The Busy Bee Activity Center — Attraction in Alameda

This is a day camp review. We attempted to use Busy Bee for our 3 year old over winter break so my husband could accompany me to a medical procedure. It was our first time. He dropped him off and immediately was unsure of the situation. He is a very even keeled dad. Doesn’t spook easily. The person in charge had her earbuds in and was on a call, that she told to hold on to check “this boy” in. No warm welcome. No sweet transition. It was an open room with a lot of kids. There was only one other adult. About 30+ kids. He met me at the doctors and was anxious to get back and pick him up early. When we got back, it was super loud. Still only 2 adults for what seemed like 30+ kids. As we were packing him up, we observed the instructor in charge somewhat aggressively counting down and instructing the kids to sit on the mat. Calling out individual kids angrily. Gave us both the sense that she was low key hostile and annoyed to be there. Again, zero warmth. Zero sweetness. She was still on her earbuds and phone. The entire time. Just telling whomever was on the other end to hold while she went through motions. All in all, we loved the idea and premise of the center. But the execution left us uncomfortable. We paid for a whole day and kept him there for 90 minutes. Do not recommend this center for actual childcare. Hopefully just an off day for her but won’t be returning. Wanted to leave this review for other parents interested in the camps or care vs rentals...

A gem in the bay! Busy Bee has been our go-to spot for a few years now. Our kiddo was enrolled in a preschool, now TK - but there are so many teachers in-service days and holidays where his school is closed. We are 2 working parents so having a place to turn for support like Busy Bee is a must. The staff are friendly, caring, and thoughtful. Kids have room to be themselves and have fun, and their days always have fun activities sprinkled in with flexible/free play time. It’s also extra great for rainy days, as they have a great indoor setup for little kids to go wild and get their crazies out instead of being cooped up on the long cold winter rains! Our kiddo loves the mixed age environment, we love the reliability, price, quality and peace of mind. They’re highly responsive anytime I call, text, or email. We’re so grateful to have a place like...

I hosted a toddler birthday party at Busy Bee. Would definitely recommend! A couple of things that stood out: Booking/ planning/ prepping all went without a hitch The play area is great, fun, and spacious. The party room where you would have food/ drinks is right nearby, so it's super easy to monitor kids and transition from one are to another (unlike other places where party room is more disconnected from play) the center is located in a large shopping area. Which meant easy parking for guests and tons of options to order snacks/ food etc nearby so you wouldn't have to lugg stuff from home I called several similar places in East Bay, and Busy Bee was by far the most uncomplicated wrt managing guest lists, number of attendees etc.

Most importantly: kids LOVED it and were super tuckered...