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Walnut Creek, CA

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Safari Kid

4.3 (30 reviews)
Closed • 7:30 am - 6:00 pm

Services - Safari Kid

Multiple children care

Single child care

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Angela D.

They pay attention and care for your little ones the way you would want a day care/preschool to. We have two of our children at Safari kids and couldn't be happier. The oldest (4) has been going to Safari kid since before the Covid restrictions and adjusted to the new protocols just fine. The youngest (2.5) has been going since October and loves the school as well. The teachers know what my kids eat (and don't eat), what their favorite toys are, etc...they pay attention to the details and make sure my little guys are getting their needs met. Miss Autumn and Miss Nora truly love children and it shows!

Shazia M.

I am reposting this review because the school asked yelp to take it down because it wasn't a firsthand account which is not true. I have spoken with Shelly and been in communication with the school officials. I sometimes pick up my niece from school and I've seen the bites and scratches. I'm really disappointed because I initially liked this school a lot. A niece started here a month or two ago and I am not happy with how they handle kids being abused, (yes, abused) by other kids. It start with our child coming home with several scratches on their neck, face and arms. Which I can understand because kids like to play rough sometimes. But my niece came home with a deep bite, the girl bit her so hard that it broke skin and was bleeding. The teachers had no clue that this happened. Finally the principal pulled up the video and found out who bit her. They said if it happened again, they would expel the child. Yesterday my niece sneezed and a sharp wood piece, roughly the size of a nickel, flew out of her nose! When I asked what happened she said the same girl did it. Today, the girl bit her again and all they did was move the girl to another class room. They have a three strikes you're out policy but will not acknowledge the girl shoving wood up our child's nose as an offense! I asked to meet with the girls parents but they canceled the meeting because they aren't kicking her out and her parents didn't feel It was necessary. Something serious could've happened to our child. That wood piece could've got stuck in her throat or caused internal bleeding. I don't know what kind of sadist these parents are raising but clearly the kid has issues and the parents aren't disciplining her at all. We gave the school a chance to remedy the situation but they failed to do so. Our child will not be attending next semester.

Passive aggressive note found in my daughter's lunchbox. Read my review for more details!
J L.

Horrific. I started a journal of all the awful things that happened during our 3 months. Below are the biggest red flags: May 1 (day 1): I drop my daughter off & her teacher says "oh, I wasn't expecting you today." My daughter heard this. Such a warm welcome! Mind you, they cashed the $1250 check WEEKS prior to this agreed start date. May 3 (day 3): My daughter was quietly crying at drop off. No one walks over to her as I'm leaving. I walk my daughter over to the teacher to encourage some acknowledgement/interaction. Nothing. I say goodbye & as I'm walking out the door I hear "Ok, I will wait for you to calm down". Really? How about some warmth. She's 4, it's her THIRD day at a new school. May 14: My daughter gets hurt at school & no one but my 4 year old tells me. She has three big gashes on her tongue. I'm not bothered that she got hurt. She's a kid, it happens. I'm bothered that no one told me. May 21: As soon as my daughter and I walk out of school in the evening she asks for water. I open her water bottle and notice it is bone dry (it was previously washed/dried over the weekend). My daughter tells me she hasn't had water all day. My husband calls Noura who assures him she was given water in a cup instead of her water bottle (lies to cover up their inefficiency, the usual). Her dehydration is clearly confirmed by the color of her urine that evening. May 23: I pick up and Noura tells me to make sure my daughter's bottle is filled with water. I WAS doing that but was told by MULTIPLE teachers that I didn't have to fill it as they fill them throughout the day. Noura's response is the usual - "oh ya, ya but just fill it." Okay... I get home and find a passive aggressive note inside my daughter's lunchbox (see pic attached). June 5: "closed" sign still up at 7:35 AM drop off. I walk in and say good morning to Christina. No response. I find another teacher and tell her I'm dropping off earlier bc I have an 8 AM meeting. She tells me she's not on the clock yet. I see Christina again, and again I say good morning. No response. My daughter is not acknowledged either. I say "okay, I'm going to go to work now" ...no response. I went to work concerned for my child's safety and texted Noura an hour or so later to confirm my child was safe. June 14: My daughter came home with a big scrape on her elbow and leg. Again, no one told me she got hurt. July 3: My office closed early for the holiday so I picked up my daughter at 12:30pm. I walk into my daughter's classroom, with Noura following behind me, to find her laying on the carpet, face down, crying. Christina is sitting at a table eating lunch. Zero acknowledgement from Christina. Noura gives my daughter a sticker book on the way out to make up for... their awfulness? July 5: I drop off my daughter at 8:30AM. I say good morning to her "teacher" (Christina) and neither my daughter nor I are acknowledged. My daughter puts her stuff in her cubby and sits at a table by herself. I say "have a nice day" to Christina and again, no acknowledgement to either of us. It's really a fantastic feeling to not trust your caregiver. -- My daughter has always been extremely well behaved at daycare and since starting Safari she has developed some awful behaviors. The children that attend this school are some of the worst of the worst. Their parents are just the same. I understand now why I was forced to come for a visit at 9 AM instead of midday. My daughter now regularly hits, shouts disrespectful things (both things she NEVER did) and is extremely defiant. Yes, she's 4 but it's very obvious where these behaviors came from. It appears no one at this school has early childhood development experience/education. The kids are CONSTANTLY switching classrooms, ALL DAY LONG. Each day at pick up I would travel around the 4-5 different classrooms searching for my child's belongings. Typically a backpack in one room, jacket in another, water bottle in another, etc. It's beyond frustrating to do this every single day after you've just worked all day and sat in traffic. Not to mention this is not beneficial for the kids. And why? Why is this a thing? I asked my daughter's "teacher" to apply sunscreen to her on day one. I would ask my daughter if she got sunscreen put on - "nope". I asked the "teachers" again, and again. Then I was told I had to fill out a form for them to do this. Okay, I filled out the form. Guess what? After 3 months of my daughter attending full time, I came home with a full sunscreen bottle. Last point - We're moving soon but decided one of us would quit our job and pull her out of school earlier than necessary. Losing income was better than putting my child through another month of hell. Please learn from our mistake and don't send your child here.

My son loves spending time at Safari Kid!

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Review Highlights - Safari Kid

“We were at the Oak Grove location and Miss Autumn (who runs it) could not have been kinder or more attentive.”

Mentioned in 5 reviews

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Shrada and her family are the best! We have two kids and have tried all the various options for…read morechild care over the years (nanny, nanny share, preschool center, etc.). Of all our experiences so far, Shrada's home daycare has been the best experience for our family. Our son previously got kicked out of a nanny share for being too difficult and having difficulty sleeping. We were concerned that he would also be too much for Shrada to handle (especially with 4-6 other kids), but she assured us that she could handle him and that the transition would be smooth. From day one he was napping and within a week he was excited to go back. He's now been attending for over a year and is excited every day to go back. Shrada's daycare is like a second home for him. With Little Sunflower Child Daycare you get the atmosphere of a small family daycare, but with all the benefits of a larger business due to their full use of the ProCare app. I don't know how she manages it, but we receive dozens of updates daily (meals, nap times, diaper changes, activities, photos, videos, etc.). Shrada's communication and responsiveness are unparalleled. It's so comforting and reassuring to always know exactly what our son is doing throughout the day and to know he's in good hands. On top of that she's always smiling and cheerful and consistently engages the children in educational activities. She also prepares healthy, delicious meals that all the kids enjoy. I highly recommend Little Sunflower Child Daycare for anyone who is looking for quality child care.

Safari Kid - childcare - Updated October 2026

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