Alameda Park Academy Daycare & Preschool

Our son has been enrolled in this preschool for about 6 months and couldn’t be happier. Sandra and Ling are wonderful, caring teachers so we know that he is in good hands. They always have creative activities for the kids and serve nutritious meals. Highly recommended!

My son has been going here for a year and we absolutely recommend them! My husband and I toured about 10 preschools when I made the decision to go back to work and we knew right away this would be the one. We are not Chinese nor do we speak Mandarin at home, but we felt it would be helpful to him to learn Mandarin. After a year, he sings some songs in Mandarin at home! They provide Breakfast, lunch and dinner! (No other preschool we toured provided dinner) That is so great because when we pick him up at 5:30−6, he has already eaten and that gives us time to prepare our dinner without worrying about him going to long in between meals. I really wanted a place for my son that wasn’t quite a rigid school environment, but a place that offered more structure but felt welcoming. This is an in home daycare/​preschool that looks very much like a preschool without losing that friendly touch. My husband and I went with our gut on this too and really felt great about our decision.

We enrolled our 2-​year-​old son at this daycare. What a wonderful and fun place! Sandra is welcoming and very friendly, and very passionate about kids. She took our concerns and questions seriously, and after touring the place and seeing how quickly our son accepted Sandra, we knew we found the right place.
This place speaks both Mandarin and English, and while some parents might have reservation about their kid speaking Mandarin, for us it was perfectly fine because we knew kids can quickly absorb new languages even at a young age — my son is learning THREE different languages already (English, Nepali, Mandarin). Mandarin will be a very valuable language in the future due to China’s economic growth, so definitely keep an open mind about this.
This place is a good balance between daycare and preschool, offering both structured classes and freeplay throughout the day, and also has a good ratio of adults to kids (3 adults, 8 kids). My kid LOVES their train set, it is the nicest one I’ve ever seen in a day care. The food they cook for the kids is pretty good too.

Updated review (⁷⁄₂₀₁₃): My daughter still loves it at Alameda Park Academy. She is about 15 months and is almost potty trained and says quite a few mandarin words. She loves going to circle time at the library with the other kids and beams every morning we drive up to school. We may be moving soon and would be super sad to lose this wonderful school for our girl. But I’m so happy that they’ve made learning a wonderful experience that our daughter looks forward to on a daily basis.
Previous review (¹¹⁄₂₀₁₂): Our family feels so lucky to have found Sandra Shi and her Alameda Park Academy daycare. We found a safe and engaging home based daycare that offers language immersion in Mandarin Chinese. The facility is new with separate play rooms designed for toddlers and younger infants. Everything is decorated tastefully and is well equipped with plenty of age appropriate toys and play stations. The children takes naps in the bedrooms so that they are not disturbed by others who are still up and playing. The backyard has a fantastic garden and new sandbox.
Sandra Shi, the care provider, previously worked at the Russian Hill Academy Preschool in SF with recommendations. She is assisted by her wonderful mother (also has experience with child care in China) and her father (fantastic cook, my mouth waters everytime I smell his Chinese dishes simmering on the stove). Sandra and her team is flexible and respectful of our parenting needs. They maintain our diaper free, EC principles during daycare so that my baby can continue eliminating into the toilet at 6 months old. What we love most? No other daycare or nanny share was able to accommodate this request.
Seriously, the true telltale sign that Alameda Park Academy is the best fit for us? My daughter always greet Sandra with a warm caress to the neck/​face every morning at drop off and hates to leave when its time to go home. To be honest, I get a pang of jealousy leaving baby at daycare every morning, but I can rest assure that she’s in good hands and company with loving care providers. My baby absolutely loves Sandra and Alameda Park Academy. I feel blessed to be so lucky to have found Sandra and her family to care for our first child.
This is designated as a small sized, licensed home based daycare. Primary language is Mandarin Chinese, although Sandra also speaks English. They accept both toddlers and infants.