05/28/2011
Our son has attended Teddy Bears Care for about a year, but we feel like we've been part of the Teddy Bears family for much longer.  He adores Gizela and her helpers and talks about them regularly at home, and when we drop him off or pick him up, it's clear that he experiences so much love in return.  Teddy Bears Care makes parents' lives easier by serving both breakfast and lunch along with two snacks.  The meals are a nice blend of toddler-friendly food and fresh and healthy snacks.  Our son often comes home begging for more pears or melon, foods he's discovered with Gizela.  All the care-givers at Teddy Bears Care are wonderfully loving and affectionate to the kids.  They masterfully oversee the large backyard play area but still are able to pay attention to each child and his or her socialization and play-related needs.  They make the children feel so loved and happy and appropriately self-directed that there is no choice but to thrive.  Though we haven't yet had the opportunity for our son to participate in gymnastics, he regularly sings songs at home that he has learned at day care.  Teddy Bears Care seems to us like an all-inclusive package for our toddler: food, music, play, friends, and most importantly, loving caregivers.

05/19/2011
Our son Colin has been with Gizela since he was 5 months old.  He absolutely adores her, and cherishes his time at Teddy Bears’ Loving Care with her.  At two years old he is speaking all the time, using sight recognition for names and alphabet letters, counting in English and Spanish, singing songs and bringing home art projects daily – all as result of his time with Gizela.  She provides a very rich experience for even the smallest babies – having them learn social skills, and matching them to age appropriate toys.  As the kids get older she starts a pre-school program in the mornings where they learn about colors, shapes, the alphabet, counting in both English and Spanish as well artistic  skills like cutting and drawing.

We interviewed Gizela and did a tour of her day care after Colin was born.  She was very direct and honest, answering all of our questions and offering additional information.  We liked seeing they kids playing, watching how all the children interacted with each other and how the care providers worked to make sure every child was happy and active. 

Gizela also posts the monthly activities and her daily meals as well as daily stories on her window.  The meals are what I would feed my child on the weekends – well balanced with a mix of proteins, fruits and vegetables and starches.  They offer the children a lot of choice and exposure to different foods and textures.   The best part is that they feed everyone breakfast, 2 snacks and lunch – so on the days when I can’t get it together to give Colin breakfast at home I know he is getting a great meal with her when he gets dropped off!   Every Tuesday Ms. Bea comes and does a music class, Colin loves Ms. Bea and always comes home on Tuesdays singing the new songs they have learned.

One of the greatest features of being in Menlo Park is the gymnastics classes offered at Burgess.  As soon as the kids are old enough Gizela will let you know you can register for the gymnastics class and she drives a small group of kids over in a van outfitted with car seats.  Our son loves taking gymnastics, and is developing closer friendships to the other kids in his class as well.  All of Zela’s kids wear yellow shirts so the gymnastics teacher knows to send them home together, and every morning since gymnastics began Colin asks for his yellow shirt!

Alicia Payton

05/17/2011
Our daughter, Jessica, has been attending Teddy Bear’s Loving Care daycare since August 2011 since she was four months old. We looked into several places, but found that the care that Gizela and the team would be able to offer was the best choice and it has been! With the support of the daycare provider at Teddy Bear’s, Jessica has blossomed into a bright, happy, inquisitive and loving young girl. She has a class full of friends whom love her as much as she loves them.

We have found that Jessica’s developmental needs are being met through engaging activities, music with Ms. Bea, and inclusion of Jessica into activities that may be just out of her reach….for now, but she is able to watch and try to do what she can.

We are also very pleased with the daily updates that we receive regarding the goodies that Jessica has eaten, the napping times, the potty times, health issues such as runny noses or days where she may be extra tired, and any new developments that are identified such as a wave or possible word.

We are happy that we chose Teddy Bear’s Loving Care as our daycare.

Mark and Kelly Todd

05/15/2011
It is a great pleasure for me to write a letter of support for Teddy Bear’s Loving Care daycare. My two children attended TBLC from the time they were infants through the toddler years when they were ready to head off to preschool. Words cannot express how grateful I am to Gizela and her staff for the nurturing, wonderfully warm environment they provided for my children to grow and thrive during those precious early years.

Simply put, Gizela knows exactly what children need emotionally and educationally. I love that my kids spent so much time outdoors playing with other kids in the sand, water play, art, swinging, and ‘driving’ the backyard cars.  They learned many valuable social skills – the building blocks of friendship, like sharing and conflict resolution. Ms. Bea’s music and Burgess gymnastic added fun enrichment to the weekly routine. My family really valued the exposure to other cultures and languages at TBLC too.

I loved that the staff provided my kids with loads of affection. They were always hugging, kissing, and holding the children in such a genuine way. I was also very happy that they practice positive discipline, teaching skills such as cleaning up after yourself and how to communicate effectively. I definitely saw positive results in areas that I struggled teaching at home such as potty training, settling down for a nap, whining and eating a variety of nutritious foods.

I found Gizela to be unquestionably trustworthy with an amazing ability to build close relationships with my children. Gizela is one of the most even-tempered, nurturing women I have ever encountered.   My children continue to have a very strong bond with her and love to attend alumni date nights at TBLC.  

I do not feel that Gizela was simply providing childcare, but rather that she was enriching my children in immeasurable ways. At many times I have turned to Gizela to ask for her thoughts on my children’s psychological and physical development, and I have been extremely impressed with her insights and recommendations to me as a parent. I honestly cannot think of one negative thing to say about my experience with TBLC. It was perfect. 

I often remark that sending my kids to TBLC was the best decision I have ever made for them. To me the proof was that every single morning my kids would stand by the door eager to go to Teddy Bears running up the walkway with big smiles feeling excited and secure in knowing they would have a great day at Teddy Bears.

Holly Thompson

05/06/2011
We love Teddy Bear’s Loving Care! My 3-year-old son has been going there for two years now and is so happy and at-home there. Gizela and her team are incredibly warm, loving and patient, and truly seem to know what makes each child tick. I frequently ask Gizela for advice on things like sleepingissues or tantrums, and she always knows just the right thing to try. I can’t say enough good things about her and her wonderful staff.

05/05/2011
I can't say enough wonderful things about  Gizela and the Teddy Bear's Loving Care(TBLC) staff! I first met Gizela when my oldest daughter was 18 months old and I had one on the way.  I had heard great thing about a sweet little neighborhood daycare, but when I went for a visit I saw it first hand.  When Gizela opened the door I was greeted by a warm smile and immediately felt at home.  Gizela and I sat on the sofa and chatted about my daughter as she played with the other children. As we were getting to know each other   one of the children came up to her, unsolicited, and gave her the biggest hug ever! Right then and there I knew I found our daycare.  Both the look on Gizela and the child's face was of genuine love.  Since that day we consider Gizela  part of our family.  The feelings of warmth, love, knowledge and happiness exude from the doors of TBLC. Now graduates of "Gizela's" my two daughters, now 5.5 and 3.5 years, insists on visiting her on a regular basis (you won't hear any complaints form me! ).   TBLC will stay close to my heart as my girls grow.   I owe so much to Gizela and her wonderful staff!

Kimberly

10/16/2004
Our eldest daughter, now fifteen, was in Gizela’s first “class,” as a day care provider, and our younger daughter, now twelve, followed in her footsteps. From our very first meeting with Gizela, as young, apprehensive new parents, we were reassured by Gizela’s straightforward professionalism and sincere love for children. So many crucial moments in our children’s growth happened with Gizela’s and Juanna’s support and encouragement, from potty training to group socialization to a love of stories and books. We can’t thank Gizela enough for the wonderful start her care gave our daughters. We have no question that our children are better off in their current life because of the great start that Gizela provided them.

Galen Rosenberg & Denise Barnett

10/29/2004
My daughter is 2 years old and has been attending Teddy Bear’s Loving Care daycare since she was 6 months old. From the very beginning, I knew my daughter loved going to daycare. Before she could talk, I could tell she was well taken care of by her entire demeanor by the end of the day. And now that she’s able to express how much she enjoys her time at daycare, it is more than clear how much fun she has there.

I hesitate to even call it a daycare, because it is so much more than that. Not only is my daughter looked after, but she plays and has fun and she learns new things every day; whether it’s a new song, or a new word, or some new facts about an animal. Every day I pick her up, she tells me everything she did that day, and it’s very clear that she enjoyed every minute of it.

It’s not just about what she learns though; it’s about how the wonderful women at Teddy Bear’s Loving Care daycare take care of my baby girl. From the very beginning, I could see how Gizela, Juana and Carolina really got to know my daughter, and treat her accordingly. These three women are perfect examples of people doing precisely the profession they were made for. I am so grateful for all three of them.

I feel like since attending the daycare, my daughter’s individual personality has been nurtured and encourage, and through the loving care of those women, she has absolutely blossomed. This daycare goes way beyond taking care of the kids’ basic needs. Not only are the kids very well fed, with nutritious and interesting foods, but they’re taught right from wrong, and they’re taught how to play together and have fun. Their bad (albeit typical) habits/phases are positively corrected, and they are encouraged every day to be good people.

I can’t thank Gizela, Juana, and Carolina enough for the love and the care they’ve shown my daughter throughout this past year and half. Not only have they taken such good care of her, but every time I’ve been faced with a particularly challenging issue (biting, hitting, weaning from the pacifier, etc) they’ve given me such good advice which has worked ever time. I don’t know what I’d do without Teddy Bear’s Loving Care daycare. 

Very Best Regards,
Jenny Aziza

10/19/2004
My son is 2 ½ years old and has been attending Teddy Bear's Loving Care for one year now. I stopped working after he was born and this was the first time that he was going to be away from me. I visited about 12 or 13 other home-schools in the area and could not find one that I liked. After meeting Gizela once and taking a tour of the school, I fell in love and enrolled my son immediately. This was the only school that had such an amazing back yard for the kids to play in and the school was so neat and clean. The best part was that she did not keep a TV in her school which many of the other schools did. My son is so happy at his school. He wakes up, energized to see his teachers and classmates. From the songs he learns from Ms. Bea to his colorful art projects to his weekly gymnastics class, my son loves talking to everybody about his school!

On a personal note, the staff is very caring and extremely understanding and flexible. I just had my second child and was so touched by the warmth and happiness the Teddy Bears Family showed towards him. In times of need, they really come through!

Without a doubt, I will be sending my daughter to this same school when she is a little older. I am very happy that I found such a wonderful place for my son and am thankful to Gizela, Carolina and Juana for taking such good care of him.

09/16/2004
Gizela at Teddy Bear's Loving Care is like a second mother to my daughter Hannah. Gizela has boundless energy and cares for each child in a special way. They say it takes a village to raise children and I feel privileged to have Gizela in my village.

Julie Morris

Ryan, now almost 2, started at Teddy Bear's Loving Care when he was about 3 months old, and has since formed an unbreakable bond with Gizela, Carolina, Juana, and Vanessa. On our initial visit to the daycare, we met Gizela and took a tour of the facility and got to learn a little about their philosophy. We were very impressed, happy and confident to send Ryan to the caring arms of Gizela. It makes us so happy that Ryan is so excited to go every morning! Some of Ryan’s first and strongest words were “Zela”, “Lina” and “Jana” and at 1 ½ years old would often be upset if we went on vacation and he could not see them and all of his friends. Ryan is very stimulated at Teddy Bear's Loving Care, and we look forward to sending him to gymnastics, when his is old enough. He loves singing with Ms. Bea, doing arts and crafts at the pre-school table and has grown so much by watching and learning from the older boys and girls. We are so glad that we found Teddy Bear's Loving Care, and couldn’t give it a stronger recommendation.

Sincerely,
Greg & Annalisa