Happy Day Family Day Care

It’s very difficult to find stable, clean and affordable childcare in Los Angeles. My husband and I thought Happy Day would be a good fit for our child. After a year of being with them, I need to post this to help other moms and dads make the right decision. I take responsibility as a parent for making this decision, and I hope I can help guide you.
My child was never properly monitored at this daycare. The playroom is not open to the main house. When I walked in for our first meet and greet, all of the children were playing by themselves in the playroom. I had to raise my voice and say «hello» several times before an adult came out of the house.
I would pick my child up in the evening to find my 1 year old climbing the giant swing set that is clearly meant for older children. I would talk to Esperanza and Ana about not allowing my child to be left alone to climb to the top of a large set like that, and I would walk in the next day with my child right back on it.
The last time I picked my child up in December 2015, I found my 2 year old sitting on top of the kitchen island alone. Ana had her back turned taking care of another child. When I entered, she gasped and quickly turned around to grab my child.
Having too many children per caretaker is a large factor. California law has a 6:1 and 12:1 ratio for 1 – 3 year old children. Esperanza and Ana would have under 6 children some days, and some days they would have more than 6 and many more than 12. They would range in age from infant to elementary school age. Esperanza does not hands on take care of the children, and she sometimes leaves for a portion of the afternoon. Ana is alone taking care of the children.
My child’s English language skills diminished quickly in the time spent with Ana. She knows very limited English, and I could not even hold a conversation with her because she such limited understanding. I had to work very hard at home to keep my child up to pace with same age children.
When I went from full-​time to part-​time with my job, I approached Esperanza about continuing with her. She informed me she does not take on part-​time children. I explained to her that part-​time children were at Happy Day all the time. It’s why one day she has 7 kids and the next day she has 15. She told me those part-​time children paid my full-​time rate of $ 1000/​month. I questioned her because I could not believe that to be true. She insisted that certain grandparents would bring children just a few days a month and pay full-​time rates. Finally, she broke down and told me that for me she would charge $ 60/​day. It was the most unusual and shady childcare encounter I’ve ever had.
We came to the end of 2015 with my child being very unhappy. An older school age boy was constantly after my child. My 2 year old would pick up a toy, and the little boy would be right there to take it. Natural childhood behavior, but every evening I would arrive, and this little boy would give me a «bad» report on my child. My child was acting out at home and becoming extremely possessive. I tried to have a heartfelt conversation with Esperanza, and she had nothing to say about it. I asked for more details about my child’s day, and her responses were all very vague and distant.
When my family came back to LA after Christmas break in January 2016, my husband called to find that Esperanza gave my child’s spot away. They never called. Never asked us to pick up belongings. They gave away some of our clothes. They got rid of a mother who asked too many questions.

My daughter has been going to Esperanza’s since she was about 16 months old, and she is now 3. I only wish we had found it earlier! Esperanza and Ana treat the children with so much love and respect, and it really is one big family. My daughter loves going to day care, and I will be so sad when she has to go to preschool and leave this fantastic facility.
The day care is always immaculately clean and inviting, the meals are healthy and delicious, and we always receive a warm welcome and updates on how our daughter is doing each day. If I could rate it 10 stars instead of 5, I would!

We feel very fortunate to have gotten our daughter into Esperanza’s amazing day care. We had to wait a few months to get her in, but it was well worth the wait. Our daughter started at 20 months and we were concerned about how she would fit in being one of the youngest. By the end of the first day, she loved it and couldn’t wait to go back.
She has now been at Happy Day for 5 months and we couldn’t be happier. Esperanza and Anna are loving, nurturing and attentive day care providers. Our daughter is an only child and we can tell that Happy Day has made her more social and out going. We feel blessed to have found them!

I have a 2 year old son who has been with Happy Day Family Day Care since he was 4 months old. They came highly recommended to me by a very «picky» co-​worker. We seriously cannot say enough about all that Esperanza and Ana do! They are attentive, genuine, and incredibly loving. I’m not gonna lie. I certainly had my doubts about leaving our first born child at a home daycare, at 4 months old, over places with bigger facilities or a nanny who could give him 1:1 attention. But choosing to entrust him to Esperanza and Ana was honestly the best decision we could have made. He certainly is growing more socially and emotionally with his peers than he could have with any nanny. He is learning from the other kids (how to share, how to eat properly at the table, how to be gentle with the infants), and even a little Spanish! The attention and consistency he gets is so much more than he would have received at a larger daycare with staff that change from day to day and month to month. Often times, he doesn’t even want to come home! They cook fresh meals with fruits and veggies, the place is always spotless, and the swings/​play structure has always been a hit with our son. It just goes to show that he loves Esperanza and Ana, truly enjoys being there, and we couldn’t be happier with the care and love they give our son everyday.

We love Happy Day Family Day Care! Our family consider ourselves so blessed to have found Esperanza and Ana.
I am a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner and my husband is an educator. So when looking for a Day Care we were concerned about our child’s health, safety, and developmental nourishment. We have had our son at Happy Day since he was 4 months old and it has been so comforting knowing that Ana and Esperanza supported my breastfeeding needs, cooks healthy meals, keeps the facility immaculate, has a safe outdoor area for the kids to play, limits television watching, and even teaches our child Spanish! To this day, he calls for «aqua» when he’s thirsty!
The community at the day care is also great! I couldn’t agree with Nicole more! The families and kids are wonderful and we like spending time with one another. In fact, most of us celebrate birthdays together. Esperanza even comes to our events!
It is always hard to leave our little ones with others when we work but it’ has been so reassuring to pick our son up at the end of the day and have him tell us that he had fun with Ana and Esperanza.

Just wanted to share my experience with this daycare to any parents looking for child care. I had a nanny for several years, and felt it was time for a change. As soon as I met Esperanza and Anna, I immediately felt at ease. Her house is immaculate, and she’s always preparing home cooked food including fresh fruits and vegetables. She actually got my son to start eating broccoli, and he loves it now. They have a routine that is similar to my schedule at home which is much appreciated. They are both loving, attentive, and patient. I wish I would have found her years ago. My son is excited every morning to go to her house, and never wants to leave in the afternoon. I hope this helps in your search!

I’ve now had two of my children attend this day care. I really cannot say enough about Esperanza and Anna. They are both very loving, patient and attentive to the children. Esperanza’s home is lovely and clean, the type of place you really want your children to be at. She makes home made lunches for the children and is much, much more than your average day care provider. I trust her completely with my children and feel she really does got above and beyond just providing a place for children to stay for the day. In addition, the other parents and kids who attend Happy Day are the kinds of families that you’d like to hang out with.

This day care is fantastic!!! Esperanza and Ana are great!!! They are loving, caring and since day one they made me feel that I was leaving my son in a place where he was going to be happy and well taken care of. I’m very happy to share that this facility is a very clean and organized place, and always improving the structure and the activities for the children. They understand that this is a hard transition for the kids (and parents) and do their best to accommodate for their individual needs and help them get familiar with the new environment and be able to enjoy this new learning stage
I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this facility whole-​heartedly. My son and I just love it.

Esperanza is great! We had our daughter at another facility and she was having a difficult time adjusting so we enrolled her in Happy Day Family Day Care and she is progressing so well. Esperanza is extremely patient and accomodating with our daughter. Her home is immaculate and she provides home cooked meals.