Ella’s Second Home

I am writing a review for their responsiveness, which was nonexistent. I contacted them via phone and email, but unfortunately didn’t get a response back. I not sure if this is common, but I received the same nonresponsiveness from another day care center, also with excellent reviews. It would have been nice to get a call back, even if it is to say that there is no space available. Am I missing something here?

My two year old daughter loves going to Ella’s Second Home. They have structured activities for toddlers every day — circle time where they learn letters and numbers, dance and sing; arts & crafts projects, and plenty of time outside at their private playground area.
All the meals are provided — nutritious soups for lunch and snacks throughout the day. They are also very accommodating to various dietary requirements.
The teachers are very welcoming and nurturing, they truly care about the kids and have a lot of experience working with toddles. They are also bilingual — English and Russian which is an extra bonus!
We are very happy that we got enrolled at Ella’s, and our little one has made her first friends at this lovely daycare.

My daughter started going to Ella’s Second home when she turned 1.5 y.o. I expected a difficult transition, but it was not too bad, in fact in three days she didn’t want to go home and ran away from me every time I came to pick her up! And I understand why! She is simply happy there! All the people who work in the daycare became our extended family: they are warm, welcoming, fun, energetic and responsive to all the suggestions and requests. I always bring my daughter there with a «light» heart, knowing that she will be comfortable, safe and well taken care of! I know that, when she needs a hug — she will get one; when she doesn’t want to do smth — she won’t be pushed; when she needs some extra care (like medication) — it will be given in timely and responsive manner. I don’t know how caretakers do it, but it feels like all the kids there are long time friends, they have some sort of community)) They are always busy participating in group activities like music class or morning exercise, crafting little art projects and safely experimenting with different art modules. My daughter happened to love painting, with her hands, with brushes and sponges — and it is just a little discovery, on of many that are happening every day. They have plenty of toys there, and it is not surprising to see Ella (the owner) walking down the street with some new, exciting toy — all to make «her» kids happy! We are so happy to find this place, I think, it is a best first socialization experience all the children and parents could wish for. May be it is not the fanciest place, but it has a family spirit with a smell of home made food and a loving atmosphere — it is all the child needs to support his/​her development into healthy and confident individual.

I don’t know exactly where to start. Ella, Rimma, Irma, Emily, Bella and Marina were all awesome. My kids were safe, happy, and not once were brought home with diaper rash like the last daycare they attended. I really feel like they were at a safe place where they learned, played and were loved. By the end it really was almost like family. I cannot thank you enough Ella. We were so lucky to be able to accepted.

My 20 month old daughter loves Ella’s and has since her first day there. Ella, Marina, Rimma and Bella are loving, fun and engaging. They set appropriate limits and are communicative and flexible. Our kid is way more verbal since attending Ella’s and talks about her friends and teachers constantly. She’s happy, clean and very loved. I would highly recommend Ella’s.

My daughter has been attending Ella’s for the past 6 months. She likes it there very much, and I am so grateful to have a place where I can drop my child and know that she is in good hands every day.
The teachers there really care about her.
This is amazing because when she first started there, she was so nervous to leave home for the first time and she cried. But Ella and the girls communicated with me to let me know how my daughter was acclimating. They made her feel safe and cared for. They sent me pictures of her napping and eating soup and playing outside so that I would feel less nervous.
Not only do I like and trust Ella’s, but I use some of her teachers as babysitters outside of school because my daughter likes them.

I wrote my first review for Ella’s about two years ago, and I feel the same way about this daycare that I did then. My older child was very happy here, and he made wonderful friends.
He aged out of Ella’s, and my younger child is there now. We still think we are lucky to have found this place! Drop off is easy because she likes the teachers so much. Ella and the other teachers are caring and concerned about making sure this is a good experience for children and parents.
The physical space is warm and cozy inside, and the outdoor space is large and inviting. I have recommended Ella’s to many friends with children and I will continue to do so!

Just wanted to update my review since my daughter has been here for almost 2 years. It is truly a wonderful daycare. My daughter raves about the teachers Rimma, Marina and Natasha. They really love her and are very nurturing. The other parents are like small community. My daughter is way ahead of all of her developmental milestones. And I love that she has been exposed to another language. My daughter has made her first best friends at the school. We do play dates with them outside of daycare. I’m so happy that we found this gem in our Neighborhood.
My daughter receives a lot of one on one attention from the teachers. They even came to her birthday party. I highly recommend this daycare. I never worry about my daughter when I’m at work. She loves it there.
A previous reviewer mentioned that their child was put in timeout in a shed, that there are no windows and that the space is 400 sf. Actually, there are windows, the space is much bigger than 400 sf, and I’ve never seen or heard of any child there being out in a timeout in a shed. It’s a lovely place and all the children love each other and the teachers.

My son started at Ella’s at 14 months; my daughter started (part-​time) at only 10 weeks. In each case, Ella helped ease their transition to a new environment, made sure they bonded successfully with her or one of her assistants, provided us with detailed verbal progress reports and was always available with a word of advice or encouragement (which I particularly appreciated as a new mother).
Her facility is not fancy or extensive, but it is impeccably clean, well organized and fun. She provides healthy lunches and snacks, and will work with you to accomodate any special needs (I provided pumped breast milk for my daughter every day, for example). She is also very flexible, which was a big help to our family. She was able to give us an early drop-​off time when both my husband and I were working early hours, and was often able to take our son for a day or even a week when his post-​Ella preschool was closed for a holiday.
I can’t say enough about our experience with Ella and her team. Ella is warm, loving, professional and flexible. She has been running Second Home for over 15 years and her experience shows. If you are considering Ella’s Second Home, be sure to ask her for her references. I am always happy to provide more detail to interested parents. Good luck with your search!

Ella, Rimma, and the rest of the providers mean more to my family than I could possible put into words. My 4-​year-​old son, now in preschool, went there from 6 months until he turned three. My younger, son, now 15 months old, has been a part of Ella’s ‘family’ since he was 3 months old. My husband and I are not originally from the Bay Area; having children while working full-​time can be quite challenging. Ella, Rimma, and the other providers have been absolutely amazing to us. Ella’s Second Home has truly become ‘a second home’ for my sons. As much as it pains me drop off my son, I leave knowing that he is loved so incredibly much. In line with Attachment Theory, Ella tries to have each child bond with one provider as their primary support; though, all providers are highly involved in each child’s care. They help each child grow and learn in ways that are unique to each child. Other reviewers have mentioned the outdoor space (full of structures, toys, shaded and sunny areas, equipped with sunscreen), the homemade food (soups, fruit), and the fun inside. The children have circle time during which they dance, practice the alphabet and numbers in adorable ways, and read books. She has three different rooms for children of different ages to sleep. I cannot say enough amazing things about Ella’s.

Our son went to «Ella’s» from about 6 Months old until he was a little over 3. From the first day until the last day he he was happy and comfortable there (and so were we).
We really appreciated the diversity of the other kids and families that were there. It’s like a little U.N. for kids (but with nap time, diaper changes and free lunch).
With prior arrangements the were often able to help us out with keeping our son a little later if we had a meeting or a date afterwork.
We’ve now moved on to pre-​school and our son adjusted to the new place and new kids wonderfully. We are lucky to have found Ella’s and her staff.

We sent our daughter to Ella and her crew for more than a year, and it was the first place we’d ever left her for extended periods. We certainly lucked out with our choice. The place doesn’t look like much from the outside, but our girl just loved the care she received on the inside. Folks have already mentioned the deck in the back (vital outdoor space!), and the healthy and delicious soups the kids eat, but what I found to be especially important was the fact that the caregivers acknowledged the big differences between the kids, and tried to treat them on a very individual basis. My daughter really loved to play «helper» at the time, and rather than insisting that she play with the other kids her age, Ella encouraged her to amuse herself observing the infants. It all felt very organic, and I believe that was special in this early developmental stage.

Can’t say enough about Ella’s. Both my kids went there as infants up to toddler. My wife and I are very happy with the overall experience. This definitely is not a daycare that just processes kids in, watches them, and then processes them out at the end of the day. It always felt that the caretakers got involved with the kids and that there was a definite structure to the day. The backyard is amazing. Personally I think Ella’s is one of the more underrated childcare options in the city. The only reason we left was that my oldest got accepted into a unique language immersion preschool (my wife’s native language) that we couldn’t pass up. I feel comfortable referring Ella’s to friends who are looking for daycare options. Great location if both parents work downtown and/​or on the Peninsula. Great experience for our entire family.

My two girls have gone to Ella’s part time since early 2009. It’s a homey, comfortable family daycare where the kids are relaxed and have lots of fun. My girls love Ella, Rimma and the rest of the ladies.
I agree with the other reviewer that Ella did a great job with my 2 year old’s transition. The girl bonded with her very quickly and it gave her a very safe feeling.
I recommend Ella’s highly!

A wonderful daycare. The staff is very friendly, the place is very clean, everything is nicely organized, and — most importantly — the kids are loved and well cared for. There is a big deck in back with several play structures. Inside, there are two different rooms for naps. The owner has two grown kids of her own. She is a very caring, warm woman, who is very affectionate. My son was very happy there!

Ella, the owner, runs an amazing daycare. Our daughter absolutely thrived there and learned a lot. The facilities are clean and well-​organized, and there is a huge patio out back with tons of toys. Most importantly, the staff is wonderful. Everyone who works there loves children — and it shows. Our daughter became very attached to her caregivers, and we only left because we moved out of state.

We were so scared about our son’s transition to daycare. Ella and her staff made it so easy and our son is so happy to be there. We are lucky to have this daycare as our son’s second home! He loves the toys and the outdoor play area. They have circle time every day and he is always coming home with new words. They also do crafts and activities. As much as I still hate dropping him off, I rest easy knowing that my most precious child will be well loved, well fed, and have a great time while he’s there!