Little Ducklings Family Day School

My twins were at Little Ducklings Day school for the past year, and they loved their time there. Paty and staff are wonderful. They give lots of love and attention to each child. Paty has an excellent curriculum that teaches letters, numbers, etc. My favorite part though was that my twins were always bringing home beautiful art projects they had done at school. The school is clean and welcoming, with a nice play area in the back yard. My twins made lasting friendships there. I highly recommend!

We started with Paty last July, after home schools were allowed to reopen after the shutdown due to the pandemic. Paty's policies for cleanliness are top notch and she and Jaime took the extra time to clean every toy and surface after the kids went home for the day, they also followed all the CDC recommendations for child care during the pandemic. It was not an easy time for anyone but Paty and Jaime made us feel our daughter would be safe. We highly recommend Paty and Jaime's school.

We moved our daughter from a larger preschool of 25 kids to Paty's group of 5 (at the time) and it was a positive move for our daughter. She started at 3 and has been there a year, she is happy and has really thrived. Paty and her husband Jaime have created a loving environment for the kids including play based and educational activities, it is clear they have the proper experience. My daughter has come home with artwork showing skills with tracing letters, writing her name, colors, shapes, words and many other concepts. Paty takes the kids on walks and teaches them about different plants and animals they see, she also teaches them about the weather and nature. Paty gives each child special attention as they need, to help them thrive and grow. My daughter's previous school had too many kids and she was not getting the proper support she needed to excel. Paty has given her that support and she has fully come out of her shell. Paty and Jaime's school is also Spanish immersion, our daughter comes home singing Spanish songs and has taught me a few words as well. Paty's home is equipped with the best educational toys and is well organized and clean. Her backyard also has a playset that the kids love, and is covered so there's not too much sun exposure. At the end of the day, Paty gives a quick update on my daughter's day including any discipline that she may have had to give. She explains what happened and how she spoke calmly to my daughter to explain why her actions might hurt others (kids hitting or scratching), instead of time out she does thinking time to teach reflection.  

Our daughter loves Paty and Jaime, and her friends at school. We were fortunate to have found Little Ducklings when we did. It is a wonderful school and family. 

Our family was fortunate to be a part of the Little Ducklings family for the year our daughter was there. Paty is a warm and loving caretaker, as well as a passionate educator—in other words she is an ideal teacher and caregiver. She is nurturing and fun, with so much energy and love for her little ones. She is extremely attentive to the needs and levels of each individual child and cares deeply about each of them. Each day she has educational lessons prepared, encourages activities to develop motor skills, provides fun art projects, has music class once a week, and gives kids lots of free time outside to play and explore. Though we weren't necessarily looking for an educational approach or a Spanish program at such a young age, my daughter (2-3yrs old) learned quite a lot while she was there. She also really loved and bonded with Paty and her husband Jaime during her time at Little Ducklings. I know she felt safe, loved and known and we were confident she was in wonderful care with them.

Highlights of Little Ducklings:

Great language & social skills development, lots of art, music, and good introduction to early academic activities, in a caring environment with a family atmosphere. Little Ducklings' preferred age range is 20months to 5 yrs.

Details:

Patricia Hernandez-Tijero (Paty) has years of experience in children’s preschool programs, and she’s now in her second year of running her own school. She and Jaime are enthusiastic about improving their school rooms and outdoor space, which started out great and are now even better. My daughter started attending Little Ducklings with Paty in summer 2018 at 2 years, 2 months old. Prior to this she had only been in the care of immediate family, mostly me, and she was (and still is) very attached. My child quickly developed an affection for Paty and Jaime, settling in comfortably with them and her new friends. Paty also supported her potty-training seamlessly.

Paty is wonderfully kind and patient with her students. She, and her husband Jaime, take genuine interest in what the children are communicating and what they like to do. When addressing challenging behavior, she uses a very firm but calm voice, talks about how the behavior affects other people (and/or personal safety), and then demonstrates to the child what she is asking of them. Paty’s husband Jaime is warm, caring and funny. He often cooks tasty snacks and prepares daily fruit platters for the kids. My daughter adores Paty’s daughter Ana (who is away at college, but visits on breaks).

My daughter has learned quite a bit of Spanish language with Paty & Jaime, and now moves through our home life singing and counting in Spanish. She is so eager to tell them about things she did over the weekend, or while outside of school. My daughter has a deep affection for Paty and Jaime, as do my husband and I.

Paty was an instructor for both of my children between the ages of 6 months and 5 years. She was so fun and loving, very attentive and kind with them, and they both loved her for it. I learned so much from Paty as a new parent about how to encourage and motivate young kids with kindness and play. I so admired how hard she worked to create a safe, fun, and caring space, how she made each child feel important. Paty was also incredibly supportive of us as new parents, working with our schedules, helping us connect with safe and, reliable babysitting outside of school hours, giving us support and advice when we struggled with a particular developmental phase. I love that she taught my kids Spanish! I was so happy to hear that Paty had opened Little Duckling;  I strongly recommend Paty as a highly qualified, top-notch caregiver. Please visit Little Duckling if you are looking for a place for your child to flourish and grow with lots of 1 on 1 encouragement. Not to mention play, dancing, cooking, language, music, art, exploration, and more!!! 

We are visiting Berkeley for a month and were lucky enough to find Little Ducklings for our two and four year olds. From the moment my kids met Paty they loved her. The first time I dropped them off they ran in and didn't even wait to say goodby. When I pick them up at the end of the day they don't want to leave. They keep asking for a sleepover. Paty is warm and loving, and the kids think she is very fun. The space is beautiful with a musical instrument section and lots of educational toys, and is perfectly located near North Berkeley Bart. In a few weeks my kids are already picking up on several Spanish phrases, and they sometimes make food together. They spend a lot of time outside and there is a great backyard playground. My kids are also practicing their letters and do tons of art. What more could we ask for in a daycare?

They don't generally take short-term kids, but miraculously had an opening for the month and we couldn't be happier.