There is something to say about finding the right school. The right preschool. The one where you drop your kid off and they don't cry, they don't run after you and make you feel horrible for having a job. They have a clean face and a full belly when you show up for them. They have a clean diaper for the ride home. They have taken and sent multiple pics thru the day. They have a smile on their face when you pick them up, not running crying to you. They have low ratio supervision. The school that you (literally) have never heard a child crying, and i have been there all hours of the day. The school where the staff is dressed appropriately according to their position. Where there is always a genuine smile (or shoulder) for you. The one where actual projects, sand play, water play, art every day are done and the rooms are not destroyed. In February, that's just what we did. I won't mention the school for privacy reasons but anyone who knows they have changed schools knows i have been raving about them. All our younger kiddos go there currently. All I'm saying is, it makes a huge difference where your children feel comfortable enough to run off from you instead of after you. So thank you to all the educators who put in their days seemingly effortlessly to teach our children of all ages.You are making a difference read more

Words cannot express how glad we are to have found this preschool! The best way I can describe it - the entire place seems to be based on the Reithian values of "inform, educate, and entertain." Everyone is so lovely, from the teachers to the support staff. The communication to parents is excellent and I love their app. Putting our daughter in this school has been the best thing we've ever done! read more

Excelsior preschool has been the most amazing school for my four year old!! I love every single teacher he has had, especially Ms.Fey and Ms.Nancy. I love that I get multiple photos of my kiddo throughout the day, allowing me to see what he is doing and have conversations about the amazing magnatile structures he builds. This school is a hidden gem, and we are going to be SO sad to leave for big kid school! Excelsior offers all meals and snacks which makes a parents life so much easier. They also do water days over the summer, which allow my kiddos to splash around in the water table and sprinklers while having a BLAST! One of my favorite things about this school is how much they highlight the kids, they always have their art posted, as well as photos of them playing. They really care about the kids, and do adorable things like graduation ceremonies with certificates that allow the kids to understand their movement into big kid school. I could not ask for a better preschool to send my kiddo to! If you are on the edge about which school to go to, I highly recommend getting a tour of excelsior! read more

Since bringing on a new director (they didn't have one for a few weeks after the restructuring) everything has been great. Michelle is an attentive and experienced educator who truly cares about the kids and their development. It was alarming to see parents pull their kids out so quickly not giving the new structuring a chance. My son has never complained about school and rather looks forward to it everyday, he sees his friends out in the community often which I just love. Michelle organized a scholastic book fair that lasted 2 weeks allowing plenty of time for families to purchase AND earn credit to create a school library. The staff who work here are very kind and of many different ethnicities and backgrounds creating a sense of diversity which I think is important. My son gets to see kids and people who are unique and builds a sense of community. Meals are also included in the rates which for a busy family I find very helpful. They use an app system to check your kid in and out, the door is locked and only unlocked when the person is recognized for safety. The app is updated with check in time, potty breaks with description, breakfast and what they ate, snacks, nap start and finish, and any other pertinent info like injures, sunscreen application, etc.. My child is constantly doing sensory activities, play time, crafts, story time, and playing on the black top on the covered play structures. read more

My kiddo loves this preschool! We came from a small part-time in-home daycare, which we loved, but needed full-time care, so we enrolled at this larger preschool. My child has been attending since last fall and I've been so impressed by how much he has grown and excelled here! The front office staff and teachers are wonderful and always greet us with a smile. Nancy, the preschool director, is amazing! She is wonderful with the kids and parents too, and works with us whenever we have questions. The facilities are newly renovated and very nice. The classrooms are spacious, clean, and have lots of interesting stations for the children, the multiple outside play areas are safe and age appropriate. The activities are perfect for each age range. They do gardening (my child grew a carrot and was so excited), fine motor skills, alphabet recognition, reading, counting, shapes, art, they talk about seasons, animals, etc. The curriculum is spot on for preparing for TK and kindergarten while having lots of fun. Healthy well-balanced meals are included too, so my kiddo eats breakfast, lunch, and afternoon snack provided by the school and actually eats most if not all of his food! He can be a picky eater at home, living on goldfish and grapes , but they somehow work magic, lol! I very much appreciate Excelsior is a nut-free facility as well since my son has a peanut allergy. I love the regular updates, and seeing photos of my kid during his day is great and makes me feel reassured he's doing well. At the end of the day after pick-up, my kid is happily worn out, is ready for dinner and bedtime, and wakes up the next morning excited and ready to go to preschool again! read more

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My child has been at Excelsior for almost a year. Up to a few weeks ago, I would have given this a 5 star rating. It's pricier, but the development we've seen in our child has been remarkable since starting this school. We loved the teachers the environment, and the safe place they provided for friendships to develop. However, 2 weeks ago, we suddenly received a message that the director and assistant director were no longer with the school. Turns out, in an effort to increase profit, the company who owns the school decided to lay off all the staff, but offered them to apply for their jobs again at a lower salary. Unsurprisingly, most of those who this affected didn't take that deal. The school suddenly was without their director, assistant director, and many teachers. Many teachers were suddenly gone, classrooms closed, and kids packed into different classes together, putting the school well out of ratio. Stress and low morale were abundant for those left working short staffed, and the kids felt it. The kids all started having behavioral issues, we had zero communication about what was going on, and many of our kids came home starving, asking for food, and lead us to suspect they weren't even being properly fed. All of this happened overnight. Monday everything was as it had been, and Tuesday, everything changed. And while all this has been happening, they have the gall to have been increasing tuition for many age groups while also trying to discontinue the food program, which our tuition pays for. Not only did Excelsior lose the ability to provide the high quality education and learning environment we'd all come to expect, and that we pay for, but they clearly lost the ability to meet our children's basic needs and to keep them safe. Many parents, including us, decided to withdraw our children from the program, and I know of others who will do the same once they find other programs. I urge any parent that's considering this school after 11/1/2024 to not subject your child to these conditions. Whoever made these decisions, I hope you feel all kinds of shame. Our children deserve better, and the teachers you employed deserve better as well. Preschool teachers already do not make enough money for the work they do, but those who have been at Excelsior were all wonderful and cared about our kids. Paying them even less than you used to is going to decrease the quality of teachers you'll employ in the future. Nobody should support any company that conducts their business this way, especially when being entrusted with the care, safety, and education of young children. With any luck, this decision will either cause Excelsior to go out of business, or licensing will shut them down before they can do any more harm to anymore families. read more

Just popping in to back up the recent negative reviews. My child came here from 9months old to just a few days shy of 2. We had to leave immediately and unexpectedly when staff were fired, tuition increased exponentially, and the food program was threatened. What a shame and very stressful. I'm guessing new managers but there was never any explanation. Don't manage a company for children's care if you don't care about children! read more

My daughter started here within the last month in the infants program and she has taken right to the school and the teachers. Every one has been amazing and supportive. It has been a wonderful experience and through the staff's support she is thriving. The director has been absolutely fantastic. Her experience in this work and that of her staff shines. I am happy with the decision to enroll my child here. read more

I used to work here with the old director Nancy and she was my favorite boss I've ever had. I left due to my own reasons but was sad to hear that most of my peers were let go of and so was Nancy and the assistant director. They lost so many families and great workers and the owners should really think about what they did. I'm sure the preschool is still running fine now assuming the new director is good, but this school used to be top tier and hopefully management and the owners can be smarter this time around. read more

We have 2 children here and they love it!! The teachers are so friendly and supportive. They keep us very informed about everything going on throughout the day and we get lots of pictures. Our son can be a little difficult and all the teachers are very patient and understanding with him. They do a great job partnering with us finding creative ways to engage with him and help him with big feelings. He's made so many friends and it has been great getting to know the other parents. Our daughter loves it here too, getting to do lots of art, reading, and playing on the awesome playground. The food is great and our very picky daughter actually eats here!! The play areas are segregated so the littlest ones are protected from the bigger kids. The outdoor area is nicely shaded and the facility is very secure. This daycare has been so awesome for our family :) read more

As a parent, there is nothing more comforting than knowing your child is in safe, caring, and attentive hands, and that's precisely what Excelsior offers. From day one, we noticed the dedication and genuine care from the staff at Excelsior. My son's vocabulary has exploded since joining. He's ahead in hitting milestones and I thank the teachers and administrative staff for the attention provided to the children. The food served at Excelsior has exceeded our expectations. I am delighted knowing he's eating healthy, tasty food that nourishes his growing body. Also it's a nut free environment! As for the physical space, the school is absolutely adorable. The pride of place is definitely the innovative playground shaped like a train and boat for the older kids. He looks forward to going to "school" every single day. As a parent, seeing his enthusiasm and eagerness to go to daycare each morning is a true testament to the nurturing environment that Excelsior provides. I cannot recommend Excelsior highly enough. Their commitment to providing a safe, caring, and enjoyable learning environment for kids is evident in everything they do. We are incredibly thankful to have found such a wonderful place for our son to grow, learn, and have fun read more

Extremely Disappointing Experience here. We loved this daycare at first and thought we found a hidden gem in Gold River, but it went downhill fast. They raised their prices with little notice so drastically that most families left, and in response, they laid off staff. The once great program fell apart overnight. The quality of care, attention to the children, and overall atmosphere all suffered. I would not recommend this daycare to anyone. read more

The Teachers at Excelsior are exceptionally nurturing and provide great activities for their students. They serve delicious lunches the school is clean and the office staff is friendly. I highly recommend this school! Thank You! read more

We had a very disappointing experience. We were initially wowed by the low child to staff ratio and the quality of care, but this changed. We had our child enrolled for 3 short months and in that time the price was raised by about $500 per month per child. The last price hike was announced 2 weeks before it was to go into effect. Quality staff was let go and the ones that remained seemed to be asked to do more with less. Not sure how you can justify raising prices so much while simultaneously lowering the quality of care. The families and staff deserve better. read more

Excelsior preschool has exceeded our expectations! We moved to Sacramento last June and searched high and low for a preschool for my four year old daughter. I literally toured a handful of preschools before we found this gem. The entire staff is awesome! Maren (the office manager) gave us a wonderful tour and my daughter was excited from the get go. Nancy (the director) is amazing and super understanding to my family circumstances we had encountered earlier in the year. Classrooms are wonderfully decorated and they offer a fun curriculum with tons of sensory and hands on learning activities for the kids. My daughter came home everyday with something new and exciting she had learned each day. She absolutely adores Ms. Mari and Ms. Libby. I remember one morning I dropped my daughter off and she had started to tear and Ms. Mari picked her up and started comforting her. I left feeling so grateful that Ms. Mari treats all the kids as if they're her own. It's so bittersweet my daughter will be moving on to Kindergarten but this experience is just what she needed to move on to elementary school. Knowing your child is in a safe, caring, learning environment is important for all us parents. I highly, highly recommend this Excelsior preschool for your little ones. read more

This school is exceptional!!! Miss Nancy (the Director) leads with such heart and comes with a wealth of experience. From her leadership - she has hired the kindest and most amazing staff! You can feel the love they have for the kiddos. From the moment you walk in the door, you are greeted with the kindest smile/love! The teachers are all so kind and responsive.... They update the app regularly (including posting the CUTEST photos), so I always know what a great/adventurous day my cutie is having. If I send a message, I hear back quickly and efficiently. Overall, the experience is fantastic and we could not be happier! We love and trust this crew wholeheartedly. We are eternally grateful for them! read more

Loooove this daycare/preschool! Cannot recommend them enough. The staff and team are all so kind and dedicated, always making things fun and engaging. Very professional, clean, attentive, and welcoming. The food is also wonderful, healthy, a wide variety, and great for palette development. The outdoor play space is incredible, the crafts and indoor learning spaces are also so enriching and cute. The teacher and staff patience, understanding, and overall genuine care has been apparent and appreciated since day 1. We've only had our 2 year old here since August, but our experience has been 1000/10. If you are considering this place for your Littles, you will not be disappointed. This place is incredible, rich with community building, and thoughtful attention to detail. They have an app where they send you pictures and updates for the day. Their communication is top-notch, which is huge for me and my family. read more

Highly recommend this preschool! Our child is always happy to go and has nothing but positive things to say at the end of the day. Safe, clean, and great communication. read more

My daughter attends Excelsior and I absolutely love the ease of having a chef, a small classroom and a teacher and staff I can talk to and communicate with. I think another amazing thing is being able to talk to other parents of the kids and having a teacher that cares for my toddler. A wonderful school. read more