If you're looking for a school that will truly help your child thrive, grow, and soar beyond…read moreexpectations, Mountain Blvd Montessori is a hidden gem that every parent should know about! We cannot say enough wonderful things about Mountain Blvd Montessori. From the moment our son started in the toddler class and continued through preschool and the Pre-K/Kindergarten program, we have felt incredibly supported, welcomed, and confident that he was in the best hands possible. The entire staff is truly exceptional. Every teacher and administrator has shown genuine care, patience, and love for our child throughout every stage of his development. It is clear that this school is more than just a place for learning. It is a nurturing community that helps children grow academically, socially, and emotionally. The results have exceeded all of our expectations. Our son has not only received an amazing education, but he has also gained confidence, independence, and a true love for learning. Most importantly, he has been surrounded by teachers who genuinely cared for him and helped him thrive. Watching him grow over the years has been incredible. As parents, we had different thoughts about the next step for him. My wife initially wanted to enroll him in Transitional Kindergarten (TK), while I felt that he wouldn't gain much beyond a few extra hours of social interaction and fun. Looking back now, Montessori was absolutely the right choice for our family. Thanks to the incredible Pre-K/Kindergarten program, he is beyond prepared for elementary school and will be entering 1st grade this fall with a strong academic foundation, confidence, and excitement for what comes next. One of the most impressive parts of the program has been the language education. Our son was speaking Spanish and Mandarin remarkably well for his age. He can count, sing songs, and communicate with confidence in both languages. It has been amazing to watch how naturally he absorbed and retained what he learned through the school's language program. What stands out most, though, is the love and attention he received every single day. We always knew he was safe, cared for, challenged, and encouraged to become the best version of himself. As parents, there is no greater peace of mind than knowing your child is genuinely loved by the people helping shape their future. Overall, we feel incredibly blessed to have found Mountain Blvd Montessori. The well-rounded curriculum, dedicated teachers, outstanding language program, and focus on developing the whole child have made a lasting impact on our son's life. We wholeheartedly recommend this school to any parent who wants their child to receive an exceptional education while growing into a confident, kind, and capable young learner. Thank you, Mountain Blvd Montessori, for giving our son such an amazing foundation. As he heads off to 1st grade this fall, we know he is more than ready, and we couldn't be more grateful.

My son attended Mountain Boulevard Montessori for two years and three months before advancing to…read moreTransitional Kindergarten (TK). During his time there, we had experience with their toddler, preschool, and pre-K programs, and overall, our experience was wonderful. We never had any concerns about our child's safety, and communication with the school was consistently excellent. Every email or phone call was responded to promptly, and we always felt informed and supported. The curriculum is quite structured and leans a little more academic than some preschools, but in our case, that proved to be a real benefit. It provided an excellent runway into TK, where our son seems very well prepared compared with many of his peers, both socially and academically. There were several staff members who really stood out to us. Mr. Andreas has a wonderful disposition for working with children--he strikes a great balance between setting high expectations while remaining warm, patient, and humorous. Mr. Dennis is an exceptional administrator and was always communicative, open, and thorough. I never felt that a question or concern went unanswered. Ms. Wendy was my son's favorite teacher and was part of his experience for most of his time at the school. She was his classroom teacher for about a year and later his Spanish teacher after he moved into the pre-K class. She is very nurturing and has a particularly good way of channeling the energy of highly active children like my son while still keeping them engaged and focused. In terms of value, tuition seemed right around market rate. Compared with similar schools we considered, Mountain Boulevard Montessori was somewhere in the middle price-wise, but what stood out to us were the smaller class sizes, strong teacher-to-student ratio, and the overall quality of the facility. The school is highly organized, impeccably clean, and consistently well maintained. It was also extremely helpful that the school calendar generally mirrored Oakland Unified's holidays and vacations. That made childcare logistics much easier and avoided many of the scheduling conflicts that can arise when preschool and elementary school calendars are out of sync. If I had to offer any constructive feedback, I think families would benefit from as much advance communication as possible around staffing changes. At this age, changes in teachers can feel significant to children, and having a little runway can help families prepare them. At the same time, I completely understand that employment and privacy considerations may limit what a school is able to share. I also observed a few interactions involving one long-standing teacher where the communication style felt somewhat less patient and nurturing than what we had experienced with the rest of the staff. I have no doubt about her academic abilities or experience, and my son had very limited direct interaction with her until right before his departure, so I can't speak to any lasting impact, however, it was something I noticed that seemed inconsistent with all other interactions with staff at the school. This was very much an exception to an otherwise consistently positive experience over more than two years at Mountain Boulevard Montessori. We were very happy with the care, education, communication, and preparation our son received, and I would feel very comfortable recommending the school to friends or family without hesitation.

Our youngest child went here for the PACT program and it was a wonderful experience. The teachers…read morewere sweet and very attentive and had great interventions and teaching moments (for the kids and me!) throughout the day. Having had an older kid go through a different program I'm familiar with the stress that can sometimes accompany a co-op preschool but they made the experience pleasant, judgment free, and safe for everyone! I highly recommend the school!

Our daughter has been attending BCSO, in the PACT classroom for a year now and words cannot…read moredescribe how much we love this school. First and foremost, the teachers are very caring and attentive, not only to children but to parents as well. Since it is a play-based school, different toys are provided each time we attend class. Hence, children have plenty of learning opportunities through play such as working on their fine motor skills, social skills, and exploring different ways of playing. Having a nurturing environment for our daughter to begin her education journey is very important to us. We are very grateful that we've found BCSO as they continue to exceed our expectations. Our daughter wakes up in the morning wanting to go to school and leaves school with a big smile on her face. She had made tremendous progress with her learning development as well. Lastly, we recently relocated to another city, but decided to have our daughter continue attending BCSO. This school is truly a gem!

My son started at 13 months and blossomed! He's curious, verbal -- almost speaking in full…read moresentences, and LOVES school & his teachers. I'm so sad we relocated. As a new parent, his teachers were the exact village I needed.

Fantastic school for your little ones! Our son has been attending since he was 1 year old and it…read morehas nothing short of a wonderful experience. When he started, he wasn't yet walking or talking and now he's almost 3 and has been through 2 classrooms (infant/toddler and now preschool). He's doing exceptionally well - is very verbal and independent - and has made great friendships with both his classmates and the teachers in each of the classrooms he's been in. For what it's worth - my sister and I both went to Montessori schools and that experience was so positive for my mother that she trained as a Montessori teacher and now runs a school (unfortunately in a different country). Since the Atlantic Ocean makes it hard for us to send our son there, we had to look for a suitable alternative near by that is true to Montessori and is well run. We've evaluated 10-15 different schools in the Berkeley/Oakland/Lamorinda area as we looked for the right spot for our son. Here are my favourite things about Rockridge Montessori- + Loving staff, extremely low turnover. The head teachers in each classroom that we've been part of have been there for over 10+ years - which speaks to how the school's administration look after and invest in their teachers. This is very different to other schools where turnover is very high. + AMS (American Montessori Society) trained teachers, plenty of Montessori time and activities from learning letters to practical life (cooking!). + Very clear and protective care policies for your child. For example, they disallow teachers babysitting students on the weekend to avoid favouritism. + Involved parent community - lots of social events and birthday parties. We spend a lot of time with our son's friends and their parents. + Well maintained facilities. Parking is easy, the playground is fantastic (and kids get to spend a lot of time outside, which I love). + Tonnes of communication. It's been very easy to get updates on our son (which was very helpful during those anxious first few weeks). The teachers update us on his progress throughout the week and have been a big help when it came to potty training him. + Diverse student body + Parent friendly hours (7:30 to 6pm) and - starting next year - prepared hot lunches for students. + Location is very close to BART, if you commute into San Francisco - about a 10 minute walk (or you can park at BART parking for $3 - post COVID there is usually space until past 9am). In conclusion - we're very happy we made the decision to send our son to RMS and would heartily recommend it to anyone who was considering it.

I can't begin to say enough good things about this awesome preschool! It's honestly a little gem or…read morea diamond in the rough as some would call it. Both of my kids have graduated from LSP in the past couple of years and they both made so many awesome friends and even my wife and I have made some amazing friends as well with some of the other parents. The teachers there are amazing and they've done so much to enrich the little ones who attend with a great curriculum while instilling great values to help them grow into such wonderful TK students (TKers) to make sure they're all ready for the next chapter in their lives. If you want your preschooler(s) to attend a great school while knowing they will be in great hands, while learning, having fun (and even getting potty trained if they need to be....bonus!), and making special friendships, then Little Sprouts should definitely be worth checking out! PS They've always be very reasonably priced as well!

All of our 3 children went to Little Sprouts Preschool and had an amazing experience. Teacher…read moreZugeyli has been such a loving presence for our children (potty training all of them!). Her care extends to the families of the children as well. Our children have gone onto school at NYU, UCSD, and Oakland High. Little Sprouts laid such a beautiful foundation for them to thrive as students and as members of a larger community.

Both of my kids attended Skyline preschool. One of the things we've always loved is the outdoor…read morespace. It's beautiful, really spacious, and the kids have plenty of room to run around and play. The large parking lot is also a huge plus--it makes drop-off and pick-up so much easier! And of course, the teachers are the best part. They're warm, caring, and really attentive to the kids. We've always felt comfortable leaving our children in their care.

Skyline is amazing! Both my children attended for several years and they loved it. The teachers are…read moreattentive and kind. The indoor space is big and kept very clean. The outdoor space is nestled among the trees and has an amazing view of the forested canyons. Most importantly, we found the community to be very friendly and supportive. It's not a place you just drop off... the families actually get to know each other. I highly recommend this school!

Teachers Margo and Susan are so gentle and effective with the kids. Our child has really enjoyed…read moretheir time with the other kids and the teachers. We see growth and are excited to see how much is to come by the end of the year. The school is managed by the parents and follows an organized model for how teachers & kids are supported in the program. It's a beautiful school and we're happy with our experience and truly welcome others to visit and see for themselves.

Sequoia Nursery is a special place! The staff, the parents, the kids, the environment are all top…read morenotch. It's very well organized, structured perfectly, well balanced and run by teachers and parents who really care. We are proud and grateful to be a part of this wonderful community

We can't say enough positive things about Sunflowers Home Daycare. Our 3.5 year old has been there…read morefor a year now and the growth we've seen has been amazing. She knows letters, numbers, is beginning to spell, practicing tracing/writing. Her days are balanced with fun outdoor play, music, yoga, science/cooking/baking, and arts and crafts. The directors and teachers are so caring. We feel so lucky to have found this gem of a daycare/preschool!

We're thankful to have found Sunflowers! Our daughter has been there for a year and her younger…read morebrother has just joined her there. We like that there's a fun mix of different activities (cooking, yoga, music, outdoor play, nature walks) and learning. The kids play well together, I often hear about things like whose favorite color was what that day and cute songs I haven't heard before. The teachers are so wonderful and in tune with our kid's personality/needs/temperament and they make a point to nurture their interests.

I don't know where to start! We have sent our 2 boys to Cottage Playhouse (my youngest graduating…read moreend of July). We feel so incredibly lucky to have had Michelle and Chalena in our lives to share their love, care, encouragement, patience, fun, guidance, attentiveness and warmth with our boys. The kids LOVED going to Cottage, each went from before the age of 2 until they went on to Kinder or TK around age 4-5. Cottage is a special place and is hard to put into words. Its small size makes it feel so much more like a family where all kids of different ages support each other and play together. Michelle and Chalena have supported the boys in their learning from early on with letters, numbers, spelling, workbooks and math. The art projects are out of this world, frame worthy. My oldest was completely ready for Kinder and my youngest for TK. Don't hesitate (RUN!) to send your kiddo to this amazing group of kids and teachers. We are extremely sad to say goodbye but feel so fortunate to have had our boys thrive in this amazing community. THANK YOU MICHELLE AND CHALENA. WE LOVE YOU!

Our daughter has been at Cottage for a year and we love it. It was a surprisingly easy transition…read morefrom a nanny I think because the smaller size allows so much individualized attention for each kid. We toured other preschools in the area but they felt overwhelming especially for a sensitive two-year old. The school has several outdoor play areas and the kids do a ton of imaginative play and art. There is also weekly dance and music class which my daughter loves. She comes home with flowers she has planted, amazing paintings, and most recently the ability to describe her feelings! The other parents are great and often get together. It's a really special place! The main limitation is that the current hours are 8:30-3:00. We have arranged our work schedules to make this work because this preschool is so worth it.