Sunset Park Playhouse Daycare

I was looking for a child care center that was small and intimate — as it was the first time my almost 3 year old would be cared for by anyone other than myself. I have to be honest — the first couple months were rough for my son as I had just moved back to Brooklyn and it was his first time in the big city from living in the suburbs. It was a difficult adjustment; for my son to express himself socially and emotionally. But with Rita and family’s patience and kindness — a year later, my son was thriving and demonstrating leadership skills. My son is speaking Spanish, showing great manners and knows how to share. Rita’s team truly makes you feel like a part of the family, they are always eager to help. Not to mention their delicious, healthy and fresh home cooked meals!
Rita is great with working closely with parents to demonstrate acceptable behavioral rules of etiquette at home and at the center for consistency.
My son was supposed to start Pre K a year after he started at Rita’s but because I was unsatisfied with where his placement was in the public school system, I was more than happy to keep him at Rita’s for another year. I am confident he will be ready to start Kindergarten. With that said, I will be very sad to leave Rita’s when the time for Kindergarten comes. He’s made unforgettable friends and great relationships.
I will never forget Sunset Park Playhouse — I know my son is ready to begin public school with great structure and foundation!

Rita and her team are amazing caregivers! They are passionate and tireless in every effort. They always cook super healthy and delicious meals for the kids; sometimes organic, sometimes vegetarian. They teach them about the food they’re eating and take them to the neighborhood garden to teach them where it comes from. The place is spotless, warmly decorated, and always smells nice. The team’s energy is bottomless; they dance, sing, read, do arts and crafts, create sensory experiences, and run around with he kids. No TV or devices which I love– they use youtube videos as an educational tool for less than 10 minutes a day. They have a nice clean yard with tons of outside toys and they go to the playground when the weather permits. They keep a daily routine and have a beautiful clean space for nap time. It’s about a 15 minute car ride for us each way so we have looked closer to home but have never felt as comfortable as we do with the knowledge that our baby is in an environment that we trust and couldn’t be happier with. Educationally I can’t say enough about Rita and her team. Watching my son as compared to other 2.5÷3 yos, I’m blown away. Besides the ABCs, phonetics, numbers to 20, colors, shapes, and helping me reinforce Spanish, they’re phenomenal about manners, not wasting water, washing hands, independence, and discipline when necessary.
I highly recommend Sunset Park Playhouse. I am confident it’ll be one of the best options you’ll run into for daycare.

After a year at Sunset Park Playhouse, we’re moving out of Brooklyn. We are devastated taking our son out of this program. He made his first friends and he learned so much. We wish we could bring the Playhouse with us. I really think Rita’s program got him off to an amazing start — both his speech and his ability to socialize are beyond his years. Thank you so much! We’ll miss you all!

Our daughter has been attending Sunset Park Playhouse since she was 13 months old. At four, she still thrives in Rita’s warm, nurturing, educational and fun environment. After searching all over Brooklyn looking for a good fit, we were thrilled to find SPP because it was the first place that didn’t feel like a baby factory. Rita and her staff are exquisitely sensitive to the needs of each child and address each child’s needs in a loving, yet firm way. The kids have fun together, learn a LOT (our daughter is reading and writing), and get lots of exercise, in the form of daily dance parties, playing in the super fun backyard, going for walks, etc. All this is hard enough to find, but what I doubt you’ll find anywhere else is the emphasis Rita and the staff place on healthy eating. Meals are fresh, homemade, super-​healthy and still manage to be kid-​friendly. Think your kid doesn’t like spinach? They’ll love Rita’s homemade spinach balls! On Halloween, they made a skeleton out of veggies and my daughter begged for it again at home that weekend (and scarfed the kale hair!) While other places take the easy route of frozen pizza and chicken nuggets (guilty of it at home, too sometimes), kids at SPP will not only enjoy healthy, home-​cooked food, but will learn why it’s healthy, help in the preparation in an age-​appropriate way and grow veggies and herbs in the backyard!
Additionally, Rita is an excellent communicator, always willing to take time to discuss behavior, schedules, development or any questions or concerns that arise. It truly feels like having a partner in your child-​rearing, rather than just a place to have your kid while you work. At this point, we consider Rita family and feel so lucky to have had our daughter in her and the staff’s capable, loving hands for as long as she has been. It has given her an excellent foundation.

Our 4 year old son who is now in Pre-​k attended Sunset Park Playhouse (formally known as Learn & Play at Rita’s)from the age of 8wks old up until he was almost 4yrs old. Rita took excellent care of him and taught him a lot during his time there. She was very nurturing and knowledgeable. We were so happy with the care our 4yr old received that we have now entrusted our 4 month old son to Rita’s care (since 8 wks old as well). We travel out of our way from Kensington, Brooklyn to utilize Sunset Park playhouse for our childcare. It’s affordable and quality care for your precious little ones.

Rita and her mother Luz have both become like extended family to me. I was initially very hesitant to put my daughter in daycare after having a brief, yet bad experience with a different one, but after the first week at Rita’s place, I knew this was going to be a different story. Rita communicates with us every morning and afternoon about my daughter’s day– what she’s learning (in both English and Spanish), her social and developmental progress, and suggestions for what we can continue to work on and develop at home. They also serve home-​made, healthy, and mostly organic food for breakfast, lunch, dinner and 2 snacks throughout the day. I often leave the place wishing that I could stay for lunch because the house smells so good!
We’ve been at Rita’s Place for almost 2 years and within that time, I’ve watched my daughter progress and grow tremendously! From barely talking to an expanded vocabulary in English and Spanish… she’s also a pro at the potty and she’s made some great friends. Rita’s Place is also affordably priced and I always feel like I get wayyy more than what I pay for.

Rita has been caring for my daughter since September and I couldnt be happier. We are so lucky to have found her daycare. The intimate setting really allows the children to thrive and its obvious how much the adults truly care. My daughter has learned so much, like counting to ten in Spanish! She looks forward to daycare every day.