Best place for your kids, everyone is nice respectful and treat your kids like their own.

My son has been going here for almost a complete year now and I am forever grateful for this staff. My son loves going to school, he is always learning new things from colors to numbers to shapes and I love when he brings home his little art projects. They have been so kind and patient I highly recommend! read more

We toured this preschool late last year. The reasons we liked about it was the size, rates, flexibility with our schedules and it was close to our new home. We decided to try this place out as many preschools in the area are smaller. The things we didn't like were the cleanliness of it inside and out. The classroom looks outdated and carpet in need of a major cleaning. The outside play area (for 3+ age) are metal bars with rocks covered at the bottom. My child came home with dirty shoes and filthy pants all the time because of this. This is something I was willing to overlook considering kids play and get dirty. What I couldn't overlook were the quality of the teachers and the school's curriculum. Mind you, we didn't have much expectations for the curriculum since this is only a preschool and not college. However when touring this place, the director said they don't teach their kids to read because CV doesn't require kindergartners to know how to read. I haven't looked into this so can't dispute it. To their credit, she did say they will introduce some sort of phonics to their curriculum. That has yet to materialize during our time there. The reasons that ultimately made us discontinue this school were personal experiences from some of the teachers and staff. I will only mention a couple. Two of the teachers insinuated my child had behavioral issues and lacked maturity. First of all, I didn't know there was a personality prerequisite for this elite school. Secondly, my child is 3! Maturity? Please! My child was merely going through separation anxiety with the changes. My child hated going to school everyday which was a total opposite from the previous preschool my child attended. If you, a childcare professional, aren't equipped in handling different personalities, I think you're in the wrong business. Also, my child was given candy to stop crying and was promised more with good behavior. The only reason I gave this school two stars because of the stated reasons; size, rates and schedule flexibility. If you are looking for a school that is nurturing and has a curriculum with a path to literacy, look elsewhere. At best, this school is a mediocre daycare but I would imagine you get better and personal care from an ordinary daycare for less. read more

My son went here when we first moved to Castro Valley and it was just okay.....Don't expect your child to be kindergarten ready when they are finished because it was mostly a daycare provider. He attended Redwood Forest for two years and really wasn't ready for school when he "graduated." The Castro Valley School District is very demanding on kindergartner's knowing how to read when they enter, so my suggestion is work with your child at home with reading. Most daycare providers do not have the one on one time to do this and I found this out too late. I read with my child at home, but did not teach him to read....This is important to know.... They had some staff changes while my son attended because a "teacher" fell asleep on the job.....NICE!...... Anyhow, this place wasn't all bad...the hours of availability met my work hours...... read more

Love this place! Awesome director, Lorrie and awesome staff. All three kids attended this preschool and hopefully the last one can attend as well. They have an awesome program. read more

I considered redwood for my older child but didn't end up going with them for a variety of reasons. My younger one was one of the displaced Camelot kids - which is how we ended up at redwood. I can admit when I am wrong and boy was I wrong. I can not begin to express how much my daughter loves this school. The teachers and staff are warm and caring to the students. You can tell they really love what they do. The staff always try to be helpful and when I have a concern - they address it. Yes. The food is horrible. I learned it's horrible everywhere. If you want healthy - pack your own lunches. Yes it's a Christian school as the name of the school states. We are not a Christian family but I can appreciate the overall lessons of being good to one another. I think that their TK program is where there is the most emphasis on academics rather than in the other classrooms. I really recommend this school. They are invested in their students and there is a lot of love. read more

I think their average rating goes to show that most people only feel the need to go online and rate something like a school when they want to complain about it. 1) CV school district does NOT require that kids know how to read. They only require that they are familiar with letters, numbers 1-10, colors, and shapes. They expect to teach your children to read (along with much parental help of course). I can tell you that Redwood teaches all of these things and more. To expect a preschool to have your child at first grade level when they are 4 is a little uneducated. 2) I do agree that the school is old and some of the things do need remodeling. They are working on this from what I understand. What they try to do to make up for it is throw lots of different events for the children - like snow day in winter when they bring snow (ice) to school for them to play in. 3) I agree that the food is not the healthiest but I have never seen soda on the list of items. This may have happened, but my guess is maybe it was in a kid's lunch and another child got ahold of it, not that it was actually served to them. They do however give cookies or brownies as snack sometimes and definitely are part of their party (like Valentine's day) items. We do not give our daughter these things and so she was exposed to them a little at school, which was frustrating. However they are great about working with you on things like food allergies, etc if you talk to them in advance. When we signed our daughter up we made it clear that she was a vegetarian and what for us that entailed. They have been great about it. Lunch is mostly things like pizza, mac n' cheese, etc. You can send your own lunch or buy it - if you buy it, it also comes with carrots and juice (or milk if you check the no juice box). We mostly send our own lunch. 4) My daughter has separation anxiety and they have been handling it beautifully.They work with her needs and I have never seen anything suspicious or alarming. 5) This is one of the lower cost preschools, they are open from 6:30am - 6pm so they work wonderfully with most schedules. 6) THEY LET US CLOTH DIAPER - this is hard to find!! They have two prices that they charge one for nonpotty trained and one for potty trained. They are clear that their teachers do not help wipe, etc for "potty trained" children. The school has always been willing to work with any concerns that we or others that I know have brought up to them. read more

I can't believe I didn't ever update the review! My oldest spent close to 3 years at RF and it was the best decision we could have made for pre school. She's now about to finish kindergarten. She was socially and academically ready for kinder (even "advanced")... every teacher she had in each class made her feel safe and loved. In our 3 years there, we had one small issue which was addressed immediately and I felt satisfied with the response. We ended up moving a month after graduation (she stayed on for that month) or I would have put my younger daughter in there without hesitation. I only hope we can find somewhere just as good here in Northern Nevada. Thank you, Ms Laurie, Ms Lois, Ms Crystal, Ms Rhonda (no longer at RF), Ms Erica, Ms Rakesha (no longer at RF), Ms Lori, Ms Vicki, Ms Raquel, Ms Cathy, Ms Amy, Ms Mari, and Ms Kitty!!!!!! read more

Amazing staff, teachers, admin and director! We took our son Warren there for about three years, and just enrolled my daughter Sara. Already she has become aware of her "potty" time and is blossoming up on the social scale. Stellar team and positive environment overall. Their graduation ceremony is definitely one all will remember. read more

Some improvements needed, their lunch program and the class organization or cleanliness. Playground structure need paint updates and fence may need some maintenance. Not all the surfaces or fence is smooth and those little hands only care about playing more than getting scrapped by chipping paint or structures. Wish their playground ground is replaced by soft cushion pads rather than very dusty wood pellets or wood mulch. The kids playing in there in the Summer literally breath in dust from all the kids playing and running around and they are not like adults trying to run away from the dust. Not so healthy for their little lungs. The toilet rooms and sink faucets and drinking fountain is right on side of sink easily splashed by all the scum from daily hand washes. They don't have a filtered water source for the kids and don't allow any kids to bring their own bottles of water fRom home. They do have weekly cleaner who vaccume. If the kids and stair have separate indoor shoes or shoes off to put away shoe rack next to entrance before school and after outdoor play, the classroom will be less dirty for kids to play and have circle time on as well as less frequent professional cleaning services. One of the reasons why kids get sick all the time at preschool. read more

I really regret choosing this school for my daughter. So to start, her second day of school they gave her soda! My 3 1/2 yr old daughter never had soda before and she explained it as "hot and spicy", I dont even drink soda! But I guess I shouldnt have been surprised after looking at the lunch menu (that you can purchase) which I opted out of and chose to pack her lunch. A few of the things that made me choose this school in the first place was that it was big, neat, and the staff seemed friendly. Well, it was spacious and looked somewhat organized, but the friendliness of staff ....ummm not so much. There are SOME staff members who never spoke a word to me in passing. RED FLAG! Her classroom instructors did not help her use the restroom when she needed it, and I would hear them shouting out "do it yourself,wipe yourself" to fellow pre schooler's who looked to them for assistance. Most importantly, my daughter didnt seem to feel cared for and showed NO ACADEMIC PROGRESS! (im not implying by any means that the staff doesnt care for or love these children) im just telling my experience. The children were provided with lots of arts and craft projects but she was not being challenged at all, therfore she wasnt learning anything new. Overall she and I both were not happy here. Now she is in a school that we both LOVE, and within one week she has learned more than she did at redwood forest in months, no lie. She comes home everyday with a positive story to tell me. I just wish I would have found her current school first... read more

I can't say enough wonderful things about this place. I definitely consider them family. I always feel like my son is cared for beyond just keeping him safe. I feel like they care about him as a person, which makes me feel like his with family when there. Yes, my kid comes home dirty. Which I LOVE! To me it means that he's having fun. They make it very clear not to send them in their nice clothes. So, do address other complaints, their food is set up in a way that provides substance along with veggies/fruit. Most kids won't eat super healthy food, so they have to provide things kids will eat. If you don't like it, pack his/her own lunch. They do have parties and it seems to always be some kids birthday, so they have treats. I just make sure that we eat super healthy at home. We nevertheless have cookies, cakes, brownies, soda, juice, or anything at home. I would hope that my child would learn these things ARE on,y for special occasions. (And his buddy's birthday is important!) Things don't seem old and dirty to me. Maybe they are not as new and nice as some places, but you get what you pay for and I have heard some pretty expensive tuition prices. I don't get the feeling all the $ goes to some corrupt person, all the money goes back into the school. They have tons of fun events which I appreciate much more than fresh paint. My kid doesn't remember paint, but he remembers the carnival and the Easter egg hunt and the snow. read more

Everything is just right! Great staff, very experienced and good at what they do. Great learning and playing environment for the kids. We love the hot lunch option too.... read more

My daughter has been attending this school for a year now and she absolutely loves it! Her teachers Ms. Raquel and Ms. Kimmy are wonderful to her. The ladies in the office are also very friendly. Everyday she comes home to share her exciting day with us and loves showing us her creative art projects. They have fun events (Winter Concert, Snow Day, Pumpkin Patch, Parents Nights Out, Harvest Festival). My daughter also attends the Castro Valley Performing Arts (Ballet & Tap) program that they hold on-site. They also offer a Tumbling, Swimming and Piano classes. Wonderful teachers. They take children from 18 months on and will help potty train if you need it. read more

My son has gone there for 6 months now. We love it! The front office ladies are friendly and helpful. His teachers, Miss Maritza and Miss Kim, are very loving and he always comes home clean. He enjoys the art projects, circle time and the playground. read more

My son went to RF for 3 years. Teachers were always present, engaged and attentive. My son was happy and learned a lot. When he entered K he was prepared and advanced compared to other kids. RF set a good foundation. read more

My son has been going here for the last three and a half years and absolutely loves it. It's so hard to find an affordable child care center now a days. The teachers are friendly, loving, and always say "hi" to my son when he is coming in or leaving school. I always get a note if he fell or gets in trouble and the teachers are always open and available to talk about any of my concerns. No matter how I feel about the school, my son wanting to say "goodbye" and having to give his teacher a hug is an affirmation of how the staff cares for my son at RWF. My son has learned a lot and is completely prepared for his first day of kindergarten. No one is perfect and everyone makes a mistake. I think sometimes parents forget that and expect the teacher/staff to be perfect every time. Never going to happen. read more

Both of my daughters attend Redwood Forest, and have done so since their 2nd birthdays. I think it's an amazing school and I highly recommend it. What first attracted me to the school is that they have an administration department, so the teachers don't get bogged down with tours and paperwork. Several other preschools I toured, literally were guided by a teacher that left the children to walk me around. That was a bad first impression. Second is the actual classrooms. I like that each classroom is large, open and filled with a variety of books, toys, etc. There are also separate playgrounds, so need to worry about a young child getting hurt playing with the older children. Third: the staff was super friendly and helpful and the children seemed to be genuinely enjoying themselves. Once my girls started attending the school, I was immediately blown away with it and knew that I made the right choice. The academics are amazing. Both of my girls, (age 3 and 4.5), are ahead of their peers, (that don't go to this school), in terms of alphabet, shapes, numbers, etc. My 4.5 year old is in the Pre-K class and she has been writing for about 6 months now, and is now starting to write full sentences and read. To quote another parent who has an older child, "My son was almost bored in Kindergarten, becuase he had done a lot of the stuff already". They do fun art projects all the time, and always have fun events going on, i.e. snow day, pajama day, etc. It's a Christian school, and there is bible time, but it's not the main focus. The teachers are awesome and really bond with both the kids and the parents. AND THEY POTTY TRAIN!!! The only thing I don't care for is that they give the kids juice at snack time. I asked about this and asked that my child be given water, but the state requires that two food groups are provided at snack time and sometimes juice is used for the 'fruit' group. It's not every day though. SO, if you want your child to be in a great, fun-filled environment where they play just as hard as they learn, then Redwood Forest is the place!!!! read more

This review is only for the "busy bunny" class at Redwood Forest. For approximately 6 months, my son was in the busy bunny class at Redwood Forest (which ranges from 18 months - 2.5 years). Words cannot express how fortunate we were to find such a loving and genuine preschool for our little one. I was a little scared for my son to experience preschool for the first time at 2 years old. Being a stay at home mom, I was concerned as to how my son would react without me being there. Those concerns soon melted away when I met his teachers. First, let me say the teachers are AMAZING and have so much love to give to all the kids. Miss Crystal is an absolute angel and has the sweetest demeanor with the children. She knows exactly how to calm your little one down when you drop them off. I often times had to sneak out while my son cried. But then I would peep through the window to check on him and I would find him sitting in Miss Crystal's lap taking pictures with the classroom camera or see him sitting at a table eating a snack Miss Crystal gave him to calm him down. It worked! Within minutes he was smiling and laughing with his classmates. Also, Miss Rhonda is so patient and loving with the children and is such a great teacher. She know exactly how to communicate with the kids and ensure that the little ones are listening to her. She is so thoughtful and the kids actually obey her, whether it's picking up their toys or going down for a nap in their mats. Also, I loved the fact that the teachers stayed with the children the entire time they were napping and would pat their backs to help them sleep while sweet lullaby music played in the background. Also, there were plenty of staff watching the children at all times. And there are so many activities for the children to participate (and parents) throughout the year, such as snow day, the sulfur creek visit, the police/fire fighter visit, the harvest festival, Christmas pageant, etc. My son learned so much while he was here. He always came home singing a new song and writing new letters and telling what new things he learned. I also loved the fact that the teachers filled out a comment sheet everyday to tell me how he did when I picked him up. Not only are the teachers wonderful, but the director (Ms. Lois) is so kind and compassionate about the kids and their parents. Not one day went by where she didn't say hello to me or my son. Also, the kids love getting stickers from her at the end of the day. She certainly makes you feel like family. I also felt the parents at the school were always friendly to one another. Sadly we moved 30 minutes away and unfortunately there are no other preschools where we live that compares to Redwood Forest. We hope some day we can find another loving preschool like Redwood Forest Preschool. read more

My 2 year old daughter attended Redwood Forest Pre-school for almost 6 months before we pulled her out. The staff is friendly, but not very clean. On two occasions, my daughter developed a diaper rash because the staff didn't change her diaper right away after she went poopoo. And one day, I picked up my daughter early (around 3:00 pm) and she smelled like poopoo. When we got home, I took her diaper off and she had pieces of poopoo stuck around her private part. I called the school and asked what happened. They told me she had a poopoo accident. I was upset because they had not cleaned her properly. Had I not shown up early, the poopoo would have been sitting there longer and my daughter would have probably developed another diaper rash. The next two days, I gave the school a 2 weeks notice because I had had enough. read more

I love this preschool! I have seen many kids go through this preschool and love how the staff is so very caring with the kids. I also more than anything love the lady in the front desk! She is so willing to help any person that walks through the door and she always has the best stickers for the children. Each and every teacher there is so loving! read more

Absolutely love this preschool, my son has learned so much being there. The staff is really outgoing and open to communicate with the parents. The teachers have always communicated with me when I had a concern. The environment is very liberating for me, I can drop him off at ease and he loves it.The classrooms are spacious and neat. Everything is posted around the school for upcoming events which is nice. They keep the parents in the loop with monthly news letters and have a weekly sheet posted in the classroom about what they are learning for the week. My preschooler will be going into Kindergarten and I tested him through the district he did extremely well. I owe it to his teachers. He comes home with writing assignments that he has done and so on to prepare him. I have seen a significant amount of growth socially, academically, and most important Spiritually which will help shape up his foundation. He always comes home talking about what they did in Chapel, and the different bible stories. They also have a variety of activities that the school holds such as snow day, pumpkin patch, carnivals, harvest party, and the Christmas concert. The office staff is amazing as well :), they are always there to help if you need anything. :) Overall I give the school, and staff a A+ read more