We lucked out finding Smart Kids Family Daycare! My son started attending daycare here last year…read morewhen he turned 3 months, and he's now a 1 year old and cannot wait to go to daycare, and is sad to leave every day. I feel confident saying that he has advanced in so many areas due to the time, attention, structure, and love that Tracy, her mother and their helpers put into the day to day activities. They are generous, caring and very in-tune with each child. I was worried that there would be language barrier issues, but in almost a year this has not ever been an issue, and I love that my son is immersed in two different languages and cultures, and in a way, my husband and I are now too.

This home daycare is the best! It's a small, family run, in-home daycare that speaks Chinese and…read moreEnglish. We speak Chinese at home and wanted our daughter in an immersed Chinese language environment. Tracy is a mother of two wonderful kids and was previously a school teacher. She really understands how to care for and help children learn and grow. Tracy, her mother, and the hired assistant take the kids to the park every day the weather permits. They teach Chinese and English, singing songs, dancing, painting, crafts, and other activities. When they're a bit older, the kids begin to learn ABCs, counting, among other topics. The adult to child ratio is usually 1:3 and, since it feels like a second family, our child and the other kids all get plenty of attention. Smart Kids is in an older apartment in North Beach / Chinatown. Don't let the outside appearances of the building turn you off. Tracy's bought a lot of quality furnishings and toys, they keep the place very clean, and they teach the kids to wash hands when coming in from outside and before eating. They provide home cooked meals and all the kids eat around the table together at lunch. A few downsides to Smart Kids: there's no AC in the apartment so when there's prolonged hot weather like recently it gets a bit warm in there. They have fans and open the windows though. It's up 1 flight of stairs which can be a bit of a challenge if you're also pregnant and have a stroller, but Tracy can help you out. Chinese is their main language, though Tracy speaks English okay, so if you're not Chinese speakers it might be a bit more challenging. We originally had visited a dozen daycares and chose a different one than Smart Kids due to a slightly easier commute and a newer apartment with AC. A few months later, we found out that other daycare was neglecting the kids. We switched to Smart Kids Daycare and our daughter has been happy for years since. She just graduated to preschool and had to say goodbye -- she didn't want to leave!

We couldn't be happier with Hungry Caterpillars! The family that runs it is absolutely wonderful,…read morewarm, caring, and incredibly communicative. They go above and beyond every day, from sharing daily photos of the kids to keeping us updated on activities and their milestones. The meals are a huge bonus, they are provided and diverse, helping our little one get exposed to new foods and gets to learn by seeing others eat too. Our little one is constantly engaged with fun, creative activities that make every day exciting. We find ourselves proactively recommending Hungry Caterpillars to friends because it truly feels like a second home for our child, she looks forward to going every day. If you're looking for a nurturing, professional, and fun environment, we can't speak more highly of our experience.

This is a WONDERFUL daycare in the North Beach neighborhood! As we had to return to the office in…read morethe past year, we wanted to find a daycare that is caring and knowledgeable. Our child, Benjamin, was initially shy there but Bianca and Bryan has opened up his personality. He loves going there now! What's amazing is the social development our child developed over the past year with them. We do feel it's truly supplemental learning outside of our home. They created an environment that allows our child to thrive over time. We believe this will help transition him smoothly to kindergarten. Overall, Bryan and Bianca is VERY intuitive with monitoring the children. We would always get a detailed conversation with them during pick up time. As a first-time parent, we really appreciate their 110% effort to care for our kiddo.

We had a fantastic experience with Golden Gate Nannies. Their team is professional, responsive, and…read moretruly experts at childcare matching. They saved us so much time by handling the screening and interview scheduling. We found an incredible part time caregiver through them and couldn't be happier.

Can't say enough good things about Golden Gate Nannies and Shea. Shea took the time to really…read moreunderstand our family needs and dynamics, which made all the difference. She didn't just rush us through a questionnaire - she listened carefully and asked thoughtful questions to truly get what would work for our unique situation. The candidates she found for us were outstanding, head and shoulders above the typical people we found ourselves. Each person was thoroughly vetted, professional, and perfectly aligned with what we were looking for. It was honestly hard to pick between the final three candidates, all of whom were outstanding. Shea helped us make informed and wise decisions at key moments, providing guidance when we needed it most. Her expertise was invaluable! We are thrilled to have worked with Shea and would strongly recommend her to anyone looking for a top-flight nanny.

I hired a babysitter using Joanna's Nannie's when I needed extra help because my regular nanny was…read moreout of town. They were professional to work with, and it was less hassle than using an app. I felt confident in the sitter they set up for me and felt peace of mind knowing that the sitter had been screened, etc. I would use their service again as needed in the future.

We've had a 50% success rate with Joanna's Nannies…read more Two of the four nannies we experienced were appallingly bad (to where we may as well have hired a high schooler) and the other two were above and beyond awesome. The good nannies were a joy to have around. So, it's a mixed bag and your mileage will vary depending on who you get.

If you are looking for an amazing daycare, Silvia's Daycare has space for a 16 month or older…read morechild. My son is now enrolled in preschool, which is the only reason we left. The location is near Laurel Village, USF, and 1/2 block from Laurel Hill playground. I can't say enough wonderful things about Tia Silvia and her daycare. My best friend's son also went there and introduce us. At first I was nervous about a home daycare, but the setup is perfect and the property is spotless. All the kids have an absolute blast and develop a special bond. There is an fantastic backyard, delicious homemade food is provided, days are filled with thoughtful arts and crafts, incredible birthday parties for every child, holiday party for all the families. My son had extreme separation anxiety and she supported both of us through the process, helped him ween off the pacifier, and potty train when kids are ready. You will get daily pictures and so many thoughtful crafts, hand and fingerprints. We also loved that she communicated in both Spanish and English. Tia Silvia goes above and beyond to love your child. We are forever grateful to her. We were so sad to leave.

Silvia's Daycare has been such a blessing to our family! We placed our daughter in her care in…read moreNovember of 2019 when she was about 6 months old. What a relief it was to find a daycare in a great location, at a fair price, that included yummy meals, with good hours, very few scheduled closures, and decades of experience loving on and teaching kiddos. Silvia and her team take exceptional care of each child and we could see how genuine it was everyday by how our daughter responded to each of them. She regularly talked about missing them when she was home for the weekend or holidays. She loved doing the educational craft projects at Silvia's and I loved hanging in them in the house when she brought them home. Silvia also has a way of making every holiday and birthday special for the kids and I always love getting the photos she shares with us throughout the day. In fall of 2022 my daughter moved on to preschool and our 4 month old son took her place. Our daughter was so sad to leave and even a year later everyday at pick-up asks to come to the door to say hello to Silvia and her team. Both our kids have been incredibly happy there and we are grateful to have found such a loving place to watch over them. Very much recommend Silvia's to anyone looking for childcare in the area!

I have two kids at Russian Hill Academy - one is leaving for Kindergarten this fall 2026 (started…read moreat the tail-end of COVID) and the other just started last year in 2025. We had our son in the thick of COVID and were nervous about sending him to daycare. His interaction with people outside our home was limited, not to mention the fear of illness at the time. Jiali and her staff made sure we were totally comfortable with their practices, and they are super clean in general. It is a safe and clean space for kids to learn, explore, and remain healthy. When it came time to send our daughter to daycare, it was a no-brainer. We jumped at the available slot and she has been happy and thriving for the last 9 months. She is in her own class with kids in her age group and has made her own friends. The school does a good job of having the siblings find one another at select points in the day but she also has a strong independence which is important as we prepare for our son to leave RHA. If we could keep our son at RHA we 100% would but alas it is time for him to move on so we will hold onto the remaining time our daughter has there, dearly. The friends we've made will be with us for a lifetime, and we give so much credit to Jiali and her staff for all the heart (and sweat) they pour into creating a community for kids and parents alike.

We cannot say enough good things about Russian Hill Academy and the care we get with Jiali and her…read morestaff. Our daughter started at a year and a half and thrived around having children her age and older around. She always came home with new words and found her best friends at the daycare. She has since started kindergarten but misses the daycare and always wants to come in and give a hug to the teachers when we come to pick up my son. The children go to the playground, have a beautiful indoor area for play and learning. The food is home cooked by the staff (my children eat more vegetables there than I can introduce at home!). I love to see the combination of fun with education as well. Our son now attends and also started at the same age, he loves going in and is always excited to tell us about his day. The school is Mandarin immersion (we do not know/speak Mandarin at home) but both children love and speak the language well, always singing songs and teaching me words. My daughter has loved it so much that we continue to find opportunity to continue to learn Mandarin. They both are able to identify symbols and converse easily with the staff. The activities that are posted and shown to us through Brightwheel are always impressive with respect to the breadth of activities like learning about caterpillars and butterflies or doing motor coordination activities. The children are always enthusiastic about singing and dancing and my children's Mandarin proficiencies are demonstrated through the video as well. While we do not always get to communicate as thoroughly with some of the teachers, Jiali is always very responsive to questions and keeping us updated on our child's progress. We have not had issues despite not speaking Mandarin for our children and we have loved that another language is being developed with our children. The families in the community are also wonderful and we love attending the yearly event where the children learn dances and songs to present to the families. Jiali is second to none in expertise in care for children. I credit her for both of our children being potty trained at the daycare, and she had to use very different approaches for both of them which I know comes from her understanding there's different personalities and needs for children. She has the children's safety and growth both in mind. We moved away from the Russian Hill area but felt so strongly about our great care with Russian Hill Academy that we have continued to have our care with her despite moving further away.

If anyone is looking for an awesome daycare / preschool for their kids, you need to check out…read moreLadybug Childcare & Preschool in the marina! I've sent both my kids here and we absolutely love it! The hours are great, the owner is absolutely wonderful, the facilities are clean, the lead teacher has over 30 years of experience(!!), and, honestly, my kids have feel so loved, heard and special at this school. One of my favorite parts is that they don't just teach kids concepts; they get them outdoors and offsite everyday to learn about these things in a real world context. Plus, they have an app where you get daily pictures and updates of what your little ones are working on. They brighten my day every time. I can't say enough about Ladybug and my experience with them over the last 3 years. My older daughter is now at a public school, and my biggest regret is not keeping her in Ladybug longer!! - Courtney (3 years with Ladybug)

We started our son in Ladybug Too at Greenwich St this fall, and we absolutely love it! Teacher…read moreDiana is awesome with the kids, and the space is way better than any other preschool we visited. Everyone who works there is so friendly, and they are always doing cool activities. We were nervous because our 2 year old son is very shy and slow to warm, but he has done so well and really loves it. It's such a gem of a school for little ones!

The adventures they take the kids on are AMAZING. Our son absolutely loved it. Would highly…read morerecommend for any child who wants an active learning environment!

We are so grateful to have Fabiana and her family in our lives since August of 2021. Our 3 1/2 year…read moreold daughter and 1 1/2 year old son are at the daycare full time 5 days per week. Reliably, day after day, Fabiana provides loving care in a family atmosphere. Not only does she ensure your children are safe, happy, and well fed, they routinely go out to enjoy all that San Francisco has to offer; parks, museums, the aquarium, beach and more. These outings are invaluable, providing fun, educational, entertainment. She also provides age appropriate learning activities at home in addition to play time. The daycare is a wonderful place for our children, and they thrive there. We are at ease everyday knowing they are in capable and caring hands. I would recommend Childcare 94133 to anyone with great enthusiasm. We love Fabiana and her whole family, an integral part of our community.