• Owner: Sara Mendez
• Phone: 510-548-2815, 510-334-7956
• Email: sunshinedaycareberkeley@gmail.com
• Neighborhood: S. Berkeley, between Sacramento and San Pablo, one street away from Ashby
• Zip: 94702
• License #: 013420401
• Capacity: 8
• Website:
• Bilingual: Spanish
• Ages:

Sunshine Daycare is the best daycare we've seen in the East Bay, and we looked at lots of them. If you live in South Berkeley or North oakland, you really should try to get a spot! Sara Mendez runs a small, clean, professional daycare that feels more like a school than a home-based operation. She has several wonderful assistants, provides good food, and gives the kids tons of outdoor time (they have a huge beautiful backyard). A couple darkened nap rooms allow the kids to sleep peacefully without waking each other. She takes a few infants and a few toddlers but keeps the numbers low. Most importantly, Sara and her staff imbue the kids with good manners and respect for each other. The combination of a beautiful facility, a huge outdoor play space, a mix of structure and freedom, and a small size makes every child (and parent) so happy at Sunshine. She can be reached at sunshinedaycareberkeley@gmail.com or 510-334-7956.
Jamie

Like most new moms I was nervous about my 4 month old starting daycare. As a MSW I have experience with child development and interviews so I developed a long set of interview questions and talked with almost 20 local providers. I made an appointment at Sunshine, walked in, and my questions felt silly - this place was perfect and then I was really impressed with her thoughtfulness and passion for children! The house is so clean, so bright with books, toys and a backyard better than most parks. Sara Mendez and her mother clearly love children and are gifted in their patience and laughter. Ten months later I love picking up my daughter, everyone is smiling, well fed and relaxed after a busy day. Sara has two older children leaving for pre-school and will be looking for infants to start soon. Give Sara a call, her prices are reasonable and when children are ready she prepares homemade, healthy food. She has always been responsive to my questions and concerns. I can't say enough good things about our experience with Sunshine, feel free to contact me for a parent perspective.

I would highly recommend Sara (Sunshine Daycare) as a child care provider in any other family in need of day care service because, first of all, she loves kids. She was almost a daytime mom to my daughter. Sometimes, I felt jealous about how well she bonded with my baby. Haelee had been attending this Sunshine daycare from 3 months old up until we moved to New York. They have a huge outdoor playground and would prepare homemade food for kids (if you want). I love and miss this sweet family. Haelee's mom Kristine

Our 2-year old has been in love with this daycare since he was five months old. It is a clean, professional, home-based daycare near the Ashby BART run by Sara and her mother. The best thing about Sunshine is the careful attention that Sara gives to the kids, all of whom love the big yard and the many toys (no TV!). Sara keeps things pretty small, usually no more than 6-7 kids, which allows the kids to have enough playmates without things being too crazy. Sara can be reached at laprincesasarita@gmail.com.

I highly recommend Sara Mendez's Sunshine daycare with no reservations. Our son was there for almost a year in 2010 and we felt that he was loved and cared for very well. Their outdoor space set-up is exceptional with a huge yard, and a brick raceway for little wheelers to go round and round all day. There's a great big lawn space with play structures and a big deck to hang out in. My boy loved being outdoors and this is his place of choice when we were reviewing daycares. There was always an aroma of fresh home cooking which won over my food-driven then 1 year old right away. Most importantly, everyone in Sara's family is kind and loving and took great interest in every child. We also enjoyed the small size care, easier to manage colds and seasonal illnesses. We were also very impressed with how clean and organized it was, stocked with only carefully chosen quality age appropriate toys. We really enjoyed our time there. Angela

I highly recommend Sunshine Daycare. Sara Mendez & her family have been a second family to my 22-month-old daughter since she was 6 months old. Sara has a beautiful clean home with a huge grassy yard & a large selection of indoor & outdoor toys, books & craft supplies. She has a passion for children, always finding great deals on new toys & supplies to keep them stimulated. She and her mother Marina typically maintain a 1:3 caregiver/child ratio with ample cuddle time & attention for both the babies & the toddlers. They speak Spanish to the children; my daughter can now understand & speak both English & Spanish. They provide homemade meals & snacks and maintain a schedule yet remain flexible to meet the needs of full-time working parents. Parents & grandparents can visit anytime. Sara's husband, daughter & son are often around to play with the kids, making it a family atmosphere & a home away from home for my daughter, who talks about them daily. If you want the intimacy of nanny/grandparent care coupled with socialization with other children, check out Sunshine Daycare. Email me anytime to chat.
Demet

I recommend sunshine daycare wholeheartedly. Sara is an energetic,creative,and extremely loving person. She cares so much about each child and how they are developing.My daughter spends her sun-filled days with lots of interesting and engaging toys, pretend play and games. Sara loves being with the kids and always has fun imaginative activities to do with the them. Sara comes up with fun crafts to do with the kids around each holiday-even very young children do creative projects and learn to paint and draw-we are amazed at what our little girl does there! Sara speaks Spanish with them and does educational games with them in English. The atmosphere of the home is enveloped in love, peace, cooperation, respect and mindfulness. The home is clean, and the back yard is huge and beautiful. Sara is also a budding photographer, and posts hundreds of pictures of the kids playing with each other. I am amazed by the amount of energy she puts into her daycare. My daughter loves it there, and we will be very sad to say goodbye. They are a beautiful family who have welcomed our daughter warmheartedly into their home. Contact: Sara Mendez, laprincesasarita@gmail.com

I want to highly recommend Sunshine daycare in South Berkeley. It is a licensed family daycare that opened early this year, run by mother and daughter, both with many years of experience in working with children. And that is definitely a gift of theirs: both have a natural affinity for children, and a genuine interest in their emerging personalities. And they are lots of fun too. My daughter loves the place and so do I.

Beautiful space with large outdoors, affordable, homemade food, safe, clean and above all, very loving. Activities include art, gardening, dancing, reading, and outside play (there will soon be a sandbox in the backyard). The mother is speaking Spanish to the kids.

They currently have three infants at 6, 13 and 16 months, and are looking now for kids 2 years and older (there will be a maximum of 8 kids). Open from 7.30 am-5.30 pm 5 days/week, .

Contact Sara for more information. Contact: Sara, laprincesasarita@gmail.com

March 2006

I'm writing in recommendation of Sunshine Daycare. My 19-month old daughter has been attending since November 2005, when Alex first opened her small family daycare. Alex has twenty years of experience working in preschools, plus all the basics (CPR, First aid, safe and clean space, loves children, etc.). Sunshine Daycare has been great for my daughter; it's sort of in-between a family daycare and a preschool. She gets lots of personal attention (up until this point, there has been a 4:1 ratio--this may shift if Alex gets older children), and yet there is some structure to her day (indoor/outdoor time, snacks and lunch, naptime). Alex also writes up daily reports for us, so we get detailed info about the day's events. On most days, we all go for a walk to the park after school. Feel free to call Alex (510) 965-0510 or email me if you have any questions.
Thet