Casa de Mateo | Testimonials | Child Care | Preschool

Testimonials and References

My dream was Spanish Immersion Childcare for my daughter so when Zuleyka messaged me asking for us to come visit, I was so excited. After a tour and a conversation with Zuleyka, stellar calls with references, we became the the first full time family at Casa de Mateo. At 10 months, my daughter was getting more enriching childcare than what she had previously at our last daycare. Zuleyka wants the kids to learn, grow and have fun. It’s been a year and a half that we have been a part of the Casa de Mateo community and I can’t begin to say how thankful I am for this daycare. My daughter loves Zuleyka and is excited to see her amigos everyday. As a mom, I appreciate that Zuleyka treats this in home daycare as a true daycare with a schedule and routine, circle time, art projects and plenty of outside play. The photos I get throughout the day put my mind at ease and let me know that my daughter is well taken care of and having fun while I’m at work across the Bay. We’ve gone through so much growth and learning with Zuleyka as a friend and a teacher and know that she loves our daughter as one of her own. I highly recommend Casa de Mateo and would be happy to speak to anyone with questions.

Marisela, parent

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Our kiddos have been here for almost two years (4 year old, 2 year old) and I haven't once doubted the love, care, friendships, enrichment and education our kiddos get everyday. Zuleyka runs her school with deep understanding of both child development and language development, she is kind, patient, and incredibly professional. My kiddos are both fluent in Spanish, but most importantly they come home with so much joy and love for school and their friends there. The school runs like a montessori/play based model. Kids spend some time in circle getting direct support with Spanish, but most of the day they get to choose what they do - with Zuleyka and her team rotating out fun toys and stations everyday. Everyday they do art - painting, cutting, pasting. And each month there is a different theme. The kiddos are also outside playing in her phenomenal back yard, that is like a kids wonderland - where she rotates out whole play structures and does lots of outside activities and dancing (I'm jealous most days I don't get to spend time there). To top it all off, every couple months Zuleyka hosts either weekend field trips for the school or backyard bbq's with music and fun ways to get the families connected. As a result - I know all the parents, and love their kids. It's an incredible small family oriented atmosphere and a tight community. We feel so blessed that our kids are part of this community.

Also, Zuleyka really knows our kids - like deeply who they are as humans. Our oldest has had a tough year - with some losses in our family - and she has been right along side him and making sure he has space to work through and develop into who he's going to be. She is responsive to them and that deep knowledge mean she sees them and honors who they are as little people. It's pretty rare - and feels like an incredible privilege to have someone who knows my kids so well.

Christina, parent

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This review covers our now 5-year-old who went to CdM for about a year and our 1.5-year-old who has been going there for the past 4 months. Casa de Mateo is everything we could have ever hoped for, not only in terms of childcare but also in terms of community. The learning and play environment that Zuleyka and her team have created out of their home is super fun, warm, creative, safe, clean, nourishing, all the things! We have never had to worry about whether our daughters are being properly looked after or, on the other hand, being over-regulated. We love how they get to explore a variety of monthly learning themes in creative ways (eg marine life, the solar system, dinosaurs!). They approach children's learning with a growth mindset and engage parents in the process.

We also feel like one of the key criteria for being accepted to Casa de Mateo is "good vibes only." We really feel like we've become part of the familia, we clearly care about each other's kids, and we actually *want* to meet and talk to the other parents. That sense of community is cultivated through special events they hold throughout the year, including a "Casa de Mateo Day" potluck with live music and an animal show and a "Graduation Day" for all the kids getting ready to move on to Kindergarten.

And of course, if your kids' learning or improving their Spanish is important to you, you're in the right place! It's clear from drop off to pick up that the CdM team truly loves every child and wants them to flourish. We're so grateful to have found them.

Charles, parent

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We've been really lucky to have two of ours kids at Casa de Mateo, from 18 months until kindergarten. We would do it exactly the same all over again.
It's a loving, kind, and fun place for the kids. Zuleyka and the team are such professionals, taking excellent care of all the kids while providing a warm environment that they always want to return to. My kids have lasting good memories from their years at Casa de Mateo.
The program is Spanish immersion, and by the time they exit for K, they are Spanish speakers. They have circle, some lessons, art and crafts, and lots of play time. The backyard space is perfect for little ones. You get pictures and videos every day texted to you, and have a great sense that you know how their days and weeks are going.
Extra activities after school and field trips with music and food provide a sense of community, which is so good for the kids as well.
I am so grateful we found Casa de Mateo -- we just feel lucky and pinch ourselves that our family has had this experience for the preschool years.

Katie, parent

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My son has been going to Casa de Mateo for 5 months and is so happy every time we pick him up!! This is the first time that anyone outside our family cares for our son, which was hard at first but Zuleyka made it so easy for us because she is SO AMAZING! She always sends us pictures throughout the day showing us how happy and how much fun my son is having. He has learned a lot since going here. They do a lot of hands on learning. He went through potty training while going to school and Zuleyka helped us with our plan while he was with her which really helped and my son was successfully potty trained. Zuleyka is really patient, attentive, caring, and loving. I trust her with my life (literally, my son) and I would recommend her to anyone who is need of finding someone trustworthy to care and teach their child.

Alexis, parent

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Zuleyka was my son’s preschool teacher in a preschool in Oakland. There, I met Zuleyka and was impressed with her ability to teach and engage well with young children all while being extremely gentle with every child’s individual needs. All of her instruction was provided in Spanish; which she speaks fluently as it is her primary spoken language. Our family is Spanish speaking and we felt that her instruction supplemented our son extremely well, he Spanish conversation improved dramatically with her help. I was also impressed by Zuleyka’s yearn to learn; during her time as a full time teacher, she also dedicated her evenings to expanding her education by taking university courses. I believe that Zulyeka’s kind hearted character, her experience as a bilingual teacher at a top local preschool and her education, make her day care an excellent place to enroll your child if you are interested in them learning, understanding other cultures with the benefit of learning Spanish at the same time.

Patricia S., parent

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As a student, Zuleyka was very diligent, determined and curious to learn about the field of Early Care and Education. Zuleyka has an open-mind, is flexible and life-long learner. I enjoyed having her in my classroom as one of my students and now I enjoyed seeing her becoming a teacher that provides quality early care and education to children.

Ana D.A., former teacher

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