Mechita Daycare

We sent both our children to Mechita's until they were ready for preschool. It was the perfect bridge between being at home with parents/nanny to being in a preschool program. It is a small family-run daycare run by Mercedes and her family. They make incredibly healthy and varied food for breakfast, lunch, and snack. They also seemed to have a ton of activities for the kids to engage in, including painting, water games, visits from health care workers, trips to Frog Park, trips to the library for toddler story time, and other things to keep the kids engaged and having fun. Our kids loved their time there. They were excited to go in the morning, jumping around and yelling "I go Mechitas!" Mercedes sends photos and updates on most days through an app, in addition to being available to chat during pickup or drop-off. 

We had an incredibly positive experience with Mechita's and will miss having our kids there!

We've been with Mechita since March and it's been wonderful watching my son's Spanish grow more complex, seeing him more and more willing to try new foods, and watching him go from just getting the idea of being potty trained to being able to go to school today with big-boy underpants on has been absolutely incredible.

The kids go on walks to the park, they visit the fire station, and my son runs to the front door every morning and comes home full of news every evening.  There is always a new song he teaches us at home or a new piece of artwork he totes with him.  He actively asks for quinoa and kale now!  And everyone working there clearly cares deeply for each child.

We're currently expecting our second child and will not hesitate to start her at Mechita as soon as they have availability.  

We had a wonderful experience with Mechita Daycare for the ~3 years we sent our children there. Our daughter attended from when she was 11 months until she was 3 years old and started at a Spanish-speaking preschool. My son attended from when he was 1 year until 2.5 years old, when he qualified to start attending preschool with his older sister. From the start, Mercedes and her family welcomed us into their home and cared for our children — and us — with loving kindness.

We received reports at the end of each day on what the kids ate and how much they slept, which was helpful to be able to create parallel structures and habits at home. Both of my children potty trained easily and incredibly early due to the kind and consistent approach Mercedes took around potty training. I took for granted what an unbelievable benefit this was. Mercedes makes all the food from scratch, much of it with organic ingredients, and the kids ate so many things they would never dream of trying at home. And loved them! I never worried if they didn't eat a lot of dinner, because I knew they were always eating a LOT of healthy food at daycare. Even after my daughter graduated, when I would bring her to pick up my son, Mercedes would press snacks into her little hands.

The structure of the days never seemed terribly rigid, which I appreciated at this age. But there was always time for books, art, music, and outdoor play. The kids always seemed to be having FUN and I am so grateful. This engaging and enriching environment allowed my children to establish fluency in Spanish, much more so than I think a rigid program would have done. We prioritized a Spanish immersion preschool and will seek ways to continue the same into elementary school, if possible for our family. 

The positive experience we had for so many years speaks volumes to the excellent care and attention that goes into running this program. I could not recommend Mechita enough if you are interested in a small, family-run program with priorities around food and Spanish immersion.

I can't say enough good things about Mechita's.  My son is healthy and happy and is learning a ton.  I try to tell myself it's all his good genes, but I know deep down that Mechita's has a whole lot to do with it.

Everyone who cares for the children at Mechita's is sweet, considerate and obviously has the kids' best interest at heart.  It is mostly a family affair, with a husband-wife team and their daughters involved as well.  But they are professional too; they have hired a couple more "maestras," upgraded their facilities, and continue to impress me even more.  

The instruction is truly Spanish-immersion.  They will speak English to parents or where it's absolutely necessary, but otherwise the kids are learning Spanish all day.

Pretty much everyone's favorite part is the food.  Mechita is absolutely obsessed with providing healthy balanced meals and snacks all day.  They shop at Berkeley Bowl and give the kids all sorts of organic fruits, veggies, grains, smoothies, etc.  And to make life easier for you, they provide lunch so you don't even have to pack it for your kid.  I tell people it's a gourmet organic Peruvian restaurant with a daycare attached.  

The care is gentle and delicate without being overbearing.  They let kids be kids and figure things out.  They are relaxed and I couldn't like their approach any more.  It feels like a home, not like a school.

Nevertheless, the kids learn a ton.  Counting, singing, language and -- get this -- potty training.  Every kid I know that has gone there (both boy and girl) was potty trained by the time they were 2.  No joke.  They do it for you.  It's amazing.  

Are there fancier looking places?  Maybe.  Will those places give you better care?  I can't imagine they do.  Throw in an affordable price tag, incredible food, Spanish immersion, convenient location, loving family-style care and a great community of families and it doesn't get better than Mechita's.

I don't write reviews often, but I wanted to take a moment to share how happy we are with the care our daughter is receiving at Mechita. She has been there for about six months now and we couldn't be happier with our choice.

What we love:
1) the whole family is involved and they're all so loving with the kids.
2) they speak to them in spanish and our daughter now speaks Spanish as well as she does English
3) they feed them the HEALTHIEST breakfast and lunch. Every day Mercedes gives me the run down of what my daughter ate because she knows that as a dietitian I care about that sort of thing, and it's always stuff like quinoa porridge and a kale blueberry smoothie for breakfast, and fish stew with cabbage or liver and onions for lunch... No processed snacks in this place!
4) they have a morning lesson and my daughter has already learned so much at just 18 months old! She now sings the abc's, counts to 10 in spanish, and surprises me every day with new skills, words, and songs.
5) They are really on top of potty training. They have all the kids potty trained by age two as long as the parents are on board!
6) They are rarely closed. For example, over the holidays they were only closed Christmas day and new years day, so you end up not paying for huge chunks of time that the daycare is closed like happens at other places.
7) the other parents and kids are just as happy with the daycare as we are. We all just meet up this weekend at the local park to hang out, which is what prompted me to write this review.

Its a special place and, while it may not look fancy or modern, it has everything you could want in a daycare for your kid.

Mercedes, and the entire Cordova family truly consider the children to be part of their home and family. From delicious, healthy meals to unstructured and structured fun and learning, it's been a great experience for us. My son feels so loved. My only critique is that communication sometimes is challenging as mercedes speaks mostly "Spanglish" Their teenage daughter works at the daycare and helps out with communication via email and in person.

Mercedes in-home day care is wonderful, our daughter was always happy when she came home, was potty trained well before we could have and all the credits has to go to Mercedes.  Moreover the entire family helps out.  Her daycare always provided Vegetarian food to our daughter.  We highly recommend Mechita Daycare.

I moved my son to Mechita Daycare after first having him in a larger daycare center. Mercedes and her family have been a wonderful fit for us. I know each of the children in this 5-6 child home daycare, and my son is attached to all of them. The children hug when they see each other in the mornings. Mercedes prepares wonderful hot breakfasts and lunches (fish, chicken, stew, liver!) and provides snacks as well. She's wonderfully flexible and really understands how to work with children --- my son was potty-trained by 2. We regularly get a stack of art work that my son has been working on, and I'm certain he understands most of the Spanish that Mercedes speaks to him in. He's been able to grow, play, be independent, and create lovely relationships with the other children there. As we get ready for our second son to be born in a few weeks, Mercedes has helped him understand the idea of a baby in my belly, and I've been able to watch him being tender around the 9-month old, which is beautiful to see. The house is cozy and friendly, with lots of space outside to run around and play.

Mechita Daycare is lovely place with caring providers and I'm incredibly happy we were able to find them. Most important to me, my son loves it and is completely at home.

Mechita Daycare saved this first time mama!!

It is hard to put into words how amazing Mechita Daycare is. It is so much more than a daycare, it is an extended family, and I personally believe it is Rockridge/Temescal’s best kept secret. 

When I first came across Mechita Daycare on BPN there were very few reviews, but the location was perfect so I decided to check it out. While meeting Mercedes Cordova and her family, a mom was picking up her 2 and 4 year old. Without me even asking she said, “I don’t know how you found Mercedes, but she is the best caretaker I have ever found! She used to be my nanny and then I did a nanny share with her until she decided to open up her own daycare. You are in the best of hands. Mercedes is amazing! Don’t even think twice.” 

Those words, spoken over 2 years ago couldn’t be more true. Mechita daycare is run out of their home in Temescal. Mercedes originally from Peru and is a natural born nurturer. She seriously loves all her “babies,” and we have always been treated like part of the family. 

Not only has my daughter learned Spanish (better than me!), but Mercedes also helped potty train my daughter, and gets her to eat amazing home made food I can’t even get her to eat at home. She makes kale, beet and fruit smoothies, healthy soups, and lots of authentic Peruvian cuisine. I came to pick up my daughter one day and she was feeding them broccoli and cauliflower off of a tray!! Seriously! I don't know how she does it all! 

Mechita is a small daycare, but they are always involved in learning activities. My daughter helps them garden up front. They take trips to the library. Their daughter Mercedes (Jr.) also takes my daughter for ice cream on days I am going to be late. 

It is just above and beyond any expectation I could ever have had for a daycare experience. Probably because Mechita Daycare is above and beyond. I am almost tearing up writing this because in August my daughter will be moving on to pre-school and we are going to miss Mercedes and the whole family so much! Thankfully Mercedes Jr. babysits and we’ll be popping in for visits as I can’t imagine our lives without the Cordova family in it!

As an added bonus two of the mama’s whose children go or went to Mechita Daycare are now very close friends (included the mama I met at my very first visit.) 

If you are lucky enough to have found Mechita Daycare, do not hesitate to meet with this family. Space is limited and it is super affordable. Lunch and snacks are provided at no additional cost and they are closed for very few holidays. 

If you have any questions do not hesitate to contact me. It will change your family’s life. It sure changed ours, and we are forever grateful. 

I can't say enough good things about this daycare. Our son has been going to Mercedes's daycare since he was 11 months old and we couldn't have asked for a better person to take care of our little one. If you want your child to have the experience of being in a loving environment, this is the perfect place. Mercedes makes all the food the kids eat from scratch. Her and her family spend time playing with the kids, drawing, dancing and learning new things. She also helps the children get potty trained starting at about 15 months! I thought this was never going to work with my stubborn little guy, but now almost at 2, he's getting closer everyday to being potty trained! She is so patient with all the kids. She doesn't allow them to watch TV and instead takes them outside for walks or to the park. When we go to pick up our son, he always wants to keep playing. She also made the transition of going back to work really easy for me. Though my little guy cried, she was so reassuring and gave him the love he needed to adjust to a new environment. And she speaks Spanish with the kids which has been a huge plus for us. I wish I could transport her to the place we're moving to :)