Garden Daycare

Our son has been at Garden Daycare for half a year now and it is baby and parent approved! We looked at a couple places for our then 10 month old and they were all really similar (for our families budget). We landed on this one because when we got to tour the facility, he had a great time. It is helpful seeing how a daycare runs and how happy and content the children are before you leave your child to a non-​relative.
What I personally love about Garden Daycare is their homemade organic food that they provide to my son. He enjoys it so much that he asks for seconds and thirds. I know that he is well fed and cared for by 3 generations of Russian women when he’s not with me! I really enjoy the updates throughout the day as well as the attention to their health and well being when they are at daycare. I’ve already referred 2 friends to this place and hope that I’ve convinced your family to consider bringing your children here too.

Now that is has been just over 6 months of my son attending Vikas Garden, I felt it was time to review. We are in love with «mama Vika», Stacey and the girls who help out with our son. My little man is now a year and a half and asks for them on the days he is not with them. That says a lot! He is so loved from this family owned (3 generations) daycare, that they run out of their home. It has the most cozy and comfortable feeling for everyone. I don’t know how they find the time to cook but all meals are prepared and some times there are extras that Vika sends home with me. I can’t seem to feed it fast enough to my little shark;) The location is great for anyone commuting into work in San Francisco from the peninsula, as I do. Knowing my son is with these ladies while I work, is so comforting! They run a tight ship, as we do at home! Influencing the older kids to look out for the younger and the younger to respect the older. I think that’s important.
Thank you ladies of Garden Daycare! We love you! See you Friday ;)

My toddler loved Vika and her home made food a lot! I think all kids at the preschool just adored Vika and her daughter Stacey. She’s in 5^th grade now but keeps remembering all the fun she had there quite often. Would highly recommend this preschool.

I have known Vika and her family for almost 5 years and she has taken care of both of my boys. My older son started here when he was 18 months and absolutely loved every minute of it. My younger son loves going to Vika’s too. When my youngest started preschool 3 days a week, I decided to keep him at Vika’s 2 days a week because he loved it so much and also because Vika loves him so much I just couldn’t take him away from her!
Vika cooks 3 healthy organic meal a day for the children. Both of my boys can’t get enough of her soup! In fact, my older son will only eat vegetables if they are in Vikas soup, when I told her this she started sending soup home for him whenever she can.
Garden daycare is amazing because as loving as Vika and Stacie are, they do not put up with bad behavior and have molded my boys into loving kids who know how to treat others with respect.
I can’t recommend Garden daycare more highly, it’s the best.

Where do I start… Honestly, if I could give them more than 5 stars I would.
My son Julian has been coming here since July and he has quickly become part of the Garden Daycare family. Vika and Stacy love my son so much and it shows. My little boy really enjoys coming here and misses his friends when he’s away. My favorite thing about Garden Daycare is that they keep him on a schedule but work with my son to make sure he’s comfortable and happy too. They are so wonderful with him! I can’t say enough about the amount of care my son gets when he is here. I love that they text me with updates throughout the day and send me pictures of him enjoying himself.
The place is ALWAYS clean. Since my son has been coming here, he has learned that he must clean up after he is done playing. He’s also learned to «keep his hands to himself» lol and to be gentle. When you come and visit Garden Daycare, you’ll notice that none of the children look stressed out or unhappy. That was one of the biggest reasons why we chose Garden Daycare.
Communication is awesome with Vika and Stacy. They are super flexible with my schedule and they genuinely love my kiddo.
Thank you Vika and Stacy!

Vika’s Garden Daycare came highly recommended by two friends. My son went to Vika’s from the time he was 1 until 3, when he started preschool. Garden Daycare is like a family! You feel confident and relieved to know that Vika, Stacy and their staff are taking wonderful care of your baby. They treat them like they are their own children. Since Vika also taught at a preschool prior to starting her own daycare, she also teaches the kids and they are well prepared to start school. Vika cooks all the food she serves the kids, from scratch! My son learned to love vegetable soup from Vika’s wonderful cooking. Vika is also very flexible with days that you can attend and worked around our schedule, where she had space. My son had a very positive experience at Garden Daycare and I recommend them to all my friends that have babies and looking for a place to take your precious children.

Absolutely cannot say enough positive things about this daycare! They give my son the same level of love and care that I expect from family members. They have welcomed us into their «extended family» with open arms and have taken great care of our son since the age of 6 months. Amazing people working there and the kids all love them like family!

My daughter Eva has been going to Garden Daycare since she was eighteen months old. She is 4 years old now. Vika and her daughter Stacey love her as their own. The amount of love and care she has had there has been amazing for my little girl. The combination of younger and older kids in the daycare is such a plus. Eva has learned to be very caring and loving with smaller kids and babies. Plus, she made her best friends who are closer to her age. Vika snd Stacey teach kids the alphabet and the numbers every day. Garden Daycare is not just a daycare! This is a preschool, a playground, a warm home with homemade cooked meals. Eva often says to me «I like Vika’s cooking better than yours mama.» Well, Vika, I have some serious homework to do! :)
I leave my kid with Vika and Stacey feeing safe and secure. Garden Daycare is a place where kids feel like home. This is more than what I ever imaginged to get for my child being away from me and our home.
Thank you Vika and Stacey for everything you do !!

Vika and her daughter are outstanding! We were new to the city with one boy in Kindergarten and another 2 years old that spends his time with Vika. We’ve met parents at our older son’s school who were so positive about how ready their child was for kindergarten due to Vika’s curriculum and involvement at all age levels. We get a schedule every month about the upcoming learning activities. Vika encourages sibling visits and strives to be connected with you at every level of your child’s progression.
Her positive reinforcement and interactive learning environment has been wonderful for our two working parent household. I can’t say how much I appreciate Vika’s handoffs in the evening which outline wins, milestones and opportunities we have to reinforce for our little one’s progression.
You’ll find families here that have been working with Vika for years! Hands down this is the best child care secret in the Sunset!

Don’t come here. The owners are mean to kids, and they yell at them when parents aren’t looking. They smile at the parents but frown at the kids. If you love your child, please go somewhere else

My son has been going to Vika’s since he was 6 months old, before that he was at home with his Gma. I know the daycare search is tough «where will I put my kid» «will he be loved» «will they make sure he is ok, and safe» all the natural worries… you can stop looking.
I am so thankful that when we needed to find day care, Vika had space. My girlfriend sends her 2 boys there, I trust her with my life, so this was an easy decision for me. And after visiting the place (I had stopped in many times, with my husband and my mother) we were sold.
Vika is an extremely energetic, warm, honest, loving, quick, attentive, in control motherly child educator/​whisperer/​chef, with years and years of experience. She truly adores every one of her kids and treats them like her own. Vika and her team are always interacting with the kids, playing games, reading stories, teaching them manners, engaging them in art activities, (which can be seen decorated all over the walls and entry way). When the days are nice I know the kids will be out in the backyard, enjoying the fresh air. Vika makes sure the kids have sun hats and are lathered up well with sunscreen.
These kids are also fed, nutritious, organic, healthy foods. I don’t know how she does it, but she makes this veggie soup/​mush that my kid inhales!
We love it here. And I can tell that my son who smiles and reaches for Vika and Stacey, (Vika’s daughter) is happy there to.
I also like that Vika has holiday parties and the parents get a chance to meet and get together, it really feels like a family/​community. And when a child has a birthday, the kids get to see each other outside of day care.
Sending my son to day care was hard, very hard — but finding Vika was a HUGE relief. I know that when I pick him up, he will have been given his naps, was fed well, given many hugs and kisses and had a great time playing and interacting with everyone there.
Thank you Vika and team for loving and taking care of my baby!

We love Vika’s Garden! My daughter has been attending for almost a year now and she’s almost 3.
Rest assured my review is very honest. We are unfortunately transferring our daughter from Vika’s at the end of the month due to personal circumstances and definitely not because we don’t like it there (I am pregnant and Vika’s is too far from our house for me to commute every day so we’re transferring to a closer location).
But our loss will be somebody’s gain as Vika’s does have a waiting list. I myself always recommend it to others and have heard from other moms that Vika’s has been recommended by many to them.
When my daughter started we all had a lot of anxiety since she’s been with the family up till that point and the transition was hard for all of us.
We toured a lot of other daycares and this one we liked the most.
The place is neat, has kids’ art and photos everywhere and is very safe — there is a gate, a locked door to the house and a security camera pointed at the front door. The backyard is very nice and clean and shielded from the wind. There is a big playroom and 2 bedrooms. Not sure about the smell that somebody mentioned here, I never noticed anything like that. They have a LOT of different toys, books, puzzles, games, blocks, legos and whatever you can think of for kids to play with.
We also really liked Vika’s energy and the other teachers. They are all very very nice and caring.
Vika and her team made our transition to full time care much easier for all of us. My husband and I probably called her 20 times a day every day and she always talked to us and told us everything that was going on with our child. We were also concerned about our daughter losing her potty training and that didn’t happen — Vika and the team are very good with potty training and kept our daughter’s schedule so everything worked out well with that. Another concern was eating — she didn’t like to chew big chunks of food at the time. Vika took time and worked with our daughter to get her to chew the food well. Vika does provide home made meals for kids that my daughter eats really well.
Vika and her team give kids a lot of attention, play with them, talk to them, dance with them, learn alphabet, numbers, sounds, songs. They do craft projects almost every day which is awesome — we have a huge bag full and a huge wall covered with crafts at home! They do have and watch TV but thats ok with us considering they take very good care of our daughter.
My daughter talks of Vika and the girls that work there as her friends and gives them hugs and kisses when she sees them. She also made friends there and talks about them all the time.
We are sad to be leaving but as i said our loss will be somebody else’s gain, for sure!

We looked at a few other daycare providers in the neighborhood, and they all had advantages and disadvantages. While there are things Vika’s Garden that I disapprove of, like TV time and candy handouts to the good listeners, I can now relax and know that my daughter is in a safe and nurturing environment. We checked with some of the other parents before enrolling our daughter, and the feedback was consistantly positive, so we felt ok with our decision. Sure, I wish there was more outside playtime and less TV time, but she’s socializing with other kids, and they are kept busy with art projects and the alphabet. Overall, if you’re looking for a safe place with structure and activities, Garden Daycare is a good choice.

I’ve always though reviewing a daycare was a little odd — after all the true «customer» probably won’t be able to write for several more years, at which point it’s likely their memory of their time there is probably about as reliable as a day old diaper. Which is probably why the Unilocal reviews of daycares tend toward the positive. After all, if my child is still in your care, the likelihood of a scathing review is pretty slim. No one wants to bite the hand that feeds their child.
But, since my child has moved on, I feel that I can give an honest assessment of Vika’s Garden Daycare.
Vika runs a tight ship, discipline wise. We seldom, if ever, heard stories from our son about hitting, biting, etc. If such things occurred, they were clearly nipped in the bud. There were no mini-​Attila the Huns that I could see. But while Vika can be no-​nonsense when it comes to behavior, it doesn’t mean that she doesn’t genuinely care about her charges. After our off-​spring «graduated» we paid a visit and it was clear from her expression that she genuinely missed him. She also brought out one of his best friends to our car to say hello, which to me said a lot — that she cared enough to know who was his buddy and that he might have missed him.
I will be the first to admit that I was probably a less than ideal customers — I let my son wear rain boots for weeks on end. I can also appear standoff-​ish to others. But through it all, for two years Vika was gracious and took great care of my son and maybe even helped me learn to trust others just a bit more.

My little boy spent 3 years at Vika’s and without a doubt it was the best decision we ever made. This is not an ordinary daycare. The kids get constant love and attention from Vika, her Mom, daughter and staff. They have a schedule of activities every single day from learning the alphabet, to drawing, to going over what day of the week it is, making holiday cards for the family. The list of activities is endless. You would assume all day cares would be this organized and attentive to the kids. Which in reality is not the case. Vika’s is the exception. The only reason Garden Daycare is not qualified to be a Pre School is Vika loves the babies! She wants kids of all ages and Pre School’s are not suppose to be caring for kids so young.
It’s exciting to see my little buddy in Kindergarten but its disappointing not dropping him off at Vika’s anymore. I miss the morning conversation, smell of soup and Vika asking…“Luca did you eat breakfast? Luca? Luca?” «Yes I already ate.» «Ok love love.» Kids grow up too fast.

My daughter has been going to Vika’s since she was 4 months old (!) Now if you’re a mum, especially a first-​time mum like me, you understand the gut-​wrenching anxiety once faces when putting your 4 month old in the hands of a complete stranger.
I visited several daycares before finding Vika’s — they ranged from very nice to no-​freaking-​way. When I walked into Vika’s it was a done deal. The minute I stepped foot in her home, she asked to hold my baby and cooed and ahhhed over her the entire 30 minutes I was there. I didn’t get her back until I left — now that was a very positive sign! Two of the other daycares I visited didn’t even hold my baby when I visited.
She sat through my list of questions and answered them patiently while holding my baby and talking to her and making her laugh. She is a warm, caring women but also with a no-​nonsense attitude, which is what drew me to her. She’ll help to reinforce great, positive behaviour in your child and teaching them manners and consideration of others, while being flexible in what they need on an individual level.
She makes homemade meals for all the kids that they all gobble up (sometimes it’s hard to get my now 1-​year old to eat dinner at home because she’s such a piggy for Vika’s food during the day!)
She’s been doing this for over 12 years and has an abundance of knowledge and info. as well as love and joy for all the kids she looks after. Vika’s family is usually around also (her adult daughter and her mother) so it’s awesome to see 3 generations of family interacting with the kids and providing a warm, loving environment.
My 1 year old has never once cried when I’ve left. She usually sees Vika, her assistants or Vika’s mother and I immediately become chopped liver! I might get a goodbye wave, but usually once she gets in the door she’s off to start her day. She’s a super social kid and I think being at Vika’s has been a huge benefit to her emotional and social growth.
There’s lots of singing and dancing and artwork and learning on a daily basis. It makes me wish I could spend everyday at Vika’s as a kid :)
I couldn’t recommend Vika enough. When I convince my husband to have our next kid, they will be going to Vika’s too.

There is a place, a place of many rooms and an attached garden. The place is Vika’s Garden Daycare. You shall go to it. There you will find a woman, a woman named Vika. She is cooler than you. Do not try to fight it, just accept it. Do you speak Russian? I think not. Do not even try. You shall look like a fool.
You shall leave your child with Vika and her cohort. It is always hard to leave your child some where new. Fear gnaws at the mind like Nidhogg (
). But fear not, when you return, you shall find your child rested, happy and full of stew, good stew, home made stew, with lots of beefs and vegetable is in it.
Go now, and find comfort in having found such an amazing daycare.
Post Script — After you go to Vika’s, go get yourself a pork pun at Victor’s Bakery. Yum!

Vikas Garden is a wonderful place for babies and toddlers alike. Vika is 100% reliable!
The daycare takes up a full floor so there is plenty of stimulation and socialization in a secure and nurturing environment. The outdoor area can even be shaded if it gets too sunny, a big plus for the pastey San Francisco babes.
Vika was a kindergarten teacher for many years– so although Garden is a daycare it is very organized and there is plenty of structured learning time for the older toddler. This isnt my first trip to the rodeo and I can tell you kids love structure. It makes them feel secure and helps with better daily routines at the Garden and at home.
In my opinion Vika is especially great with boys. She understands their energy but she is diligent in keeping the peace. She teaches manners, respect, sharing and caring, from A to Z. She gives a level of consistency and professionalism that I admire.

I had my son at Garden Daycare when I first moved to San Francisco. Vika was great and took extra good care of my son. He was always happy when I arrived and never wanted to leave. In just a short while he had learned so much and loved to do his artwork and sing songs.
Thank God for Garden Daycare and Vika for taking the time to care and interact with my child. It made going to work that much easier knowing my son was in good hands.

I’m done having kids so I can let the secret out. Garden Daycare rocks.
Vika, the owner/​operator provides a warm loving environment where the kids feel special. Kids have areas to play inside and outside. Vika always provides healthy, home cooked meals for the kids (puts me to shame) that they actually eat! Most importantly, the children love spending the day with her.
We’re on our 3^rd child attending Garden Daycare — our ‘graduates’ still like to stop-​in when we’re picking up their brother i.e. they have very fond memories of Vika.