Our son has been at CEC since he was 6 months old (turning 2 in January) and we are very happy with the school. There has been no teacher turnover and everyone is very warm and welcoming. Our son loves it there - he takes off running to play with his pals everyday. We've met a lot of great people and kids. very satisfied mom of 1
brendat

I recently visited the Child Education Center (2100 Browning Street in Berkeley). I had a very good feeling about the school as a warm place. In particular, my child would be entering the two's program in the fall. I'd like to hear from current parents about their thoughts about the school. If you start there, do you want to stay through to the preschool program too? Comments--good? bad? other? Thanks potential future parent

I've been looking into daycare/preschool for my 19-month-old recently and have been recommended to both Centro Vida and Child Education Center in Berkeley. Currently CEC has space in the toddler room and if I like the facility and staff I may utilize them for part-time immediate care. Does anyone have more current comments on either of these programs? I am currently working with only one personal recommendation each for these centers and am really interested to hear more varied and current feedback from fellow BPN members. Thanks. Maria

Can anyone tell me about your experience with the Child Education Center in Berkeley? I am especially interested in the preschool and pre-K experience, and how you feel/felt about your child's kindergarten readiness. Thanks so much! mom of toddler

We are considering to put our 2 kids, one and a half and three years old, at CEC. We liked the facility, but did not get the chance to talk to the teachers yeat. I read the reviews in the the parents website, but would like to have more recent god or bad experiences about the Child Education Center @ Browning Street. How happy are you and your kids with the school? Do you have any concerns about the School? Any comment will be welcome. Thank you Maro

Before we withdrew, I wrote up some suggestions to the director about how to improve their two's program based on my observations during my son's transitioning weeks. Here they are for your information:

1) Greet, hug, kiss and comfort kids more to help them transition (in toddler's program, the teachers do a lot of hugging and kissing); understand and tolerate the fact that it's normal for some kids to feel attached to old teachers.

2) Always wipe hands and tables before snack times - as what is done in the toddler's program (I noticed that sometimes the teachers don't wipe hands of kids who enter the classroom in the morning in the middle of the snack time. I guess they suppose that kids come in from home (during the transitioning weeks, from toddler's room) with clean hands.

3) Offer water to drink during snack times - as what is done in the toddler's program (I noticed that they don't offer water to drink during snack times, at least not in the morning. I think water is necessary because it would help kids to swallow sometimes dry crackers).

4) Teach new kids how to eat fruits without the skin (I noticed that sometimes the teachers offer fruits with the skin still on, like apples, oranges and bananas. The kids already learned how to eat oranges without the skin in the toddler's program, but some of them didn't know how to eat bananas without the skin. During the transitioning weeks I saw several kids putting bananas into mouths without peeling them first).

5) Wipe kids' bottoms clean when changing diapers and apply diaper rash cream whenever necessary (My son hardly got any diaper rash while in the toddler's program, but he had been having a BAD diaper rash ever since he got into the two's program. Although I wrote a note to remind the teachers to apply diaper rash cream on him, it seemed to me they seldom did. There were even several times that he came back with a not-fully cleaned bottom. ).

Another thing. We had a written agreement with the center that outlines the procedures for getting our deposit back and I had followed those procedures (we gave one month notice before we left). We expected to get our deposit back immediately but nothing happened for four months. We called the director Darlene many times and each time she just gave excuses that their accountant was not in the office or was on vacation.We finally took the advice that we got from Parents Network and filed a small claims court action, then a couple days later they finally gave our full deposit back. anon

The Child Education Center at 2100 Browning Street @Addison in Berkeley has a few openings in infant, toddler, twos, preschool and pre K programs in late summer/early autumn. My daughter started in the toddler program at 18 months and is now in preschool, and I cannot imagine her thriving as she does in this 20+ year old play based program with loving long-term providers who really know-and love- her well. Please contact me via email or the CEC's director, Darlene Percoats Redmon, at 510-548-1414. Thank you! Lisa E.

Re: 3 days a week play-based preschool

Check out the Child Education Center (CEC), 2100 Brownig Street (at Addison, near the intersection of University and San Pablo) in Berkeley, 528-1414. My daughter goes there three full days a week. They offer a lot of scheduling options. Nory's mama

March 2003

Most of the favorable comments about CEC on the UC Parents website reflect our current experience. We thought that the infant room teachers related better to the babies than to the parents -- they took good care of our daughter and worked to get her eating, drinking and walking (none of which she did when she started at CEC), but they also gave us some grief about not having prepared her better for daycare. Whenever our daughter was sad about us leaving her in the morning, one of the infant room teachers always was there to hold and comfort her. Even though our daughter was there only three days a week, the teachers understood her: one infant room teacher described her in a written note to us as ''The Boss Lady'' (which she is).

We dropped off and picked up our daughter at irregular times, and we never saw babies left crying for any period of time. Also, from what we could tell, the infant (and toddler) room teachers seemed pretty diligent about trying to keep noses wiped, sick kids out of the rooms, etc. That being said, we were glad when our daughter moved into the toddler room, where all the teachers are so kind and friendly to the parents as well as the kids.

As a previous poster noted, CEC does a great job of transitioning kids from room to room. Darlene, the director, is approachable and very involved in every aspect of the center; she knows all the kids by name and genuinely seems to love and give a lot of herself to the kids and CEC. In the toddler room, the daily activities are planned and carried out well. At the new location, the outdoor play area is not huge, but seems sufficient, and there is a large gym where the kids can play when it is raining.

A few other things we really like about CEC are (1) the diversity of the kids and staff and (2) the flexibility of the schedule. There are not many places around here that take kids as young as CEC takes them or that offer the part-time and part- week options that CEC does. We're grateful to CEC for these things.

Feel free to email if you have questions or want more information. robin

Although we have occasionally looked at other sites (mainly for enrichment as our daughter has a late birthday for kindergarten entrance), we have always stayed with CEC. The teachers are caring and diverse, and the infant room in particular has low to no teacher turnover. Most of the people (that we know) have left because a) their child had a behavior problem (eg severe biting) and they didn't like the school's response b)they got off a wait list for their first choice center (eg UC preschool) c) they moved away from the Bay Area d) they didn't like the new location and had the $ to go elsewhere (more upscale?)

If you value diversity in staff and students, CEC is a good deal for the cost. Andrea

1999

As a family who is happy with CEC, I wanted to respond to the recent post. My daughter started in the infant room at 5 months and is now in the toddler room.

I have spent many hours observing the infant room at CEC, and I have never seen babies left in their cribs screaming for minutes on end. Some children may fuss and whimper while going to sleep, but I don't consider that screaming. I have seen children in swings that were not swinging, but they were always observing the activity of the older babies in the room (i.e. they were happy). I have observed that some of the kids who are walking seem bored in the infant room, since many of the toys are geared toward younger babies and there are no structured activities in the room. For my daughter this was a very short period of time. For children who walk later, and thus move to the toddler room later, this is more of a problem, which the school may need to address. This is less of an issue in the summer when they take the babies outside to play. Overall, I found the teachers in the infant room to be kind and caring with the babies.

I have also spent many hours in the toddler room. The toddlers do a range of activities, including art, music, books, and playing outside. The day is rather structured, which could be a problem for some kids, but my daughter is happy with it. The teachers all try very hard to have the children talk, and it is exciting to see all of the kids developing.

In my opinion, one of the best things about CEC is the continuity of the staff. Many of the teachers have been there for years. In contrast, a friend's daycare in Southern California seems to have constant staff turnover, which is very disruptive to the kids. My daughter was very attached to one teacher in the infant room (other babies were attached to different teachers), so staff continuity was important to me.

No childcare situation is perfect for everyone, so the most important thing is that the individual parents feel comfortable.

I have been away on vacation and just now getting caught up with messages. Although I am swamped, I feel that I have to comment on the CEC.

First of all, I looked at ALOT of child care places. You will not find another facility that has as much space and sunlight for the kids as the CEC. Secondly, if you do have complaints, the directors, Darlene and Annie, REALLY listen to them and follow up on them.

Both my kids attend. My first entered directly into the toddler room, which is wonderful. I initially had some concerns with one of the teachers, but when I discussed this with Darlene, the infant/toddler director, she spent some time with me, and then gave me names of some of the parents who had expressed similar concerns in the past, and whose children were still at the CEC. She also promised to speak with the teacher. I felt much better after speaking with the parents, and also saw the changes in that teacher immediately. She is a wonderful teacher with the children; my children love her.

My second child entered the infant room as an older infant, already starting to walk. I was not familiar with the teachers, and indeed they were very different from the toddler room teachers. One of the respondents commented that the infant room is set up more for the younger kids and crawlers; I agree. My son needed more stimulation and structure and seemed to be bored with being inside. He cried every day when I left him. But the teachers recognized this and often took him outside to play. Also, he was transitioned into the toddler room very quickly after we enrolled him, when he began walking instead of wobbling! He did not cry once I took him to the toddler room.

In terms of infants crying in their swings and cribs; I am sure it is challenging to take care of 3 infants at a time, which is what the CEC ratio is (1:3). (Luckily, I have never had to do it--my 1 and 2.5 year olds are enough!) Those of us who can't afford one-on-one childcare for our kids can turn to facilities like the CEC, but it is often difficult for us to understand that there will be times when the teachers have to prioritize which child they need to attend to first. Kids may be left crying for a short time, but one thing I have NEVER worried about at the CEC is the safety of my children.

The first person who was critical of the care her child received stated that he was enrolled this past winter. That is when my son was enrolled. I agree that one of the teachers appeared to me to be distracted and disinterested in the children, but later discovered from talking to her that she was worried about a medical condition of hers. After discussing with her and reassuring her, she was noticeably brighter and more interactive the next day and thereafter.

Another thing: I don't believe that the teachers intentionally lie about the children. For example, they keep an infant log, and on several occasions I found that the nap times were repeated twice but differently on the am vs. pm pages. When I asked them about this, they would then recognize the mistake and clarify for me. The comments regarding each infant were also very similar day to day ("He was very happy; played with his friend ____"). I do feel that in large part this was due to some of the teachers' limited English writing skills. But the directors do a good job with teacher placement; these teachers serve the infants much better with hugs and singing than if they were asked to read to the toddlers or twos.

Finding the right childcare is difficult and tugs at our hearts. Ideally we would all be able to stay home and take care of our kids, but the lottery hasn't come through for us yet! It is difficult to find the great teachers for childcare programs; the pay is relatively low. The vast majority won't be college educated. Most people pay their housecleaners more per hour than they pay for the people taking care of their children! Does that make sense??????????

The CEC pays benefits and provides continuing education for the teachers. There is a real sense of community, with alot of cookouts, Parents Nite Out (babysitting on Friday evenings), etc. We have been overall very happy with our choice. Yes, there are occasional problems, but I imagine we would have those with any program.

Lastly, I need to say that we are transferring our daughter out of CEC to the university pre-school, but if she hadn't have been accepted there, we definitely would have kept her at the CEC. We have also applied for our son to enter the new university infant childcare center. However, if he doesn't get accepted there, we will also definitely keep him at the CEC.

In response to Kyle's (new member) question regarding daycare for his 2 yr. old and 1 yr. old daughter, I can recommend Child Education Center (CEC), located at 1414 Sacramento St., just behind Monterey Market. CEC offers care for kids from 3 months through pre-kindergarten. There are 5 programs in all, each focused on different age groups. Both of our daughters went there (our youngest is just about to leave this fall for kindergarten), and it's been terrific for the whole family. They provide a nurturing and loving environment, and parents are very involved in the school. For further information, call Darlene Percoats, Administrative Director, at 528-1414.

Our child has been in the infant room and now is moving to the toddler room at CEC. I would recommend it to other parents as a good day care program. It is a big place with lots of children, but the staff are kind, dilligent, and have been very stable. It may be especially useful for multiple children because it provides infant care up to pre-K. If you have specific questions or would like to discuss more please contact me.

1998

Our daughter, Rebecca, has been enrolled at the Children's Education Center (CEC), on Rose and Sacramento, since she was about 10 mos. old. The infant room is a building separate from the rest of the school, it's very bright and has a decent size open space for playtime with lots of toys (which my daughter thoroughly enjoyed). Babies age range from 3 mos. to 15 mos. (transfer to the toddler program depends on developmental skills). The teachers are very warm, loving and attentive. My daughter bonded with a couple of teachers and seemed to really enjoyed her time there. We have one of her teachers babysit occasionally.

The director of CEC is Darlene Percoats. She's great and very easy to talk to just about anything. I feel very comfortable in calling her anytime I have a concern and you may want to talk to her about the program. I liked the Infant Program at CEC. The teachers welcomed my calls everyday to see how my daughter was doing.

The reason why I ranked it third was due to the size of the program (I read that babies do better in smaller numbers in daycare) and it's an older facility.

Overall, I was quite happy with the Infant Program. Please call me if you have anymore questions.

My child attended this daycare center for two years and I was quite pleased with it. I took him out for the last year to attend the University H.E. Jones Child Study Center as we lived quite close to it, it was cheaper, and the quality was good.

I would rate CEC as a good daycare/preschool site. They pay their teachers pretty well and have a good benefits package, as a result many of the teachers have been there for years and especially the preschool teachers are very good, on the whole.

They run a well disciplined program which the children seem to love and there is a nice feeling about the place, with many parents coming to help out on work weekends. This place was started about 15 years ago when the University didn't have any full time child care. It used to be located at the old Hillside school on LeRoy Ave., and many of the children had parents who worked at UC. This may be somewhat less true now. I can't say.

If it convenient for you in regards to location, hours, and price, I think you would feel very comfortable leaving your child there.

The preschool and pre-k kids do lots of cooking (with head teacher Annie Henderson who co-authored a kids cookbook with Mollie Katzen of Moosewood fame), art, dance, and science, and even have a snake and other creatures in their room. The kids do come home dirty after projects and sand and water play!

Since we don't have family on the West coast, I particularly like is having this extended family of teachers and other kids' parents who know and appreciate my kids in all their sweet, and not-so-sweet moods. These teachers are so loving-- my kids often come home with lipstick kisses on their cheeks. And the parents, many UC staff or grad students, (I'm now staff, formerly grad student) are very involved. This message is getting too long, I'd be happy to e-mail or talk individually to any families considering CEC.

CEC has been great for us. The directors and teachers are responsive to parents' concerns and often work with parents on special projects. Parent participation is required (in lieu of an additional monthly charge), which keeps families involved. Some of us take care of routine tasks (e.g., dropping off library books), while others might come in to teach the older kids about what they do, help out on field trips, etc. In addition, each year the families elect parents to 2 yr. terms on the board of directors (CEC is a non-profit organization, and the parent-run board is required by its charter), which sets the long range financial and programmatic goals for the school. My husband is currently serving on the board and has found that it's a great way to be involved with our children's education. Another nice thing about CEC is that it provides 5 programs: infant (3 mos. and up), toddler, 2's, pre-school, and pre-K. The pre-K program was added last year to help bridge the gap for 5 yr. olds who are waiting to go to kindergarten the following school year. The head teacher in that room is a Cal Biology graduate, and he puts his background to great use.

I think our own situation illustrates why we are so positive about CEC. We moved from the east coast to Berkeley 3 years ago when my daughter Stephanie was 2.5 yrs. old and I was about 6 months pregnant with our second daughter, Julie. We were coming from a home-based daycare situation, and the multiple transitions of moving away from my husband's family as well as our sitter's family was extremely difficult on all of us. Stephanie was very shy and withdrawn at first, but the staff made a concerted effort to bring her out. My husband and I were extremely impressed with the thought and the care which the teachers used in helping both Stephanie (and us) adjust to a completely new environment. Through their efforts, Stephanie soon came into her own and really flourished at CEC. When Stephanie graduated from CEC last spring, we really realized how secure she had become and how much she had grown up in just 3 years. With many tears shed both by us and the teachers, Stephanie left CEC last fall to start kindergarten, and we know that her experiences at CEC will be with her for a long time to come. We started Julie as an infant at 3 months, and now she is having a great time in their "2's" room.

Our family has benefited immensely from our association with CEC. If you're looking for a childcare center environment, it's definitely worth looking into.