The school is very beautiful, inside and out, with a delicious menu for the kids too. The teachers also seem knowledgeable. the problem is with the teachers' attitudes towards certain parents and students. There was a striking difference between how they treated certain families (mine included)--quite cold and dismissive towards some, and very friendly and sociable towards others. it's very unfortunate that this was our introduction to Santa Cruz. read more

Hands down the best experience for our toddler and our entire family. Between the nurturing teachers, the innovative curriculum, and the warm, inviting environment, we couldn't ask for a better place for our child to grow. read more

My daughter blossomed here. We decided to send her to preschool primarily as socialization as she is an only child and could be quite shy. She made so many new friends and found real confidence. The teachers were all wonderful, caring and set clear expectations which works for her. We feel very happy with our choice and love seeing her grow. read more

My son has been at Kinder Cottage a few months now & were so thrilled. Terri and her team are so knowledgeable & have been working with toddlers at this location for over 30 years! I wish I would've found this place sooner. It is not a home daycare but a licensed preschool in a homey environment. My son comes home singing new songs & is excited about new books he reads at school. The price is very affordable comparatively & it includes breakfast, lunch & snacks. My son is 4.5 & this is our second preschool. I would definitely recommend it. While some of the interior is outdated, they make up for it by putting the money toward quality teachers & activities for the children. read more

both my co worker and i called to get information on enrolling our kids as this place is close to our work and we heard great things. however the staff who answerd when both of us called was so rude and sounded completely bothered to help us. she said she would call me back and no one ever did. guess we'll be looking elsewhere to take our kids. bummer! read more

I give two stars because Kindercottage is very clean, has a lot of great toys for the kids to play with and a couple of the staff members are quite kind and really care about the kids. I know a lot of the staff members there have been there a long time and that says a lot about the school. If you have an easy, normal kid and are looking for a day care this one is a pretty nice one. Two stars were took away for the following reasons: -My son, who has some sensory processing difficulties, had trouble here. Terri, the owner, chatted with me about this once and referred me to an occupational therapist and my son started working with the OT (great). However, I was absolutely shocked when out of the blue Terri told my mother (whom she had just met a couple of days before because my mom was in town helping me during a particularly heavy work week) that my son would need to find another day care. It was extremely unprofessional for Terri to go to her rather than to talk with me directly. Up to that point there had been no communication from Terri or anyone else on the staff that they might not be able to accommodate my son. Then, when I found a school for my son to attend, Terri seemed surprised that I wanted the tuition pro-rated for the month even though she was the one who told my mom we had to leave. He's at a new school (Simcha) which is absolutely amazing and he is thriving in. No longer labeled the "bad" kid, no longer isolated from other children as a way of trying to control his behavior, added integration of some of the OT techniques into the curriculum and excellent daily communication have been the key to success. An example was in the first couple of days he ran by and hit one of the teachers on the back .At Kindercottage I suspect this would have been judged as just poor behavior and he would've been told "don't hit." At Simcha, the teacher kneeled down, made eye contact, and spoke with my son, asking what his idea was when he did that. He said he was playing tag. The teacher explained that that sounded fun but that he hit a little too hard. He adjusted his behavior after that. The first week there were a couple of other incidents similar to the problems that were seen at Kindercottage but after that there have been absolutely none and I strongly, strongly believe it is because of the compassionate approach and attitude that the behavior is being addressed with. -Second point is that after all of this happened I was looking up licensing for different schools. I pulled Kindercottage and they had a violation for having someone working there who had not had a background check and had not been fingerprinted. This is unacceptable in my mind and shows a desire to fill a position quickly rather than to protect the children that are at the center. I know that the above rating my sound scathing and I am not trying to imply that Kindercottage is all bad. I think it is a great school if you have a pretty easy kid with no developmental challenges and I do think some of the teachers (not all, but a lot of them) are great. I think it would be good for the parents to do the background checks and hold the school accountable for the second point by ensuring with Terri that this has been corrected and will not happen again. read more

Tell your employees and parents dropping kids off that parking in front of driveways is unacceptable. Happens about once a week and we will start towing. read more

My son has been at Kinder Cottage for the past 2 1/2 years, going 5 days a week, full time and we couldn't be happier. The school is clean, the teachers are friendly and supportive. We fell in love the first time we visited and could tell this would be enriching for our son. He started off a shy, quiet boy and is now a confident, friendly and even outgoing little guy and I attribute a lot of this to his experience at Kinder Cottage. I really couldn't recommend more! read more

Kinder Cottage is an amazing learning community for children and their families with exceptionally caring and compassionate teachers! My husband and I are both elementary school teachers, and we have been a part of the Kinder Cottage community for six years (with two more to go!). When it came time to choose a preschool, we didn't look at a single other one. Many of our teacher friends' children already attended Kinder Cottage, which is how we learned about it (in fact, many local educators enroll or have enrolled their children there), and when we stepped inside and saw this community in action, we knew we wanted our daughter to be a part of it. Our daughter began Kinder Cottage when she was two-and-a-half years old. We chose to keep her at Kinder Cottage rather than put her into Transitional Kindergarten (TK) although she was eligible, because it was so clear that the teachers and their compassionate and developmentally appropriate approach to teaching and learning were not just preparing the children to be successful in kindergarten, they were preparing them with skills to be successful in life. As a teacher, I have so valued Terri's approach in working with children. Terri is a lifelong learner, having completed her Master's in Early Childhood Education with an emphasis in Special Education within the past few years, and she is passionate about the role she plays in all of our lives--for example, by creating opportunities for mentorship and community-building for parents while having tea and treats at her home once a month, discussing anything and everything, helping to prepare parents in supporting their child's transition into kindergarten, and sharing her wealth of knowledge about children and learning. In the school, important learning is taking place everywhere, and while much of it is student-directed and always in the context of activity and play, Terri and the other teachers recognize and seize upon opportunities for learning in action all the time, and this is a true art. Having earned my doctorate in Education, I can really appreciate how Terri and all of the teachers put theory into practice, as children develop skills and strategies for sharing, working with others, solving problems, and forming friendships. Just today for instance, I watched as Terri helped an older child who was troubled because a younger child took a toy from her. When the older child asked Terri for help, she helped the two resolve the situation while learning important communication skills and lessons for next time, asking the older child whether she had told the younger child she was still using the toy, and offering that she might show the younger child where there were more like it. While in many situations an adult might simply say, "give it back," consider what was learned by both children in this situation, the respect given to both, and responsibility this fostered. The older child was empowered, showed the younger one where to find the toy, and both played together happily--with the tools to resolve the situation themselves and knowledge and language for how to do so in the future. All this while parents dropping off children, giving snack, and getting ready for a field trip! That is expertise! While Terri could easily teach at the university level, she has found her place in this world where she can affect change and make a difference in the lives of so many, and recognizes how important this work is, finding it meaningful and rewarding. She has such respect for young people, such understanding of them, and this permeates all of her actions and it is so clear this is the work she is meant to do. The kindness, love, and caring she gives her students is limitless, and the foundation of her work. You hear it in her voice the way she speaks to the children. It is not something she tries to do, it is who she is. I have to say, I could go on and on similarly about each of the teachers, I focus on Terri especially because she is not only a teacher and teacher-leader, this school embodies and enacts her vision and it is beautiful to behold. I have reflected myself recently on how between my two kids, our family will have collectively been a part of the Kinder Cottage community for as long as our children will be in elementary school or longer. It has been a gift, and I have to appreciate each day because I know far too soon, it will be behind us. Kinder Cottage has truly been our children's foundation in learning, and we will always be grateful for it. read more

We absolutely love this preschool. My daughter started going in 2012 when she was 2 1/2 and my son has been going since 2014 (and will go for two more years). We could not be happier with our choice. We have not had one single problem with any of the teachers, the administration etc., everything is perfection. When I visited the school for the first time I immediately fell in love with "Teacher Terri" who is the director and has had the school for 20+ years. She has a certain way to talk to children that is just absolutely amazing and my first thought was that I wanted to learn from her and pick her brain about EVERYTHING. As a new mom, I really saw her as a sounding board and "the voice of reason" in this day and age where you get so many conflicting messages about raising your children. I trusted her immediately. Terri is always there at drop off (all teachers only work half a day to prevent burnout) and always has an open ear for all concerns and everything that is going on with your little one (or your life). Some of the best advice I have ever gotten in regards to parenting was from her. She also has recently gotten her Masters in Early Childhood Education. She is amazing in case you haven't picked up on that yet. All the other teachers are great, too. Jeaney and Susan have been there for over/almost 20 years as well. It says a lot about a business if it can retain their employees for that long! My daughter is off to Kindergarten next week and I must say thanks to Kinder Cottage, she is absolutely ready! She is more of a reserved child but she has learned to speak up for herself and how to resolve conflict with her peers. The curriculum really focuses on social learning and interaction instead of drilling the kids to learn their ABCs and numbers. The idea is to let them play and figure out how to deal with social interactions and challenges and then teach them when they are ready to be taught. This has worked very well for both of my kids and it has allowed them to be kids, which was hugely important to us. Terri and her staff do about one field trip per month which are always executed flawlessly. You do not have to attend for your kid to go (as a working mom, I always appreciated this), they will figure out rides to and from. Terri also hosts an Easter egg hunt and a graduation party at her house as well as a Christmas Party and a slumber party at the school every year. And lots of other events, too many to list and all very fun and meaningful. One other HUGE bonus - the school is open from 7:30 am to 5:30 pm and they do not take a summer break. For working parents, this is hard to find and very much appreciated. The rates are competitive and downright cheap compared to some schools in the county. I could go on and on about how much I love the school and the teachers but all I can say is: You won't regret sending your child here. The teachers truly care about them and are very loving, supportive and knowledgeable. read more

I love this preschool, even better my kids love it! Terri, Jeanne and all the teachers here are so kind, caring and Patient! My daughter who is quite the handful and has had problems at previous preschools due to ADHD, she was welcomed here and for the 1st time came home happy and encouraged. Terri and her crew have successfully prepared her for kindergarten and have continued to help us with issues as they have come up in elementary school. Our 2nd child is attending here now, and she comes home everyday with wonderful stories of her day, and always feels good about herself. They really are like an extension of our family, and have helped us so much. read more