Tudorka Tots

We have 3 kids and our youngest is attending Turdorka Tots on Mountain Blvd. This is a new preschool for us as we were looking for something closer to our house. We’ve used two other preschools and one daycare with our other two kids and I have to say that we are really impressed with Tudorka.
They provide lunches/​snacks which is extremely helpful. And I always think it is good for children to be exposed to other foods. They have a cook on site that does the meals, another bonus.
The teacher to student ratio seems to be the best compared to our other experiences elsewhere. And the teachers themselves are very warm and loving.
Ms. Crystal, the manager of this location, is AWESOME. She does a great job of communicating, whether it’s email or the monthly newsletter. They even have a weekly blog. It just seems way more organized and controlled compared to our other experiences.
They do a lot of other fun activities. In my experience, the preschools always talk about the extra stuff they do, but never or rarely actually do them. At Tudorka, they do it! Field trips, music teacher, soccer shots, holiday parties, summer party, etc., etc.
Their back-​yard is great! It’s not all sand or bark, so they don’t get too dirty and it’s much easier for them to ride bikes, etc. I don’t know why, but most preschool’s outdoor areas aren’t very good.
Lastly, our soon to be 3-​year old son is thriving. He started just after turning 2 and he has advanced so nicely with Tudorka.
We couldn’t be happier. We only wished we had found it sooner with our other two kids! If anyone has questions that they would like to ask me directly, feel free.

I agree with the reviews that state that Renata hires under-​qualified staff and that she does not have the best interest of the kids. We had our child there for two months and pulled her out. We were so desperate to get out we even gave less than 30 days notice and let her keep the deposit just to get out of there. Some of our concerns were that our daughter constantly had diaper rashes. Not just a normal diaper rash but a rash so bad you could tell that she was sitting in wet diaper for hours because her entire bottom would be purple. When I spoke to Renata about it she just pointed to the daily log that they keep saying they change the kids every hour. Obviously the teachers are just writing down that they are changing diapers when they aren’t. My child is overall a happy easy going child so when I would come pick her up she would be fine but what bothered me is that there was always another child crying. It was so sad to see several babies just sitting in Bumbos crying while the teacher was sitting there empty handed. This was my first daycare experience so I thought that perhaps other children cried a lot more than mine but it still didn’t make sense why the teachers weren’t even trying to console them. I was sad that my daughter was spending her days listening to other babies cry. Once we began at our new daycare the diaper rashes stopped and I learned that other children do not cry all day. At our new daycare I have never seen a baby crying during pick up. The facility is clean but it is a loveless place to leave your child. I refer to it as the «Babies sitting in Bumbos and crying» daycare. I do not recommend it at all.

We just enrolled our 3 month old and 2 ½ year old last fall despite a few of the reviews we had read online and could not be happier! Our now 7 month old is in love with all the teachers he has in the infant room and is always smiling ear to ear when we drop him off. The daily updates and careful nap and eating notes that are provided at the end of each day put a nervous parent’s mind at ease.
Our 2 ½ year old is thriving at Tudorka. She was eased into the new preschool with such care and compassion that the transition was not traumatic at all for her. She has made such good friends with her classmates and loves her teachers. Ms. Crystal and Ms. Ritje are wonderful with her and so supportive. She is learning the days and months in Spanish, ‘Jingle Bells’ in French and has become so much better at counting and her letters in just the past few months. We could not be happier and are so confident that her education has taken off in the right direction!
The administration at Tudorka is flexible, communicates well, and seems to have their teacher’s best interests in mind. There are frequent opportunities to come together with other families at off-​campus events and field trips which are so much fun. There is a monthly ‘Parents Night Out’ which also provides a frequently needed respite for parents.
Overall, we could not be happier and look forward to our 2 kids staying with Tudorka until they enter kindergarten!

Our son started at Tudorka Tots, when he was just eight weeks old. He’s now 14 months, and he loves «school» so much that he spends school breaks a little bit disappointed. If he’s crying in the car, he’ll stop crying and start kicking his legs excitedly the minute that we hit the driveway. Sometimes he has tantrums leaving his friends and his caregivers, pointing at them and crying how he doesn’t want to go. So his review would clearly be five stars.
While the location itself is great (I’d kill for that view all the way to the Golden Gate bridge, but it’s the kiddo that’s enjoying it), what we really love is the staff. They’ve helped us work through teething and separation anxiety and all kinds of problems.
End of the day? Those caregivers love our baby. He’s so bonded to one of his main caregivers with his whole little heart. She, and all the other caregivers, love him right back. I have zero anxiety or guilt leaving him at daycare. It’s so important that he socializes and gets to be cuddled and played with by people that are not just his parents, and he adores it there.
Oh. And the baby makes us «crafts» for the holidays. Which? Adorable.

Miss Wanda and Miss Crystal are doing an amazing job! The program is better than ever and our child is thriving. I couldn’t be happier with the personnel changes that have happened over the past few months. I have a hard time convincing my child to leave at the end of the day, and he talks fondly about his friends and teachers constantly at home. Thank you, Tudorka Tots, for being the best home-​away-​from-​home we could imagine!

A little over six months ago, the Mountain Boulevard location gained a few new teachers and a new site director. The new personnel have taken an already good program to great. My experience has mostly been with the new site director, Miss Wanda, and the preschool program manager, Miss Crystal. However, I know that there are many more teachers at Tudorka Tots that truly make it exceptional. Miss Crystal and Miss Wanda have given my son a renewed confidence, maturity and joyfulness that I’m amazed by. My mother just came to visit us and asked, «Is [our son] really this happy all the time?» He hasn’t always been, but there’s something about the new management at Turdorka Tots that has made a big positive impact on our child. I’m also impressed that at just barely 3 years old our son can already name most of the letters in the alphabet and spell his name. Tudorka Tots provides a great education AND great care.
A few other highlights of the school that make it stand out:
Food:
They provide all the food for the kids, which is a godsend for busy parents. They also provide the menu via email each week so you know what your child is eating every day, and can see that the food is healthy and meets recommended portions of dairy, fruit, veggies, grains, etc. They provide vegetarian options and honor food restrictions too.
Lesson Plans:
For the preschool, the entire year’s lesson plan is provided to parents with each month’s topics and focus areas delineated. You’ll know when the class is studying the ocean vs. the community, or the letter «M» vs. the letter «S». This allows us to continue discussing the topics at home to increase the learning. The curriculum is well thought out and progresses nicely throughout the year.
Blog:
In addition to the lesson plan, Tudoka Tots uses its blog (
) to send updates so that parents can be further apprised of activities. The proactive communications are a big help for those of us who want to take an active role in their child’s education.
Additional Programs:
There are a variety of additional programs that Tudorka Tots provides. These range from holiday parties (e.g. Halloween, Winter Holidays, etc.), field trips (e.g. to a pumpkin patch around Halloween), Soccer Shots youth soccer program, bringing in people from the community to introduce the kids to animals or teach specific topics, even a dentist to extoll the importance of caring for your teeth.
Appropriate Parental Involvement:
What I also appreciate is that they don’t constantly ask for parents to donate their time or money to help the school. They keep parents involved in their child’s education, allow opportunities for parents to meet other parents and interact with the teachers and leave you alone otherwise.
Overall, the proof is in our child. He’s happy, confident, and LOVES going to school every day. Miss Wanda and Miss Crystal, as well as many other teachers are truly special — going above and beyond to provide personalized care and learning.

Exactly what we have been searching for a balance of 1:1 attention in a group setting with special focus on individual learning needs. A fantastic program, facility, and staff. Thank you!

My daughter LOVES Tudorka Tots. She has been going there since she was 6 months old and is now 3. The staff are very friendly and genuinely care about all of the children. They host fun events like Luaus and Halloween parties and they are always fun and the parents bring great pot luck food. My daughter brings home artwork she does in class and sings songs that we never taught her and the teachers are doing a great job of preparing my daughter for kindergarten.

Awesome place! I feel completely comfortable leaving my 8mo. old son here for the day. They offer flexible scheduling, and the caregivers are all very kind!

My 16-​month old daughter has been attending Tudorka Tots for close to 6 months now and has flourished in their care. The infant room has a great set of teachers, who have always been very patient and nurturing with our daughter. Having started her at daycare at age 1, we expected transitioning to be a little difficult but the teachers worked with us and after a couple of weeks, the crying stopped and now she can’t wait to get out of the car when she sees that we are at «school.» Recently, she moved to the toddler class (where she was slowly being transitioned as early as 14 months) and while there were some transitional issues at first, I am happy that we made the right decision to move her to a class of older peers, where she gets good language and social models. We miss the infant class teachers (especially Ms. Elsa who is currently on maternity leave), but our daughter continues to develop and thrive in the toddler class. I also appreciate that the staff was observant and mindful of our daughter’s individual abilities, rather than confining her to a class, simply based on her chronological age.
The facility is very nice and clean, in a good part of Oakland, close to 580 and 13, which is excellent for commuter parents such as myself. Home cooked meals are offered daily, and my daughter, who is a big eater, often gets second helpings of food if she is still hungry.
My daugter did get sick a few times, but we feel that that could have happened at any daycare. Any Pediatrician will tell you that the first few months of daycare will test (and eventually build) your child’s immunity and I’m happy to say we are almost there.
Yes, there have been a lot of changes, but they are all for the better. While we really liked the previous director (and completely understand why some families chose to follow her), the new director Ms. Wanda, is extremely professional and responsive to our needs. Communication had improved at TT under her supervision, and I feel confident that she will take the center to a new, improved standard of care.
On another note, TT hosts a monthly Parents Night Out on a Saturday night, for a very reasonable price. Just another reason why we like this place.
Being a parent, and also a professional who works with children on a daily basis, I would recommend this daycare.

I’ve had a really good experience at Tudorka Tots. My daughter and son have been attending Tudorka Tots since they were both 4 months old. My daughter is now 3.5 yrs old and son is 12 months old. Yes, there have changes recently as commented by recent reviews and it has affected my recent decision to move my daughter to a new preschool but I still have positive feelings about Tudorka Tots. I made the decision to move my daughter because the children that recently left were her close friends and her teacher, Denise, left to open her own school; plus I had been entertaining the idea of trying a new preschool for her in the future. This just made my decision to leave sooner than later. Had her friends and Denise not left, I would probably not make the move. I am not looking for «greener pasture» as I know there will always be something that I am not going to be happy about at any school. Not wanting to deal with two different location for childcare drop off/​pick up, I will also be moving my son out in the near future. This is the only reason for moving him. He is happy there and thriving. It is sad to think about because I have come to love Tudorka Tots and the teachers. They took such good care of my kids. The infant room is great. Yes, my kids often got sick in the infant room but like another reviewer said, would it be different at another daycare? I don’t like it that they got sick but it comes with the territory. No serious outbreak of any illness and staff/​mgmt do a good job of cleaning the facility. The place is very clean. My daughter has a strong immune system now — rarely gets a cold and when she does, it quickly passes. Nancy is the supervising teacher in the infant room. Chio and Elsa are infant room teachers that are on maternity leave. Khadijah and Eva are teachers in the infant room right now. They are all so good and loving to the babies. The teacher for the age 2 group is Mayra and she has been there a long time. Martha is the part-​time preschool teacher. Both are absolutely wonderful! Amy is the teacher assistant and is a sweetheart. Wanda is the new site director and from the interactions I’ve had with her, she is pleasant and friendly. The changes they are making seems positive but will take some time to stabilize as the new teachers they hire come on board. From recent newsletter updates, the activities the 2’s and preschool kids are doing, like cooking and gardening projects sounds great. Regarding the teacher to child ratio, Renata (owner) is well informed of the licensing policy in this and I do not think she would do anything to jeopardize their license or put any child in harm. You will find as you are researching to find the perfect place for your child that there is no perfect place. Each school will appeal to some folks and not others. You should attend their open house and ask questions. Look at each review with an open mind and it will help you focus in the questions you should ask per the concern you may have by a negative comment/​review. I did not give a five star because I do not know the status of the 2’s and preschool part of the school at this time but you could ask to speak to a parent from that group. I do not regret having chosen Tudorka Tots and if things don’t work out for my kids at the their new school, I would consider going back to Tudorka. The teachers are wonderful. Management is listening to parents — there is a parents suggestion box now. I think things will only get better from the recent turn of events.

My 11 month old son has been going to Tudorka since he was 5 ½ months old. Going back to work and making the decision to leave him with «strangers,» (no matter how good I felt about the decision I made pre-​pregnancy) was not easy. All of my fears were put to rest by Ms. Elsa. I was reassured that my baby would be loved and they would get to know his likes and dislikes and take great care of him. Since that day I have seen nothing but that. All of the women in the infant area have been great and my son loves them. Chio, Lai and Ms. Elsa were the ones that got my initial buy-​in that everything would be ok. Overtime, I got to know everyone and realized they are all amazing. The site has gone through some unsettling changes over the past few months. Both Chio and Ms. Elsa went on maternity leave and Lai is gone. Denise the director also left to start her own daycare. I am a person who HATES change and was very nervous. Nancy has been doing a great job filling Ms. Elsa’s shoes. She always takes the time to tell me what is going on with my son. Not only that, but no matter how busy she is she also takes time to listen to what is going on with him for the day. Khadijah is new and already has my son reaching for her when I drop him off. The new director Ms. Wanda has been great so far and has implemented some structural changes that have left me knowing even more about my son’s day. Everyday I see the stability grow after all the change. Yes, my son seems to be sick often. What kids in a daycare setting are not? They are building their immunity and if my pediatrician tells me nothing I’ve experienced is abnormal (and I’m the hypochondriac mom that takes him every time he is sick!) then that’s the sacrifice we make not having a nanny. There have been many colds in the winter and a few tummy bugs. My girlfriends have echoed this sentiment with their experiences. Tudorka is in a lovely area, it is clean, the staff is friendly and loving and have never made me feel nervous about the care my son has received. I would recommend them and I will update my experiences as my son gets older.

My 15 months old son went there for 2 months, toke him out because he got sick 5 times in 2 months. He also lost a lot of weight cuz they expect a 15 months old toddler to feed themselves and if they don’t eat then they just go hungry. Every time I go pick him up I have to bring food and water cuz right when he gets to the car he’s screaming for food and water. His face and hands are always dirty, and the only reason why I give it 1 star is because the staffs are really nice.

We originally choose Tudorka because of proximity to our house, large outside play area, and warm home feeling. It became much more than that. We came to really appreciate Tudorka for the great feeling of community and diversity that it gave to us and our children. The team at Tudorka was very flexible and really worked with us when our work schedules became crazy. They also provide great nutritious meals which makes it much easier for those hectic mornings trying to get out of the house. The teaching staff was great; and there were rarely tears when we dropped the kids off in the morning. Tudorka had become their second home. There were tears on both sides when we decided to move out of the area. Our oldest attended Tudorka for 3 years and the youngest for 18 months.

My daughter has been going to Tudorka Tots since she was 13 weeks old. She’s now 3 and ½ and we all absolutely love it. The place is clean, orderly and by-​the-​book, but what I like most is that the caretakers truly care about the kids and their development. They have a great outdoor space, provide healthy meals and snacks and frequently organize field trips or arrange to have special visitors (zoo animals, children’s performers, musicians, etc.).
They communicate well with parents on a regular basis or when a parent has a question or concern. These caretakers really take the time to get to know they kids and cater to their individual needs. For example, my daughter is a very picky eater and nearly every day, I get a quick report on how well she ate and any new foods she tried.
They are also great teachers! My daughter could count to 20, count to 10 in Spanish and knew her alphabet and tons of new words well before I expected her to. Tudorka was also a very key player in the fun that is potty-​training. I’ve had very few issues at Tudorka, but when I have, they were addressed promptly, professionally and to my satisfaction.

We love Tudorka Tots. Our son is happy to be dropped off every weekday, and happy when we pick him up. All his caretakers are kind and caring. The place is a great combination of *meticulous* cleanliness and warm care-​taking, and the hours are convenient for commuters. I’ve never seen a cleaner site for a daycare center, and that definitely impresses me, but I’ve been even more impressed by the kindness of those who work here. Additionally, the children are fed organic meals, and fairly often there is a weekend night-​out for parents, when children can be dropped off while the parents have a date. We love it all!

It’s hard for me to write this review because my husband and I loved the teachers at Tudorka, however management/​ownership was ultimately the reason why we pulled our son out. We enrolled our son right before his 2 yr birthday. Things were good for a while and then about 5 to 6 months into his care he would come home with bite marks. One was so severe that it broke the skin and left a deep bruise on his shoulder so we know the bite was through his shirt. I hate to think if it had been bare skin. When I asked about the first couple of bites, Renata was flippant and said that biting was very normal for this age. I was irritated but thought my son loves this school and there wasn’t much they could do. I asked if it was the same child and if my son was being targeted could they please separate them. But then he came home with a new bite every day for over a week with no mention to us when we picked him up. I emailed Renata and asked what was going to be done because this was more than just a few bites and «kids being kids». I think I was more irritated that she was so flippant, but I wanted some action to be done. My neice was kicked out of a daycare due to biting so I suggested that the child leave if the parents can’t control this behaviour. After many email exchanges, Renata said that it wasn’t their protocol to remove a child for biting but that if I wasn’t happy I was welcome to leave. Because of our jobs, my husband and I couldn’t remove him at that time since it had taken us so long to find Tudorka.
Many times we observed children not being supervised properly in the backyard and when we asked about bite marks, scrapes, cuts, bruises, etc. they usually had no explanation or claimed nones of the teachers saw what happened. The most annoying response usually came from Renata because it was as if she was irritated for being asked.
I also saw a major change in attitude regarding money. At first things like projects were paid for by the school and after a while I was being asked to pay for decorations, food and miscellaneous items that didn’t add up to much but bothered me that our tuition did not pay for these items as they did before. We found out later after a fund raiser that our money had repaved the driveway and built steps in the front yard. Which seemed like capital improvements and not really benefitting my child. They said they were going to put down the bouncy playground surface in the backyard with one of the fund raisers and instead turned almost the entire backyard into sand. Our son came home daily with enough sand to fill our own sand box.
The final nails in the coffin were when we told them we were pregnant with our second and was bugged constantly about what I was going to do for daycare. The rates were so astronomical for both of them so we were trying to find an alternative. I witnessed an aggressive display of sales tactics from Renata that ranged from asking frequently to telling me that many other mothers were due at the same time and they had one spot left, to eventually talking loudly about «soon having no infant space left» when I was in earshot. Also right about that time our son was coming home emotional, crying, and having bad dreams. He told us that a few boys were «being mean» to him. We also learned that he was being bullied by boys that were too old to be around him in a daycare setting. Once Renata found out we were pulling our son, she was aloof, avoided us and was not very kind to our son.
Needless to say we loved the teachers and that is the only reason why we gave this daycare 2 stars. It very quickly became apparent that Renata’s true reason for being in this business was more about money. But at least she was smart enough to hire great teachers/​help. Oh, btw, we loved Denise and felt that she frequently had to do damage control for Renata.

Our son loves Tudorka Tots! Tudorka provides everything — play-​based learning, lots of fun, exploring, stimulation, and even accommodations for us needy parents! Mia, Danielle and Ashley are so attentive to all of the toddlers on Campus Drive and the children are in a safe environment. When we drop our son off in the mornings, we leave him with a smile. When we return at the end of the day, he’s still smiling! That’s a good sign! And the cost is so reasonable and Renata is so flexible during these hard economic times. Try Tudorka Tots-​you won’t be disappointed!

My son Max has been coming here every day since he was 3 months old. now he is almost 2 and he absolutely LOVES it here. When I drop him off he is greeted by the loving staff and he is ready to jump into his day without hesitation. Renata & Denise run an excellent program here and the facility is very clean and well organized. The cost is very reasonable and the location is convenient too. If you are looking for a trustworthy daycare filled with great staff, look no further. I highly recommend Tudorka Tots!

Our daughter loves Tudorka Tots. The place is clean (unlike most centers you see in oakland/​berkeley), the staff is friendly, and kids have fun. Tudorka goes the extra mile with their annual parties and celebrations throughout the year.