We recently toured Montessori Children's Center and came away incredibly impressed. The new…read moreownership is clearly putting in so much thought and energy into creating a warm, nurturing environment for the children. The classrooms felt calm, clean and organized. The school building is specifically built to be a preschool which is really unique in San Francisco! Kids have lots of space to explore both indoors and outdoors and everything is built with children's' needs in mind. I know the school is in a period of transition, and from what we saw, the new leadership is doing an excellent job modernizing and improving the experience for both students and teachers. Definitely worth touring if you're looking for a thoughtful Montessori program in San Francisco.

Most preschools in San Francisco are carved out of existing or shared spaces, but Montessori…read moreChildren's Center is a dedicated building built just for the school. You feel that the moment you walk in. The full day program running through 5pm is perfect for working parents and its great that is part of the design, rather than just an extension or extra cost. The team walked us through everything and articulated the toddler and primary 2 -6 year old programs so clearly and passionately, that any family would be excited to join.

Our son has been attending Rainbow Montessori for a few months now and we have been very happy with…read moreour experience so far. Candace is so knowledgeable in child development and our conversations from the beginning told us that she really understood our son. At this Montessori school, he is given one on one guidance with activities, as well as independence in his play and learning. He has formed great friendships at school, and we can see from playdates and parties with school friends that they really are a kind group of children. He enjoys weekly gymnastics, library visits and is always proud to show us his art creations when they come home with him at the end of each month. We highly recommend this gem of a neighborhood preschool.

Rainbow Montessori is a great place to send your little ones. This is our fourth year (second kid)…read moreand Ms Candace and her staff have always taken such good care of the kids and are really passionate about the Montessori method. Watching our son start as a very shy 3 year old transform into the confident kindergartener he now is has been amazing to see and is a result of Ms Candace's experience and expertise. She is helpful to parents - especially when working through some difficult phases of the child's development. Being small, it feels like a family with great parents. We're also very grateful how it was open during most of the pandemic and Rainbow took all the safety measures possible for kids and staff. We also love the music, gymnastics and Spanish classes they get and the access to playground beside school is awesome.

Our developmentally delayed foster son was expelled without warning for a biting. I assume they…read moredidn't want to deal with a less than perfect child and used the incident as an opportunity to replace him with an "easier" child. They do not have the resources or skillset to deal with non-neurotypical children. This business needs to learn how to communicate with parents rather than just seeing their kids as a paycheck.

The process of looking for a preschool for kids can be a very stressful. As parents we want to find…read morethe right school that will help our children grow in all aspects. I spoke with The Director, Isabel over the phone and we scheduled a tour of the school. When we went to the facility, our first impression of the school itself was impressive in terms of organization and layout. Unfortunately I can't say I was impressed with the way the staff welcomed us. Although Isabel was pleasant, I felt like I was being rushed and pushed out pretty quickly. The stidents were there and were getting distracted since I was there with not only my 3 year old but also my 5 month old. Some of the children were coming up to the stroller and looking at the baby and I can see in the teachers faces that they were irritated. I even tried to apologize for the distraction but they pretty much ignored me with just a frustrated look on their faces. Basically I left feeling like we were not welcomed in the first place. When I called Isabel to express my feeling and said I would like to come back so we can talk and have more questions answered she basically was fine with us coming back but never really addressed the way I felt when we first came- nothing - all she said was that her teachers are very good. I told her I was not doubting that her teachers were good, I was simply telling her how I felt when we first came on a tour. Basically, I'm sure the school is good, but I felt the cold shoulder from the teachers which didn't rub me the right way. I didn't feel welcomed at all.

I had two children attend GPM over the past two years, and while I am grateful for the education…read moreLisa and Minyi were able to provide, working with the administration of this school was a singularly frustrating experience, which ultimately led us to withdraw our daughter from the school after having put down a deposit for the upcoming school year. The school administration, led by Rosemary, consistently under-communicated and miscommunicated with parents in the downstairs classroom, leading to frequent confusion, surprise, and frustration, to the point where the parents of the downstairs classroom felt like second class citizens at this school. The final incident that prompted our withdrawal occurred when it was discovered by a parent in late May 2025 (less than two months before the end of the school year) that Lisa would be removed as the teacher of our children's classroom, to be replaced by Rosemary herself. I say "discovered" because this plan had apparently been in the works for some time, and based on Rosemary's subsequent reaction to the leak of this information, it was clear she would have preferred to not to tell the affected families until much later. The firestorm this caused prompted Rosemary to schedule a meeting with the parents whose children this change directly impacted, ostensibly in order to hear our concerns. To call what we experienced at that meeting disrespectful would be an understatement. We felt gaslighted, our concerns were belittled, and we were subjected to meandering, confusing, and deceptive answers to our questions. When we specifically asked why Lisa was being removed as the teacher, we were given a long circuitous explanation that started with budget cuts, and ultimately ended with philosophical differences in Rosemary and Lisa's teaching styles. Specifically, Rosemary felt that Lisa was over-emphasizing math and reading, while Rosemary herself wanted to emphasize "meditation" and "exploring spirituality". I believe the phrase Rosemary used was, "All [Lisa] wants to teach is math and reading". I responded to this answer by telling Rosemary that this was precisely the reason why my wife and I chose this school over others: I distinctly recall Lisa explaining at the open house we attended two years ago about how much the kids she taught were instilled with a love for math and reading. Of course, not every parent has to agree that math and reading is a better emphasis than meditation and spirituality. That's for every parent to decide for their children. But the key point I wanted to emphasize was that it was *our* choice as parents to decide what was right for our kids, not Rosemary's. When Rosemary began the parent meeting, she expressed no empathy towards what we as parents were worried about; the only thing she was upset about was the fact that this information was leaked at all. She would have preferred that we did not find out at all until it was too late. Preschools fill up quickly. This incident kicked off a mad scramble for many families, including ours, to find alternate preschools for our children. The parent meeting soon devolved into Rosemary questioning one parent's qualifications to judge their child's education, and then ultimately asking why it even mattered who the teacher was. Ultimately, the problem was not even that Lisa was removed as teacher (though we obviously wanted her to stay); it was the fact that there was zero transparency in any of this. Rosemary seemed intent on letting the clock run out and not announcing this until right before the start of the new school year. Nearly all of the parents who attended that meeting ended up withdrawing their children as a result. While this was the most egregious incident we experienced at this school, this was just the last in a series of other things, some big, some small, that we experienced during just this past school year, including: * The abrupt announcement of a nearly $400 per month school lunch program exactly one week before the school year began that was presented as mandatory. This amounted to an over 15% increase in tuition. This was reduced in price and made optional only after parent feedback. * Similarly, the other team in the downstairs classroom was transferred to an administrative role right before the start of the school year. This was announced 4 days before the start of the school year. * The school misaligned their spring break with that of SFUSD, which resulted in significant scheduling conflicts for several families. * Emails from the administration frequently went out with mistaken dates and locations. * Emails to the administration frequently went unanswered. If you've made it this far, my warning for any parents considering this school for their children is that Rosemary, in my experience, was a person we could not trust to give us timely, accurate, and ultimately truthful information.

If you are looking for a school that is inclusive, look elsewhere. Don't waste your time. We did an…read moreinterview and I mentioned there is some neurodiversity in our family. We were not called back. I don't think it's a coincidence. I'm so glad I mentioned it even though my child is not neurodivergent. Whew!

Fast fwd a few years. My son a graduate of SFMA is now…read moregiving back at the tender age of 12 to the young school children of SFMA. His joy for Math and Reading is clear and concise. The subjects are strengthened daily through practice and repetition on the daily. The ARTS are encouraged through creativity and movement. If you love San Francisco and are in search of a school for your littles, research no more, this **5 STAR*** review should have you visiting teacher Isabella and SUPERSTAR TEAM OF EDUCATORS pronto! Thanks for reading :)

My child went to SFMA from 2.5 years old at their location for the younger students until…read moregraduating to kindergarten. From start to finish, I loved watching my child grow from the curriculum they provided. I've been impressed with how structured their program is over the years, while providing a fun environment that my kid likes to tell me about. The teachers are also very sweet, and we've met some really lovely families. I would certainly recommend SFMA!

We had to switch our two children to Little Urbanites unexpectedly in the middle of the year when…read moreour previous preschool wasn't working out. We were worried about how it would go because in the past our kids had both had a challenging time adjusting to new environments. But wow, we needn't have worried, by the end of the first day our older child didn't want to leave, and by the end of the first week our younger child was happy at drop off and hugging his teachers. We've been in a few different preschools at this point, and LUP is for sure our favorite. The communication and quality of teachers is excellent, our kids are clearly thriving, I've befriended the other families, and I just really appreciate the sense of warmth, caring, and connection in the LUP community.

I have been so grateful to LUP for how much they've enriched our children's lives, contributed to…read moretheir development, and provided a reliable anchor of safety, friendship, and fun during one of the most crucial stages in our children's lives, and especially during the pandemic. LUP Teachers are loving, kind, supportive and unified. They put the safety and well being of the children as absolute top priority. I've appreciated the high standard of professionalism that the teachers hold, while also maintaining a relaxed, fun environment where the children are free to be themselves. My 5 year old attended LUP for 6 months until the pandemic hit, and I have been so thankful in how LUP has handled the challenges of the pandemic. They are proactive, thoughtful, considerate and do everything they can to balance the children's safety and social emotional health. My kids have loved LUP! For my 3 year old, his entrance into the Early Learners at 2.5 yrs was his first social opportunity due to the pandemic, and it has meant everything for him to have such a fun, nurturing community with a diverse teacher team to help raise him in the presence of other children his age. I can see that the teachers all come with professional, gentle approaches to handling the big emotions of toddlers, and are in tune to each child's needs and personality. I've seen improvements in both my children in the areas of emotional regulation, verbal communication, confidence, fine motor control, and a feeling of belonging. And the artwork and stories they come home with are awesome! Additional perks we have enjoyed include date night support for parents and seasonal teacher-parent check-ins, and the visual and verbal communication through Brightwheel. Every day there's a tagged picture of my children with a captioned highlight of the day..it's been wonderful to have these updates regularly in this format. The recent outdoor program addition has also been fabulous for my 5 year old who really blossoms through physical, adventurous play, and has helped his confidence in climbing, teamwork, and nurtured his interest in mud and insects! I love that the outdoor days are very child led, it's a great balance to the indoor days where there are more structured art/sensory activities, free play, circle time, etc. The school is also beautifully designed with bright colors, children's artwork thoughtfully displayed, and toys lean toward Montessori style with lots of wooden and natural materials. The backyard is also so nice, an oasis of sun and fun in the Inner Sunset. Facility is always clean and orderly. I highly recommend Little Urbanites Preschool!

I enrolled my 3 year old at GMM in Spring 2024 and he will be there until next year. Miss Donna…read morededication is impressive. She creates educative monthly curriculum with mindful intent. Since my son joined has learned about geography, art, math, alphabet and many others things in a so creative and fun ways. On Mondays they walk to the library, Tuesday they have soccer, some Fridays they have cooking classes and they have a couple of field trips during the year. In GMM they have great activities for his development and they care so much for the kids. I'm super grateful with Miss Donna and Rosalina for the hearth and soul they bring every day to help the kids grow so well. Since we joined my son is really happy, plus the parents are awesome and warming that it feels like family. Unfortunately we have to go even my son and I don't want to.

We are so happy with our choice of Growing Minds Montessori. As this was out first child, coupled…read morewith the pandemic (born in Feb 2020) we were headed in to this process pretty much blind. After the intro tour, we almost immediately knee this would be the perfect fit. Our daughter was transitioning from a daycare where she was the oldest by a year, and understandably was a tad but behind socially. Donna's set up, coupled with the Montesorri ideology provided us with comfort, and an almost immediate/noticeable improvement in her energy, spirit, and curiosity. The Brightwheel app that Donna/Montessori uses has us in awe of how much they find to do in the house, backyard, and the local neighborhood. An added bonus has been the relationships our daughter, as well as the parents have made thru the school. Parent zen achieved!

My daughter attends Kids Kollege and absolutely loves the school. We were worried about how well…read moreshe would respond to the preschool, but those fears were quickly put to rest. The entire staff is amazing and they treat each child like their are family while investing in their safety, happiness, and growth. I can't ask for anything more. Music class always puts a smile on my daughter's face when we pick her up at the end Miss Sarah is a saint. She always makes the time for our daughter and any questions that we might have. Shout out to other teachers and staff too. It's really testament to the culture and values of the school. I strongly recommend Kids Kollege. We are expecting our second and mentally already preparing for him to attend the school.

My 2 kids had the pleasure of attending this amazing school over the span of the last 5 years and…read morehave since graduated, AND I cannot recommend it enough! I actually found this school via Yelp so it only makes sense to leave a Yelp review in return. We were lucky enough to experience the school pre-pandemic and get involved in their Parent Club where we could give feedback and organize family events for the kids. The Parent Club has since disbanded due to covid safety protocols, but hopefully it'll return in the future as I really enjoyed the community aspect of it. Speaking of the pandemic, the director, Kelsi, and her assistant, Sarah, have been so wonderful with handling the roller coaster that is covid. Partitions were put in place to separate the classes, and all staff are vaccinated/masked. I've never felt unsafe or worried about the spread of covid here, even in 2020 when there were so many unknowns. The teachers are all very friendly, caring, and patient. When it comes to curriculum, my kids learned their ABCs and counting, how to be respectful of others, nature, art. My kids always left the school day with a smile on their faces, which is so important to me. We miss you already, Kids Kollege!