Grace Infant Care Center4510

My daughter attends GICC and the people are so loving. The other families are wonderful and we are completely satisfied and confident in the care they provide. It's comforting to know my little girl has such a great home away from home while we have to work full time. I know new parents have issues calling/getting through as they seem to be in high demand. I mailed in an application for the wait list and didn't actually tour the facility until they called to let me know there was an opening. Once I did the tour, I was completely confident that I found the right place.

I have heard great reviews about Grace Infant Care Center from UCSF Parent Referral Service and a mom I met at Newborn Connections, but I have had problems when trying to speak to someone knowlegable over the phone. It is a problem, if more than one person writes about it. I called the first time they told me to call back between 10-11, so I did the following day. When I called back they told me that they did not have any tours until September, but they may have spaces coming open in August. I should pay the wait list deposit without seeing the facility or talking to the caregivers. As a parent, I would feel irresponsible to entrust my child to a facility I had not toured to determine cleanliness, competency of staff, and quality of service. I am going to try to get through to Director, and see if it is an isolated incident or prevelant. I will keep you posted;-)

My son has been at Grace for 18 months. It is a working parent's dream come true. The children are cared for with love, common sense, and attention to their individual personalities. The space is bright, cheerful and child centered with many educational toys and plenty of exercise for the kids, who climb around the playground outside and who play ball and scoot around in cars in the church hall. Walks in the neighborhood are part of the routine, as is pointing out firetrucks, birds, buses, and dogs. Pam Ryan, the director, is a fount of experience and common sense and knows more about toddlers than anyone. I often ask her advice about kid issues. The comments on the list about illness are unfair -- kids will get sick together sometimes because they share a space, but it is not the carer's fault. I have NEVER seen any lack of hygiene at the center, the opposite in fact. They are constantly cleaning up. My older son who is in elementary school gets sick more often than my toddler. The comments re phone issues are also not part of my experience. I have always been able to have useful conversations with whoever answers the phone and when I talk to Pam herself, she always has good advice and goes way above and beyond being helpful to really supporting the Grace families. Besides, the best carer for your child is not necessarily a receptionist but someone who knows and loves kids, and that is culturally universal. Pam Ryan has assembled a staff at Grace who ooze experience in the important skills -- child care. It is a bonus that they also bring diverse backgrounds to their work and that the kids are mothered from a variety of cultural perspectives. The minute I walked into Grace I knew it was a loving place. In fact it has been a really a wonderful second home for my son and we will miss it very much when we leave for preschool this Fall.

Grace is "hands down" the most nurturing and "spick and span" clean daycare in the city! I read about no handwashing below? They are even cleaner than I have ever been with two children as a "very type A" parent! As for the teachers that are hard to understand on the phone, I personally appreciate the early diversity that my San Francisco child will be exposed to for the rest of their lives and as a business person, know how to make a phone appointment with the director or teacher for any lengthy concerns that need to be discussed. The center director and fulltime staff has always responded to my needs, in person and by phone. My oldest has moved on to preschool and elementary and all racial differences are invisible to her. I owe that value as well as many others (wonderful social skills with other children, to name just one more) to my children's upbringing at Grace Infant Care Center. I was able to return to work with peace of mind that my children were loved and cared for each day. I think that the total days either of them were out sick in each 2 year span they attended was less than I can count on two hands. Not bad, I'd say! As another parent said, apply early!!!!!

Our child has been there almost a year now and we are VERY happy. There are a couple of caregivers that might be more difficult to communicate with, especially over the phone. I think they usually tend not to answer unless everyone else is really busy. I've called once or twice without accomplishing what I wanted over the phone, and understand how it could be a complete turnoff. Still, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this place. As "rude" as that person might have come across, everyone there is very loving & caring. It's also very well organized.

I just called this center based on the reviews. The woman who answered was completely unhelpful. When I asked to tour the facility she said "You have to make an appointment"... Yes, that is why I was calling!!! When I asked if it would be possible to come on a Monday, "No, the only days we allow people are Wednesdays". Ok. When I asked if the waitlist was long "I can't tell you that." When I asked if I could speak to the owner "Ummmm, she is kinda busy right now." First impressions mean a lot to me and although the location is 2 blocks from my house, I would rather drive than have an incompetent person deal with my child.

As a parent at Grace, I have never noticed any problem with cleanliness. Children will become ill; it is completely ridiculous to place the blame of illness on the staff's supposed lack of handwashing. I love Grace and I cannot believe that someone would so unfairly malign a great daycare center. Your careless blame is an indication of the lazy, reckless finger-pointing that permeates our society today. Shame on you! All I can say is that I am so glad that my child has been cared for by the staff at Grace.

My daughter received the highest degree of care and love here. I cannot say enough good things about this staff and their concern for both the children and their families.

As a GICC parent, I want to say I'm very happy with everything about it. The staff is uniformly great (with low turnover) and the staff:child ratio is good. The facility is clean and bright, with a great play-yard and nearby access to parks for stroller-walks. It's a small family of a place as opposed to a large company-type place, and different people will prefer one or the other. Every day we get a report on our baby's activities, from playing to eating to anything unusual, so the communication is wonderful and constant. The reviewer who discussed the illnesses at GICC earlier this year should know that similar illnesses were a problem at many SF day care centers at the same time and GICC, like most places, went to great lengths to contain the problem. (Gastrointestinal viruses are notoriously difficult to control.) If the Sunset location is convenient to you and you like the idea of a smaller, more personal day care center, I highly recommend getting your name on the GICC waiting list as soon as you know you are pregnant.

Recently, 10 out of 15 kids received a stomach virus. I don't see a lot of the child care givers washing their hands other than changing a diaper.