Thousand Oaks DayCare

My daughter attended Thousand Oaks daycare, starting when she was just over 1 year old until she moved on to  preschool, now at almost 3.5 years old. I can’t say enough positive things about Celia and her daycare. I even hesitate to call what Celia does a “daycare” because she really goes above and beyond. I had considered a lot of childcare options, from daycares to nanny shares, when I met Celia, none of them quite right for our particular situatios. And when I walked into Celia’s daycare, through her beautiful garden and met with Celia, I knew immediately that this was the right place for my daughter. Celia's warmth and love for the kids comes through right away.  The space is bright and cheery and designed for kids, with lots of interesting toys and books and different well-thought out areas for activities and play of different kinds. The outdoor space is sweet, with a beautiful garden, a play house and gravel pit outside and places to explore and she takes the kids on walks through the neighborhood as well. She cooks healthy meals for the kids at lunch and provides snacks (not having to bring a lunchbox is a gift!). I love that she introduces the kids to new fruits and vegetables, even if my daughter still won’t eat carrots at home. 

Celia lets kids be kids, and provides lots of venues for play and interaction, with enough structure to guide them through the day but not excessively so. She has an intuitive sense for kids and toddlers in particular and their dynamics.  My daughter has truly blossomed while with Celia, especially her social, emotional and language skills. I’ve seen her now go from being one of the youngest kids and a bit reserved to being one of the older kids now helping the little ones, confident, capable and joyful. She absolutely loves Celia and being with her friends at Celia's. As testimony to Celia’s influence, my daughter has transitioned so seamlessly to a larger, more structured and very different kind of preschool, with so much grace and confidence in herself. 

Celia is also wonderful to interact with as a parent. She’s funny, kind and practical and engages you (like she does the kids) at whatever level works for you. She’s taught me a lot about being a parent. I’ve also really appreciated her flexibility for our family situation, where our childcare needs have evolved over time. And if that isn’t enough, she somehow manages to also assemble a wonderful group of children and parents and it’s been lovely as a first time parent and a single-Mom to fall into this loving community. 

Celia and her family have truly become family for us. We will both miss Celia and this special group as we move on to nursery school. 

Our daughter attends Thousand Oaks daycare and we cannot recommend it enough! We had childcare fall through and found Celia at the last minute and it has been the best thing that could have happened. Her house and garden are so calming and beautiful but full of interesting toys and activities for the kids. The food she makes for them is nutritious, varied by the seasons, and delicious. She gets the freshest produce from Monterey Market or her own garden. Celia is always watching for what the kids are interested in and helping them to explore their interests. Celia loves what she does and it shows in everything she does. She goes out of her way for the kids and genuinely cares for them. Our daughter has really grown in her confidence, imaginative play, language and social skills. She has gone there since she was 1.5 and is about to leave for preschool after 2 years. We feel confident in her ability to take this next step because of all the attention and care she received while at Thousand Oaks. We will all miss Celia but luckily our son will attend Thousand Oaks starting next May.

Our son is currently attending Thousand Oaks Daycare, he has been attending for nearly 2 years now and he absolutely loves it. Celia is an expert with kids, our son is on the shy side and she has a way of getting him out of his shell. He loves going to daycare every morning and often wants to stay when I go to pick him up. The house and garden are amazing, well put together, fun toys, beautiful garden area with fun activities outside. Celia feeds them awesome meals and even get's our picky eater to try some good greens and interesting foods that we have had no luck with at home. The group of children and parents has always been great as well, we have been so happy with our time at Thousand Oaks Daycare we have recommended it to anyone who asks.

Our firstborn went to Thousand Oaks childcare for 2 years (18 mos to 3 yr 3 mos) and we all loved it. Especially in the younger phase, Celia is so good at helping the little ones feel safe and secure, challenge their abilities, find socially healthy ways to interact with their peers and generally become well rounded little people. Her ethos to focus on social skills, kindess and building confidence/independence was in line with what our family wanted in childcare. Our primary reason for introducing our son to daycare was for him to develop those social skills and find balance with his peers. The space is well thought out, the activities are appropriately challenging and engaging, the external garden is like magic (remember the book, "The Secret Garden"?!) that I often wished I could spend some hours relaxing in! All of this housed in the privacy and safety you'd want in early childcare. She provides well thought out healthy foods that have helped my child's palette grow (and try new things!). Our son equates "Celia's House" to the playground -- a place to play! She adopts a lot of "whole child" ECE approaches, while maintaining flexibility for each child and their very individual personalities, as I have seen many different group dynamics over the time our son spent there. She is also incredibly patient and full of wisdom for "first time parents" who might be in the phase of overthinking everything. We are so grateful to have an experience like her daycare at the start of our son's journey and know the skills gained with Celia will help him for life.

Words cannot capture our family's appreciation for Celia. Our daughter started at Celia's at 8 months. Our son started at age 1. The two of them could not be more different, but they both thrived and loved their time at Celia's. Both our kids spent two years at the daycare (with a little extra time for our daughter during the first year of COVID), and we felt it was our privilege for them to attend Thousand Oaks Daycare.

The space is lovely with nice natural light, plenty of books, puzzles (our little girl loves puzzles!), and of course, toys. There is also a wonderful outdoor space for the kids to play and explore and to be entranced by the fruits growing. Which brings me to the food. Delicious and healthy food for the kids. Celia cares so much for the little ones, and it shows in everything.

I still remember the day my partner and I brought our daughter to Celia's, as we were looking at daycares. It was the first visit we made, and we walked out thinking, "We really hope there's a spot for our girl." We visited other places, which were all very good in different ways, but none of them felt as right as Thousand Oaks Daycare. And for all of our positive vibes from the very start, it was even better than we could have imagined. Our kids were lucky to have Celia.

Our daughter attended Thousand Oaks Daycare from the age of 2 to almost 4. Celia is warm, loving, responsive, and wonderfully supportive. The daycare environment she has created is peaceful (even during the height of a toddler tantrum or two!), sunny, and warm, both figuratively and literally. Celia made us and our daughter feel right at home, getting to know her interests and explorations and filling us in on the antics of the day or week. Our little one quickly became attached to Celia and her friends at Thousand Oaks, referring to the daycare as "her other Berkeley house." I loved so much about this place. The indoor/outdoor environment, where the kids can explore, ride trikes, eat strawberries off the plant, play trucks in the gravel pit or pour water at the umbrella-shaded water table, and enjoy freshly baked treats - homemade waffles were a regular occurrence! Speaking of food, my jaw must have dropped open on more than one occasion when I heard what my child ate at Celia's. Beets! So many beets. She loved the beets. I never minded that she wouldn't touch them at home because she was apparently eating all the vegetables off the table at lunch or snack. I also appreciated the mixed age nature of the daycare. Jiya was somewhere in the middle of the group when she joined, and as she grew to be the oldest in the bunch, Celia supported her to be a gentle leader, teaching her to have patience with the littler ones and guiding other "older kids" in the group as they become elder siblings. She was always supportive and welcoming of our elder elementary aged kiddo, as well, making him feel right at home when he joined us on pickups or drop offs, saving little treats for him here and there, and encouraging him to show the little ones how to do various activities. I could go on and on, feel free to DM me with questions about Thousand Oaks daycare, but I can assure you that IF I were going to have another little one, one of my first calls would be to make sure that Celia saves us a spot at Thousand Oaks! 

Like the magical garden that Celia perfectly maintains in and around Thousand Oaks Daycare, our son blossomed under her care. When he started as a 19 month old, he was nurtured and encouraged as one of the youngest. And, as a 3.5 year old and the oldest kiddo of the group, Celia encouraged him to share and lead. Celia understands how kids develop and gives them the emotional safety and opportunity to grow.

As toddler parents it’s normal to stress about what (if anything) your child eats. Celia lovingly prepares organic, healthful and varied foods such that our son was regularly eating broccoli, beets, yogurt, persimmon... and I honestly never stressed about whether he had boxed Mac n cheese for dinner because he got such phenomenal nutrition at Celia’s. I’ve walked in a few mornings recently to Celia making waffles for everyone! The kids are encouraged to explore and try new foods, and mealtime is a communal and supportive experience.

Celia keys into what the kids like playing with and will supplement the toy selection or rearrange furniture to make things accessible or fun. For instance some of the kids were really into playing in the kitchen and she got them some chefs hats and aprons. Or if everyone is really into jumping and physical play she moves the pickler triangle into center of the playroom. There are hundreds of examples like this. They read constantly, and I’m always thankful he learns all the nursery rhymes that I forgot - they clearly have fun singing each day!

Celia is flexible to the need of each child and parent whether that is food allergies, supporting nursing, a longer drop off routine, potty training, doctors appointments... you name it. Truly a master of this age group and the parents in the trenches.

After two years, Celia is like family... and on more than one occasion, speaking with families who’ve inquired about Thousand Oaks daycare over the years, I’ve affirmed: “yes, you hit the daycare jackpot!!”

I can't recommend Thousand Oaks Daycare enough! Our daughter blossomed into toddlerhood under Celia's warm and loving care. Celia went above and beyond during the first few rough weeks to ensure a smooth transition (daughter was home with me until 19 months old and was having separation anxiety), being extra sweet to my daughter and extremely reassuring to me. 

Celia is an absolute gem. She is a blast of energy, able to engage with all the children with sunny disposition and so much enthusiasm. She's nurturing and kind to the kids, and takes the time to narrate mundane activities and explain the world to the children. She's very patient, supportive and encouraging, fostering independence and allowing each kid to fully explore his/her own individual interests (music, certain types of toys, etc.). She's also very firm, providing the necessary rules and guidelines in a stern but gentle manner. 

Her light-filled daycare is welcoming, clean and bright, and the gated outdoor space (side yards) was a great place for the kids to explore nature and get into the elements. The toys are all wooden, high-quality toys, and she has a really good collection of books for circle time.

It's been over six months since our daughter transitioned to preschool and until this day still speaks fondly of Celia and her time at Thousand Oaks. I attribute my daughter's appetite and palette to Celia who taught her to love a variety of vegetables. She's also thriving at her new school due in huge parts to having learned so many skills at Celia's. Echoing other reviews here - Thousand Oaks is a great place for 1s and 2s, and we look forward to enrolling our newest addition when she's old enough for daycare!

Our daughter spent a wonderful year at Celia's warm and loving daycare in North Berkeley. Celia is amazing with the kids--full of fun, with just enough structure and a sunny demeanor. Our daughter has loved going, and we will miss Celia and her wonderful school!

The space is great, and Celia provides good meals and somehow gets the whole bunch down for naps. I could tell when we toured that she had a wonderful way with children, and everything has exceeded our expectations. Our daughter is thriving and comes home with new words and new songs daily.

I couldn't recommend Celia's more highly, especially for 1s and 2s, and also for babies (our daughter started around 10-11 months). Our older son (4) often wished he could stay and join the fun.

Our son started going to Celia’s when he was 1 year old in February 2016 and is now transitioning (easily) to preschool (age 3) in July 2018. Celia is a warm, affectionate figure with whom he has felt comfortable since his very first day. She truly enjoys working with young children and provides them a safe, engaging, and creative environment in which each young child can become their own little true selves.

Her indoor space is sun-lit with accessible activities filling shelves. Her outdoor space is a garden wonderland with nooks and crannies including a beloved gravel play box. She provides a wide variety of tasty foods for snack and lunch – children love her beets and cucumber salad! Special treats are often collected straight from her garden including figs, apricots and tomatoes. Her family is incredibly supportive and kind – they assist when taking the children on exploratory walks around the neighborhood and provide additional hugs.

I am so incredibly grateful for the love and guidance that Celia’s has provided for our son for the last 2 years. I owe her my sanity and sincere thanks for helping me and my husband nurture our little baby into an independent, curious and compassionate toddler.

My 2 year old daughter has been attending Celia's daycare for the past year, and she loves it. She's a relatively shy kid so it's been great to be in a smaller scale environment, and Celia is attentive to her needs and personality. The space is beautiful and light-filled, with lots of toys and books with a sunny outdoor area. My daughter is always happy to arrive, no matter how grumpy she's been with me. Celia is very observant to her development, helping her become a stronger speaker and supportive of potty training. We are very happy we found this daycare and knew as soon as we saw it and met Celia that it would be a great place to send our daughter. 

My son has been at Thousand Oaks Day Care with Celia since he was about 13 months old and he will be heading off to preschool this fall at 3 years old.  Celia's has been perfect for us. Indoors her place is spacious and full of light, and there are many toys and books at floor level for the kids to access themselves.  Outdoors there is a wonderful terraced garden with a water table, a gravel'n'truck pit, a sand table, and all kinds of plants, flowers, and food plants which the kids even get to eat sometimes.  Celia cooks local, organic food for the kids, and the kitchen and kid-size dining table are part of the space so the food culture and habits Celia embodies are very consistent with what we do at home.  Celia takes the kids for walks to playgrounds or the Cheese Board, puts on music and radio for them, gives them gym mats to move and be physical on, to name a few activities.  Most importantly Celia is so experienced and capable, so kind and accepting towards children.  She will work with you and your child to gently guide them towards whatever new skills they are working on; sleeping, food, socializing, potty, etc.  Celia's has been great for us, our son has grown so much and learned so much, and I would highly recommend Thousand Oaks Child Care.