Albany Sunflower Daycare

Our two-year-old attended Albany Sunflower Day Care for over a year, and we truly feel so lucky to have found this place. From day one, Helen has been an incredibly kind, attentive, and patient caretaker. She brings a calm and nurturing energy that our son responded to immediately. Mornings can be a bit of a challenge for us -- he often resists getting out the door -- but the moment he saw Helen, he would light up and completely settle down. It gave us a lot of peace of mind knowing he was in such loving hands. One of the reasons we gravitated towards Sunflower Day Care is the Mandarin immersion. We don't speak Chinese at home, but after a year, our son developed an impressive understanding of Mandarin and built a solid vocabulary for his age. It's been amazing to see him respond to Mandarin phrases, sing songs, and even surprise us by using words we didn't know he'd learned. The environment at Sunflower Day Care is warm and structured. You can tell Helen genuinely cares about every child and puts so much effort into making sure they're happy, engaged, and learning. We're so grateful for everything Helen and her daycare have done for our family.

My 2-yr old daughter has been attending Albany Sunflower Daycare for close to 2 months now. We cannot say enough good things about Ms. Helen and the care that she provides. The daycare is clean, bright and very well organized. The fees are quite reasonable given that Ms. Helen provides all snacks and lunch, and the hours are long (8-5:30pm, though we usually pick up our daughter much earlier). Ms. Helen is truly very kind and spends a lot of time teaching the children various subjects (colors, counting, animals, good behavior). As native English speakers, we were initially a little nervous about placing our daughter in an only-Mandarin speaking environment, but the transition was very easy and I believe the change in language enables a very stimulating environment. I love hearing about the different Chinese foods that my daughter gets to try during the day and the basic Chinese words that she is learning. Whenever I go to pick-up my daughter she refuses to leave! A true testament to the loving, caring environment provided by Ms. Helen!

Jalen had an amazing time in his 2+ years at Albany Sunflower Daycare (ASD). Miss Helen, the primary caregiver and teacher is such a sweet, caring, and loving person. Although ASD is primarily a Mandarin speaking facility, Jalen had no problems learning and following directions. Jalen has also learned a good amount of Mandarin, which he also teaches us at home. The facility is clean and organized. The outside play area is quite large and padded and kids will have no problem finding something that they would like. Miss Helen was a major influence on Jalen growing into a sweet, caring, and curious boy. Over his 2 years at ASD, he’s learned to interact with other children of various ages and listen to adults. Some of the major things he’s learned and practiced at his time at ASD were sharing, following a schedule, writing, coloring and drawing, and eating on his own. ASD is very understanding of each child’s needs and try to cater each child’s development to their own speed. As we were potty training Jalen, ASD was very supportive and further helped his development while at daycare. Overall, we had such a wonderful experience with Albany Sunflower Daycare. As we transition Jalen to pre-school, we are confident that he has the skills and abilities to thrive and learn in his new environment. We are so thankful for Jalen’s time at Albany Sunflower Daycare. He loves Miss Helen and will miss her dearly.