ICRI of Alameda

Our two girls went to ICRI since before they could walk until they went to kindergarten. The reason we chose ICRI over other daycare was because the children seemed happiest at ICRI. The teachers made them feel happy and secure. They greeted the kids with hugs and exuded warmth. I would trust my children with any one of them.
Now, as for Yuan Z’s review below, let me just say I have a special place in my heart for stupid people with a penchant for libel to go with their bitterness.
Libel [lahy-​buhl]
— Anything that is defamatory, or that maliciously or damagingly misrepresents.

My daughter has attended ICRI from ages 2 to 5. What I most appreciate is that in this time she has overcome an almost crippling shyness with help from her loving and supportive teachers: Dora, Linda, and Zakia. The kids are well prepared for kindergarten but because it’s a play-​based philosophy, the kids have lots of fun while learning. Also, my daughter has been able to form several close friendships in class, a very conclusive sign that she’s gaining necessary social skills.
This summer her teacher has been Miss Juneko. My daughter already adores her and always talks about how nice and fun she is. Before this summer I’ve had to interact with Juneko because she’s in charge of the school. She has never been anything but professional and polite. I couldn’t even imagine her being rude to anyone, as another reviewer claims.
I am so glad that I chose ICRI to take care of my daughter. Every need and concern I had on putting my daughter into daycare was met and surpassed here.

After being rejected by over 10 daycares in San Francisco, my colleague recommended ICRI where her daughter had attended since she was 3 months old. I was hesitant given we lived in San Francisco (I work in Oakland) but figured we had no other options and it would be a temporary solution until we found something in San Francisco.
Our son is now 3.5 and has been attending ICRI since he turned 1. There has not been a day that has gone by that we regret putting him here. The school is fantastic and the teachers are simply wonderful. He comes home every day telling us how Teacher Linda did this for the kids or Teacher Zakia did that. He’s never come home complaining about school and gets up excited to visit his friends.
We’ve had schools in San Francisco finally call us back over the years but there was no way we were going to remove him from ICRI. It is a challenge when I travel for work as my wife works in SF but we make it work because we know he is getting the love and attention he deserves.
I highly recommend giving ICRI a chance and would be more than happy to answer any questions.

ICRI was recommended to me from a friend a whole heartingly trust. Her two sons attended ten years apart. My daughter now 5 graduated and I have my son who has been attending since he was a newborn so as a family our children have gone through the different classrooms.
They document everything, they document how many times they changed your child, if it was wet, dry or poop. They document when they eat and nap and they hand me this sleep every Friday so I can know about their entire week. It’s up for display for me to see daily.
I have shown up unannounced, many, many times as my schedule flexes and I have been there at nap time, they do rock not shake babies to sleep. My son does not enjoy being rocked, so they don’t rock him.
Both my children would extend their arms to their teachers, NOT an action I think they’d do had they been shaken or mistreated in any way.
I agree, they do not have the fancy and frills but I know my children are safe, loved and cared for. Many actions show this as the teachers know my children’s likes/​dislikes, and I can tell by their actions they’ve learned to know my child, NOT just pacify them.
My 5 year old started Kindergarten fully ready as Juneko and the other staff definately had her ready not only educational wise but emotionally, they had daily talks about what big school would be like. I needed that reinforcement.
She also has the best memories there and loves to visit with her baby brother. I have become friends with other parents and many of them have had other children and they also have enrolled their children back in ICRI, NOT an action a family would do had their older child/​ren been mistreated.
I HAVE recommended ICRI to my coworker who started with his daughter, now has his son and soon his newborn son will also attend. He recommended to his friend, who also has a son there. I agree, this is one of Alameda’s best kept secrets.

ICRI is one of Alameda’s best kept secrets. We have two little girls that have been attending ICRI for the past 2 years and we couldn’t be more happy. Our youngest started when she just turned one in the the toddler room & our oldest was 2 ½ in the two’s class. The teachers are so warm & caring that they made our transition from stay-​at-​home mom to daycare very easy. My children fell in love with them immediately.
As for the facts, the center is play-​based & like an earlier reviewer noted, it’s more like a ‘school’ than a daycare. Each class focuses on different activities specific to each age group’s develoment. The toddlers do finger painting, songs, books, and gym time. The two’s sing songs in Spanish, make crafts, and learn to ride the tricycles. Preschool has big art projects, learn to write, go on field trips and host different themed events that entertain the younger classes (last week they were a ‘circus’ parade coming to town). After visiting our local school’s skills for kinderdaren check list, I am confident our oldest will be more than prepared to start next year.
ICRI isn’t as glitzy as other daycares. It has an indoor gym, an open courtyard, and a small garden patch out back. But what they lack in physical resources, they more than make up for in creative & caring teachers.

My oldest daughter went to ICRI from 15 mos until she graduated to kindergarten. She loved it there and now that her baby sister goes there she loves to go visit the teachers.
Our second child has been at ICRI since she was 3 months old (February 2009). The ladies in the infant room are amazing and have never «shaked» my baby. I have stopped in unannouced at various times of the day and have never witnessed anything like the previous person said.
Juneko hase never been rude to me, ever. She was there 7 years ago when my oldest daughter attended ICRI and she is there now as my second child attends and she has never been anything but understanding. Anytime I have had an issue she has listened to what I had t osay and has acted immediately to fix it. No, ICRI is not the fanciest daycare center but they make up for that with the attention and love they give to the children.

Dont put your own child in danger!
This is what happened to me TODAY, i have to share with every parent who wants their children to be loved.
I got their numbers from banana, called, visited, talked to the director Junco, visited again. Everything seemed okay, except that the facility is not that great. But i said to myself, as long as the teachers are loving, it’s probably okay.
So the first two days, grandma went to ICRI of Alameda with my son, thanks god she was there! Grandma even helped out with other kids, because she mentioned that other kids wanted attention and being held. On the third day, in the morning, teachers told me that Grandma can NOT be there the next week. I was like, what?! Why?! so I said, «we can come visit any time we want», shortly after I got to work, I got a call from my husband saying that Junco mentioned that“they do not allow behavior like that in the classroom.” I was like, what?! What behavior? So basically, they were annoyed that grandma was there to help my son going through the transition after TWO days and I was not allowed to express my opinion. I was wondering what was going on behind the doors, and why they don’t want parents to be there.
Real reason is, over that two days, grandma observed something really concerning, THEY COVER BABY’s HEAD and SHAKE THEM so they can go to sleep. Although this is the toddler room, there are babies that are under 1 years old!!! I strongly urge any parent who has their baby in ICRI go visit their baby during the day, unannounced, at nap time, so you know what’s really going on. The DO NOT practice safe to sleep rules!!! Babies sleep with their head covered, on their tummy.
I called Junco about my concerns before lunch, she said she was going to take a look, I didn’t hear anything of course, I spoke to my mom, my mom told me she had to stay outside because they were getting annoyed. At this point, I was really upset, I talked to Junco again, she said, you are not happy here, we will refund you next weeks tuition, she then hang up! She did not explain or look into anything! When i got to the daycare to pick up my son and grandma, they were outside!!! They were told they could not go back in anymore because we are not going to come here tomorrow!!! (at this point, we have paid for two weeks, and we were only there for two and half days)
After I got my son and grandma home, I called Junco again, asking her why my mom and ivan were not allowed in, she was being really rude and hang up without even letting me finish a sentence.
I am never, ever going back there again, and I will tell other parents to be careful as well.

My child has been here since she was 4 months old. The usual guilt, trepidation, fear, etc accompanied my leaving her in the care of virtual strangers. She’s now almost 4 years old and has thrived! We call ICRI «school» because it seems like so much more than just a day care. It’s a play-​based center with age-​development segregated classes. They have an outdoor courtyard and an indoor gym, so the kids are active for a large portion of the day.
My daughter has been loved, nurtured, taught, empowered, and enteratined by this amazing group of educators and we are so thrilled to have had this experience and that we chose ICRI.
And to dispel the myth that a play-​based daycare isn’t sufficiently stimulating or enriching, my daughter knows her alphabet & numbers by sight, is able to tell us which letter starts a word, is beginning to write letters, has an large and rich vocabulary and has an imagination that is amazing.
This is a great place for kids!