Woolsey Daycare

I took a leap of faith (during the pandemic, no less) and committed to having Neelam take care of my child without even meeting her. But based on her conversation over the phone (and chatting with a reference) I had a gut feeling that Neelam was exactly the person and Woolsey daycare exactly the setting that I could feel comfortable leaving my 10-month old baby with. From the first day with her, I felt confident that my child was with spending time with someone who was super engaged and attentive, excited and invested in his development, with years of expertise about babies and toddlers.

I was totally right. She would teach him things and I could see him puzzling out his learnings at home (she taught him how to safely go down steps on his belly and he was doing it at house that same weekend!). One of my favorite things is how much she talked to him and explained things to him and also how much joy they seemed to have together (that I observed during pick up and drop offs). I would often find them in Neelam's wonderful garden at the end of the day hanging out on her hammock or playing amongst her fruit trees. 

Over the time that we had my son with Neelam, she was basically like an adoptive grandmother and has become like family. 

As a parent, I cared about 2 things when looking for childcare. Is this someone I feel like I can entrust my baby with? And is the space warm, welcoming and safe? Woolsey daycare doesn't just check the boxes, it exceeded my expectations! Feel free to reach out if you want more details, I'm happy to provide my personal reference!

I'm not even sure where to start about how amazing, loving, and warm Neelam is. We started with her when our child was 14 months and we could tell right away that it was going to be a good fit. She took her time getting to know our child and was careful with the transition to full time. She hits all the basics of what you want in someone who's watching your baby- she's extremely trustworthy, she's careful, and she works hard to understand each child's individual needs. But she's also shown us things we didn't realize we needed- she easily calmed our nerves as new parents, if our daughter has any sleep or sickness issues at home she's always been just a text away and has helped us problem solve, her house is so soothing that we both enjoy spending extra time there at pickup. She treats our child with respect and we've been amazed with their growth in her care.

 The best gift she's given us is not having to worry or think about our child while we're at work. Being working parents is hard enough, but it's especially nice to not have to worry while we're away. Our child has become a confident and outgoing toddler in her care and we recommend her to everyone we meet. Neelam has become another family member to us and we know we'll continue our relationship with her for years.

Our family loves Neelam and had a wonderful experience working with her! Our first child started as a 3 month old, as did our second child 2 years later, and Neelam was incredibly loving and nurturing with them as individuals and also so supportive of our whole family as we navigated early parenthood. We appreciated getting daily updates on their nap schedules when they were little babies and later watching them learn sign language and gain confidence walking and playing indoors and outside, among many other skills. The kids still absolutely adore her and ask if we can go see her whenever we are near her neighborhood. We feel so lucky to have found her. Highly recommend!

Woolsey Daycare in Berkeley has a part time opening for a toddler (July 2018). It's a small home-based daycare with 4 babies/toddlers in total. Neelam has over 30 years experience at the same location and we have been thrilled to see our daughter grow and thrive under Neelam's loving and attentive care. Our daughter joined Woolsey daycare at 5 months and is now 18 months old and we're excited for her to have a buddy to play with. 

Feel free to contact me if you have further questions about our experience and reach out to Neelam directly for more info: 510-848-3432 nkrsahdev [at] yahoo.com (nkrsahdev[at]yahoo[dot]com)

It would be impossible for me to describe how beneficial Neelam has been to my son (and to us as parents), or how grateful we are to have found her.  Our son started at Woolsey Daycare at just over 4 months. Every day since then, Neelam has gone above and beyond what I would reasonably expect from a caregiver, offering us (gentle, non-judgmental) advice on how to help him through every milestone, including naps, nursing and formula woes, teething and more. She is especially wonderful about strategizing nap and feeding schedules to maximize your child's overnight sleeping pattern... after 4 sleep-deprived months, we were very happy to test out her insights. They have always proven correct!  Most importantly, our son lights up every day when he arrives at Neelam's, making it easier for us to go to work each day. The other kids play gently with one another and we often joke that the daycare feels more like a zen yoga studio than a daycare for four kids learning to walk, talk and play. I love that on warm days, the kids spend a large portion of the day outside.  Neelam is warm, attentive, kind, communicative and generous to both the parents and the children in her care. If you have the chance to send your child to her, do not hesitate.  NOTE: Past reviews have mentioned her previous hours; Neelam now works 8am-5pm, Monday through Friday.

Neelam's love and playfulness was a huge part of our son's growing up, and her flexibility and reliability were essential to our sanity as new parents. She took care of our son at her in-home Woolsey Daycare from about 18 months until he started preschool. Her house has a big open area with lots of toys and pillows for crawling/toddling/dancing. Outside, where the kids spent lots of time, she has a yard with more toys and playhouses, plus a really wonderful garden where the kids can pick berries and help dig in the dirt. Neelam radiates love for the children and really knows how to play with them at the level they want and need- sometimes playing with toys inside, sometimes going for walks, sometimes singing songs. She often has up to four kids who have been together for varying lengths of time; in our experience she helps the kids get along and form a little team (even at an age before they are doing much playing together). At pick-up time, she is a steady presence for the parents, telling us what's been going on and sending our son home happy. And her love lasts- we see her around the neighborhood all the time and she remains an important part of our son's life, as she does for many children she's cared for over the years. I think in-home day care is the ideal situation for a toddler, and Neelam provides a fantastic one.