Cheburashka Daycare

I created a Unilocal account specifically to leave a review of Cheburashka. This is the most amazing place, and our daughter absolutely thrived there. We had to leave the Bay Area after a year, and Cheburashka is probably the biggest (read main) source of move-​related sadness. The children are in an amazing, loving, nurturing environment. The food is all home made and healthy. If you’re interested in raising a bilingual (Russian/​English) child in Berkeley, this is the place. There is a teacher who comes regularly to do songs, finger plays, and little art projects with the kiddos. My daughter still hums many of the songs she learned there to herself on car rides or at the dinner table. I never had a second of sadness or anxiety leaving her in Vika’s care — it was so obvious that it had become a second home to her, and she couldn’t wait to go back. Thank you, Cheburashka — we will miss you!

I love the daycare! Kids are nourished, well-​taken care of, and educated. My son has been going there since Summer of 2013, when he was 2 years old. I like that kids get to eat fresh home-​cooked breakfast, home-​cooked soup every day for lunch, several healthy snacks. Kids take a nap in real cribs. They spend a lot of time either in the park or at a tree-​shaded yard. Even though it is technically not a preschool, every morning there is a lesson on music, numbers, letter, or colors. They do many projects. There is max 14 kids or so and there are 3 teachers and the owner. Usually 1 teacher takes care of smaller kids with lots love and hugs, the other two manage the older crowd. The daycare is located near the North Berkeley BART station, so it is easy for the commute. It is small and affordable daycare and they will work with a family on the part-​time options, if needed. Every Friday owner offers a parents date night, for an additional charge, so no need to pick up a kid until 10:30 p.m.

Cheburashka Day Care is the best kept secret in Berkeley and perhaps that is why no parent have posted on Unilocal.Read the great BPN reviews.
Both our son and our daughter have been at Cheburashka Day Care for the last 3 years, since they were about 1 year old. We feel fortunate to find such a loving, nurturing day care — and I visited at least a dozen day cares before deciding on Cheburashka. Our kids look forward to going there everyday. The kids are happy and fed well (delicious organic food). The caretaker/​child ratio is 1:3 or 1:4 with 8 – 12 kids total. The teacher, Vika, who comes 3 days a week to teach kids preschool skills, is very creative. We have been impressed with all the projects that our kids bring home. Most importantly, Vicky, the owner, treat the kids like her own and our kids love her equally. Cheburashka has been our kids home away from home — and Vicky has such a gentle way with kids. One last perk, a lot of international kids there and both our kids learned to speak Russian though not a requirement. As our kids are graduating to Kindergarten and preschool respectively this summer, be the lucky few to snatch a spot at Cheburashka.

Full disclosure: This is the first review and I know this because I just added this business, because it’s my wife’s, and she is not technologically geeky enough to add her own business on Unilocal.But, she runs a great (IMHO) daycare, for the last 7 years or so. Very safe and loving environment, solar radiant heat (I get credit for the solar heat) and lot’s of fresh air. She provides mostly organic food, and I know this because I do half the food buying as she makes me (the milk is like $ 8 a gallon). They also do a lot of good music stuff, and there’ s a big deck for outdoor fun everyday. The yard access is protected by two gates. Her rates are too low, which is not a problem except for me ;) Also, convenient to University and BART.