Tanghulu Daycare

My daughter started with Lan last Fall/Winter when she was a very young infant, it's hard to even process how early I had to go back to work- I still don't like to think about it...but Lan made it so much easier.  This is our second child, we sent our first to a place we never quite felt was a fit, and we are not Chinese, nor was Mandarin language especially important to me, but my husband is S.E. Asian and we were excited about a tonal language and a more Asian approach to childcare.  Lan and our daughter really clicked - they have a really sweet connection.  Our daughter reaches out to her with excitement each morning. Lan has had many helpers over our time with her, which seems fine- Lan is the main person and the others are her helper teachers.  She specializes in infants and little ones after years of running an after school Chinese Language program in Albany so she is known in the community.  We're so happy to see that our daughter is a happy, healthy, early walker, very social with the other babies, well fed (I could go on about the food, she eats very well) and content baby - thanks in part to her daycare routine and nice schedule she has there. 

We get a text every evening about what she ate, poo schedule, how much bottle she drank, naps etc.  and sometimes photos, (especially when I have been on work trips) as well as info when we pick up and drop off and chat.  The COVID situation has been so scary but here we feel safe and that she's handled everything so well.  There was one precautionary closure when a couple of people had COVID (parents of other kids) and she kept everyone informed but confidentially and respectfully.  She has very flexible hours and not too many closures for vacation and we appreciate that.  The house itself is a little run down and could use a fresh coat of paint, and it's on a street that can be a pain because it's a dead-end, but we really feel finding Lan has been a blessing for our beautiful little treasure- our precious daughter. Who now speaks a tiny bit of, (at 12 months) and understands Mandarin! One other thing she doesn't used fragranced cleaners which is an issue for contact dermatitis in our family, so that has been absolutely helpful. :) 

We've been with Tanghulu daycare for over 2 years.  Our son was actually the second kid enrolled in the school.  We've been very happy with Lan and her daycare helpers especially Amei.  Amei and Lan are amazing!  The place is always clean and our son is picking up so much Mandarin.  He can count and speak in Mandarin at 2.5 years.  I don't speak any Mandarin but communicating our needs for our son hasn't been a problem.  Lan and Amei always try to accommodate our needs.  They potty-trained him and now he's fully potty-trained...doesn't even wear diapers during nap time!  When our son had a hard time adjusting to being in daycare, Amei would take him on walks with just her They made homemade meals for the kids every day---dumplings and vegetable soup. They feed them breakfast if they arrive to school by 8:30am.  The hours are great 8:00 am to 6:00 pm.  Currently there are 5 kids to two caretakers.  

Please contact Lan directly via her email sydinglan [at] gmail.com (sydinglan[at]gmail[dot]com) or tanghulufamilychildcare [at] gmail.com if you want more information about the daycare or want to visit.  Please do not go through a third party website b/c they collect fees and it just makes the cost of the daycare higher.  

Hi all - I wanted to post a review for Tanghulu in case this is helpful to other parents assessing daycare options. We had a tough time finding a spot with openings for two infants, but I'm glad we found Lan. Our twin boys, now 8 months old, have been attending for several months now and we have been really happy with the personalized care. It's a small family daycare and is Mandarin immersion. The director, Lan, is really attentive and great about sharing the kids' developmental achievements. 

They have one spot open now and maybe another one too for infants 1 month to 2 years old. Lan is reachable at sydinglan [at] gmail.com (sydinglan[at]gmail[dot]com). This daycare is based in Albany. 

Cheers, 
Sofia