healthy food for the kids.  I really couldn't ask for a better daycare experience!

Rana has been one of the best things that has happened to my son. She is very invested in supporting her children's independence, curiosity, and creativity. My son always came home with different art projects, I received constant picture and video updates on their activities throughout the day. I appreciate Rana's dedication to healthy, homemade meals that my son loved- brocoli, salmon, beef stew, organic fruit, etc. It is clear that she loved my son like her own, as did her husband and their children. My son started with Rana when he was 2 years 10 months, and I felt confidently that we could skip preschool due to her ability to keep him engaged in science, math, and writing. He entered in kindergarten with no issues at all. Her study of Montessori has been helpful for my son. What I have valued the most is the Arabic language, my son has learned so much thanks to her. Definitely appreciate Rana and the relationship our family created with her.