Choosing a preschool is such a big decision, and I truly can't recommend Maria's preschool enough…read more We had the opportunity to attend her Stay & Play program throughout July, and it was one of the best experiences for both my son and me. Every single morning, Maria had a new, thoughtfully planned setup with different play stations that encouraged creativity, exploration, and imaginative play. It was clear how much time, care, and intention she puts into creating a fun and engaging environment for the children. One of the things I loved most was getting to witness how Maria interacts with the kids. She is incredibly patient, kind, and nurturing. You can immediately tell she has years of experience helping children work through conflicts, big emotions, and everyday challenges with empathy and respect. She speaks to children in such a calm, loving way, and it creates an environment where they feel safe, heard, and confident. The space itself is wonderful. There's a bright indoor classroom and an amazing outdoor area with plenty of room to run, explore, and play. The huge sandbox was a favorite, and the adorable play boat inspired so much imaginative play. I also appreciated that Maria truly lets kids be kids. She encourages messy, hands on learning and handles it with such grace even while I was internally worrying about the mess! It reminded me how important those experiences are for children. The little details also make such a difference. There's plenty of parking right in front, making drop off and pickup easy. The child sized restroom helps children build independence, and every day ended with one of my favorite parts, story time. Maria would gather everyone together, sing songs, and read a book. My son loved it so much that he memorized one of the songs and asked me to sing it with him every night before bed. The biggest testament to how much he loved being there? Every morning he would ask, "Can we go to Maria's today?" As a parent, there is nothing more reassuring than knowing your child is genuinely excited to go somewhere. Maria has created such a warm, joyful, and loving environment, and we will always treasure the memories we made there. We are so grateful for the time we spent with her and know that any family would be incredibly fortunate to have their child in her care. Thank you for the wonderful memories Maria!

I'm sparing them a one-star review because I appreciated the art programming they provided and the…read moreteachers seemed good. However, the daycare and owners are 100% business-focused and puts money first. They have zero empathy for parents or fostering community. Understandably, Covid posed many challenges to everyone and protocols had to be put in place but they did not allow for parents to communicate with teachers at all - no virtual conversations, phone calls, emails, etc. Every six months, they would send home a 'report' without any opportunities to sit down to review or ask questions. All of that, I can look past... because Covid required a lot of flexibility from all parties. The real frustration came upon registration for our 2nd kid. Their sales tactic was that of fake urgency and loose and sneaky language in the contract. You can feel free to message me for specifics so that you can be made aware. When there was a discrepancy, one 'owner' Natalie (who honestly has no decision making power as she gets overshadowed by the other) owned up and said the contract language was indeed confusing. However, Allison (bureaucratic owner) would say otherwise, completely undermining Natalie. They refused to make time for a call to talk it through the confusion and instead required us to only use email to contact them. They brushed us off in person and finally (but reluctantly) gave me 9 minutes on a call in which Natalie hastily rushed me off. We're talking about major confusion in a contract that would net them (and cost us) $75,000+ in the lifetime of our two kids being there. They resorted to defensiveness and eventually made up a whole narrative about my family's financial difficulty. It was extremely hurtful and mind blowing that a business can be run this way. Whenever it served them to play the "we are a small business, we make mistakes" card, they would use it sparingly. And at times when it served them to say "we are very well established, have been doing this for decades so please don't question us" they would use that to their advantage. As another reviewer said "if you're happy to shut up and abide by the info they give you, then this is the place for you." I really wish I would have read this before enrolling. Childcare is a highly personal and sensitive decision and they don't seem to agree with this. I'm so glad we pulled our kids out and while difficult to not have childcare for a few months, we ended up finding a much better option for our kids. I'd recommend supporting another local daycare that truly cares about the community versus just their bottom line and the self-serving need to always having to be right.

I thought maybe my experience with Small Wonders School was a one-off until I read some of the…read morereviews here that seemed consistent with how I was treated. I was hired as an assistant teacher (I have over 7 years of experience in preschool) for their kindergarten program. The directors were aware of my teaching experience and had my full resume. They offered me the position and I accepted, excited to gain experience with a new age group. They wanted me to begin right away so I could be trained in time for the school year to begin. I was relocating from out of state and rushed the move so I would start on time. The school and staff were nice and I felt optimistic about the position. After only three days of training, however, I was told that they wanted someone with more kindergarten experience and let me go. I accepted this graciously and silently, despite knowing it was bad practice. I hadn't even had a chance to be in the kindergarten classroom yet. After leaving the school and driving home in tears I realized I forgot my sweater and went back to get it. As I approached the door I saw my sweater outside draped over a rail on the sidewalk, which felt quite insulting. The only redeeming thing about the situation is that I was paid for the three days I trained. The amount of stress and money that went into relocating in such a rush and then looking for another job is irrevocable though. I am shocked and appalled by the treatment I received.

Our daughter loves Camp 510! She always has wonderful time…read morewith her friends and teachers and teens who help camp. I highly recommend Camp 510!

My boys have been attending this camp for several summers and they are always excited to go back…read more I have 3 boys and work full time so my kids have tried ALL of the different sports/arts/misc camps in the oakland/berkeley area, and this little unassuming makers camp is the one they are consistently excited to go back to. We just finished another fun week and look forward to being back next summer!

My 11 year old son "hates" writing... unfortunately he wasn't getting enough guidance and…read moreinstruction at school and so I enrolled him in this BAWP weekly program for kids in Berkeley. It was a 10 week course, 2 hours per week. At first, he was very grumpy with the concept and angry at me for enrolling him. After two weeks, however, I witnessed an amazing transformation. His confidence in his writing increased exponentially and his enthusiasm for writing followed suit. He actually said he enjoyed the program and the various writing exercises and games they used to help each child expand their abilities. The group used many different tactics to draw the student's' interest and encourage creativity. One week the group walked to a nearby museum and were asked to write about a piece of art that inspired them. They also took a walking tour the neighborhood to find inspiration for stories and poems. I can't say enough good things about this program and the Berkeley instructors. For "graduation" each child was asked to read an excerpt of their work for parents and friends. It was amazing! The instructors were kind, enthusiastic and incredibly talented teachers. Both were life-long writers and both clearly loved to work with young people. Overall, it was an incredibly positive experience and I will be looking for more camps and programs from BAWP in the future.

BAWP San Ramon Staff is kind. The high school campus is nice and safe for kids…read more However, this is NOT an enrichment program for kids, it is just a summer kid fun, 3-hour daycare. They group 3 levels "6+7+8" into groups in the library; the higher levels actually gain nothing during the 3 weeks, just "poem and craft book". The tuition is $500 plus $50 registration fee. On the first day of school this year, a teacher asked all parents if any students here today attended last summer BAWP program? Absolutely NO one showed hand! Thank you.

Our child has been at Adventure's Beginning for seven months now. We're so pleased with the…read morerelationships that have been formed and the playful and nurturing environment that Jamie maintains. We're moving out of the neighborhood but couldn't imagine switching to a different childcare provider.

The Adventure's Beginnings has been a wonderful place for our daughter. Jamie maintains a very…read morenurturing and playful environment. Our daughter did great here and I highly recommend it to others looking for childcare.

I was able to observe a class they had. It was fun and interesting, I have never seen a group of…read morekids who were so eager to do an art project. On the plus side, I like their concept of a small class size, 1 teacher is to 5 preschoolers as well as the place is neat since they have a gym on their site which is wonderful for gross motor skills plus I have also noticed that they had PTs on the floor. I wish they had a whole day, everyday class to cater to the working moms. Overall, a definite try for an active little one - like mine!

We hired Brendan to help our older son with HS Spanish but quickly realized that he was a great…read morehelp across all subjects. Our MS son was struggling so we then added sessions for him. Both boys responded well to Brendan and his easy demeanor meant that homework battles eased up...a lot! We highly recommend Brendan!

Brendan is the absolute best. My only wish is that we had hired him sooner. Our son is bright but…read morenot academically inclined nor well-organized. Initially Brendan helped our son prepare for the SSATs as part of high school applications. Even with just a short time to prepare, our son did better than his first practice test and walked into the test without any fear. Brendan has helped our son better stay on top of his coursework and homework. Brendan has also helped him turn around his grades in all subject areas. And my son looks forward to when Brendan comes over (it really takes the stress off the parental relationship when it comes to homework;). Brendan has had a truly positive impact on my son's relationship to learning. Brendan always goes above and beyond. For my son's first finals week at high school, my son would sometimes give Brendan a late night call - it was more to calm his nerves than truly review materials but Brendan was always available for him. When my son got a last minute acceptance to a high school, Brendan came over on a Sunday to talk him through the decision. When personal tragedy struck our family, Brendan was there in case my son needed to talk about it. Brendan is really caring and meets the kids where they are at emotionally as well as academically. Brendan also understands the school system and has helped us understand how we might tap additional resources to help our son. I highly recommend Brendan to everyone.

Hummingbird preschool is an absolute gem that is offered to our community…read more There are a lot of preschool options out there (and we ourselves have been through several schools with our children) and finding the one that resonates with what is important to your family is a journey. In a world where childhood is often hurried and rushed, Marlis and her staff of teachers create a beautiful environment full of joy, simplicity and love that truly allows the students to flourish in their creativity and imagination. They are given the intentional space to blossom into the beautiful little humans that they are. Despite all of the fancy buzzwords in education these days, Waldorf education is the only humanistic education that teaches children in a truly holistic way, acknowledging them as conscious human beings vs. treating them as little people who need to acquire skills for a job. Rudolf Steiner, founder of Waldorf education, gave indications that when children are young, we should provide them with an expansive view of the world. Allow them to sense the world - to feel it, live it and breathe it. Importantly, to then refrain from imprinting on them our own narratives and directives, which can often unintentionally limit and curb their potential. In our hyper-competitive, goal-focused society, there is a push for early academics to prepare them for the next grade, next school, next job. As Jonathan Haidt aptly stated in Anxious Generation, "there is a lot that parents can do to become better 'gardeners' - those who create a space" for their children to learn to love learning, which is " in contrast to 'carpenters' who try to mold and shape their children directly." Hummingbird creates the garden environment to encourage expression, self confidence, and freedom for children to be children. Hummingbird is a balance of indoor and outdoor days. The indoor days in a homey, carefully composed space give the children a continued serene space to play and an opportunity to learn what it means to care for a space. In the out breathe, the outdoor days allow children to run free, climb trees, and stretch their imaginations while absorbing and observing nature. it is such a gift to our children to allow them to frequently experience the peace with being in nature and the sense of calm it brings. Marlis is a wonderful Waldorf teacher who really meets each child and puts so much thought and intentionality to truly support the children as well as their parents. She builds a wonderful community through events throughout the year - including a field trip to Slide Ranch, a Lantern Walk, advent singing, and bi-monthly parent evenings. Most importantly, we have the utmost trust in her with our children, because as a trained Waldorf teacher, she operates on a different level of intentionality and consciousness of how her words, actions and even who she is as a person are received by the children. We are so happy we found this special little community and can't recommend Hummingbird enough.

Oh, I just love Hummingbird Preschool. Both of my children have now graduated, but I'm so grateful…read moretheir earliest years were spent in this environment. The teachers are wonderful--attentive and invested in each child's growth. You can feel their warmth and sense their wisdom. The school's holistic, Waldorf-inspired approach is amazing. My kids spent half their day outdoors, exploring, climbing, imagining, and connecting with nature. They'd come home happy and tired because they'd been using their bodies so much. The other half was indoors, surrounded by simple, earthy toys for creativity rather than overstimulation. There were no flashing lights or plastic distractions. It's a peaceful, calm space and I always loved going inside. With the rhythm of the day, the focus on imagination, the respect for childhood--my kids were free to grow at their own pace. I loved knowing that their youngest years were spent exploring, playing, and discovering the world in a way that felt so natural and full of wonder. I can't recommend this preschool enough.