We couldn't be more thrilled with our decision to move our daughter to this exceptional Montessori…read morepreschool. From the moment we stepped through the doors, we knew we had found something special. The school's approach to communication with children is truly remarkable. The teachers consistently demonstrate a level of respect and patience that is both refreshing and inspiring. It's clear that they view each child as deserving of kindness and understanding, and as unique individuals. One of the standout features of the school is its meticulously organized environment. The classrooms are thoughtfully arranged to promote independence, curiosity, and learning. It's a joy to see how this structured setting allows children to flourish and develop essential life skills. Also, the teachers here have been nothing short of amazing, and have been so kind to all of us. Perhaps the most telling sign of the school's success is the happiness of the children. The children are always smiling and engaged. Our daughter's enthusiasm for school has skyrocketed since joining a year and a half ago, and she quickly gained a confidence and independence that we did not see at the precious school. We were so impressed that we enrolled our younger child as well, and the results have been equally fantastic. Our little one now eagerly anticipates school each day.. seriously, she can't wait to go to school, no tears!

Both my daughters attended this preschool for 3 years. It is located in the beautiful Greenmeadow…read moreneighborhood in Palo Alto and is a great, nurturing environment with wonderful teachers. Both my girls absolutely thrived here and learned so much - they were both reading towards the end of their third year here, knew their numbers and counting and were even naming all the various countries in the map of South America! There is also a lot of focus on building social skills, grace and courtesy, and valuable life lessons like conflict resolution on the playground. Their 3 yrs here really prepared them for elementary school and helped them start kindergarten feeling very prepared and confident. The parent community has been wonderful as well with both our children and us having made many friends over the years. If you are looking for a Montessori preschool for your child I highly recommend this one.

Ventana School is a truly wonderful school and I'd give it my highest recommendation. It starts…read morewith the leadership, who are a passionate group with a founder's mentality and a strong philosophy on how to inspire lifelong learners. And, this ethos and commitment extends down the line, through the teachers, administrative staff and the students themselves. I am blown away at how well each of the teachers understands the Ventana goals and curiosity-based (Reggio) method of teaching, and how they can explain how classroom structure, lessons and activities relate to it. And at how the kids understand it, and apply it. This is not just a stale mission statement taped to a wall somewhere. It's a real intellectual commitment and culture, and it shows. We've been at Ventana preschool for a couple of years, and a few other great things stand out. First, everyone cares. The environment is nurturing, and beyond that, deeply invested in the long-term success of your child. Second, the parents community is wonderful. We've met great new friends through the program, and been delighted by the way people show up to activities and care for each other with the parent groups. And we've found folks to be pretty down to earth for a Bay Area private school (and we've seen a couple other programs, so this is at least a somewhat qualified comparison). Lastly, we've seen the kind of kids that graduate out of the program. The Ventana philosophy really seems to deliver. The leadership recently noted that in an incoming Stanford class, there are 3 Ventana alums. 3 students out of a single-class graduating size is impressive. More impressive is how well-rounded the 5th graders are. They are articulate, grounded, capable of holding complex abstract extemporaneous conversations with adults. We look forward to the rest of the journey for our little one!

I highly recommend Ventana School to anybody in Bay Area, especially to those who seek a warm and…read morekind community and whole child education where students grow up feeling happy every single day. My four children all enjoy Ventana in their own unique ways and my husband and I are both thankful for having this school in our life. Both in preschool and elementary school, my kids grew up so much at Ventana. I can tell that every teacher loves teaching and they are very enthusiastic in helping children to find learning a true happiness. One of the key words at Ventana is "curiosity" and my kids are always very curious :) Also, they all feel cared and loved by the whole school community, and it's making them nourish very strong self-confidence. At play dates, parks, outside of school activities or even at supermarket, many people have asked where my kids go to school because they play collaboratively, show kindness and have good leadership. I always feel that I myself get great support by school. Small conversations with Ventana teachers at pickup and drop off are always positive and encouraging, and school began providing different kinds of instructive parenting classes after Pandemic and that's very helpful too. Preschool: Lots of hands-on activities The teachers prepare a variety kinds of hands-on activities every day. They are incredible and I can't do the same at home. Through those sensory activities, kids explore their own wonder and learn so naturally. Elementary: Depth of learning Ventana provides a great teacher-student ratio in each classroom. So, each student can get full attention from teachers, and I'm always amazed to see how well the teachers know about my children. The teachers catch when the students need support, and they don't miss the cues when the students are ready to have challenges. That creates ideal educational environment where every single child will acquire firm reading/writing/speaking/communication skills and mathematical ability. In my sense, it's more important how deep they understand rather than how advance they learn, and in this way Ventana alumni are so ready for middle school.

Both our kids went to LACS, and I highly recommend it to anyone else looking for a Mandarin…read moreimmersion program. Zhuang Laoshi has been there for years, and she is an incredibly thoughtful educator who is wonderful with kids. To this day, my older daughter still tells me she misses Zhuag Laoshi. Our younger daughter had Zhang Laoshi, who was the most kind, warm, and nurturing teacher who really helped her feel comfortable during the preschool transition. LACS plans thoughtful and creative projects, and they really help children grow independently. They foster an environment where young children can build their social skills, which was a priority for us. Another bonus is the extra-curricular activities that happen at the school, so you don't have to drive them somewhere on other days (ballet, drumming, music, etc). They also love English lessons with Miss Eleanor. The rest of the leadership are responsive and caring, and I appreciate the daily updates on how they ate/slept. It's a smaller community, so the teachers and staff really get to know the families well. It's also convenient because they run the afterschool Chinese program at the LASD schools, as well as the vacation/summer camps, so when students graduate from the preschool, they still have opportunities to interact with their old teachers. We are so happy to have LACS in our community.

I cannot say enough wonderful things about Zhang Laoshi and Zhuang Laoshi. From the very beginning,…read moreit has been clear how much care, patience, and dedication they bring to the classroom every day. They create such a warm and nurturing environment where children feel safe, happy, and excited to learn. What really stands out is how thoughtfully Zhang Laoshi and Zhuang Laoshi support each child's development. They balance learning with play beautifully, encouraging curiosity, creativity, and confidence. My child often comes home talking about the fun activities, songs, and stories from class, and it's clear that Zhang Laoshi makes learning joyful and engaging for the children. Zhuang Laoshi and Zhang Laoshi also communicate very well with parents, sharing helpful updates and insights about how the children are growing socially, emotionally, and academically. It's reassuring to know that our child is in the hands of teachers who truly care about their well-being and development. We feel incredibly fortunate that our child is in a classroom led by Zhang Laoshi and Zhuang Laoshi. Great preschool teachers make a lifelong difference, and they are truly special educators who help children build confidence and a love of learning from the very start.

This is my long over due review for Little Tree in Sunnyvale. I have nothing else but great things…read moreto say about the school! My daughter Anastasia joined the preschool in 2023 when she just turned 3, and graduated TK this past June. The staff at Little Tree has greatly transformed her from a little clean slate into a bright beautiful girl inside and out! When we first joined, Anastasia went through 10 months of potty training at home, and still couldn't do potty properly by herself. Within one month, the preschool teachers successfully trained her so she got rid of diapers forever! Born into a multi cultural family, Anastasia understood three languages, but couldn't speak anyone very well when she first joined. Within a few months, we saw her Chinese and English vocabulary expanded drastically and she was able to communicate in multiple languages and switch channels seamlessly, thanks to Little Tree's immersive bilingual program! Later on, in the TK program, she was able to write and read basic materials in both English and Chinese, and do addition, subtraction within 100 at age 4! The language skill is just a surface and I couldn't describe enough about the friendly and family like atmosphere that immersed my child. The child learned to make friends, treat each other with respect, how to resolve conflicts with maturity, all thanks to Ms Faye and other teachers' efforts! My child slowly transformed from a sensitive, fragile toddler girl into a 5 year old with great sense of maturity and responsibility. She went on to give the commencement speech representing her class at their graduation ceremony! Every month Little Tree has some ceremonies or festivals, being birthday parties, Chinese holidays, American holidays, graduation parties. There are different themes of decors, paintings decorating the hallway every month. The kids and parents both got to learn different culture, history around the world. They also provided art, dance, clay making classes to choose from, so the kids get exposed to and learned to appreciate different forms of art from a young age. Little Tree also practices the best judgment when it comes to the children's safety and wellbeing. They provide healthy lunch and snacks throughout the day, and good hygiene all around the school. They have the vision screening every year which helped to catch my child's vision issue early, so we were able to apply early treatment to prevent the issue developing into adulthood! We have Little Tree to thank for life! With all the preparation and support from Little Tree, my kid was able to pass the entrance exam with ease at Stratford school in Sunnyvale. As we are excited to enter a new chapter in life, we also have Little Tree in mind to thank for. If you are a multi cultural family, or any family who wish to benefit from a bilingual and multi cultural early education program, I highly recommend Little Tree, as the first stepping stone into a well educated and balanced life!

We did not have a good experience. Our kids did not learn English well and learned Mandarin with…read moreaccent. Also, one teacher's communication felt unprofessional, with our child criticized in front of us. She did not build a loving and supportive relationships with kids. Better supervision and overall professionalism are needed. We also disliked being required to bring a lunch box daily with leftovers sending home, also the payment method was limited to manual checks only.

Having sent both of our kids to Lingli over the past few years, it's hard for me to imagine a…read morebetter place for early childhood Mandarin immersion education. Our younger son went through the daycare program, and our daughter was in the preschool program before moving on. From the start, the teachers stood out: warm, attentive, and genuinely invested in each child. The smaller size of the school creates a close-knit environment where both kids and parents feel known and cared for. There's a real sense of thoughtfulness in how the school is run -- from the little things, like offering fresh cut fruit each morning, to heating up each child's lunch individually. To me, this speaks volumes about the care and intentionality that goes into every part of the day. We felt comfortable almost immediately leaving our kids in Lingli's care. That trust only deepened as we watched them come home with joyful stories and some truly impressive arts and crafts -- many of which still live proudly on our walls. Even now, our daughter looks forward to her brother's pickup time (when she can make it) so she can visit her old teachers and say hi. That says a lot. There were other options for us -- including ones closer to home -- but we chose Lingli for the quality and the energy, and would do so again in a heartbeat. For any parent looking for a Mandarin immersion program in the early years, could not recommend Lingli highly enough.

Would give it 6 stars if I could. We have now sent all 3 of…read moreour children there, and drive from Menlo Park every day - that's how much this school means to us. Susan is an excellent administrator, so caring and runs the school professionally and immaculately. Our son will go every day hug her goodbye at her office, even though she isn't his teacher! They took superb care of my children, from the singing to imaginative play, projects, butterflies, live iguana, performances, also the outside area is perfect and well kept. We have amazing teachers (same teacher, all 3 kids) and are so grateful for them. We are so lucky we had this bilingual education (and that we got in!) to get my kids ready for Kindergarten and beyond.

Both my kids were lucky enough to spend Pre-K @ EHS. It was really important to us to find a…read morepreschool that did lots of play based learning, art and outside time. All the EHS teachers were so good with the kids and offered such a solid foundation for their first learning environment. I should mention my kids are so different and the staff was so good at listening and supporting their unique personalities and querkz I have heard both my kids reference EHS and Ms. Janessa to their friends over the years.

Edgewood House Preschool is a special place that any child would be lucky to attend. Our child has…read morebeen there for the past year, and we couldn't have asked for a better environment for him to grow, learn, explore the world, and feel loved. We've had experience with four other preschools in the area, and while they were all wonderful, Edgewood stands out. It offers the perfect combination of a small, nurturing preschool and a highly experienced, dedicated teaching team. Many of the teachers have been with the school for years, and two of the teachers are also the owners. Their passion and excitement for early childhood education are evident every day. The children benefit from a wonderful blend of educational approaches while also receiving individual attention and care. Every child is truly seen, known, and loved by all of the teachers, creating a warm and supportive community that feels like an extension of home. One thing we especially appreciated was how open the teachers were to partnering with parents and evolving the program to meet the needs of the children, particularly those in the Pre-K/TK age group. They thoughtfully introduced early reading and writing activities to help prepare children for kindergarten while keeping learning fun and age-appropriate. They also organized several field trips throughout the year, providing enriching hands-on experiences that complemented classroom learning. We are incredibly grateful for our time at Edgewood and would highly recommend it to any family looking for a warm, nurturing, and engaging preschool experience.

My child was injured after falling from the bicycle play structure and was required to wear an arm…read morecast for several weeks. In my view, the equipment is not age-appropriate, particularly during summer camp when children of different ages are grouped together. I respectfully request that the school review its playground safety measures and age-grouping practices to help prevent similar accidents in the future.

My son went here for TK/4-5 years old. The Pond Teachers are fabulous! The environment is prime for…read morepreschoolers with chickens, turtles, quaint classrooms, lots of mature trees all around and particularly in the back playground area. Montecito is very well run and organized - the director, Erin, and her office staff, Tammy are dialed in. The program and daily schedule was wonderful for lots of great learning and play, and the classrooms were just the right size. I'm so thankful we found Montecito!

We recently explored daycare options for our toddler after our current daycare closure. While…read morelearning links Mountain View boasted positive reviews and a low teacher-to-child ratio, our trial class experience left us deeply concerned. The primary teacher in the "Yosemite" room seemed disengaged, spending most of the time taking pictures instead of interacting with the children. In stark contrast to other daycares, there was an absence of playful activities and a focus on fun. During the trial class, our toddler, excited by the toys on a table, pulled a chair to reach a truck. Instead of understanding his age-appropriate behavior, the teacher reacted harshly, suggesting a special education evaluation for not asking permission. This incident exemplifies the daycare's inability to handle typical toddler behavior and their concerning practice of labeling such actions as requiring special needs. Both teacher's lack of engagement and the enrollment coordinator's apparent disconnect with toddler development raised serious questions. Their approach seemed more suited to a high school environment than a nurturing daycare for young children. I don't think the enrollment coordinator has spent any time with a toddler or they are too afraid to ask questions from their own staff. If you're considering daycare options for a toddler (especially between 2.5 and 3.5 years old), I recommend looking elsewhere and encourage you to consult Facebook groups and other reviews for a more complete picture.

When we moved to this area of Mountain View we took our two year old son out of his original home…read moredaycare and were pretty sad as those ladies were awesome. But we knew it was time for him to "graduate" so he could be surrounded by kids his age (and even slightly older) and to have a more structured learning environment. At first it was rough on him, as it is for all kids, but once he adjusted we saw amazing progress. The teachers we had were excellent, especially in the beginning while the transition was taking place. It wasn't too long till he felt right at home and he made many friends - and so did we! Having other kids a few or several months older also helped him progress on the potty training front - again great patience by the teachers! Bottom line -we couldn't be happier with how comfortable he became with the other kids & teachers and with how much progress we saw him make. Eventually, a younger brother also came into the mix and we also discovered that the infant teachers are also amazing - talk about patience! It was really fun picking up both boys at the same time. The play area outside is really nice, we love that it's tucked right into Rengsttorf Park with plenty of and open air - as opposed to some other centers that are on busier streets with traffic etc. The administration is very friendly & communicative, they made us feel very appreciated not just as customers but as parents as well. If it weren't for our moving out of town I would not be writing this review in the past tense. Indeed, we are sad that our toddler son won't get to see so many of the friends he's made over the past couple years. I should also add, during the Covid & SIP chaos, they've tried their best to be transparent about what's going on, they've offered Zoom classes with the teachers and also helped us parents with reducing tuition during the closures. It's not easy to be a parent or a school administer during these times, but I've been very happy and impressed with how they've handled it. Certainly a lot better than some other schools we've heard about from other friends of ours. We'll miss this place and we can only hope we can find something just as welcoming and effective as Learning Links.