Our daughter has been at Bay Sky for 2 years, and we couldn't be happier with the experience. In…read morethis time she's blossomed into a smart, confident and happy girl, ready for kindergarten. Her Mandarin is spectacular. She has no problem maintaining conversations with native speakers, whether they're close friends/family or chatting up total strangers at the playground. But most of all, we appreciate the warm, caring environment that Grace has provided for all the children. I just wish we had found them earlier so that our older kids could have also attended Bay Sky.

Bay Sky is a gem of a school. Grace does an excellent job supporting the whole child--socially,…read moreemotionally, physically, and cognitively. Mandarin is the primary language used in daily routines, songs, conversations, and play-work, and the children all seem to gain real comfort and confidence with the language even if the household is not Mandarin-speaking. The classroom environment encourages independence and hands-on activities and exudes warm calm. We've seen our child develop solid skills in emotional regulation, social interactions, and self-confidence. Highly recommended for families seeking authentic Mandarin immersion in a thoughtful Montessori setting.

We toured A LOT of schools before settling on Little Elephant. First, we saw plenty of larger…read moreschools and its smaller more intimate size was appealing to us. The space shows very well with two bright well laid out classrooms, nice outdoor space and lots of pets! Most importantly, we found the teaching staff to be warm and generally very experienced with reasonable tenure at the school. Our three children all had a positive experience and have fond memories of their time there. We spent almost a decade there (including through COVID) and appreciated the staff and parent community.

We love LEMs! Our 3 year old has been thriving there since she started the week of her second…read morebirthday. The teachers are fantastic and loving and fun and the environment really fosters happiness, curiosity and learning. The community is wonderful as well and we've become close friends with a few parents and good friends with the rest. We also love the diversity they foster and our bilingual daughter (we speak Spanish in our home) has flourished as she gets to speak Spanish with several of the teachers (who happen to also be native speakers) but has picked up English quickly from the learning and atmosphere here. We plan to send our second child here as we've had such a wonderful experience all around!

Our daughter recently started at BIM. I am originally from Japan so I was looking for a full…read morejapanese immersion school and I have so far been impressed. BIM does an excellent job at incorporating traditional Montessori teaching methods with japanese language and culture. The children not only learn the language, they also get to experience the culture including holidays and other traditions. The educational team is excellent, a group of teachers who pride themselves on being warm and loving while encouraging the children to grow at their own pace. We have another baby on the waiting list, make sure to sign up early as it can take a while for your space to open up.

I had the great honor of working at BIM as an office admin and co-teacher for 3 years. Even though…read moreI had tons of teaching experience and ECE units under my belt when I started, BIM was the first and only Montessori program I worked at. I learned so much about the Montessori method from my fellow co-teachers and was always inspired by their hard work and dedication to their craft. Japanese is my second language that will no doubt deteriorate if I stop using it, so being able to use it daily in various situations at my place of work was also a huge benefit for me. The BIM community as a whole is extremely tight-knit and supportive. I had never felt so loved and appreciated by the families I worked for before BIM, and it was heartening to witness new bonds and friendships being formed among everyone firsthand. Of course, I really miss the kids most of all and the funny things they would say and do, but feel very lucky and privileged to have 3 years' worth of fond memories with them. BIM, iroiro arigato! Mata ne!

We love the Model School! All three of our kids attended and our youngest son is currently in the…read moreToddler 1 room. The school is incredibly convenient for working parents, with a flexible schedule between 7-6pm and you have flexibility to pay by the hour, starting at 20 hours and up. Our boys were very ready for kindergarten with the solid PK curriculum and learned wonderful social emotional skills as well as got potty trained. Our youngest started in the infant room and is now in the one year old room. The teachers are incredibly warm and caring and the parents group is very active and strong and supports the school through facilities upgrades as well as by supplementing enrichment's like Music and dance. Come visit and check it out!

We were thrilled to find the Model School!…read more The waitlist was pretty long ... took about 3-4 months to get into the Toddler Room for kids that were over 1 year old and can walk. But once we got in, we soon found why this place is so popular! The teachers/caregivers are absolutely amazing! My son, who was 14 months at the time had only been taken care of by family (parents and grandparents) so adjusting was really hard on him! We had tried another daycare facility and they refused to deal with my son. (They would call us to pick him up within 5 minutes of him crying). The Dr Mante (the director) and the teachers at the Model School (numerous of them, not just the one's assigned to my son's room) did everything they could to get my son comfortable. They would hold him, walk him around, talk and sing to him, play with him, try out other classrooms and teachers (because he connected faster with some) ... etc. Though it took some time my son eventually got comfortable with drop offs, started eating well (sometimes too well) and his naps went from no naps to 30 mins, to over an hour, to sometimes over 2 hours! Other things I love about this place: - The daily routine and schedule which my son thrives on - Play based but with structure and variety. - Ability to socialize with other kids of varying ages and other adults. - Art, music, books, dancing, playing sessions - Very active parent group that's always working towards making the school a better place.

I have found this school to be full of staff that are very thoughtful, intentional, and loving of…read morethe larger community that they serve. The founder/head Michelle is a passionate leader who is in her purpose and it jumps right off of her when you meet her. I strongly recommend Pear Tree as they really do an exceptional job of wrapping around the youth. They promote and build a strong sense of community and ownership of the youth's educational advancement here. My plan is to bring others to this environment. Our son loves it here. Fred Tatum

Our daughter has been enrolled in Pear Tree as a preschooler and is now a 4th grader. We loved the…read morepreschool so much that we were ecstatic that director, Michele Hamilton, decided to grow the preschool into a separate elementary school. We've watched the school grow from just a handful of students to its current enrollment and its new location in Montclair. What we love: Montessori curriculum - we have had a rethinking of the state of education in the United States. It is not set up in any capacity to create critical thinkers and dynamic creators which is what the future economy will require. Montessori in the way that Pear Tree implements it allowed our daughter to consistently test 2 grades above her level, while allowing her the opportunity to become an awesome drummer with Pear Tree's musical enrichment. With a no homework policy, she has ample time to explore her love of reading and is an avid bibliophile. This love of reading usually starts to wane around the upper grades as kids struggle with the rigors of grades-based academic performance. Social Justice emphasis - the kids are being exposed to history and sociology from the context of social justice. Focus has been on pre-colonial history and ancient civilizations in the primary grades. Project based learning, group and individual research papers have allowed our daughter to put context in her history lessons. This year, climate resilience as the number one social justice cause, has given our daughter the ability to look at our current situation and actually come up with solutions with her class. This has been done through in-house video and audio content creation. Small class sizes - with no more than 16 students in a class along with a teacher and an aide, our daughter has always felt supported. She came into the preschool shy and timid and is now a vocal leader at school and outside. We don't think she would have found her voice in a class of 30 or more. When it comes to raising kids, no parent's decision-making is perfect. But our decision to be at Pear Tree was perfect for our daughter.

My daughter started attending BHNS this August, and she absolutely loves it! We -- parents and…read moregrandparents alike -- couldn't be happier. The facilities are wonderful and offer so many engaging activities for the kids. The teachers are warm, dedicated, and truly caring; so far, we have nothing but amazing things to say about them. We're also very pleased with the parent community that's beginning to take shape. BHNS has been a fantastic experience for our family.

The teachers here are great - very attentive and supportive yet able to foster independence and…read moreimagination. Our son's language and social confidence has absolutely thrived here!! The staff to kiddo ratio is great, no concerns at all about 1-2 teachers watching 20-30 kids which was one of our big anxieties trying to find the right fit. Also the community events are great like garden planting/harvest with coffee and pastries for all, kids and parents alike. Not to mention the parents group chat that is always active with outside park play dates and birthdays and such. So lucky to have found this community!

I can't say enough good things about my family's experience at the New School. Its wonderful…read moreteachers take the work of creating a loving, safe, child-centric environment seriously, providing just the right balance of support and independence for kids as they discover themselves, their peers, and the world around them. The New School is great environment for working parents, with hours that reflect the reality of the work day, camps on days when public schools are closed, and a delightful summer program full of field trips, swimming, and ample play. We also really loved how the New School eased our transition to kindergarten by giving my child a familiar place with his longtime friends to go every afternoon. The fact that BUSD buses kids there from many elementary schools was a huge convenience, especially given the intense demand for afterschool care in Berkeley.

Amazing after-school for our 6 year old. Wonderful community, excellent teachers and care-givers,…read moreand a lovely place.

We are so happy to be part of the MOM community! Our child did her "TK" year at MOM and has been…read morethriving. My only regret is that we did not enroll her at MOM sooner. For those considering an alternative TK option, I highly recommend MOM. The curriculum at MOM has prepared our child in the following ways: 1) Academically: Math, Reading/Writing/Language Arts, Global Studies are taught in fun and approachable ways 2) Creative Focus: Art and Music are integral parts of the experience. The school puts on a few musical performances during the year, we attended our first one and it is such a special memory we will always have! 3) SEL: The students are MOM are taught the importance of being part of a community. The teachers are kind, patient and experienced - they truly bring out the best in the kids. Honestly, I can't even express how much growth we have seen in our little one! 4) Love of School and Learning: To cap it all off, my child's love of school was officially established at My Own Montessori. She loves going to school and is so proud and excited to tell us about her day and her most recent learnings. My child's experience at My Own Montessori has been incredible and I am so thankful she has been able to be part of the magic at MOM!

We feel very lucky that our child has ended up at MOM. It's such a warm and welcoming school, with…read morewonderful caring teachers. The school has been around for a long time, and has developed a bunch of lovely long-running traditions and parents and families are included in these traditions. It's a very calm environment and the kids have a lot of autonomy going inside and outside. My child has built a lot of confidence in social emotional development in addition to all the other learning (coming home telling me all about the moon, or continents, or Yayoi Kusama), it's beautiful watching the older kids support the younger ones as they move up through the school. Note that the hours are shorter than most preschools, and schools is closed in the summer with a summer school for the month of July, but if you can make the hours work it's a very special school and community.