I love this school, it has an excellent school program. they always do different activities…read more the children learn Spanish very quickly. the teachers and administrative staff are very friendly.

Our children have attended OMES since Summer 2023 and we love the school! What especially sets OMES…read moreapart from other preschools is how welcoming and warm the teachers are - I see them care for my children as if they are their own. Karen and Jesus have done a wonderful job fostering a friendly and supportive staff/parent community that we love being a part of. Each day I know my children are engaging in fun and educational activities, and I love getting the daily updates on Brightwheel about their days. As a Spanish-immersion school, I'm incredibly impressed with the way my children have picked up the language and even use outside of school with other Spanish speakers.

My daughter has attended Mountain Boulevard Montessori School for the last 2.5 years (since she was…read more28 months old) and it is easily the best decision we have made. We looked at so many different school options and are beyond happy that we chose this school. The small/intimate feeling compounds to staff that really care about the safety, health, and development of all the kids. Students not only grow academically (reading, math, science, etc.), socially, and get exposed to different cultures and languages. She has learned so much Spanish and Mandarin which is amazing as well. We highly recommend this school to any and all parents!

The school's academic curriculum is awesome. I put my two daughters through Mountain Blvd.,…read moreMontessori and they were more than prepared to thrive in kindergarten. The staff and teachers are also very caring and want to see the children be successful in all aspects. If there is one thing I would love to see evolve is more activities/events geared towards parent and family participation. Overall, the school has done a fantastic job with our two little humans.

I don't know where to start! We have sent our 2 boys to Cottage Playhouse (my youngest graduating…read moreend of July). We feel so incredibly lucky to have had Michelle and Chalena in our lives to share their love, care, encouragement, patience, fun, guidance, attentiveness and warmth with our boys. The kids LOVED going to Cottage, each went from before the age of 2 until they went on to Kinder or TK around age 4-5. Cottage is a special place and is hard to put into words. Its small size makes it feel so much more like a family where all kids of different ages support each other and play together. Michelle and Chalena have supported the boys in their learning from early on with letters, numbers, spelling, workbooks and math. The art projects are out of this world, frame worthy. My oldest was completely ready for Kinder and my youngest for TK. Don't hesitate (RUN!) to send your kiddo to this amazing group of kids and teachers. We are extremely sad to say goodbye but feel so fortunate to have had our boys thrive in this amazing community. THANK YOU MICHELLE AND CHALENA. WE LOVE YOU!

Our daughter has been at Cottage for a year and we love it. It was a surprisingly easy transition…read morefrom a nanny I think because the smaller size allows so much individualized attention for each kid. We toured other preschools in the area but they felt overwhelming especially for a sensitive two-year old. The school has several outdoor play areas and the kids do a ton of imaginative play and art. There is also weekly dance and music class which my daughter loves. She comes home with flowers she has planted, amazing paintings, and most recently the ability to describe her feelings! The other parents are great and often get together. It's a really special place! The main limitation is that the current hours are 8:30-3:00. We have arranged our work schedules to make this work because this preschool is so worth it.

Wonderful Preschool! We've been at Growing Light for the…read morelast few years and love the school, teachers, and other families. Ms. Awa (the school director) leads a fantastic staff of dedicated teachers and we always feel that our kids are cared for, safe, and getting a great education. So happy that we are part of the GLM community.

It took me a few months to write this review. Mainly because it's hard to publicly comment on a…read moreplace where kind, loving people have cared for your children. No one wants their words to be seen as coming from a place of bitterness. But after nearly three years at GLMS, I think it's important to share an honest account of our experience so other parents can make informed choices. The good: Our daughter learned a lot during their time at GLMS. She developed strong foundational skills in letters, number sense, music, and social topics. She loved kinderdance! Many of the teachers were warm, nurturing, and truly loving some with a grandmotherly kindness that made us feel our kids were genuinely cared for. These teachers are the heart and soul of the school and a reason why we stayed as long as we did. The challenges: The school is poorly managed and lacks transparency. Communication is reactive rather than proactive, and parents are kept at arm's length from the people who spend the most time with their children. Teachers frequently leave, often without clear explanation. It's telling that parent access to classrooms was restricted well after COVID had ended and only changed after intervention from California Childcare Licensing. Leadership, particularly the owner and directors, tightly control communication between teachers and parents. It's not uncommon for them to intercept or filter conversations, making it difficult to have an open, productive dialogue about your child's development with their teacher. Many teachers appear fearful of management, which makes it hard to trust that your child's best interests always come first. GLMS is extremely overpriced for what it offers. Tuition is among the highest in the area (+34k / year), and there's also a mandatory $900 per-year "supply fee." With roughly 78 students, that's nearly $70,000 collected annually--yet the snacks, art materials, classrooms, playground, parking experiences don't reflect that investment. It's hard to justify those costs when the school's operations and transparency remain so lacking. GLMS struggles to balance what it's legally required to do with what's simply right for families and children. It's a school with kind teachers but poor leadership, inconsistent quality, and a lack of accountability. Parents--please do your due diligence. Review the public state licensing records, ask hard questions, and advocate for more transparency. The children and teachers deserve better.

We were initially drawn to TRIS for its Montessori-inspired, self-directed learning style and what…read moreseemed like a knowledgeable and nurturing teaching staff. Our children attended from 2021 to 2023, starting in Pre-Primary and Primary. While our neurotypical daughter did okay, our son--who has learning differences--was not supported in the way we expected from a school that emphasizes individualized education. After his teacher and the head of the elementary program raised concerns, we pursued a comprehensive private assessment based on their recommendation. When we shared the results--which showed he was severely academically behind (below the 5th percentile in reading skills)--we received no response for two weeks. When they did reach out, the response was dismissive and lacked urgency. Even though they had asked for the assessment, they questioned the accuracy of the results and brushed off the findings by saying, "everyone learns at their own pace." His significant learning gaps were not treated as an educational concern. The burden of support was placed entirely on us as parents--recommendations focused on hiring outside specialists, while the school offered no internal interventions or accommodations. At the parent-teacher conference, we were blindsided when the Head of School abruptly informed us, with no opportunity for discussion, that our son would not be offered a spot in the Elementary program because there were "too many special needs kids" already enrolled. While our daughter didn't face academic challenges, even she--and her brother--commented on how much more engaging and enjoyable public school was after leaving TRIS. Leadership has since changed, but the current team still includes the former Head of School's daughters and son-in-law. TRIS may look progressive on the surface, but families of children with learning differences should ask careful questions before enrolling. In our experience, it was not an inclusive or responsive environment. One final note: our daughter once suffered a deep gash on her finger--apparently from one of the school's cots--and needed stitches. When her teacher called to notify us, it was made to sound minor, and we were told there was no need to pick her up. When I arrived, I saw how serious the cut was and took her to the doctor immediately. That experience reinforced our concerns about how the school handled safety and communication.

Our journey at TRIS was an experience that our family will always appreciate and treasure. The…read morestaff and teachers are dedicated to helping the students grow and discover possibilities from within. Their holistic approach for academic and personal development is what stands out most for us. As parents, TRIS was a valued partner in helping us uphold and reinforce our desire to nurture responsibility and accountability in our children. It wasn't enough for our children to be "smart.," although it is evident that our children and other TRIS children are among the smartest in their respective environments. Our goal was to instill behaviors that help them to lead, to participate in and to consider the world around them. Overall, Montessori education has made an incredible impact on how my children tackle challenges and conflict in their lives. As a result, they embrace opportunities to meet new people and try difficult things even when they are nervous or afraid. This is even the case for one of our children who exhibited shyness and introversion from a young age. TRIS and Montessori education helped us to realize that our children have innate capabilities and interests that will enable them to pursue things that have purpose and value to them now and in the future. There aren't enough words to describe the foundation TRIS helped to build in our children. Completely worth the investment and sacrifice.

Great school!! Warm, patient and loving teachers and amazing Director…read more In addition the prices and hours are a very very reasonable!

We've had two of our kids join Smiles now, and we couldn't be more grateful for the experience. My…read morekids were both naturally shy, timid kids when they first enrolled, and I saw their confidence and curiosity blossom while at Smiles. The program administrator, Ms. Iona, has been running Smiles for 42yrs now, and many of the teachers have been there for well over 10yrs. Their tenure shows; it is an incredibly well run program and the curriculum for kids is impressive. The kids learn (and retain) the ability to count in multiple languages (Spanish, Mandarin, Korean, Russian, French), learn about solar systems, community workers, fun art, geography, etc. We've had our kids in multiple Montessori schools previously, and Smiles far exceeds them in development and a well-rounded experience. We had moved through the tunnel to Orinda during the school year, and we made the effort to commute so our son could stay enrolled at Smiles because it was that much better than any other Preschool program available locally. During the pandemic they were consistently open, mostly because they enforced strict masking and hand-washing. As a working parent during this time, I was so grateful for their dedication to preventative health standards which allowed them to stay open. I would recommend Smiles to any parent. Thank you Ms Iona and Smiles teachers for having such a positive impact on our kids, the local community, and setting our children up for success in grade school by giving them such an amazing foundation for learning.

Our son attended Golden Bay for the 8 months prior to starting TK. He had a great time there, and…read morelearned a number of important things about the transition between daycare and school. Golden Bay's structure and team provided him with the right experience to prepare him for his next steps. All of the staff is very professional, caring and understanding. Highly recommended, especially if you are planning on attending TK in the school district, as your child will have more experience in a class-like setting, which will make the transition process more familiar and less stressful.

My two little ones love there, especially my daughter love there so much that she doesn't want to…read morego home every time we pick her up. When she wakes up in the morning, she would tell me that she likes her teacher so much and wants to be with her. I am also so happy to see my son started to write, and his teachers are so patient in helping him manger his emotions. Teachers there are so loving and patient, they also inspire kids to write and read. I can't say enough good things about here and just feel very grateful.

My daughter was here for ~1 1/2 years. She was extremely nervous going into preschool and all of…read morethe teachers made her feel so at home and comfortable. She really thrived in the environment and made great friends. The campus is beautiful and very well maintained. The parents and teachers host many events throughout the year- bake sales, trunk or treat, spring socials, parent's nights out. It's truly a great community full of extremely kind parents and teachers. We will miss everyone dearly and can't thank the community enough!

Both of our girls have gone to Skyline Preschool for preschool and pre-k and our youngest is…read moregraduating this June and we are so sad to go. Nestled into a beautiful Oakland Hills setting, Skyline Preschool has been such a wonderful experience for both our very different daughters and for us as parents. With a hybrid model of play-based and educational learning, our students grew both academically and social-emotionally. The director Naomi, created a curriculum that is so well-rounded, inclusive, thoughtful, rich with pertinent themes in a very age appropriate manner. Both our kids thrived, and particularly our youngest, while we all dealt with the difficulties of the pandemic, she had an extremely physically and emotionally save place to make the most of this time. Naomi pivoted the structure of the day and shape of the class to adhere to safety guidelines so successfully, we are so grateful for the hard work and dedication it took to make our daughter's preschool safe for her and the entire community of families enrolled. All the teachers are great communicators, care deeply for the children, and are creative and skilled. I really can't say enough positive things about the school experience, from setting to curriculum to staff - it was an incredible part of our family's development. We will miss it so!