We used this couple years ago for our daughter. I was worried leaving her the first day and by day two I knew she was in good hands with the husband wife team of Bao Yeh and Meng in their home which has been renovated and outfitted with childrens equipment,books, supplies, activity toys, and learning devices. They run a very structured program in English and some Chinese for children 4 months to 4 years old of all cultures.Hours are 8 a.m.-5:30 p.m. The yard has a kiddie pool, gazebo, and a garden to learn and play in. Healthy meals are provided as are quiet nap times. My child cried the day I left her there and then cried everyday when I came to take her home- she wanted to stay with Bao and Meng! It has been 14 years now and we remain as friends. The business has grown impressively.They are licenced and are excellent choices for people to which you can trust your most valuable treasures-your kids. The kids make friends and seem to get along joyously without concerns about age or gender. I highly recommend Great Start Childcare on Blake Street. They are the greatest! Contact: Bao Yeh or Meng, 510-841-6452
T. Watts

I have nothing but warm praise for Great Start Day Care in Berkeley. It's the only place I found with a (full time) husband and wife team and a low child::adult ratio. All meals are included - perfect for the busy parent!

Bao was incredibly patient with my son who started at 7 months when I had to go back to work - a tough transition from nursing on demand. All my son talks about now, at 20 months, is ''Meng!'' - his favorite person in the world. He loves Bao's cooking and their wonderful backyard. I love the great variety of clean, well-organized toys - that the kids actually put away after using (so all the pieces aren't promptly lost as I saw at other daycares). Bao is formally trained as a teacher, and you can tell from the way she approaches her interactions with the kids - showing them snails and encouraging the kids to touch them, teaching them songs, reading them stories. This is high quality childcare.

If you're looking for a clean, warm, loving, somewhat structured environment, give Bao a call. Contact: Bao, 510-841-6452

Our wonderful daycare has an opening for a child 4 or 5 days a week. There will also be a few spots up in September when some children will transition to preschool or kindergarden. Great Start Child Care is run by Bao and Meng Ren, a loving couple, who have turned their home into a bright, joyous and educational environment for children ages 4 months-4 years. They also have a beautiful backyard with lots of space, a kiddie pool, shaded gazebo, etc. We have been so happy to have found them. They make the experience wonderful for the kids AND the parents. Their hours are 8:00am-5:30 pm and they provide wonderful nutritious meals during the day for the children. In addition, there are no more than 7 kids on any day, so the ratio is excellent. Please call Bao to schedule a visit soon, at 510-841-6452, as the spaces will fill up fast. You can also call me for a reference, and more glowing reviews can be found on the BPN site

Nila

Pamela highly recommends her wonderful childcare provider Baoyue Ren. She is loving, playful and very attentive to the needs of the children in her care. My 2 year-old son Ryan adores her and is always happy to see her. Care and meals are provided in her clean, pleasant home in Berkeley where the children enjoy playing inside with lots of toys and get plenty of fresh air outside in a large backyard. She can also provide instruction in Mandarin. My son will soon be going off to preschool so Baoyue has openings for children 3 years old or younger. Please contact Baoyue at (510) 841-6452

Pamela

In-home daycare. Mandarin and English speakers. Gentle and competent care, great food, well equipped, clean. I've had my son there since 2003. He's been happy, confident, & well looked after. Three openings as he & two of his friends graduate to preschool.
Contact: Bao Ren, 510-841-6452

The wonderful, warm, loving day care that was my son's home away from home for 3 years (he has recently graduated to preschool) has an immediate opening for an infant or toddler -- full time preferred. ''Great Start Child Care'' is a home day care operated by wife/husband team Bao and Meng Ren. Bao has been doing child care for over 15 years, first as a nanny and now as a day care operator. Her husband, Meng, is her full time assistant. They are licensed for 12 kids but only take 6 to 8 with two full time adults, so the ratio is low. They have a large, sunny backyard where the kids can play, and toys for every stage of development. My son loved it there, and we both miss it already! Contact Bao directly or call or email me for me details -- Diane
Contact: Bao Ren, 510-841-6452

My son's wonderful family day care, Great Start Child Care, has an immediate opening for a child of any age (most kids there are between 0 and 3) -- the opening is full time only. You can read my glowing review in the archive. The only thing I have to add is that, in the 2 years since I wrote that review, I have continued to be every bit as happy with the warm, loving care my son (now 3 and soon to graduate to preschool) has received in the care of wife and husband team Baoyue and Meng Ren. They are located on Blake near Sacramento in Berkeley. They are licensed for 12 kids, but only take 7 or 8 at most, so the kids get plenty of one on one attention. I can't recommend them highly enough. Contact Bao directly, or call or email me for me details -- Diane
Contact: Baoyue Ren, 510-841-6452

I enthusiastically recommend Great Start Childcare, a home daycare run by Bao and Meng Ren. Great Start is located in West Berkeley on Blake, west of Sacramento. The hours are 8 am to 5:30 pm. There are P/T and two F/T openings soon. My son has been with Bao since he was 9 weeks old. Even when he was very young, he broke into huge smiles when he saw her. Bao and Meng are patient and loving; things never seem chaotic or out of control. The children read books, sing, and get lots of exercise in the backyard play area. As they grow, the children learn to put away toys, share with the other children, and help with simple tasks. Bao and Meng are very in tune with what children like/want, and it is clear that the children adore them. The cost is more than a typical home daycare, but it is absolutely worth it to me to have my child there. I recommend Great Start without reservation. Please feel free to contact me or Bao (841-6452) for more information. Sharon

I would like to highly recommend ''Great Start Child Care'', a family daycare run by Baoyue Ren, with the fulltime assistance of her husband Meng. Great Start Child Care is located on Blake Street in Berkeley, 1.5 blocks west of Sacramento. They accept a maximum of 6 children, so there is a low child/caregiver ratio.

My ten month old son has been in Bao and Meng's care for 5 months. What impressed me most about this day care when I first visited is how incredibly happy all the children there are -- Bao and Meng are very warm and loving with the children, who obviously adore them. My son now breaks into a great big smile every morning when he first sees Bao and Meng. Bao was a nanny for 10 years prior to opening her daycare a few years ago -- she has a really good intuitive sense with children, and is very flexible about nap and feeding schedules -- as she says, she does ''what the baby needs''. Bao and Meng's house is filled with toys appropriate for all stages of development, and they have a large, sunny, fenced-in yard where the children can play. Although it's never easy leaving your child with someone else, it's so much easier when you feel as good about your child care providers as I do about mine.

If anyone would like additional information about this daycare, feel free to contact me. Diane
contact Bao and Meng: 510 841-6452