Both my kids went to St John Preschool and they thrived there! And my kids were well prepared for…read morekinder. The teachers are top notch and get the kids ready for K -- socially and adademically. I highly recommend St John Preschool! They are NAEYC accredited and from what I remember, they have the folders for you to review to see what goes into the accreditation process. (In case you didn't know, St John Preschool does not have any religious affiliations. The school rents space from the church.) St John has 2 teachers for each classroom and they are engaged with the children. They get to to know each and every child really well. Most teachers have been there a long, long time with very low turnover. We loved the teachers. Over the 5 years that we were there, there were some incidents that concerned me. I talked to the teachers and/or the director, Carol. It was handled well with follow up. If you hear of bad behavior from your kids, talk to the school. What I loved about the preschool: 1. TEACHERS! 2. open door policy - I can come unannounced and observe any time 3. they serve hot lunch made with love in their kitchen 4. well stocked classrooms and playground (constantly improving playground) 5. diapers included for the younger kids & daily notes! 6. mixed classrooms in the summer as the kids get older (a 3 year old would visit the 4s classroom) Many families lived nearby so many kids from my kids' classes are not in the same grade school so it is fun to see the familiar faces school in kinder (and now!). There were mornings when they wanted me to stay there longer at drop off. So we cuddled and read books (plenty of really great books to choose from), played with legos, drew in their notebooks (my daughter who's now in 1st grade still has her preschool notebooks and we look at all the drawings in there), read to the class during circle time at 9am, looked at all the kids art on the walls, etc. The program is so flexible. You can be as involved as you'd like. There were parents that we only saw at pick up and drop off and rarely at the school events. There were families that we saw all the time - at every school event, volunteer in the classroom, etc. It's up to you! They have a huge parking lot.

My son has attended St. John since just before he turned two, and now he's almost three. He loves…read moreSt. John and proudly proclaims whenever we pass by "That's my school!" My son loves his teachers, he loves seeing his friends every day, and he loves the meals he gets at school, if his choosy palate asking for seconds is any indication. My experience of the teachers is that they're highly nurturing and guide through positive reinforcement. It's important to remember that as toddlers our children are still learning how to be little people, and preschool is a laboratory for social interaction. My philosophy is to give him a space to explore and learn with enough structure that he can still learn to be independent. I feel confident that this is what he gets at St. John. Features which have made St. John super convenient for us: - Hours: 7am-5:30pm full time, though half day also offered - Meals: morning snack, warm lunch, afternoon snack. - Diapers: provided - Potty training: The teachers help with potty training. Bless their souls. - Lifecubby: personal online account for regular photos and updates of your child at school. So this review is based not just on my own experience, but more than anything, the wonderful way my son has developed since starting at St. John. My son was in home daycare prior to St. John and has tended to be a happy, independent child, and this environment has been so well suited to him. We have nothing but gratitude for the dedicated teachers who are teaming up with us to raise our son!

Started our son at one year old, and have been at both the Moraga and Rheem Campuses for 15 months…read more We really enjoy the team and the care our son receives. The teachers are all amazing, super friendly, and our son enjoys talking all about them when he gets home - Ms. Nancy, Ms. Dani, Ms. Liz (x2), Ms. Gabby, Ms. Becky, Ms. Lulay, they are all amazing, sorry to those i missed! Antonio is always helpful and responsive. The school uses the brightwheel app which is great for communicating with both staff and admin and getting regular updates and photos during the school day. We can really see the daily learning when our son comes home, and it's such a pleasure to know he's getting socialized and receiving great care durning the day. They let kids be kids! During most holidays you can signup for holiday care to avoid taking more days off. The cost has always seemed very reasonable especially for Lamorinda. The only comment I would mention, is the school runs like a well oiled machine, thus when you are new it's overwhelming to learn how the system works for drop off, pickup, and bringing food and clothes, etc. This was stressful when leaving your first little one for the first time, but this subsides after the first week or two after you learn the system. Advice, don't hesitate to ask the staff either in person or via brightwheel, they will always help. Packing lunches the first few months was stressful! Would recommend Lamorinda Montessori to any family.

Our family has a had a great experience at Lamorinda Montessori (Rheem Campus)! We started there…read morein June 2023 and at the time our daughter was 2.5 and son was 10 months. They have checked the boxes for us in terms of providing a reliable, loving, and kind care solution for our kids. The teachers seem very attentive to the kids and we are always met with smiles at pick up and drop off. The school continues to try and implement new programming to engage both kids and parents, like spirit week and off-site excursions but there is probably even more opportunity to do more of that. The school also offers "parents night out" care giving about once a month which provides for an easy solution to leave the kids for a few afternoon hours on a Saturday. Communication could be better just in terms of updates / photos throughout the day, but our kids are happy every day when they come home so honestly that's all we could ask for. The administrative and teaching team makes a real effort and genuinely cares for the families and children. Thank you to Antonio and the team!

This place is a wonderful preschool filled with love and joy for my kids! Highly recommend!read more

Our family absolutely loves this preschool! My husband and I sent our children here the past two…read moreyears and couldn't be more pleased with the experience. We selected WCPC because it checked all of our boxes: it's a play-based preschool with developmentally appropriate education and religious enrichment; it has incredible staff members and teachers; it's located on a campus where safety is a top priority; and it fit our budget parameters. Most importantly - the kids adore it! Every morning, (including on the weekends) they ask if it's a school day. Nothing makes a parent happier than knowing their child looks forward to attending preschool each day. We are currently in the process of moving out-of-state and our only wish is that WCPC could relocate with us. We will be hard-pressed to find a preschool of this caliber moving forward, and we are so grateful to the incredible staff and teachers at WCPC for enriching our children's lives over the past two years.

We had such an amazing experience at Lafayette Nursery School! I attended Lafayette Nursery School…read moremyself when I was little and had such fond memories of it that I couldn't wait for my daughter to experience its magic as well. Nonetheless, we did our due diligence and toured a few schools before committing to LNS--sure enough, no other school compared. LNS has it all--a beautiful, bright classroom and spacious and fun backyard area, experienced and warm teachers that truly love what they do, and a variety of constantly changing activities that keep children engaged and excited to go to school every day. LNS is a co-op (parent-participation) preschool and therefore enabled my husband and I to help in the classroom and feel included in our daughter's first years in school. Co-oping, as well as other school-wide activities and social events, afforded us the opportunity to get to know the other families at the school and build connections (in contrast, friends at other preschools have personally shared it's sometimes hard to get to know other families at their preschools). Finally, the LNS play-based education model fostered a love of learning in our daughter and left her well-prepared to go straight to kindergarten (we chose to stay at LNS over TK). Overall, we have loved our time at LNS and highly recommend it!

The day my son started here, he was completely at home. I love getting new artwork in his cubby…read moreevery day. He's been much more in to cooking at home because they do snack prep. It's such a warm and welcoming environment. The teachers are non-judgmental and supportive of both kids and parents, and it's clear they genuinely care about each and every child. When you work in the classroom, it's so nice to get to know other kids and see your child in action. Beyond that, it feels like the school is built for families, not just kids. Having purpose in the classroom connects you to other parents in a way that doesn't seem possible anywhere else. Housekeeping days, fundraising events, parent education, school participation at city events...they all help us feel like we're part of a community.

Our son has been with Creative since he was just 6 months old, and we couldn't be happier with our…read moreexperience. Silvia and the entire staff treat him like family, which gives us so much peace of mind while we're away. Their love and dedication truly shine through. Since joining Creative, our son has flourished in so many ways--physically, emotionally, and in his speech development. Now, at 20 months, he amazes us daily with new words and songs he's learned, as well as important life skills like picking up his toys and throwing things in the trash. The learning environment they provide is incredible! Beyond his development, we've also noticed how social and personable he has become, which we largely credit to the nurturing and interactive atmosphere at Creative. We are so grateful for Silvia and the entire team for fostering such a loving and enriching space for our son. Thank you, Silvia!

My son started at Creative Montessori at age 3.5 years old. Due to Covid he had been home the whole…read moretime and spoke no English prior to attending school. Ms Silvia and other teachers have been so patient and helpful. My son has grown so much in every aspect and loves going to school every day. Highly recommend.

We truly cannot fully express the amount of joy, comfort, and confidence we feel leaving our…read morechildren in the loving hands of White Pony Preschool. When searching for the perfect preschool, we had very clear priorities - and White Pony was the only school that checked every box (for context, I'm an Excel-spreadsheet fanatic and a serious researcher - I visited many schools, observed classrooms/teachers, analyzed environments, and spoke with current and former parents across 15 preschools in Walnut Creek and Lafayette before choosing Meher Schools). Our top priorities were: 1. Teachers who genuinely practice kindness, patience, and love, creating a safe, nurturing environment that mirrors the care we provide at home. 2. A strong focus on kindness, emotional and spiritual development alongside academics, using the Nurtured Heart Approach to teach leadership, right from wrong, and strong values - something that truly matters in today's world. 3. A calm, orga, clean, and open environment inspired by Montessori/Waldorf principles, filled with music, dance, art, nature exploration, and joyful activities that spark curiosity and a love of learning. 4. Low teacher-to-student ratios with consistent, dedicated staff and minimal turnover. 5. The ease and convenience of reliable daycare availability and consistent school hours, which is invaluable for working parents and provides tremendous peace of mind. Our children have grown into calm, patient, loving, socially and emotionally intelligent individuals. They come home happy - singing songs, performing dances, and confidently demonstrating leadership skills such as speaking up, standing up for others, self-regulating ("resetting"), appreciating nature, sharing their finished "projects" from school, and truly loving life. We are incredibly grateful for the dependable, efficient, and communicative staff and teachers. Watching our children's growth, confidence, curiosity, and joy throughout their time at White Pony Preschool has been nothing short of amazing. We wholeheartedly and highly recommend White Pony Preschool to any parent looking for the very best for their child.

White Pony Preschool literally changed our lives- not just for my 4 year old son but for our…read morefamily. Prior to attending White Pony Preschool, my son experienced behavior difficulties. After the first day of school, he told me he loves White Pony and that he is so happy. We saw an immediate shift in his overall mood, a decrease in negative behaviors, increase in social skill development, an improvement in cooperative play and an increase his interest in attending school. White Pony preschool offered parent training in the nurtured heart approach and helped us as parents focus on the positive qualities within our son which in turn changed his behaviors at home. In less than a year our son went from a child who was bullied, who cried and did not follow instructions to a warm, empathetic, helpful boy with loving and kind friends. He developed compassion, empathy, a love for art, music and gardening and well developed manners of which I can take no credit for (I'm from New York). White Pony's teachers are experienced, loving, kind and dedicated to the growth of their students. The school's dedication to multi-cultural and diversity teaching has encouraged us as a family to learn and grow. This year my son was so excited to tell me all about Chinese New Year including a beautiful red lantern he made as well as festive art and music. Since my son has attended White Pony preschool he has expanded the foods that he will eat since White Pony serves healthy snacks as well as vegetables and fruits from the preschool garden. They also involve the children in making food as part of the learning. Thanks to White Pony preschool my son will now eat vegetable soup, berries, cucumber, and more. While this may not seem like a big deal to some parents, it meant the world to use as we had such a picky eater. At first, I wasn't sure if I wanted my son to attend a mixed age classroom until I saw how it impacted him. He loves mentoring the younger students and acting as the "helper" in guiding them to follow the teacher's instructions. The mix of ages helped him develop his self esteem and also develop a gentleness with children younger than him. I can go on and on but this is already a long review so I will end it on saying that we will be continuing with the Meher school and our son will go to Kindergarten. Lastly, we would like to publicly thank the teachers and staff at White Pony Preschool for all they have done for our son.

What a special school, led by outstanding director Holly and her truly incredible teaching team!…read moreI've been a middle/high school teacher, and my kids previously attended two different preschools in the area, so suffice to say I've met a lot of teachers and seen a lot of schools, and I am just blown away at the quality of Michael Lane. The teachers are genuinely warm, kind and loving with every kid, calm and professional in every circumstance and interaction, authentic and kind with parents...I'm not sure how they do it, other than they are just really special people, with a remarkable director, and they have a ton of experience. Great play-based program with thoughtful activities and opportunities every day/week for the kids. Inclusive and non-religious, though it's connected to a church. Hands down best decision we made was to switch to Michael Lane!!

With our first kid, we toured three preschools and got lucky getting accepted into MLP. Our…read moredaughter loved being there from the first day to her last , so it was a no-brainer sending our second one there. The teachers are amazing, the facilities are amazing, plus the snack calendar that's published every month is amazing. You'll get to know other parents and get integrated into a very welcoming community.

My oldest attended here from 2022-2024 along with Midia's son. The old reviews are an accurate…read moredescription of how this place used to be. The first year here with Ms. Amy, Ms. Joanna, and Ms. Lesli was wonderful! Ms. Amy and Ms. Joanna are exceptionally talented with young children and effortlessly brought our child out of her shell. She was finally experiencing life outside the home and other children for the first time due to the pandemic. For this, Amy & Joanna alone are worthy of five or more stars. The reason for the low rating is the new administration that came in after our first year here. The new director, Ms. Claire, oozes disdain for her job and incompetence to lead, and that is reflected in the high staff turnover and low morale. My daughter's second year here, she went through more than three different staff changes and the lead teacher took an extended leave after only a month in. Another teacher admitted to me that she doesn't interact with my child much. My child was not developing or learning, and she lost interest in preschool until we changed preschools. Two years later in 2026, I was catching up with a current family there. Their daughter has come home twice with pants soaked in urine, despite there being a change of clothes on hand for her. They also were crammed into a classroom that already had other children when the sewer line backed up in their classroom. Her teachers change on a regular basis with the turnover. Even before we started at Holy Shepherd, it was evident that previous staff had been close-knit and worked as a team. Under Claire, they just show up to collect a paycheck. They are too overwhelmed and undersupported to care. Verdict: this place attracts working parents because of its flexible hours all weekday long. However, your child may fall through the cracks.

What an incredible place. Miss Joana and Miss Pat are angels. My son was new to group care. We…read moretried one other place, but that didn't work out. I knew he was going to need a lot of care, love, and attention through any transition. At two-and-a-half and not having much social play because of the pandemic, Miss Joana and Miss Pat were ready for the challenge. They worked their magic and now he loves going to school every day! I'm so thankful and blessed for them and lucky that they had an opening when they did.