Kidsland on Channing

I highly recommend Kidsland Channing! Our son has been there a year, starting at 18 months, and it's been fantastic.

• They are a loving and attentive set of caretakers. Erika and Juanita and the rest of the crew care about the kids, and it shows. I have never seen them on their phones, except to take photos. They sing, and play, and encourage the kids.
• The Spanish immersion is great. My wife and I don't really speak Spanish, but want better for our kid. They only speak Spanish, and watching our toddler excel in both English and Spanish is the coolest.
• They take the kids so many places events, storytimes, Fairyland, Cal Academy, weekly kuk sol, yoga, so many things, in the neighborhood and also farther out.
• They are very reasonable for us in terms of cost, and they were flexible about how many days we wanted our son to attend. (We're doing 4-days/week.)
• They make all the food, and I've grown spoiled not having to think about midday meals.
• You won't get a detailed breakdown of each day, but I don't feel concerned by that. Erika is always very responsive on the phone if you need it.

After just getting a whole host of great photos from my toddler's trip to Fairyland, I was motivated to write this recommendation!

I strongly recommend Kidsland Channing. My son attends and it has been a wonderful experience. Between my two kids, we have been at 3 daycare-preschools, and Kidsland Channing has been the best. Much of my review is in comparison to the other daycare-preschools we’ve been at, and on nearly every count, I think Kidsland is superior. First, every current and former parent I’ve spoken to has glowing reviews, so I have felt comfortable trusting them with my son. The quality of care is excellent and there is a wonderful familial vibe. The staff does a great job with the kids. Unlike the other daycare-preschools we’ve been at, there is actually consistency with the staff and kids, which is helpful for my shy son. Even my extroverted older kid had a hard time with frequent staff changes at other schools we’ve been at. There is quite a nice community at the school. By nature of it being small, families get close and stay close. The school celebrates the kids and brings families together.

 It’s truly Spanish immersion, which is not our experience at other language-based preschools. The daily curriculum is what you’d expect: play time, craft and activities, circle time, music, outside time, etc. Additionally, and what makes it unique, is that it has absolutely wonderful weekly/monthly activities: gymnastics, swimming, martial-arts class, field trips to museums, zoo, Exploratorium, and much more. They do a great job of making things fun, educational, and interesting for kids of all ages.

They provide a nice lunch and snacks for the kids, and being served someone else’s healthy food has been very helpful for keeping my son exposed to a variety of flavors.  

 Another thing I appreciate is how easy and flexible it is- which is something I didn’t think about when first entering into daycare-preschool.  quick and easy drop offs, flexible options for all day or half day or 3/4 day, month-to-month, and it’s very affordable!! 

If you live in the Poet’s Corner or surrounding neighborhoods, consider this wonderful little school.

I am so grateful for the experience my youngest daughter has had at Kidsland.  She started when she was two and is about to graduate and go to TK at the end of the month.  It is such a lovely family environment and she is so comfortable there - it is truly a second home.  Erika also does an incredible job finding activities and field trips for all the kids to do each month.   They do martial arts, yoga, go to story time at the parks, take trips to the zoo and museums, and even do six weeks of 4-day a week swimming lessons in the summer.  She decorates the play area for every holiday and comes up with wonderful craft projects for the kids to do that correspond with the season.  They also provide all meals and snacks which is an incredible help for busy working families.  Most importantly though, they all truly love the kids and I am so thankful to Erika, Juanita, Luis, Andrea, and Andres for taking such good care of them during this sweet and important time in their lives.   

My oldest children started at Kidsland when they were 28 months and 12 months old, respectively. We had just moved from San Francisco and Kidsland checked every box for us - bilingual, family environment, happy kids, no packing lunches, etc. When our youngest was born 2.5 years later, we were thrilled that Erika was willing to take him in at only 4 months old when I had to return to work. A few weeks later, the world shut down. Erika and her family did everything they could to keep us all safe while providing a loving, consistent environment for our kids. Our youngest returned to Kidsland late summer 2020 and since that time Erika and her team have created a second home for him.

Erika has been there for so many of our family’s milestones. First words, steps, first teeth and she potty trained all three kids! She helped with some of their biggest transitions: parents changing jobs, moving homes, adding a family member, changing schools and all this time she has been a source of consistency and support for our family.

We feel so lucky to have had the Kidsland team (Erika, Luis, Andrea, Andres, Juanita and more) in our lives for the last 7.5 years and emphatically recommend this amazing daycare. We will miss them all and have absolutely loved it here. 

Kidsland has been amazing for our son. We started sending him there when he was just 9 months old, and as nervous first-time parents, we were unsure of what to expect. Over the last two years, Kidsland has become a part of our family. Our son adores Juanita, Erika, Andrea, and Luis. He talks nonstop about his wonderful friends and loves the field trips, yoga, Kuk Sool, and fun activities that Kidsland organizes.

I am very grateful for the love, stability, and engagement he has received over the past few years. He has become such a confident, joyous little boy. We initially enrolled him in Kidsland because we wanted a Spanish immersion environment, and while that has been fantastic, I believe a key strength of Kidsland has been the love and consistency he has received there. He has had the same people caring for him since day one, and they clearly adore him.

Many daycares have rotating staff and numerous teachers, but Kidsland offers a family environment that has been crucial for our son. Plus, the meals! Kidsland has our picky eater enjoying salad, hard-boiled eggs, and veggies. Not having to pack a lunch and knowing your child is eating healthy food is priceless!

A huge thanks to Kidsland for these past few years. We truly loved it there.

My family can't say enough good things about Kidsland Channing! Our daughter started there around age 1.5, and is now ready for preschool, but we are still so sad to leave Kidsland! Every day we dropped her off there knowing that she would be surrounded by love and care, eat healthy food that she enjoyed, and be stimulated by all kinds of activities and field trips. In her time there she has had the chance to do yoga, martial arts, soccer, swimming lessons, trips to farms and pumpkin patches, and so much more. Our daughter learned Spanish with no help from us at home! We loved how Kidsland has kids of all different ages, because the little ones can learn from the bigger ones, and the bigger ones get a chance to help the little ones. Besides all the enrichment, we just always got the sense that the caretakers at Kidsland think about the kids as their own family - this place has so much love to give. Thank you Erika, Juanita, Luis and Andrea so much for helping our daughter grow and laugh and learn!

Our son started at Kidsland Channing two years ago at 8 months old, and will soon be moving on to preschool, but it will be hard to leave! Erika and her family, and Juanita, have been incredibly supportive and caring to him and our family in the time we've been there, and their love for the kids is always evident. The transition to daycare was tough at first, but I think the structure at Kidsland really helped, and it's been great seeing him get more comfortable there over time, making friends, starting to participate in more activities (craft projects, yoga classes, field trips), and learning some Spanish. We feel so lucky to have found Kidsland, and highly recommend it.

Our little one started at Kidsland Channing in September when she turned 18 months old. It took her about 3-4 months to get accustomed to the daycare. She now absolutely loves it. It has been a joy watching her blossom at Kidsland with the help of Erika and team. In these 8 months, she has learned a tremendous amount of Spanish - days of the week, counting, shapes, alphabet, months of the year, and loves to draw and play independently. She has become very self-sufficient and independent - all thanks to the Kidsland Channing team who has encouraged her growth and self-confidence. The team at Kidsland provides support for all developmental stages, including potty training, etc. They regularly take the kids to stimulating activities like story time, music, yoga, dance, and gymnastics classes. The nutritious homemade meals are a big plus as well. Most importantly, they foster an environment where the kids are loved, well cared-for, and learn all while having fun. The daycare community feels very much like one big family. Juanita is especially very sweet and a wonderful caregiver to the younger children under 2. We are so grateful to Erika and team for providing such fantastic care, and are lucky to have found this special community. I highly recommend Kidsland Channing to anyone interested in daycare for their child!

My daughter started at Kidsland a couple months after she turned 2, and has been going there for about seven months. It has been a wonderful fit for her and for our family (we don't speak Spanish at home, but that has not been an obstacle for our daughter). Erika and her staff have nurtured her growth, supported her potty training, and maintained clear communication throughout. She loves the homemade snacks and lunches, and she comes home happy every day. We have also appreciated how flexible Erika is with scheduling, and how she has made so much lemonade out of the lemons that the pandemic has thrown us all.

I cannot recommend Kidsland Channing highly enough; I am so glad to have found them.

My child started at Kidsland around 20 mos and has been going there for almost 2 years. My child has been given wonderful care and is very happy at Kidsland, regularly talking about Erika and Luis when we are at home. The last year+ has been tremendous in so many ways, and it was such a blessing (to our family and others - I'm sure) that Kidsland was a constant and stable presence for all of us. 
During COVID Erika and Luis followed all the state guidelines and protocols, in addition to maintaining a nurturing environment. Erika was essential in motivating my child to potty train and helped ensure my child became fully potty trained. Erika worked with my child on pen control, tracing, connecting lines and writing letters and now they can write their name! We attend Kidsland 3 days a week and even with a part-time schedule, and English speaking home environment, my child has learned conversational Spanish. We are grateful for the wonderful care provided at Kidsland and feel lucky to have found them.
 

We joined Erika's family daycare in October 2019, when our son was 6 months. When we met Erika I was instantly drawn to how structured she is, how she relates to the kids with kindness and genuine love, and how well rounded her program is, with outings, fun classes and activities, and instances for the kids to learn. The fact that it is also a Spanish immersion program made it a perfect fit, given that I'm a native Spanish speaker and I wanted our son to keep speaking the language we have at home.

Due to the pandemic, our son stayed home from March until October 2020, and he returned to Erika's daycare after our daughter was born. He was a year and a half by then, and in that first week he went to Kidsland he came back home singing the alphabet, counting up to ten, and calling for the friends he had reconnected with, as well as asking for Erika, Luis, Andrea and Andrés. I know that when he's at daycare he's surrounded by love, he's learning and having a blast.

During these difficult months of isolation, Erika and her family have managed to still do fun activities with the kids now that parts of their usual program cannot be done due to lockdown. They've brought a sense of normalcy to our son's life in these difficult times, and he's been so happy since returning there. Knowing that he's so well taken care of is an immense relief, and once our daughter is old enough she'll join him too. Erika's daycare has been a perfect fit for us and truly a blessing during this weird year. 

My grandson attended Kidsland Channing for about 3 years. As a bilingual educator, I highly recommend this program. It is a positive environment which emphasizes care and respect for others, but the strongest aspect of this daycare is that it truly supports native Spanish speakers and their families with language maintenance, and develops communication Spanish communication skills for non-Spanish speakers as well as pride in the language and culture...truly powerful beyond any other program I've seen. You can't go wrong if you place your child in this program.

My son has been with Erika at Kidsland Channing for almost 3 years. In this time, he has learned so many skills and made so many friends. Though we speak English at home, our son speaks just as much Spanish due to Erika’s continued reinforcement of Spanish while interacting and building special personal relationships with every child. Before shelter-in-place, Erika took the kids on many outings in the community such as story time at the library, Kuk Sol martial arts, gymnastics, and other seasonal activities. Through these difficult shelter in place times, she and her family have continued to teach and make each day special with art, physical activities outdoors, literature, and fine motor activities. Erika serves healthy and delicious meals. The children all eat in a communal space and encourage each other to eat healthfully. Erika’s kindness and positivity are reflected in all the children and how they treat each other. My son was 7 months old when he started there and now he’s 3. He’s a “big kid” now and helps look after the little ones. This has made me so proud. We are so lucky to have found Erika and her family at Kidsland Channing. They are such a blessing in our lives!

Our son has been with Erika for 3.5 years, and there is so much to appreciate about the care. They provide daily activities like storytime, music/dance time, arts + crafts and time outside, along with "special" event like the celebration of each child's birthday,  and holiday celebrations. Erika, and her whole family, pour their love and care into their community of kids, and also model how to care for each other. One of my happiest moments as a parent has been watching when my son's "big kid friends" helped him play or color, and then, as he got older watching him learn how to support and interact with the younger kids.

As a Spanish speaking family, we also really appreciate how well Erika re-enforces Spanish language use among all her kids. It's amazing to watch /hear the level of fluency among all. The delicious, home-made food is also a huge bonus -- my husband and I sometimes joke about how we wish we could have lunch at Kidsland based on the menu our kid talks about!

We’re so grateful and blessed to have found Kidsland Channing! Like many new parents, we took our time and did extensive research for the best daycare and we were fortunate to have found Erika and her team, they are simply the best! Since attending Kidsland our son has blossomed and developed in so many ways, it’s been amazing to see his progress! 

Since day one, my son melted right into Erika’s arms, I knew then it was the perfect fit. Not only is Erika exceptionally organized and dedicated to her program, she is genuinely patient, nurturing, supportive and loving to all her kids, and it clearly shows in how happy and well behaved they are. Erika’s communication with parents is exceptional and she’s always readily available via text or phone, whatever works best for you. I especially enjoy receiving picture and video updates of my son, which makes me feel completely at ease knowing he’s in good hands. 

Erika makes sure to provide her kids a well balanced variety of fun, educational and safe activities (both indoor and outdoor) such as dancing, gymnastics, yoga, music, art, reading, writing, outings to local parks, library story time and birthday celebrations for every child; to name a few. Fun fact, this is a 100% Spanish Immersion program and I was completely impressed with ALL her kids abilities to learn and speak fluent Spanish! 

Throughout the day, meals and snacks are provided and we’re thrilled our son’s eating has improved so much. He truly enjoys her delicious healthy homemade food. What a relief this has been! 

Our experience with Kidsland Channing has truly been special and we can’t imagine our son anywhere else! As our son continues to thrive, we look forward to spending more time with our Kidsland family! 

I am so grateful to have found Kidsland!  Since being here, my little girl has grown and thrived in so many ways. She has been surrounded by friends, and nurturing adults.  She and all of the babies, toddlers and preschoolers at Kidsland feel loved and receive lots of attention from Erika and her assistants.  She has learned to share, take turns, to apologize and to forgive. She has lots of fun! And she eats vegetables everyday! I’m always impressed to hear what new food she has discovered at lunchtime!

Erika takes the children on lots of mini-adventures: to Tilden’s Little Farm, Habitot, local library events, parks, martial arts classes, swimming lessons.  She is amazingly organized and has great systems in place to keep kids safe, secure and happy on their excursions. They always come back full of excitement and stories to share about their new experiences.  They also have lots of fun at home, playing indoors and outdoors with lots of stimulating toys.

Erika is kind and firm. She gives clear expectations. She is understanding, but also holds kids accountable for their actions. She clearly loves each one, and teaches them to be kind and loving to one another and to their families.  She’s also helped my daughter feel comfortable and proud of her one-parent family.

At Kidsland my daughter’s Spanish has flourished and as a result, was admitted into a Spanish bilingual kindergarten. If you are looking for a school that promotes Spanish fluency and bi-litercy, this is it!  We are sad to say goodbye to Erika and Kidsland Channing, and my only regret is that we didn’t find it sooner!

We love Kidsland Channing!! My daughter (1) gets so excited as soon as she recognizes the colorful pinwheels over the fence when we pull up, and goes with open arms to Erika and her staff each morning. They have facilitated a safe and loving environment for her to grow, learn, explore and make friends. They are constantly going on fun local field trips, and I know that my daughter is not just being "watched", but is constantly being inspired to constantly try new things.

Erika also hosts birthday parties for each kid, and celebrates every holiday in a way that the parents can all form a community together and strengthen the bond that our kids have developed together. We are really excited about the Spanish language component as our daughter is beginning to speak, and believe that she will be more prepared to thrive in our region because of these skills. The mixed age setting is also a big win for us, as the older kids teach our little one new things, and also protect her. She climbs, crawls, and walks with confidence as she tries to keep up with her older friends!

Looking for a close-knit community of learning and adventure for your child? Look no further than Kidsland Channing :)

Our daughter (3) has been attending Kidsland for a few weeks now and we are so pleased with how much are daughters has grown. She has come out of her shell and has been blossoming into a more social butterfly.
My daughter had very little to no interaction with kids her age and she also has not had any interactions with others outside of our family.
So I was a bit worried in how she would interact with others her age and adults whom she was not familiar with.
From the start, Erika has made this process for myself so easy. The transition of my daughter going into daycare has really showed me that not only has Erika completely changed my daughter world but mines as well!
My daughter enjoys the activities that Erika does especially the circle time. She loves to dance so that is her favorite part of daycare.
Since the first day of daycare for her, she was so excited which made me even more happy when She talks about going back to “school.”
I am so happy that we found Erika for my daughter and myself because she genuinely is a beautiful soul and you can tell that she cares for the children as if they were her own!
I am beyond grateful to have had my daughter join Kidsland and so very grateful for how understanding and patient Erika was with me in the whole process.

My two sons (almost 2 and 4) have been attending Kidsland Channing for nearly a year. I was absolutely thrilled that there was an opening for both of my boys at the same time and have not looked back. From day one, both children have loved learning, playing, exploring and trying new things with Erika and the Kidsland team. There is an undeniable warmth and love that the teachers show all the children each day. I am totally blown away by the extra effort Erika puts in taking the children to parks, farms, swimming lessons, karate, museums and story/song events at the library. This is all on top of the wonderful "school" routine of art, Spanish language learning, singing, outdoor play, home-cooked meals and nap time. Erika makes sure each child has a personal Birthday celebration and there are several parties to celebrate Mother's Day, Halloween etc. and for all of these events, parents are welcomed and encouraged to join! It is truly a family atmosphere and one of encouragement and support. 

Erika is generous and understanding when I travel out-of-town for work and our routine is thrown off a bit (or a lot at times)!

We are blown away with the language development of both children as well. My oldest regularly corrects my Spanish accent =) and learns new words and songs weekly. We are all speaking more Spanish at home since our oldest has expanded his vocabulary so quickly.

I can't say enough about the joy I feel dropping my kids off and picking them up at Kidsland. I miss my children throughout the day but I am at ease knowing they are growing, learning and being loved and cared for while I’m not with them. Kidsland Channing is a dream come true and I am beyond grateful to have the support raising two wild and amazing boys from Erika and the lovely kids land team.

My son has been attending Kidsland Channing for 7 months, starting at 2.5 years old, after we moved here from NYC.  My husband and I were wavering between Kidsland Channing and Bright Horizons, and decided on Kidsland based purely on our impression of how loving Erika seemed when we visited Kidsland - and we COULD NOT BE HAPPIER!

My son absolutely loves Kidsland! He is excited to get there every morning, and in the evenings, I often have to drag him out to come home. He talks about activities he does, friends he's made, things Erika has taught him, etc. all the time. He knew no spanish when he started 7 months ago, and, within a few months, he was able to sing multiple songs in spanish. My husband and I both took spanish in high school, so have tried to converse with him, and it wasn't long before he was correcting our spanish, and teaching us new phrases and ways to say things in conversational spanish. He has learned so much, like how to write his name, counting in english and spanish, etc. 

More importantly than the "academic stuff," we are thrilled with the socialization he gets at Kidsland. He has started to really develop friendships, and comes home telling us about social interactions, where he and a Kidsland friend shared a train set, took turns, etc. Additionally, we love that he is in a mixed age group - he has learned to play nicely with babies much younger than him (important, as he's getting a baby sister next month :)), and with children a bit older, as well.

Erika is simply amazing. She gets my son to eat all sorts of vegetables, beans, couscous, etc., and he routinely tells me he likes Erika's cauliflower better than mine, Erika's soup better than mine, etc. She is so loving and patient with the kids, and takes them on so many fun outings. The kids regularly go to nearby parks, Tilden little farm, the library for story time/music time, etc. The older children go to a karate class once a week. The kids are always so well-behaved, and I'm always amazed!

Kidsland Channing truly feels like a family in so many ways. Erika organizes small birthday parties for each child, with fruit salad, balloons, bubbles, play time in the yard, and cupcakes, and parents are invited (there are other small celebrations through the year, like an easter egg hunt, mother's day, father's day etc., where parents come), and, because of the small nature of Kidsland, I've gotten to socialize with other parents, which was so important and fun for me.

We are already excited about sending our second child to Kidsland Channing in January!