Walnut Creek KinderCare

I absolutely love this preschool. I spent a very long time looking for the right place to send my 2 year old and I could not be happier with my choice. My daughter is now turning 3 and getting ready to move into the preschool program there and we are all very excited.
Sense joining the school my daughter has blossomed. She has gained confidence, independence and is academically beyond her peers.
The staff is amazing! They are kind, supportive, flexible, accommodating, fun, passionate, very well educated/​qualified and make KinderCare Cherry lane a joy to be at. We cannot wait to send our second child!
This school was exactly what I was looking for; it is most definitely a school where my child is learning, being challenged and being prepared for her future education. It is also a warm loving environment that believes in the power of play.
We love being part of the KinderCare family.

This is without a doubt the best preschool in the area! My son has been attending for 1.5 years and I’ve never seen a school like this where the teachers truly care about the kids. They went out of their way to help us ease my son’s separation anxiety by letting grandma come to school with him until he felt comfortable being on his own. My son has flourished and grown with their help and I am forever grateful!

I have been taking my daughter to KinderCare Cherry lane since she was about a year old– my daughter is now 5 and will be going to kindergarten soon. It would be an understatement to say that this place is just a daycare, they’re more like family. Mothers to these children.
The facility is secured. The front door is locked with a door code that only parents/​teachers know and all doors that have access from the outside in have a sound system that dings every time it opens– very hard for an outsider to come in unnoticed. The facility is always clean and full of the beautiful artwork that our children create. It is also very wheelchair friendly, my daughter had surgery and had to be in a wheelchair for quite a while and the facility/​teachers make it so easy to have a wheelchair at school.
Now as for the teachers. What can I say that will do them any justice? They are ALL so kind, helpful, knowledgable and understanding! Any issues/​concerns/​questions that I have ever had have always been addressed. They teach so much more than just your usual «school» lessons ie alphabet, counting etc. They have music, Spanish, cooking class and they let children explore their creativity with a point and shoot camera.(my daughters favorite) just to name a few. Everyone at the KinderCare Cherry lane family make you and your child feel like family. This was the best decision I’ve made for my daughter and I feel that she now has such a stable foundation for her future thanks to these lovely ladies. If you’re reading this ladies, I can’t thank you guys enough!

I am very surprised to see the negative reviews… wondering if they are for KinderCare in general, or for the Cherry Lane location.
My son has been there over a year, and I work 2 blocks away. I pop in unannounced all the time & I have never seen anything negative — they are always happy to see me. My son LOVES the teachers & is really having a positive learning experience — he was so shy before attending this school & now he has just opened up so much. But honestly, I gave them 5 stars because I love the teachers — really they care about each child (and each family) so much that they really feel like extended family. There is a good core group of kids, with some turnover, but the core kids all know each other & play pretty interchangeably (meaning not clique-​y).
The first day my son was there, he was so worried and not sure how to wash his hands & one little girl came up & showed him how everything worked. Really it was very touching. They are currently enrolling & always open to setting up appointments — give them a call!!!

So I decided to check out KinderCare. Same as any daycare with poopy babies, snotty babies, crying babies, and a baby who hit another on the head with a toy maraca! Well actually these were toddlers. A kid also pushed me when we went outside to see the yard! He was in the pre-​k group! I just said, «No pushing». I liked the director and the teacher and the huge yard and the program. The place is clean and they have a pet rabbit.

Toddler gulag: sick two year old coughing and freezing outside, no cameras, parents dissuade from visiting, psychopathic looking toddler age «teacher».
This was not a «surprise» visit, and I am not a fussy parent. We scheduled a walk through appointment one week in advance for them to put up their best face, and they were waiting for me all smiles, with extra part time staff (although there were only four toddlers, they had an extra P/​T and admitted that usually there is only one).
I was a little early and noticed one of the secretaries was fixing the front lock (what a coincidence).
They say there is a log and parents can walk in «Anytime», but for the child’s «psychological well being» parent should also leave with the kid; in other words, unless you are planing to spend the day or take your kid don’t come checking up on us.
Off-​course there are NO CAMERAS. they seemed to have been surprised that I asked. with all the child abuse going, and many other facilities even having IP cameras for parents to see their kids, these guys don’t even have cameras for internal monitoring of these helpless 18 month old toddlers who cant even communicate on any meaningful level.
Then I meet the «Teacher» — but not with the kids. she said they are on a break (two year old on a break? isn’t playing all they do?) perhaps she was referring to herself. Just looking at her I got a cold chill down my spine, one of these bad feeling you get when you meet someone with aggressive expressions, with a face that is not accustomed to smiling, forcing a smile while her eyes are clearly not. but I said hey, you are being protective… you cant judge by looks… lets stay objective.
We went to see the classroom which was conveniently empty (the toddlers are «on a break», remember?). 10:10AM on December 18^th 2012 10:10AM– that morning it was 36 degrees, and by 10 it might have been around 40 (so said my phone). Four babies outside in the cold around a play table, clearly not comfortable, watched statistically by a P/​T worker (names Azima). my son and I were wearing Heavy coats, with sweaters underneath — we were comfortable, and the first thing I noticed was a toddler wearing a thin hoodie — and that is it. I asked the director how long have they been out? and she replied about ten minutes. I brought the toddlers visible level of undress to her, and let my son go and interact with the kids — that is until I started to hear the heavy coughing. a little blond girl, smaller than my 18 month old son, had red runny nose, and was coughing heavily — on my son who promptly imitated her. I immediately yanked him away (they assured me before that they do not let sick kids stay) and asked the director for the meaning of this — here is a helpless little girl, obviously sick, standing outside in the cold! the director replied that yes she «Was» sick but she is «recovering». we went in, the teacher came and I again pointed out to them what seemed to me child abuse, they said they will bring the kids in.
Remember, this was a scheduled tour. they were waiting for me, putting up their best face — so I cant even imagine what is going on in there when they don’t even have to pretend.
Now the pros: (No chance in heck that I am putting my son there, but for objectivity sake here goes)
— They seem to be keeping logs of everything (not surprised as they are a branch of a large corporation)
— The area seemed clean (again, it was a prescheduled tour)
— The older preschool kids seemed happy and their teachers seemed fine
— The pricing is reasonable and the terms are very flexible
— Three out of four toddlers were wearing coats while outside and I don’t know what the fourth one was wearing underneath — perhaps he has a northface or bodyarmur…
— The staff was smiley and seems professional
— This is Walnut Creek, so the kids population seemed well behaved
— They had a computer at the entrance for the parents to log in in addition to the actual paper log book

Our son Zachary has been attending this kindercare for about a year now. I can honestly say that they do a great job with Zach. His social skills, motor skills, and everything in between have been outstanding! Cassie & the staff have a genuine interest in seeing all the kids succeed. Zachary is our only child, and i would not entrust him to just anyone, or leave him anywhere that either my wife or i, or Zach for that matter, did’nt feel comfortable in. Cassie is easily accesible, and we truly appreciate the fact that Zach is’nt just being «watched” — that Kindercare has a curriculum that ensures that his skills are honed, so that when kindergarten comes up, he will not only be ready, but that he will excel! Thanks to every one there! Cassie, Chrystal, the Assistant Director, Yolanda, and LeAnn, and Carrie as well! A great team!