Affordable Preschool or Daycare in greater Richmond area
I could use some advice about affordable preschools and day cares. We would enroll my daughter in August when she will be 20 months. We live in Richmond, but are willing to drive to El Cerrito, Albany, or even Berkeley since that is where I work. One big consideration is cost, as we are expecting twins in the fall and are looking for an affordable option that we could potentially put all 3 kids in down the line. I've checked the archives and am wondering if anyone has any more updated recommendations. Thanks!
Apr 12, 2021
Parent Replies
We love our daycare in El Cerrito, Kid's House. I think Inga will have openings by the fall. She takes up to 6 kids but they have to be walking (like 1y/o+.) The oldest kid there now is 4 and will be turning 5 this summer and starting school in the Fall.
Try stepping stone in El Cerrito. http://www.steppingstoneschoolhouse.com/Stepping_Stone_Schoolhouse/Main…
We know a family there who loves it and believe it's affordable. It's a smaller home base preschool.
We really liked Lil Bears in the Richmond Hills and they are very affordable. We had our son there until he was 3. They may have moved to a home in El Sobrante (not sure about that) but it's definitely worth checking out. Email Randy at rbh813 [at] gmail.com (rbh813[at]gmail[dot]com). You can let her know Yvette recommended you!
My daughter attended Little Inti in El Cerrito (near EC Plaza BART) through 2019. It's a home-based daycare/preschool, very affordable relative to most others. I know that some of our beloved teachers moved on and since COVID started it has just been the owner looking after a small group but she's been in business for many years and I expect she will expand again as things open up. The kids were well-cared for and well fed, went on field trips, had weekly music with an outside teacher and all things considered it was a very relaxed, flexible environment.
I truly can't recommend Kunga Daycare more highly. I'm not sure what the status is for their current openings, but Tseyang is an absolutely wonderful care-provider (we've been with her for 3 years and are looking forward to many more for kiddo #2 who's on the way). Kunga Daycare is very reasonably priced.
Look no further than Semillas Preschool in Richmond! This preschool is very affordable and it’s a gem of a school. The teachers are so loving and supportive; my under-two year old had no problem adjusting to being there full-time. It is a magical place for a child and feels very much like an extension of family.
The school has been in Oakland and they are in the process of relocating to Richmond near the Art Center. They have previously always been fully enrolled and it has not been easy to get a placement. But because they are moving to a new location and are establishing themselves in Richmond, they do have a few openings for fall. You can reach the founder Elisa Pasquini at semillaschool [at] gmail.com
I would very highly recommend Semillas preschool in Richmond. My daughter attended 3 years at Semillas when it was in Rockridge (from age 2-5 yrs), but Semillas is now moving to Richmond and we are very sad to lose this gem from our neighborhood. I can't speak more highly of the teachers Elisa and her mother, Paula, who offered the most loving and warm place for our daughter to play and learn - every morning our daughter ran from our arms into the warm embrace of a teacher. The atmosphere is fun, nurturing and play-based and focuses on social emotional learning. You can reach Elisa at: semillaschool [at] gmail.com (semillaschool[at]gmail[dot]com)
Tseyang who was an amazing nanny for our oldest child (now 9) has a home daycare in Richmond on the El Cerrito border called Kunga Tseyang day care. She is amazing and baby/kid whisperer. Her in-home day care set up is very sweet too. I can't recommend her enough. Good luck with your search!
This was over 18 years ago, but El Cerrito Preschool co op was really nice for many reasons... I think the
price was less also, but what stood out for me was that the parents were involved and volunteered ...
we had healthier foods and less toxic cleaning products for that reason.
Semillas Childrens School is incredible. Our older son went there (he's 7 now) and still refers to it as his favorite school, and our younger son (3.5) looks forward to going every day. The director Elisa and her mom Paula, who is a lead teacher there, are lifelong early childhood educators and are incredibly, warm, knowledgeable, and expert in terms of what children need at different stages of growth. The learning environment they've created helps kids learn independence, collaboration, kindness, and enables kids to follow and grow their own curiosity. We've been part of the Semillas community for nearly 5 years now and it has been amazing to be part of it for our whole family. Can't say enough positive things about Semillas—and now they're moving to Richmond for this fall (from North Oakland)!
We loved our daycare provider, Dolkar. She is warm, loving and truly cares about your kiddo. She is in El Cerrito a block or so from El Cerrito Plaza BART station. https://www.berkeleyparentsnetwork.org/recommend/preschool/chonjor
We have our children at Lara's Daycare in Richmond https://www.larasdaycare.com/ We LOVE Lara's, and have been with her for just under 2 years. At the moment she has a waiting list, but a few children are leaving this summer for preschool, so still might have some openings coming up.