Our two children had drastically different experiences here. For my older child, this was a great…read moreschool (5 stars). For my younger child, it was not (0 stars). Depending on your kid, this may or may not be the right place. First, the basics: MVLA Montessori is well-run, safe, clean, and enriching. I've never seen the teachers discipline the kids inappropriately or do anything unprofessional. All the teachers seem well-qualified and calm. (My daughter especially loved Ms. Michelle.) The classrooms are pleasant and the outdoor space is adequate. No red flags. Second, the administration: This could be positive or negative depending on what you're looking for. Miss Linda and Miss Louanne, the directors, run a tight ship. They have a lot of rules: no parents allowed in the classroom ever; no hanging out on the playground before or after pickup; no chatting in the parking lot; no toys from home; etc. They also have a strict schedule: dropoff is 8:30-9:00 AM only, and if you are a minute late, you may have to wait outside the classroom for 15-20 minutes. Miss Linda and Miss Louanne forbid email communication from parents directly to teachers. They require that all communications go through them, and they sign each email with both of their names. Opportunities to talk to teachers are very limited - usually only 30 seconds through the crack of a door at dropoff or pickup. Otherwise, you must schedule a special meeting with the teacher and the directors after school hours. There is an open house in the fall, but it's focused on showcasing the school rather than on intimate parent-teacher conversations. Third, the activities: The materials are typical for a Montessori school (number blocks, beads to count, water to pour, etc.), but overall the kids do not have as much freedom as at some other Montessori schools. Most of the day is spent doing mandatory activities (circle time, worksheets, identical craft projects, etc.) There is not much free play; kids have only one outdoor recess of ~20 minutes all morning. This was fine for my daughter, who's less active and who could happily do crafts all day. It did not work for my son, who is energetic and independent. Miss Linda and Miss Louanne organize seasonal events throughout the year, including a Halloween party, a Christmas song-and-dance show, and a graduation ceremony. The events are carefully orchestrated to be consistent and tidy (e.g., the kids all wear the same outfit at the dance and recite the same thing at graduation). The overall effect is predictably adorable, but it doesn't allow for much creativity. The same can be said of the avalanche of craft projects that come home weekly (many of which seem to have little involvement from the child him/herself.) Fourth, the classroom organization: This ended up being a deal-breaker for us. When my daughter started in 2015, MVLA had age-cohort classrooms (2s, 3s, 4s, and 5s). This worked well for her, especially the 5s' kindergarten room, which she loved. My son started in 2017 when he turned two, and his first year was OK. But in 2018 at the start of his second year, MVLA (without discussing with parents) eliminated the 2's classroom and switched to a mixed-ages model, combining 3s, 4s, and 5s in each room. Mixed-age classrooms can be great when young kids learn from older ones and older kids develop responsibility for younger ones. But that dynamic works best in a less structured environment. MVLA is very structured, and the result of this change was to expect all the kids to act like pre-kindergartners. My 36-month-old, suddenly the youngest in the school, did not fit into a pre-K classroom where he had to trace alphabet worksheets and paste maps of the continents. He just wanted to play and run. Finally, communication. I was not happy with the lack of communication about my son. Apparently he had not been doing well in his 3-to-5-year-old classroom for months before the teachers finally contacted us. They said the other kids had all "normalized" to the classroom and he had not. We tried to coax him into better behavior (more sleep, exercise, rewards), but the problem ran too deep; he wasn't capable of acting like a pre-kindergartener. The teachers' repeated insistance that he sit still, stop touching things, stop wiggling at circle time, and stop scribbling on his worksheets made him miserable and frustrated. He started calling himself "bad," and his behavior worsened at home, too. Because we kept hearing from the MVLA staff that no other child acted like ours, we thought our son had developmental setbacks and couldn't cope with any school environment. But we have since talked to other former MVLA parents with similar stories; see Gretchen B's inexplicably censored ("not recommended") review below! Thankfully, our son is thriving this year at Orchard GCC (exploration-focused and maker-themed). I wish he hadn't spent last year unnecessarily struggling at MVLA. It is not for everyone.

Miss Linda, Miss Chelly, Miss Michelle and Miss Louanne - Thank you so much for taking care of my…read morebaby girl while I have to work:) Miss Rosa is also amazing - my daughter would come back with the most beautiful hair dos that i simply cannot recreate! I don't have enough praise for this school. It is my first experience with preschools and I signed my daughter up for when they first opened in the summer of 2014. All the teachers are amazing and have the most wonderful energy. There's warmth, and feeling of family with unconditional love. My daughter is learning so much every day and brings home things they create at school and I am at awe of how neat and imaginative they are. She is very proud of them as well as she loves to show them to everyone in our house:) The facilities are brand now and play ground is perfect with lots of space and activities for kids of all ages. I have a really heavy heart about leaving them, but it's just too long of a drive for us. Almost as soon as we started this school we had to move about 30 min away. I feel bad that my daughter spends 1-1.5 hours in the car each day instead of playing with her little sister and doggy. Ever since we moved in October I started to look for another school, and to my surprise I could not find anything that was anywhere close to this amazing school and teachers. I decided that we will keep driving in until we fins something that's close to what we currently have. We finally found another montessori that is close (but still not as great as MVLA) and should be getting in for the fall. I am sad about leaving this school and I am sure my daughter will be too.

I am a former student of Sajini's (Ms. Jini to me!) and cannot say enough about the positive impact…read moremy Montessori education and her instruction have had on my life. The Montessori curriculum is hands-on and individually paced for each student, which meant that I was constantly engaged and challenged to learn new material. The tactile lessons made abstract concepts, like math and pattern matching, concrete and easier to grasp. I learned independence, responsibility, and caring for others. I was encouraged to write, create, and explore concepts I wanted to learn. In short, Montessori taught me to love learning, which I still do today! When I eventually transitioned to a traditional-style learning environment, I was well advanced in math, reading, writing, geography, and critical thinking. Ms. Jini leads her classes with compassion, mindfulness, and a joy for learning. Her enthusiasm for new ideas and laughter are contagious! She used creative, immersive experiences to educate us about geography and current events. When I would struggle with a new concept, she patiently guided me through how to solve the problem on my own. When we were rowdy, she led us in meditation to recenter and calm ourselves. She engaged in difficult conversations, teaching us to be compassionate and self-aware in how we lead and engage others, especially those who look different from us. Those lessons stick with me today, and I cannot recommend her instruction highly enough!

From our initial tour in Sep 2021 to today, we have loved being part of the Mindful family…read more The teachers are very experienced. They nurture, love and respect each student, and are always ready to answer any questions we have. They offer advice and support to the child and parents even outside of the classroom (the lovely visual schedule we received from Sajini was one such example). I love the fact that the Mindful not only offers a Montessori environment where kids get to choose and enjoy many fun jobs (there are soooooooo many amazing and educational toys), grow independence and confidence, but also is knowledgeable and open to other, less rigid methods based on each child's characters and needs. Such an approach, combined with the teachers' patience and love, was hugely helpful when my son was going through a challenging phase. Mindful also invited other teachers to organize special activities such as clay, painting, language, culture. Such activities exposed kids to interesting concepts and learning opportunities while having fun. There is lots of singing at Mindful too. My son's favorite songs lately are the planet song, the continent song from Mindful + the Spanish counting song he learned from his big sister. Bonus points: they offer healthy snacks, and the birthday celebration is very special! I highly recommend Mindful Montessori. It's a gem where your child will feel loved, have fun and thrive!

My son attended PAMS from age 2 to 3.5, and we had a truly wonderful experience there…read more He came home every week excited to show us all kinds of handmade projects like paper cows and snakes, drawings, shapes, and even letters he practiced writing. It was very special to watch his creativity and confidence grow over time. PAMS also organizes many fun events throughout the year, especially during the summer. Some of my son's favorites were the cooking classes, gymnastics, dance activities, and visits from fire trucks and police cars. The campus itself is warm, cheerful, and filled with things young kid naturally like, e.g sand boxes What stood out most to us was the kindness and care from the staff and teachers. They are incredibly warm and attentive with the children. Whenever we traveled for more than a couple of weeks, by the second week my son would start saying he missed his school, friends, and teachers. While PAMS is not the type of school that sends daily photo updates, they do keep thoughtful photo albums from school events and activities. Some of those photos are very meaningful to us, especially from when my son first joined the school. I still remember seeing a picture of his teacher holding his hand during a police car visit while he was adjusting to a much larger class than his previous daycare. Moments like that gave us a lot of reassurance as parents. We ultimately left only because we applied to the early learning center of an elementary school we were interested in, and to our surprise, our son was accepted. During that transition, Dinesh was also incredibly supportive and kindly helped by writing evaluation letters for us, which we truly appreciated. Otherwise, we likely would have stayed at PAMS through the kindergarten years. We are very grateful for the care, warmth, and joyful early childhood memories they gave our son.

My son started at PAMS when he was 3.5, and we elected to keep him there until he started…read morekindergarten. PAMS is not the school for you if you want daily photo updates, lots of field trips, fancy holiday events or rote learning. Instead, it has an unpretentious emphasis on seeing each child for who they are and helping them grow. I believe this is largely due to the Director, Dinesh, who is one of those magical beings capable of getting small humans to listen to him without ever raising his voice. I can attest to the fact that the feedback he gives during parent teacher conferences is unique to each child, and that he genuinely has a good grasp of their personalities and needs. He also believes firmly in letting little kids be little kids, meaning lots of play and not too much anxiety or hovering. The children are encouraged but not forced to explore academically, meaning that some kids will be doing multiplication, spelling words and counting into the thousands, but only if they seem inclined and interested. There IS an emphasis on social interaction, which was perfect for my pandemic child. He really grew in his social confidence over his 2+ years at PAMS, and I must say, as a parent, I adore the families we met here. My second is still too young for PAMS but will be heading there once he is qualified! I know that just like his brother, he will be in good hands.

First of all, I want to start with my daughter's words from last week, when she sat in the car…read moreafter school and said: "Mom, I love Mrs Shawn!" I guess it's the most important words from my child I needed to hear to insure how amazing Sunshine preschool is. 5 months ago when we started going to Sunshine preschool my daughter has been never without me longer than 2 hours. So the thought of her going to school for the whole day was pretty stressful for me and for her. But Mrs Shawn made this adjustment so easy and comfortable for our family, she just covered my daughter with so much love and care, and make her feel like at home. That's the next thing I love about Sunshine preschool: family spirit. Mrs Shawn and Christy created the atmosphere of coziness and joy and you feel a part of their family. Every kid is safe and loved, with a lot of attention and care ( but at the same time my daughter started being so independent). Now she dresses by herself, washes hands after being outside (without reminders), goes potty and flushes by herself, she does a lot of stuff without my help after Mrs Shawn taught her to do it herself. In addition, they do a lot of Montessori activities, singing and dancing ( favorite part of my child), learning how to keep pencil, studying ABC, practicing life skills, painting, reading and spending a lot of time outside. And I feel so blessed to call Sunshine preschool our second family. Also we speak Ukrainian at home and I was so worried how my daughter will adjust to English but Mrs Shawn made an incredibly hard work with my daughter and she speaks English now even at home when she plays by herself. I would like to mention that Mrs Shawn provides a good quality food and it makes my life so easy and my child loves it(especially some Greek food). Believe me you will be the happiest family if your child is in Sunshine preschool.

Shawn and Chrystie are more like miracle workers. Our son has been at Sunshine preschool for almost…read morea year and a half. He started just after turning 2 and came from a fairly sheltered home life - we had a nanny that gave him 1:1 attention. Shawn and Chrystie created such a loving environment that he adjusted in no time. When we'd drop him off in the morning, Shawn would take Remy in her arms and hold him while he sat with her in her rocking chair to comfort him and ensure he felt loved and secure. When he started out, he was not potty trained and, as first time parents, we had no idea where to start. Shawn and Chrystie walked us through the process which we started over the weekend and helped us potty train our son for over the course of the next week. It was because of their methodology, training (of us and our son), consistency and support that our son got potty trained. A few months later, I gave birth to our second child. Months of adjustment ensued during which Shawn and Chrystie continually provided us with the guidance we desperately needed to help our son through this life-changing transition and emotional support during some of our toughest times. I love that they provide morning snacks, lunch and afternoon snacks. All the food is prepared fresh and all of it is healthy. It takes off the huge burden of preparing meals. Most preschools do not offer this huge advantage. Our little boy's development has grown by leaps and bounds since he started at Sunshine. But just as important, he had learned the difference between right and wrong, understands compassion and kindness. Shawn and Chrystie have become like family for us. We toured many preschools before making this choice, and there is no better choice for a child's introduction into education than Sunshine in the Palo Alto area.

Pretty good place, location kinda sucks if you do not live in Palo Alto. I live in redwood city,…read moreonly reason I stopped coming was because it takes 30 minutes to and from, that's 2 hours a day. Enrollment and all was easy, via brightwheel. There's an outdoor play area for the children, few classrooms. Teachers are more or less all nice, I can see the Mandarin develop quickly and it would've been so much easier if it was closer. Unfortunately, that's the only reason we left. They have great hours, especially if you need early/late care and a single parent. It didn't break the bank.

The teachers and the owners truly care about the children here. The bilingual education is great…read more My child is learning Mandarin and English so well. She loves her teachers and can't wait to go back whenever on vacation. Many fun extra activities in summer too. It gives the children extra fun! Highly recommend

Tiny Einstein is a wonderful place for your children! My son attended the center for all three…read moreyears, progressing from the youngest group to the graduation class, and we are absolutely delighted with our experience! Each group has a very well-structured daily routine, allowing children to both learn and play. They spend plenty of time outdoors on the playground and enjoy freshly prepared, healthy meals including soup, meat, vegetables, and side dishes. The educational program is designed to teach English while also preserving the Russian language. By the end of the program, my son knows all the Russian and English letters, can read simple words in both languages, counts to 100, understands instructions in English, and can formulate responses. At home, we only speak Russian, so all of his English knowledge was gained at the center. All of the teachers and staff are highly qualified, attentive, and kind educators. Wishing you continued success and prosperity

Our son has been attending Tiny Einstein for over a month, and it has been a truly wonderful…read moreexperience. From the very beginning, we've been impressed by the school's vibrant and nurturing environment--one that thoughtfully encourages exploration, curiosity, and creativity in young children. This is exactly what drew us to Tiny Einstein for our 2-year-old son. After spending his first two years at home with a loving and supportive nanny, our son needed extra care and support as he transitioned into a group preschool setting. Ms. Oksana and her team have been absolutely exceptional throughout this process. Their patient, warm, and attentive approach to onboarding--clearly shaped by decades of experience and deep expertise in early childhood education--made the transition feel reassuring and genuinely inspiring. We couldn't have asked for a better start to our son's preschool journey. We are incredibly grateful for the care and dedication of the Tiny Einstein team and feel so fortunate to be part of this wonderful community.

I am so grateful that I came across Children's Learning Cottage (CLC). When our prior preschool…read moreclosed, that prior director told us that Ms. Adela had helped get their preschool established and was open to sharing advice and knowledge. I began my preschool search there and that's where it stopped :) My little guy cried on and off for over a month starting preschool at the prior school (his first time at school), so I was admittedly nervous to switch him as he just got settled. However, the yelp reviews for CLC on how Ms. Adela helps create a warm and stimulating environment for the kids so they want to be there were very accurate - my kiddo was so excited to start preschool and there were NO tears even on the first day (I was shocked!). CLC's teachers are top notch. They provide a variety of enrichment activities (cooking, sensory bins, obstacle courses, dance, yoga, crafting...) and send long updates at the end of the day explaining what activities they did and the benefits of the activities on child development (with the cutest photos!). The environment itself is magical, with a climbing wall, sensory swings, sensory bins, etc that the director/teachers rotate out every few weeks. They also have great opportunities for parents to get involved if that's what you're interested in. The tuition is fairly priced and their schedule is flexible with half and full days. I cannot speak highly enough about this preschool!

We started sending our 3 year old here about four months ago and we couldn't be happier with our…read moredecision. The teachers are so thoughtful, caring and experienced, which made for a super easy transition. I was worried about starting a new school because he had trialed another preschool that he didn't want to go back to after the week. But he immediately took to CLC-after his first day he told me "I love my new school". Honestly that alone is worth a five star review. Since then he has grown so much. Every day we get updates about their activities, from books they're reading to recipes they're making. The school is wonderful about communicating with parents-there's an app and Adela is very responsive if you need to text the school about something that can't wait. We've had a great experience here. Thanks so much CLC! Update*** I posted this review a year ago, so updating it since we now send our 2 year old here, too! Both my kids LOVE school. Shout out to Ms. Melissa, Ms. Suzie, Teacher M, and Ms. Nandini. They've treated our children like family and take such great care of all the kids here! And special thanks to Ms. Adela who is AMAZING at what she does. This school is so special. Glad we found it.

Villa Montessori has been an incredible experience for our kid. The teachers have been patient and…read morethoughtful in helping him build structure and routine, and we've watched him grow so much since starting here. The classrooms are always clean and well-organized, and the parent volunteer program is something we especially appreciate, it gives us a real window into the classroom and keeps us closely connected with the teachers. A special shout-out to Mrs. Lin, who is truly exceptional at what she does. She's warm and kind with the children while also being firm in the best way, gently guiding them through the Montessori approach. You can tell she genuinely loves the kids and the work. If you have a 2-5 year old, this is such an enriching environment. We feel lucky to have found Villa Montessori and would recommend it to any parent looking for a nurturing, thoughtful preschool. Five stars!

Villa Montessori is the best thing that has happened to our family. This is my 4 year old's second…read moreyear at Villa and he started as an extremely shy and sweet kid with no previous day care or school experience. In the past year, he has blossomed into an independent and assertive child, and he has learned a lot both academically and socially. Villa has an amazing ratio of 1-8 (3 teachers per classroom of 24 kids) that sometimes falls to 1-6 or 1-7. They are a true Montessori school, and the child stays with the same teachers for all the years. My son's two main teachers, Mrs. Fan and Mrs. De Silva, have been with the school for over a decade. My son has received a lot of individualized attention and loves his teachers. I think he would like to live with Mrs. Fan if given the chance. :) The teachers at Villa are extremely good at what they do and very passionate about Montessori education. When I went in for "observation day," each child was doing a different "job," so the teachers were managing 24 different activities, but everything was still very orderly. Even the tiny 2.5 year olds knew the rules and everyone knew to clean up. We really appreciate how diligent our son has become with washing hands, tidying up spaces, and wiping surfaces! Director Lin's leadership is also really exceptional. She is extremely organized, responsible, and sets clear expectations for the kids and parents. I love that the handbook, documents, twice-a-year report cards, and paperwork are all in good order. She is also very hands-on and I have seen her consoling a crying child in her lap, spoon feeding another child during lunch, and taking the time to talk with the kids individually. I am so impressed that she takes the time to get to know every one of the forty-some kids at Villa. She works many many hours at Villa and commutes from an hour away. Villa is not just a job for her - this is her life's purpose. Everyone at the school is very responsive and excellent with communication. Karen (who manages most of the administrative tasks) and Director Lin will usually respond to messages on Brightwheel within a few hours. We really appreciate how they take parent concerns very seriously. The flexibility of programs at Villa is also great - they have AM program (9-12 pm), PM program (1-4 pm), PM plus extended care (1-5 pm), full day (9-4 pm), or full day plus extended care (9-5 pm). I feel very lucky to be able to enroll my child in a half day program so that he gets a few hours of school every day, and we still get enough hours to go on an adventure together outside of school. One really brilliant and unique thing about Villa is that their after-school program (school ends at 4, there is another hour of after school until 5 pm) teaches the children Mandarin Chinese! I enrolled my son in the after school hour just for the Chinese class - Mrs. Fan and Mrs. Liu are both excellent Chinese teachers from Taiwan. I sat in on one class to see what it would be like, and was astounded that all of the kids had excellent pronunciation. Chinese tones are very difficult so it was really surprising to see a room full of non-Chinese kids speaking perfect Chinese! Lastly, the other Villa families also makes this place special. Villa is a non-profit with a governing board that is made up of parents. We really appreciate the parents that have taken on this responsibility. We have also made many friends at Villa, and really appreciate the sense of community. We truly couldn't have asked for a better preschool experience and will definitely miss this school when our son graduates!

My family had the best experience at LAPMS for my son. We moved back in the area and wanted to…read morecontinue his Montessori school learning so we enrolled him for the school year before he goes to TK. This was a fairly new school and it was the most affordable Montessori school in the area. The tour went well and Ms Lana helped us feel at ease that he would be getting great care and education with them. The classrooms were clean and the learning materials seemed very contemporary. Our son adjusted well after a couple weeks and we started to see a great improvement socially and academically and his feelings about school completely changed as well. He was half day initially, but we decided to extend after he was potty trained. He grew to love going to school and eventually during pick up, he'd hide behind his fingers which he explained "I was hiding because I want to stay at school". He loved his teachers and I can tell he got the individualized care he needed. I know my son's time here has made a lasting impression on his educational journey and we would recommend this school to any parent looking for a quality, affordable Montessori school in the area :)

Learn and Play Montessori School is a very spacious, and clean school. It actively promotes a…read morepositive and healthy atmosphere for any child. School play area is very big, clean and kids friendly. This is my son's first preschool experience and he is loving his school and teachers so much and wants to go to school everyday. We were concerned about our son's first experience at the school but everything was good. He has made a good progress not only academically but also emotionally and socially with the support of teachers and caring school staff. His teachers Ms. Erica & Ms. Alice both are very caring and loving teachers. Both teachers are extremely knowledgeable in child psychology and early childhood development. Each teacher has their own unique qualities.I always saw them following hygiene level among kids and keeping everything super clean. School staff is also very kind, supportive and welcoming. A big thanks to Ms. Lana who kept updating by calling each day regarding our son. Teachers and staff both are very caring and always keep you posted for the betterment of your child. School just celebrated Easter and kids had lots of fun during egg hunting. My son was super happy and excited. Thank you so much for making such lovely memories for my son. I am really thankful and grateful for both teachers Ms. Erica and Ms. Alice and the school staff for their kindness, support and love to my son. Highly recommended this school for your child!