Kangaroo Bilingual Family Daycare

I have nothing but good things to say about this place. I was put on bedrest. My active 2yr old needed a place. I was lucky they had a spot for him. The house is very clean, organized, and has cute safe play areas for the kids. They also have an area in their backyard for the little ones.
When I first met the owner, I immediately trust her. She was kind, caring, and knowledgeable.
My son is happy there. Here are photos of him eating snacks.

My daughter started attending Kangaroo Family Daycare when she was 4 months old, and it broke my heart to leave her on that first day. That was exactly one year ago, and today she runs through the front door without saying goodbye, blowing me a kiss, or even turning back to wave. She loves her days with Christina, Salo, and the other kids, and I love knowing that she’s in a nurturing, safe, and fun environment. I’m so extremely grateful to have found Kangaroo Family Daycare because I know that she’s in amazing hand while I work during the day. Cristina hosts ‘parties’ for the kids birthdays and holidays, they dance, and they get plenty of fresh air and outdoor play time. The bottom line is that our whole family loves and appreciates Kangaroo Family Daycare. The most important things in the world is the health and safety of our children, and when I drop off my daughter, I feel confident that she will be well cared-​for and loved. There is no higher recommendation I can give!

I can’t say enough how caring, professional and excellent Cristina, Salo and Javi are with the kids.
I tried getting my daughter in here since before she was born, but there wasn’t an opening. Finally, while I was happy with the place she was at, when an opening became available, I switched to Kangaroo Daycare.
From the first day that my 10 month old daughter started, she had her own room to nap in and it made all the difference. She began sleeping though the night (FINALLY!) and began napping during the day. I was still pumping and had a son in elementary school, so my schedule wasn’t the same everyday, but Cristina would always be more than accommodating with whatever I needed.
My daughter is now almost two and talks about them on the weekend and runs to them when she sees them. They are like family to us now. They do better than what I would be able to do at home with them if I didn’t work. They play outside and do crafts everyday, so it is a fun filled, enriching and calming environment. It is a very nice and clean family home to grow up in. You are lucky if you can get a spot, good luck!

Recommends
Amazing Day Care. My son has been attending Kangaroo Family Day Care since he was 12 wks old. As a working mother I am so grateful I found Kangaroo Family Day Care. I interviewed several other daycare providers and Christina was the only person I felt comfortable leaving my baby with when I returned to work. When I drop off my son every morning he is so excited to see Christina. I highly recommend this daycare for anyone who is looking for a caring, loving, nurturing, safe and structured environment for your child.

This is in response to the 1 star — (Love to be a dad) comment.
I have used this daycare for 6+ years and know Kangaroo is not the cheapest nor the most expensive; but they provide the highest quality care in the area. They have every reason to require a deposit as their services are in huge demand. I gave them a deposit six months before my first child was born. This was after a tedious process of trying to find the best daycare. When I found Kangaroo, I locked my spot in right away– no questions asked.
Following is a letter I recently wrote to Cristina because my 2^nd child will be starting a preschool program in June. Read it and get a feel for my experience with this daycare over the last 6+ years.
Dear Cristina and Salo,
It is with a heavy heart I confirm with you in writing J2’s last day at the Kangaroo Family Daycare will be Friday, June 21, 2012. He will continue his scholastic journey at Anneliese School in Laguna Beach beginning Monday, June 25, 2012.
Although this is a natural course of action and we are pleased to see J2 grow up, I am saddened I won’tt see you every day. When J1 moved on to preschool, it was easier for me knowing I’d still see your smile because of J2’s continued enrollment in your daycare. It has been beyond a pleasure seeing you every day and hearing about your experiences with the children. We’ve also enjoyed getting to know your family more and watching your son grow up over the last 6+ years.
I plan to keep in touch with you in the years to come. You have a standing invitation to J1’s dance performances. I’ll keep you posted on any other functions. By all means, do not feel obligated to attend. I want you to know you’ve been more a family to our children than most of our blood relatives and I will continue to include you in milestone events.
Thank you for your help in raising J1and J2. I had no idea what I was doing in the beginning when I dropped J1off at your home at just 12 weeks of age. I thought I was a bad mother leaving a baby so young in your care so I could return to work. Your confidence put me at ease. I recall you telling me I was «doing a good job» and those words meant the world to me. I look back now at my decision (bringing my 12-​week old babies to your daycare) and am now confident it was the correct decision. I feel J1and J2 benefitted from this arrangement because they had my unconditional love and eagerness to be a great mother in addition to your experience as mother (and a grandmother) and your love for children. I honestly feel my children are better people because of your involvement in their lives.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for being such a significant part of our children’s lives. I’ll continue to refer your services to anyone looking for a quality daycare /​extended family.
UPDATE:
My kids are now 9 and 6 years of age. Even though Cristina and Salo run this daycare successfully Monday through Friday, they still take time from their own weekend to see my daughter perform in ballet or see my son play soccer.
Again, Salo and Cristina are not daycare owners… they are an extension to your family.

UPDATE:
Since writing the review below on
a few years back I had my second child. She also has been attending Kangaroo and LOVES it!!!
My second child is now 4 and she has been attending Kangaroo since she was 6 months old. I cannot say enough good things about Salo and Cristina.
They are loving and truly loves our children like their own.
The person who left a one star above also left the same negative review on
. The description he notes in his review does NOT match Salo and Cristina’s characters at all.
If you want a thorough review of Kangaroo I would search it on
as all of my mommy/​daddy friends from Kangaroo have posted their comments there.
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Wonderful Daycare — My daughter (now 17 months) has been going to Kangaroo since she was 11.5 months old.
We relocated from LA just a few days before we started her at this daycare and I was worried whether she can adjust ok (new house, new schedule, new caregiver!). From Day 1 my daughter left my arms with a smile. She has not had any problems since.
They provide healthy home cooked meals everyday. I was so surprised to find out that they provide formula of our choice… at no extra charge. I used to pay more for her daycare in LA and they did not provide food nor formula. This was such a great money and time savings for us (I used to wash all 5 of her dirty bottles at night and re-​mix for the next day. After a long day at work this was not fun). Not only does Kangaroo provide formula they wash the bottles too!
All of the kids that attend Kangaroo are so sweet. They get along so well and play together very well.
My daughter also used to have awful diaper rash when attending daycare in LA. They would not take the time to dry her bottoms well. She would get blister-​like rash from it. And I had to take a day off from work a few times just to make sure it healed. Well ever since attending Kangaroo she has not had any major rash! Cristina makes sure her bottoms are very clean and dry. We are all very very happy with Kangaroo.
I highly recommend this place.

We found this daycare online and attempted to make it work for our son due to the outstanding reviews and proximity to where we live.
The issue that we have is that we feel they are unfair and basically confiscated money from us. My wife left a check for $ 240 — one weeks worth of daycare– in the hopes our son would start two weeks later. (NOTE: They were asking for DOUBLE– or two weeks — as a down payment!) Christina said that it was a non-​refundable deposit, yet also understood there were issues to be worked out.
So for those of you who say we should have known, please read on. My wife was there for less than one hour and told them of the issues left to be resolved prior to an «ok». I subsequently called to say I needed to approve this before our son could start. They said, «No problem!». They agreed to arrange something the following week. My wife then called to ensure they would hold the check until it was approved by me, Christina again emphatically said «Don’t worry!, it will all be ok!!» She then went on to say that they charge the deposit only to hold the spot in the event they get another call for care. My wife said, «So then, please, if anyone calls, give them the spot if my husband hasn’t had a chance to come by.» Christina just kept saying, «Don’t worry! It will all work out and be ok».
My job deals with the military. Things change. I was delayed in Mississippi four more days. I called Christina to hold everything as it would be longer than anticipated. I told her we’d be willing to pay for her time (less than 1 hour). She indicated she’d speak to her husband and call me back with what we could work out. SHE NEVER CALLED ME BACK AND SIMPLY CASHED THE CHECK!
Upon receipt of the cleared check, I called her. She indicated she «LOST my phone number» and was only following her CPA’s advice on what she could do. It was, after all, non-​refundable. She said her «CPA» offered us one week of care for the cashed check in lieu.
As if I would ever leave my child with folks that did not stand by their word, did not follow-​through, and played innocent through smiles. Perhaps if your child goes there, it’s alright. However, if you have ANY indecision at all, DO NOT GIVE THESE FOLKS A CHECK!
Remember — they were asking for TWO weeks, or almost $ 500! Times are tough, but this is incredible and beyond what we could believe. $ 50-​$ 75 to hold a spot for a few days, all while indicating to give the spot away should someone call, OK. However, TWO WEEKS worth is highway robbery in my opinion!
Clearly, it appears even if you choose to leave your child with them, money is some sort of an issue. Beware!