Great family-oriented daycare. My son has been going here for 1.5 years and is thriving. Miss…read moreSedique and her staff are warm and loving with the kids and care about them each individually. I love that it's a perfect blend of a smaller, home-based daycare where the kids feel comfortable, but with the structure, curriculum, and learning of a preschool. Miss Sedique has devoted a large portion of her house so that they kids have separate rooms for playtime, eating and crafts, and sleeping. She has a large backyard with lots of activities as well. She puts a lot of effort into age-appropriate learning activities and crafts with the kids. My son (almost 4) really enjoys his time here and never wants to leave when I come to pick him up each day. When we first came here, my son was just over two and had been in a very large facility, where I was told he wasn't talking during the day, even though he would talk at home. I know he feels much more comfortable here and he certainly has now come out of his shell within this loving environment! Miss Sedique and her staff are also a pleasure to interact with and are always happy to chat about the day and their time with the children.

It's so tough to find a spot where you truly feel your child is loved, taught and cared for. We…read moretook my daughter here when we first moved to Scott's Valley and she was 2 years old. She also has several severe food allergies. Sedique and Crystal are truly incredible and really went above and beyond for my daughter. They feel like family now and have fostered such a wonderful community of parents and environment for children. I am eternally grateful to them and could recommend them more highly!

Our child attended For the Kids Daycare for a little over two and half years and we couldn't have…read moreasked for a better experience. Janis and David are wonderful people, amazing caregivers and truly became part of our village. They cared for our child like family and knowing our child was safe, loved and happy every day gave us so much peace of mind as working parents. Our child always looked forward to going to daycare. They loved spending time with friends, learning new things, doing arts and crafts, and all of the fun activities throughout the day. We also appreciated that they were provided with breakfasts, lunches and snacks which is one less thing parents have to worry about when getting out of the door for the day. We especially appreciated how seriously Janis and David took cleanliness and their sick policy. It gave us confidence that they always put the health and well being of the children first and we truly valued the care they took to help keep everyone healthy. Any parent who has experienced an entire household coming down with the stomach flu knows just how important those policies are. We always respected their guidelines and understood that keeping a child home for an extra day when they were sick was a small sacrifice compared to helping protect all of the other children and families in their care. We're so grateful for the love and care they gave our child during such an important stage of life. Janis and David will always have a special place in our family's hearts and we highly recommend For the Kids Daycare to anyone looking for a caring, trustworthy home daycare. If you can get a spot for your child, it will be one of the best decisions you make!

Initially, we left a five-star review for David and Janis because our first impression was very…read morepositive. They genuinely did some things well. The children enjoyed festive holiday celebrations, completed thoughtful crafts, and spent plenty of time playing outdoors. We also generally trusted our children in their care. However, within six months, our experience changed significantly. We are sharing our experience because childcare stability is incredibly important for families, and we think other parents should know about the issues we encountered. 1. UNDISCLOSED SCREEN TIME One surprise for us was learning that our daughter had been watching television at daycare. Screen time itself is a parenting choice, but we were never told it was part of the routine. During our enrollment meeting, we were told that the program included academics, so this came as an unexpected disconnect (especially considering the lack of educational value from "Cocomelon"). We only discovered it because our daughter immediately recognized Cocomelon when a commercial started while we were streaming music from YouTube . Our daughter told us she watched it at daycare. She had not been exposed to television elsewhere. Had we known that screen time was being used, we would have appreciated having that information upfront so we could make an informed decision about whether the daycare aligned with our family's preferences. 2. AD HOC CHANGES TO ILLNESS POLICY Our primary concern was not the illness policy itself, but the fact that it changed repeatedly after we had already signed a contract. Over the course of our enrollment, new rules were communicated through text messages rather than through an updated written agreement. After complying to several last minute policy changes, we simply asked whether we could receive an updated contract that reflected the current expectations. Instead, we were told we should find another daycare. We also frequently received late evening/night (at nearly 11 p.m.) and weekend text messages regarding policy updates or concerns about illnesses. While we appreciated that they cared about the health of the children, the timing, volume, and frequency of these messages felt unprofessional and often created unnecessary stress for our family. 3. DIFFERENT EXPERIENCES FOR OUR TWO KIDS After having a positive start with our daughter, we enrolled our son expecting a similar experience. Instead, within his first week, we received a message that he had "a horrible week," despite having attended only a few days. During my maternity leave, Janis also repeatedly checked on whether he was bottle feeding successfully and at one point encouraged us to switch to formula. We chose not to do so. While we understand that feeding concerns are important, many of these conversations felt discouraging and overstepping rather than collaborative, particularly during an already stressful transition with a newborn. The experience was noticeably different from the supportive welcome our daughter had received when she first enrolled. 4. REPEATED CONCERNS ABOUT "DIARRHEA" This ultimately became the issue that ended our relationship with the daycare. Janis repeatedly told us our daughter had diarrhea and insisted that it required medical evaluation. We took these concerns seriously. Over several months we: -Saw our pediatrician multiple times. -Completed blood work on two separate occasions. -Completed a stool exam -Eliminated dairy from our daughter's diet despite testing that showed no dairy allergy. -Provided all of her meals ourselves for more than two months Throughout this process, our pediatrician consistently told us that our daughter was healthy and that her stools were normal for a child eating a high-fiber, healthy diet. We tried every reasonable solution that was suggested because we wanted to work together and keep our daughter in daycare. Despite these efforts, we were eventually told that our daughter could no longer attend because of the ongoing concern about "diarrhea". One comment that particularly stayed with us was being told that our daughter "doesn't care if she sits in a dirty diaper" and that she would likely take much longer than other children to potty train. After leaving the daycare, she potty trained quickly without issue. We were surprised that Janis thought it was okay to personally insult our child (which would not be okay even if she had different abilities). TLDR We recognize that daycare providers have to make difficult decisions regarding illness and that they must protect the health of all children in their care. Our concern was never that they had health policies--it was that expectations changed over time ad hoc, communication often felt inconsistent, and our family's repeated efforts to address concerns were ultimately not met with the same willingness to work collaboratively (nor even acknowledgement). We hope sharing our experience helps other families.

Our son has been going to Joyous Daycare for over a year and a half now, and he has been incredibly…read morehappy going there! Lina and her staff are warm, attentive, and genuinely care about the children. We especially love the daily photo updates and look forward to seeing them everyday. We couldn't recommend Joyous Daycare more highly to any family looking for a safe, nurturing, and wonderful environment for their little ones!

We have had an outstanding experience with Joyous Daycare over the past year and a half. Watching…read moreour daughter blossom into a confident, communicative, and joyful preschooler has been an absolute privilege, and we attribute much of this development directly to the dedicated care she has received here. One of our favorite aspects of the program is the excellent communication. The teachers consistently share wonderful photo updates and action shots through their app, which offers a reassuring window into her day and highlights the engaging, hands-on activities she participates in. The educational foundation provided is also impressive. Our daughter regularly comes home excited to share new songs, shapes, and numbers, and she has recently begun writing her name. We are incredibly grateful for the positive impact they have had on our daughter's early development and highly recommend them to any family seeking quality childcare.

We are now on our third child at Rose Blossom, and I just can't say enough great things. It's truly…read morea wonderful preschool, and it all starts with Sharon, the owner and head teacher. Sharon has a masters degree in child development, and her approach is highly refined, well tailored to each child. She even helps us be better parents by sharing strategies for reinforcing what they are learning at home, and showing us important points of emphasis. She is incredibly caring, and highly invested in every single child. We were concerned that our second child might have a tough transition to preschool on her first day. Sharon took such great care of her that she had a seamless transition. When she was telling us how well she did on her first day, she actually teared up because she was just so proud of her. It's such a reassuring feeling knowing that you are leaving your child with someone who truly cares about them. Rose Blossom also gave our older two kids an excellent head start on kindergarten. Emphasis on reading was especially helpful, and our kids started kindergarten substantially above the standards. The other teachers are excellent as well, and the staff retention is high. The same two main teachers have been there the entire 4 years that we've been at Rose Blossom. The community is quite welcoming, with friendly parents. Our kids are still friends with some of their Rose Blossom classmates years later. Rose Blossom is actually the only thing around Santa Cruz I recommend to people. This is a small town, and most things are just ok at best, or good for here. Rose Blossom is phenomenal. I have had a couple of people send their kids here on my recommendation, and they loved it too. It's also priced very well. For super high energy, hard to control boys, one of the outdoor focused preschools may be a better fit. But for everyone else, Rose Blossom is the best choice, hands down.

It was the best decision we've made for our son. The teachers are amazing and he looks forward to…read moregoing to school every day.

We were referred by our neighbors whose kid went here. Hence put my kid in "waitlist" when he was…read morean infant. After 8months of waitlisting, the first day when we went for open house appointment, looking at how clean and organized this place was, we immediately knew and decided that this was the best place for my then 1Yr old kid. (We had been touring 6-7 daycares prior to this place, and in the first 5 mins, we decided not to send at those places). Starcrest after touring felt like a no-brainer to us. This daycare is in safe neighborhood and they have secured gate with cameras for safety. No parking space issues. Ms. Simin and Ms. Soledad are such a lovely people and great care-takers/teachers who truly care and nurture all kids here. Ms. Simin has lot of years of experience in Kid care. They have live camera for certain times (8ish - 11:30am) where you can watch their kids (you will not miss their innocent action for your memories). My kid ate there very well. He loved Ms. Simin food so much that he always asked for multiple servings. They provide healthy and clean food/snacks. Whenever kid struggled to eat (usually happens in the beginning or whenever needed), they always took care of kids with great affection and patience telling them stories. This place is well cleaned/organized at the end of the evening, for the next day. They have good routine of circle time; story time; learning time; playtime; extra-curricular time (like baking); etc. They have various themes occasionally. Especially during summer, they have splash pads and summer plays which kids love. You will receive photos of kids (which we miss a lot now) enjoying during play-routine; splash pads; etc. They give discrete and good constructive feedback about kid's actions which needed correction/improvement for kid's well being. My kid who has now grown and still remembers them and wants to see them and visits. He doesn't love his new preschool's lunch as much as he loved Ms. Simin's lunch. He also misses the attention and affection they gave him while he was there. Even we miss Starcrest's approach towards kids. Enrolling my kid in this daycare was undoubtedly one of the best decisions we had taken. Thank You Ms. Simin and Ms. Soledad for the best care you had given to all kids and making it worry-free for parents!

After having my son at Starcrest daycare for 2 years and my daughter for 1 year, I can confidently…read moresay this has been one of the best decisions we've made for our family. What makes Starcrest daycare so special is that it's a home-based daycare run by highly experienced teachers with prior experience from Action Day, bringing the structure and curriculum of a larger preschool into a warm, family-like environment. The low teacher-to-child ratio (only 4-5 children in the preschool class and around 7 in the younger class) means every child receives plenty of individual attention. The teachers are incredibly loving, patient, and genuinely care for the children as if they were their own. My son started daycare as a very shy child who struggled with social anxiety, adapting to changes, and developing independence skills. With the teachers' patience, encouragement, and support, I've watched him grow tremendously in confidence. He now participates much more in activities, interacts with other children, and navigates transitions with far greater ease. My daughter was a very late walker, and even though caring for a child who wasn't yet walking required extra effort, the teachers were always patient, encouraging, and willing to help her every day. They truly went above and beyond for both of my children. They have an engaging and thoughtfully planned curriculum with weekly themes, crafts, sensory play, music, and early learning. My son learned tracing, letters, numbers, shapes, days of the week, and even spelling simple 3- to 5-letter words. They also make so many fun theme and activity days - Disney, camping adventures, splash pads, water tables, inflatable pools, jump houses, chef and cooking days, smoothie making, slime play, car washes, holiday celebrations, parades, and the most adorable Mother's/Father's Day keepsakes. Another thing we absolutely love is the food. The children are served healthy, home-cooked meals with plenty of variety, including lentil/bean soups, quesadillas, fish, and much more. They also serve two snacks each day. What touched us the most was how accommodating they were with our family's dietary needs. Whenever chicken or beef meatballs were on the menu, they would thoughtfully purchase halal meat specifically for my children. That level of care meant so much to our family. They also make kids birthdays extra special with homemade muffins, balloons, and thoughtful celebrations that make each child feel truly special. Communication is excellent through the Lillio app, daily messages, and photos, so we always know how our children's day went. Most importantly, this daycare truly feels like family. Our children have been loved, encouraged, and cared for every single day. We are so grateful for everything the teachers have done for our family and couldn't recommend them more highly.

We are so grateful to have found Karina and her family daycare. My baby girl started here at 6…read moremonths and is 1.5 years now. She is so happy to go to daycare every morning , loves the food , the circle time , the play time with her friends. Even on days when she is not feeling very happy , like when she is teething ... Karina makes sure she is loved and taken care of. I love all the festivals and crafts they celebrate with each other. I get plenty of pictures as well. I highly recommend it , you will get good food , quality activities and great value for the money you spend ... but more than anything You can feel the love and care that your child gets at Karina's daycare and that has no price :D . Thank you Karina for being such an amazing care giver. We love you :D

Karina and her staff are simply the best. Karina always has the kids doing creative activities,…read moreimplemented learning in such fun ways, teaches the kids to be independent while also providing a loving and caring environment, sends tons of pictures and updates, and does the cutest photo shoots for all the holidays. She is so inclusive of all communities and cultures in her daycare and the kids feel so loved. I wish I could keep my kids there forever! I highly recommend her for all ages!

Debbie and John are wonderful, caring people. There are fun activities for the kids, they have nap…read moreand snack time, there are nice lunches, and the kids love coming back. We highly recommend Debbie's Daycare!

This review is long overdue! Debbie started watching my daughter at 3 months old when I had to go…read moreback to work and she is 3 years now! Debbie and her husband (who also ran a daycare) are like a second family to us. Being a first time mom and not knowing what I was doing, she is helping raise our daughter and answers all my questions. I always get advice when she is sick etc. My daughter goes there 2-3 times a week and when she misses, she asks for Debbie. She is loving and patient. She will work with you and your child for potty training. She has tons of toys, games,books,parties for birthdays and dress up clothes. Nap time is structured everyday around your child's needs in separate beds or cribs. Each year Santa comes and for Easter they have a hunt in her beautiful yard! Did I mention she provides meals and wipes and you cannot beat the cost. So glad we found this home daycare.

It is a great place for kids. Everything is very clean. Elizabeth is very sweet and caring, the…read moreenvironment very fun for kids. My toddler loves to go there. Her healthy and delicious home cook meals are a plus. My toddler is now used to eat tons of new vegetables, grains and other foods that before he did not like. He is even craving them!. She always gives me some extra to take home for him. More important, he looks happy and healthy while learning and growing. Totally recommend it.

"Miss Elizabeth" aka "Nana" aka Eliza and her staff have made their program a home for all 3 of my…read morechildren from 2017-2025. She treated my children like her own and was so flexible when it came to my husband and I with our busy schedules. Her home is clean, engaging, our kids were served healthy home cooked meals and had great communication. They have become like family and she still continues to check-in to see how the kids are doing as they grow up. I 100% recommend Eliza's Home Daycare, if you are looking for a smaller program, more 1:1 attention with your children, and a safe and healthy environment for your kids to grow up.