Little Friends Daycare
Community SubscriberOakland, CA
My mission at Little Friends Daycare is to provide a positive, healthy, stimulating, and loving environment for children to learn, grow, and feel safe and cared for at all times.
Even though the daycare is licensed for 14, I limit my enrollment to 6 in order to give the best quality of care . All the meals are homemade, organic and diversified. The daycare is located in upper Rockridge , in a peaceful and cozy environment. The little friends spend time indoors and outdoors- we play, sing, dance, enjoy circle time and story time, learn to be kind and share, to express our feelings and use our words. We are a home away from home, helping you parents raise your little ones !
We have honestly been blessed to have ended up at Yasmine's (Mimi) daycare. My oldest started there in 2021, and we currently have my youngest in her care. Mimi has created a warm, nurturing environment that you can feel the second you walk in. Having raised four daughters of her own, she has so much patience and understanding for our little ones, and it shine through in how much they all love her and feel safe with her.
The daycare has been amazing in how much they are able to focus on the needs of the kids. She has circle time to sing songs and dance with the kids, school to go though counting/colors/shapes/etc., time playing indoors and outdoors, two homecooked meals a day plus snacks, and celebrations for birthdays/holidays/"graduation".
Over the years, Mimi has become part of our family. I trust her for advice and when my babies have worked through developmental stages. She is so open and kind with her input. It takes a village to raise our kids, and I am so grateful to have Mimi as a part of that village. I was so nervous to send my first baby to daycare, and not only did Mimi support me through the transition, both my kids love her. It was the best decision we made to join Little Friends.
This review is long overdue and comes from the heart. My daughter was one of the first children to join Yasmine's at-home daycare, affectionately known as “Mimi” to the kids, during the challenging days of 2020. Amid the fear and uncertainty of the pandemic, Yasmine created a haven of comfort and safety for our family.
As a mother of four daughters, her natural maternal instinct shines through in everything she does. We always felt reassured knowing our spirited daughter was in such capable and loving hands. Yasmine provided two homemade organic meals daily—no microwaves!—along with healthy snacks and our preferred milk. The intimate setting of her smaller daycare ensured our child received personalized attention and care. Birthdays, milestones and holidays were always celebrated and if our child was going through a tough stage (not taking a bottle or as a toddler, learning they could hit!) we were always met with sage advice, lots of patience, solutions to try, and zero judgement.
When we learned I was pregnant with our second child, there was no doubt about where we would send our new baby. Now that our second-born has transitioned to preschool, saying goodbye was incredibly emotional (I’m still tearing up!). However, we continue to visit Yasmine, who has become family to us. We will always cherish the time our children spent with her, and she will hold a special place in our lives forever.
Sometimes in life you get lucky...and boy did we hit the jackpot when we found Little Friends Daycare. In fact, we were the very first family to sign up. Little Friends Daycare was totally new. No track record. No reviews. No word of mouth referrals. Just pure blind faith that it would work out. And it did in spades.
Mimi, who owns and operates Little Friends Daycare and also has four kind, thoughtful, and warm daughters of her own, has a natural nurturing presence. She has combined her innate ability to connect with little ones with attention to detail and lots of hard work to create a professional, safe, warm, and welcoming space designed for children. There are books and toys inside, an enclosed deck with water tables and more toys outside, and Gucci the dog. She teaches basics, reads constantly, and introduces the kids to the garden. Mimi makes each meal with love and attention. She plays dress up, celebrates big days, and makes sure the kids pose for pictures. In other words, Mimi makes magic everyday. And she does it with calm and intention and joy. Mimi is like having your favoriteaunt, doting grandma, and fairy godmother all rolled up into one.
In addition, Mimi is uber responsive to every child's needs and makes every attempt to accommodate each family's various and sometimes differing schedules/requests/etc. She is flexible and reasonable and goes above and beyond as a matter of course. We have put both of our daughters in her care for the past 4+ years, and during that time Mimi has become a part of the family. Our girls absolutely adore her and are more caring, thoughtful, and kind because of her. We feel very fortunate to have Mimi in our lives and are extremely grateful for all that Little Friends Daycare has done for our family. I can not think of a better place to have my kids go every day. If you are lucky enough to get off the waitlist, you should jump at the chance to send your kid to Little Friends Daycare.
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