Toddle is truly such a special preschool that sees and nurtures the whole child. Our son attended…read moreToddle for two years, and every single morning he walked into the classroom, he would absolutely beam - both from excitement to play with his teachers and friends, and also with pride knowing he was seen as an important part of the community. The school is intentionally small to maintain an amazing student teacher ratio, and the entire little school is thoughtfully designed for independent, creative, collaborative, open-ended play - with a beautiful outdoor space as well. Very Montessori in feel. The curriculum at Toddle is student-inspired, evolving based on the children's' interests (from anatomy to forests to outer space), and hands on. The lessons are creative and engaging - My son has brought home handmade treehouses, a paper model of the lungs (complete with straws to inflate), a miniature planet diagram, just to name a few. When the students were learning about forests, the teachers introduced this idea that the kids could earn a paper leaf for doing an act of kindness -- by the end of the quarter the ceiling was covered in leaves. It not only transformed the classroom into a beautiful forest to match the curriculum, but the students had a physical reminder of all the kindness they had showed to one another. Most importantly, to me, is how Toddle has bolstered my son's confidence through the respect, independence, healthy challenges, sense of community, and belonging the school offers. He is greeted with such warmth from the teachers each morning, the students are respectful to one other because that is the clear expectation, and my son takes pride in his daily jobs and responsibilities-- it's all added up to giving him an incredible baseline for his schooling for years to come. I can't say enough positive things about the Toddle ethos and approach to preschool education.

I can't say enough good things about Toddle. Both of my children have attended from the time they…read morewere 2 all the way until they graduated to TK/Kindergarten, and honestly, leaving this school feels like leaving family. It is definitely not your "standard" daycare setup--it's a deeply nurturing preschool that is 100% invested in making sure kids are emotionally and academically ready for the big transition to elementary school. What really sets them apart: - The Head Teacher is a "Child Whisperer": She is essentially a child psychologist in disguise. She has this amazing ability to understand each child's unique personality and meet them exactly where they are. - Incredible Hands-on Projects: They do the coolest activities I've ever seen. My favorites were when the kids made actual paper from wood chips and a project where every child picked their favorite food and the whole class learned how to cook it. - STEM & Music: They do a ton of anatomy lessons through play, and they even have a dedicated music teacher who comes in weekly. - Deep Parent Involvement: They hold regular family conferences to discuss how your child is doing both at school and at home. You never feel out of the loop. - The Community: Between the parent meet-and-greets and the sweet student gift exchanges at Christmas, we've made real friends here. If you are looking for a place that treats your child as an individual and makes learning feel like an adventure, Toddles is it. We're going to miss them so much!

CLC Preschool is amazing! my child has been attending for the past 3 years and has made leaps and…read morebounds with his growth and progress in all aspects of life that include emotional intelligence, social skills, academics, and physical motor skills, and speech. The director, Noor, is such a caring and kind soul that genuinely cares for and invests so much of herself and efforts to ensure each kid is receiving what they need to flourish. The teachers, Lydia and Mahi, have been fantastic at creating an environment that is safe, welcoming, and loving for our son's total wellbeing. The staff is amazing and they have the same kind of deep interest in ensuring every child succeeds. My son is already reading and isn't even in Kindergarten yet. He loves to learn and I give lots of credit to CLC for building him up into the confident little learner her is today. I highly recommend them based on our experience and it's bitter sweet that we will have to move on since our son is entering kindergarten in the coming year. If I could keep him there longer, I would.

We love Ms Noor and all the other teachers at Foothill Preschool. Our daughter went there for 1.5…read moreyears starting around her 4th birthday. She recently started Kindergarten and this was bittersweet for us, because they have taken such good care of her at preschool. Our daughter has made lots of friends at preschool and always enjoyed going. She did fun crafts, learned to write her name, learned to count, learned the alphabet and they really helped her develop a ton of social skills. Ms Noor is a great communicator and thoughtful about what happens. It has been so wonderful to send our daughter to a place where we know she will be so well cared for! Highly recommend!

This is the BEST pre-school in the whole bay area ... When…read moreAmanda started going to RCC she was in the "terrible two" age: having a lot of tantrums, easily frustrating and being very shy. After a while she flourished and now she is confident, independent, know how to solve problems and has lot of friends. Teachers are wise,kind,resourceful and they work as a team.Even they have classes separated by age, I could asked each of the teachers how was Amanda's day and they could give me a brief summary. My daughter loved going to RCC and she even wanted to go on weekends! We left RCC because we moved to the South, and after checking more than fifty places, I can tell you RCC is unique. Thank you Susan, Veronica,Vashti and Jackie You are doing a great job!

My experience at RCC has inspired me to give a glowing review on Yelp…read more One of the best decisions we've made has been to send both my toddlers to RCC. My kiddos are happy, feel loved, are learning a lot and progressing well. RCC Teachers are nurturing as they clearly love the kids. The are joyous and excited when we open the door and are greeted with a big 'Good Morning' as we put away our bags. The kids rush to one of the activity tables (eg, playdough, puzzles, building blocks) and settle in to play. They have a full day of activities - free play, dancing/singing, arts/crafts, numbers/letters/words, outdoor time, snack, nap, etc. They also work on age appropriate activities (eg, my 2 y/o is working on counting, learning shapes and colors). Both are always bringing home new school work and art. It's actually inspired me to make an art wall at home to display everything. There are lots of things for the kids to do, multiple play areas, the outside space is both my kids favorite part. They both love riding bikes, playing in the sandbox and of course the big purple dinosaur! The teachers are disciplined around schedule, activities, behavior. The kids learn to socialize, share, play together, clean up, resolve conflicts, behavior and consequences, etc. Both kiddos actually like to clean up (while at RCC only)! They resolve issues fully and quickly so that we can be comfortable that our kids are in the very best place they could be. All the teachers are lovable, with lots of energy and very patient for those around them. We are grateful for their service everyday!

Before we started here I mentioned to a parent I met at a playground where we were starting…read morepreschool. We were in southern CA at the time. He immediately knew the school and said it was the best preschool in California. Turns out he does education certification for the state and analyzes preschool effectiveness for students and communities. He had visited the MACooP on several occasions. This place is wonderful! Our child's teacher is incredible, super knowledgeable, up to date with best practices, so talented and very experienced. The amount they do with these kids every day is amazing, there is always something new to explore. Very glad we gave this a try even though I was very nervous about the time commitment for parents with all the extra meetings. It is intense for sure but that intensity also comes we a deep cultural value of taking care of each other. Everyday I see parents helping each other make it through, and not just the parents who are besties or belong to the same economic bracket. Everyone helps everyone.

The Co-Op is a magical place! We started looking at and applying to preschools before our son was…read moreeven born. I went on many tours and applied to many schools, but after a lot of debate, we chose the Co-Op. It was the best decision we could have made. Our son loves going to school! While many schools call themselves play-based, the Co-Op truly is. The kids get to come in and play for 2.5 hours, choosing their own adventure from a wide variety of options. They can choose to play indoors or outdoors, no matter what the weather. The teachers are incredibly caring and really value letting kids be kids for as long as possible. The director, Teacher Kristy, does such an incredible job of advocating for the kids and staying true to the principles of a play-based philosophy. While I had concerns about the level of parental commitment, it has been one of my favorite parts of the school. Getting to watch my son in the classroom and form a close-knit community with other parents has been such a gift. Now, I can't imaging going to a school where that wouldn't be part of the routine. The parental education classes have also been so helpful. You come together with with other parents to learn from each other and support each other in the journey of parenting.

Our child has been here since age two, and we chose this school over another bilingual daycare…read morebecause we were immediately impressed by how calm and organized the environment felt. Every child seemed focused and independent -- no chaos or yelling, just a serene, well-run classroom. From what we can observe, the school is very classically Montessori. The kids do daily "jobs," and the teachers emphasize independence and emotional regulation. Compared to other daycares or preschools our friends' kids attend, there also seems to be a stronger academic element here. The teachers really care about each child's development -- we get detailed feedback and even an annual report card. As more academically inclined parents, we appreciate that our child is already learning a lot while still being encouraged to explore at their own pace. The campus feels very safe, tucked away from main streets, and we love getting daily photos of what our child is doing in class. Overall, we've been really happy with our experience.

Our 2.5-year-old son has truly thrived during his time here. He's both enjoyed himself and grown in…read moreways we'd hoped for. This is exactly the kind of supportive, engaging, and joy-filled environment we wanted for his first preschool experience.

My daughter attended preschool at this location with Graciela, Martha, and forgive me as I do not…read moreremember the names of the other teachers. However, they were all amazing. Leaving your child in someone else's care can be very scary but I didn't once question my daughters safety at this location. They are compassionate and loving, teaching structure and basic skills for our little ones. I wouldn't think twice about sending my child here and am so grateful for the staff and the beautiful memories they gave our family and life long lessons they taught my daughter.

This is long over due! I am very happy with the job that all teachers do at footsteps! My son loves…read moregoing to school. He is excited every morning and never wants to leave in the afternoon. All teachers are FANTASTIC!! They are all lovable and caring. Kids don't have to be potty trained. They offer full day or part time. They offer breakfast, lunch and a pm snack. They do various fieldtrips and they get visitors too. For example, this month a dentist came by to visit them and another day they had 2 officers come by to visit. And next week they will go visit the fire station. They also do recitals, they just had a winter show where all kids sang and danced. Very beautiful! The programs is year round so they never stop learning! They only close on holidays. My son started in July, and I see a tremendous improvement in his skills, HE CAN WRITE HIS OWN NAME! (he is only 3 and a half!) Also if my son ever falls/hurts himself, or hurts someone else I get a call and an "ouch report" they are very on top of things. I am so happy I found footsteps. Director Graciela does an AMAZING job and I am truly thankful!

Odyssey Montessori in Palo Alto has been a wonderful preschool for our family. Our three children,…read more5-year-old twins (now graduated) and a 3-year-old, thrived and loved their time here. Director Marthe's excellent administration of the school contributed greatly to our positive experience. Our kids loved their teachers. Ms. April, Ms. Sophia, and Ms. Bianca helped our twins develop confidence and mastery in foundational concepts such as colors, shapes, letters, manners, counting, addition/subtraction, and basic Chinese characters. Ms. Nuo and Ms. Lupe helped our younger child grow in his motor skills, language skills, and ability to play with others. All three children are fluent in both Chinese and English with support from Odyssey's diverse bilingual atmosphere. The teachers alternated to prepare school lunch, including accommodating our kid's allergies. The thoughtfully implemented Montessori approach fostered independence and curiosity, while ensuring our kids felt happy and secure. Classrooms are well-prepared with engaging, age appropriate activities. For a preschool with energetic caring educators who inspire learning, we highly recommend Odyssey Montessori Palo Alto.

Odyssey has been a great place for our child. The teachers are kind and caring. They share lots of…read moreupdates and photos, and chatting with them at pickup is such a treat. The activities are fun and help our child learn. It feels calm, safe, and welcoming. We're really happy we found it!

The children are marvelously guided to follow their curiosity and do meaningful projects like study…read morechange makers in society. I have worked with many schools and never seen such attentive care for children and teens by teachers. It's a joy to see!

This is a review for Synapse's TK program. My son has been in Teacher Mickey & Teacher Natasha's…read moreclass for a year this year. My son's TK experience has been truly above and beyond what we wanted for early childhood education. All the great activities that foster joyful learning, all the field trips, events that bring the community together have been so beautifully thought out and planned, we had no idea this kind of education was even possible for little kids. We were grateful each day when we sent my son to school, because we trusted that he would be well taken care of and have a good time. It meant a lot to us as parents. The teachers cared so much about students' happiness, well-being, and materials they were learning. They truly, genuinely cared, and all the parents of TK students could feel it. Throughout the year, we were constantly impressed by the teachers' willingness to go above and beyond. These teachers are not ordinary teachers who rely on easier field trips or simpler projects. They take kids to the most interesting and enriching places on their field trips, places such as ice skating rinks, beaches, ponds where you can catch tadpoles, senior centers, pumpkin patches, cactus garden, etc. Their creativity and willingness to get messy were also truly inspiring. The TK class built an awe-inspiring life-size whale shark together and had so much fun celebrating Holi. The TK class cooked great lunches and sold them to parents as well. The teachers went an extra mile, even though it meant so much more work for themselves, because they have a genuine passion for sprinkling curiosity and exploration in their students. We also deeply appreciated how they created so many opportunities to recognize diverse cultures and bring families together for events like Diwali and Lunar New Year. They were extra careful to include all of the countries' traditions, which gave my son a sense of belonging and harbored a pride in his heritage. We are immensely grateful and feel incredibly honored that my son had such thoughtful, dedicated, and innovative teachers like them. Knowing he was in their care gave us immense peace of mind. And this review is not just about TK teachers at Synapse. Everyone we met at Synapse has been genuinely nice and down to earth. All the teachers, staff, students and parents formed such a warm, wonderful community.