Sugar ‘n Spice Center for Children

My experience at Sugar and Spice was really great! My daughter had started at another preschool and I switched her over to Sugar and Spice so she can be closer to home. She was 2yrs old when she started and I was a little nerves at first because at her other preschool it took her a while to get use to and there was a lot of crying when I left her. But at Sugar and Spice it was different they made her feel comfortable. Its not easy leaving your little one when there crying but Ms. Michele and Cali always called or text me to let me know that she was doing okay. And also sending me pictures of what she was doing and that made my day a lot easier knowing she was enjoying herself at school. After a week or two my daughter didn’t have any trouble saying good bye, she pretty much pushed me out the door after a quick hug and kiss. She made tons of friends and also was potty trained quickly and she LOVED all her teachers. I enjoyed it so much that I’ve already recomendad a friend and now her 2yr old daughter goes there and they love it. My daughter now graduated Sugar and Spice and started kindergarden this year and I felt like they really prepared her for it. She still talks about her teachers and friends at Sugar and Spice and she misses them so much we vist them time to time!

I had a tour scheduled here on a trip from NYC a month before moving to the area. Based on the reviews, my only concern was the director. I showed up at 9am which was the time Cali asked that I come and she was not there. Her staff called several times and she did not answer until 9:30am. I spoke with her on the phone and she said she was getting her mammogram done and apologized saying she would not have scheduled a doctor’s appointment if she’d had a tour scheduled. I found this confusing and insincere since we did have a tour scheduled. We emailed and spoke by phone 2 – 3 weeks prior to set up the appointment. I only had 4 business days to tour schools so it was highly disappointing to have a no-​show. That said, Ms. Michele showed me what she could while Alejandro watched the kids (maybe 8 since it was pre-​holiday). Both ladies seemed to have a sweet way with the kids and Ms. Michele informed me that she’d been there for 8 yrs and that Alejandro had been there for a very long time as well. The environment was calm and almost felt like an in-​home daycare except for the large outdoor play area. Cali eventually did show about 9:50am as I was on my way out. During the tour, the white board in Cali’s area from the previous day also said «Cali day off.» Based on what I saw, read online and my brief conversation with Cali, I did not get a sense of the kind of care and responsibility I expect from the director of a childcare facility my son might attend even if her staff tries to pick up the slack. I also did not like that the front door is unlocked and any visitor who enters is in the same room with all the children. Lastly, although foreign language exposure is fantastic, I heard Alejandro interacting with a girl who was using a board letter puzzle with pictures saying ‘J’ is for ‘cheetah’ multiple times and there was no correction (to ‘jaguar’). Quality care trumps spelling errors but it is an important time for language learning for children.

We had our twins here for 2.5 years and had a great experience! They entered very young at age 2 and stayed till they were 4.5 yrs old. This was nearly two years ago. The kids really bonded with all their teachers (Ms. Van, Ms. Alejandro, and Ms. Mchelle) and they were very nurturing. Our kids were well prepared to enter Kinder, even before age 5. Cali, the owner, was responsive to questions, concern and feedback. We vetted several nurseries/​preschools in Alameda and were glad to have chosen S & S! It was a safe, clean, well-​organized and fun place to learn!

Great PLAY-​BASED preschool! Both my boys went here and were well prepared for kindergarten both academically and socially.
The teachers are warm, attentive, and friendly and actively engage the children. This isn’t just a daycare with adults babysitting kids. This is an engaging environment with a curriculum where kids are given some structure and a lot of playtime and guided through activities that help them develop motor skills, learn their ABCs, color, etc. and learn to get along with others. They also have a full-​time Spanish teacher and extra curricular programs like soccer, gymnastics, etc.
It’s a fantastic first «school» experience for the little ones and I highly recommend it!!!

We just enrolled our 4yr old daughter and 2.5 year old son in this facility, after looking at a few different places in Alameda. We just moved here, and were on a tight deadline to find childcare.
We ended up choosing Sugar and Spice because the center director seemed very knowledgeable and the place had a calm vibe that works well for our family. We also like that the teachers have been at the school for years. We are in our second week here, and I am very happy we chose this center.
My daughter was having a tough time with the move, and Cali and Ms. Michelle were sensitive to her feelings and mine. They texted me throughout the day on the first two days to let me know how the children were doing, and when we had trouble texting my cell phone, they called with updates in the afternoon. 3 days after we started here, my daughter was happy and excited to be/​go to school. My son loved it from day one.
Thanks to the whole Sugar and Spice team for making this transition as gentle as possible.
I’ll update my review after we have a few months under our belts. Until then, I highly recommend Sugar and Spice.

My 4 year old daughter has been at Sugar & Spice since she was 2 years of age. She wakes up each morning excited to go to school! In addition to learning a significant amount on the academic side, she has blossomed in her social interactions. Having a young child understand the importance of manners, sharing, and being considerate of others is priceless.
The instructors are warm and loving towards my daughter and incredibly patient. I can leave for work and know that my 4 year old is in a caring and nurturing environment.
I highly recommend Sugar & Spice!

I strongly recommend Sugar ‘n Spice Center for Children for its wonderful teachers that create a loving, educational, and fun environment for kids. I have two children enrolled and have observed how the center has worked for both my 4 year old and my 2 year old, that have very different needs and abilities.
While from the outside the center doesn’t look like anything special, the inside is always vibrant and thoughtfully decorated with the kids’ art and seasonal decorations. There’s a wonderful array of toys that encourage imagination, reading, gross and fine motor skills. The space is always organized and clean.
The teachers and executive director are very receptive to parent input and requests and have gone out of their way to address my kids’ specific needs. And they have a great camaraderie, which creates a friendly environment and sets an excellent example for the kids. The center also has great hours and yearly schedule that works for busy working parents.
The only things that I would do differently is to let the kids play outside in the nice play area attached to the center in most types of weather (I’m of the mindset that light rain or cold shouldn’t stop a kid from playing outside) and incorporate more creative and inspired art projects and music. But no one and no organization is perfect and my whole family loves Sugar ‘n Spice experience– even on a Monday it’s easy to drop off the kids– and most importantly the wonderful teachers that have cared for, educated, and helped nurture happiness and a joy for learning in our kids. Thank you Sugar ‘n Spice!

This place is a hidden gem. When I first starting looking at preschools two years ago, I didn’t even go on a tour of Sugar ‘n Spice. I had driven past it before and from the outside it didn’t look like a preschool. It is in an unassuming, gray building. It wasn’t until last year when I ran into a friend of a friend and she mentioned the school that I started getting intrigued. She was sending her son there and he loved it, she raved about it. She too had thought the building looked unassuming, but told me that I should really go on a tour. She was right! Once I set foot inside and met Cali and the teachers, I was delighted. The inside is great– there is a dramatic play area, a train table, rugs for circle time, space for projects, animal tanks, bathrooms sized for little ones, etc. It is very cheerful. They have a nice size group of kids, well-​trained teachers, a really big play area in the back where they spend a lot of time, and a good system of communication with parents. I had visited A LOT of preschools and my kids had gone to two different schools in the past. But Sugar ‘n Spice had that right blend for me of play based school, smaller groups, supportive teachers, good hours for working parents, etc. It felt homey and comfortable right away. Michele, Alejandra, Vann (before she left) and Cali have a very sweet way with the kids. They help guide them, lead them in fun and creative projects, and are quick to scoop them up for hugs. It has been a really great place for my kids and they are thriving. I wish I had signed them up sooner. We have been very happy with our choice!

My 2 year old is thriving under their care. The owner and teachers have been very attentive to and helpful with my and my son’s transition from a Nanny to preschool. I am impressed and thankful that they give him the extra attention needed due to his young age. They keep my son healthy and happy: they change my son’s diaper often, make sure he eats and drinks throughout the day, and they keep the children inside on really hot days and on cold & wet days. It is well organized and efficiently run, including timely reminder notes for needed supplies, tracking diaper changes, changing linens, and monthy newsletters. There is lots of room outside to play on numerous play structures and a wonderful variety of activity stations inside. My son is very happy here and doesn’t want to leave when I pick him up.

We’ve had two kids enrolled at Sugar & Spice in Alameda. And we’ve experienced other preschools too, including home based. Our daughter enrolled when she was 4 and I was worried that they didn’t have enough kids her age. While that may have been true, I feel as though Ms. Michele really prepared her for kindergarten. Our daughter always loved going to school and she felt very safe and cared for. Which meant we were very happy. We had only wished we found it sooner!
Our son is now enrolled and started at age 2 and this time I was worried he was much younger than most of the kids. But we were reassured knowing he would be well cared for. He was in the midst of potty training and within 2-​months Ms. Van had him fully potty trained. Now he’s 3 ½ and she sends home his work showing us how he is learning his letters and writing and even how his coloring within the lines has improved.
The three teachers have been doing this for quite awhile and I like the consistency as well as the experience. They are each different from one another but all are great in my book.
I would say my only «complaint» is that when fully booked, I think there are about 32 kids and I wish they had one more full teacher. The owner/​director Cali is there on occasion to assist, but she isn’t there full-​time as a teacher and I feel they could use another one if they have more than 24 kids.
Finding the right preschool for you and your child is incredibly difficult. Our experience has been that there will always be some things you don’t like about a school, but we’ve been to several and feel that Sugar & Spice is a great preschool for us and our kids.

My 2.5 year old daughter has been at Sugar & Spice since she turned 2. All the teachers are spectacular, and my interactions with Cali, the owner have been very positive. She’s committed and caring and the events they put on for the children and parents are delightful.
We are thrilled at our daughter’s intellectual and social development. She is very happy here, she has made several good friends and enjoys going to school. She sleeps well, loves her teacher and can count to 20 in English and 10 in Spanish and recites her ABCs and sings a new song to us every day. She is currently potty-​training and Sugar and Spice is a full partner in the effort. We never had any issues with diaper changing laziness.
We could not be happier with Sugar and Spice and I encourage you to give them a try. Ms. Vann is a wonderful teacher, but so are all of the other teachers. Special shout-​out to Ms. Michele, who my daughter adores and who texted me daily pictures during the first week we had our daughter attend here. We feel like Sugar and Spice is our daughter’s family away from home.

My 2 year old has been attending this center for a few months now and he loves it! We have tried home day care (which we loved, but we moved) and another larger center. By far this has been a great experience! My son has not had any issues being there all day and actually asks to see his friends (even if we drive in that area).
Both Michelle and Cali are awesome! Well the entire staff is great! They go above and beyond to make the experience comfortable for all of us. I travel out of state for work and when I am gone they send me or my husband pictures and a short text to let us know how the day is going. This definately puts my mind at ease! They are really good about giving daily updates beyond «he had a great day» it’s usually something specific like «he was going down the slide and would get to the bottom and laugh»
From what I understand, they have had very very very minimal turn over in staff through the years. Which is a great to hear cause when I looked at other centers they ALL had a very high turnover in staff. All the kids seem so happy whenever I am there.
There are not classrooms that seperate the kids by age (they do seperate them for certain activities) so it is a very open setting for the kids. The center and toys are also CLEAN compared to other centers I looked at. The cost for care is also very reasonable and they do not charge extra if your child is not potty trained.
This has been a great center and I encourage parents to visit if they are interested in a smaller center.

Our child loved her teacher, Miss Vann, who is truly the BEST preschool teacher. But this center has so many issues and the owner, Cali is never present at the center, and when she is, she isn’t interested in interacting with parents, unless it’s to constantly make comments about her husband who graduated from Harvard. Why does she think this impresses the parents? I hear she divorced, so new parents count your lucky stars you don’t have to hear that little chestnut. Any how, they keep the children outside so much they seem to get overcome by heat in the summer and filthy in the winter. They ask parents to un– enroll their children if they aren’t napping or if they are «high energy.» So imagine how a child feels loving the school and their friends there only having to suddenly leave. The director told me she is totally burned out and «tired of wiping butts for a living.» Speaking of butts, they are lazy when it comes to diaper changes and toilet training. Hopefully this director has moved on to something not involving the care of children. Security is another issue. They’ve had a gate that has been a problem for years. Several kids snuck out a couple years ago. They are 40 feet from a service road that leads to the docks and the Webster tube. When I asked the director to fix the gate because parents had difficulty closing it securely, they asked us to un-​enroll our child. Obviously they fear parents will sue them for negligence, otherwise why would they overreact? There are many new preschools on the island you don’t need to settle on this one. Plus, I hear Vann is going to start her own home daycare.