We live on Banner Lava Cap and I drove by a beautiful Poppy Preschool sign every day while…read moresearching all over the area for a preschool for my 2 year old. Because they're relatively new, I wasn't finding a lot of information online about it. I called the phone number on the sign and got in touch with Teacher Deva who was delightful to talk to and let me come and tour the school on a Friday morning (a day they have off) with my little one. My daughter immediately clicked with the space. There's tons of forest, a garden, ducks, and even a cat that roams the property. We had seen a lot of really great schools in the area, but this one just felt special. After seeing the space, my daughter didn't want to leave. We knew we had found the one. Poppy Preschool is a Waldorf-inspired preschool where the kids enjoy singing, arts and crafts, gardening, cooking, and lots of play. They also learn a lot of collaborative skills like cleaning up. The teachers Deva and Sarah are calm, gentle, and patient. I've watched them first-hand moderate conflicts between kids where they help the kids verbalize their feelings and gently deflect any physical altercations. It's lovely to see. On the first day of school, I was worried my daughter would cling to me and not want to go, but she took one look at the ducks and the garden and immediately felt comfortable jumping in. Every day since her first day she's excited to go to school and she doesn't want to come home. She's also *delightfully* dirty at the end of the day, which I love. She's engaged and learning so much, she even teaches us all the songs they learn at school. I also love that they garden and cook their own food. Every day of the week has a different focus, so the kids feel grounded in a bit of routine, but there's still plenty of room for exploration and play. It's been a real joy having my daughter in Poppy Preschool. I highly recommend this incredible forest preschool to anyone in the area!

Watching Celine interact with my son is truly a joy. She's a generous, fun, creative teacher (and…read moreparent). She has created a wonderful environment for preschoolers to learn and play!

Celine is a natural and authentically in love with preschool age children. She is incredibly…read moremotivated to provide the most nurturing experience for the mind, body and soul of our littles. There is no better way for an educational experience to begin than with Celine at Peartree.

Sprouts Gardening and Nutrition Early Learning Program is an excellent preschool program. The…read moreprogram is small enough to allow for individual nurturing and the friendships developed here last well past the duration of the program. They provide a wonderful blend of free play, gardening, cooking, stories, yoga and more. The resident chickens hatch out chicks every spring and are great teachers of the ways of nature and the cat was another of my daughter's special friends, providing snuggles and entertainment.

Sierra Preschool is a top notch preschool. In fact, it's the best in Auburn by far…read more I toured about 10 preschools in Auburn and Grass Valley, and there were only two preschools out of the ten-ish that we loved. Sierra Preschool was one of them. The other was in Grass Valley and had a waiting list, so it wasn't an option because we wanted our son enrolled in classes sooner than later. That was a blessing in disguise. GENERAL INFO: Sierra Preschool is a cooperative school, which means that parent participation is required and thus the monthly tuition is reduced substantially. I initially was looking for a preschool where I could drop off my son and go about my business of shopping, working out, cleaning the house, etc., but as it turns out, I LOVE that I am so involved in his daily activities and learning. I love the other parents at the preschool, and I love that I know the kids there as well. It is such a family environment! The teachers are top notch and really care about every student. LAYOUT: The school itself is in an old house, fenced yard, in a convenient location. They have a lot of toys for the kids to play with, indoor and outdoor. There's a separate room for circle time, and a general area for crafts and snacks. There is a kitchen for food storage/prep and a large counter and sink. The office is located upstairs. CLASSES: The toddler class is fantastic and fun. Right now it's Tuesdays from noon to 1:30p. There is an hour of playtime, then 15 minutes of circle time (reading books, games) and then 15 minutes of snack time. The parents rotate bringing healthy snacks each week. The 3-, 4-, and 5- year olds can take a Tu-Th class from 9am to 11:30a. It also has a specific schedule of playtime, circle time and snack time. The class is limited to 18 students. And there's a 4- and 5- yr old class on Mon-Wed-Fri which is geared towards getting the kids ready for kindergarten. That class is from 9am to 1pm. The class is limited to 18 students. They also have summer school classes. In 2011, it's a 6-week program from 9am to 1pm. PHILOSOPHY: The philosophy of Sierra Preschool is "When I play I learn." And all the crafts and stories and outside play are great for these developing minds. My son can't wait to go to class each time. He's socializing and making friends, and I feel it's readying him for elementary school. It is such a relief to have found Sierra Preschool! LOCATION: Sierra Preschool is conveniently located off of I-80. Sierra Preschool is on the corner of Channel Hill Lane and Luther Rd. You can also get there easily by CA-49 to Luther Rd as well. PARKING: They have their own parking lot which fits about 6-8 cars. The parking lot entrance is on the side street, Channel Hill Lane; you can't get to it directly from Luther Rd. So, turn onto Channel Hill Lane and then make a quick right into the parking lot. Overflow parking is available on the neighborhood streets. TOURS: I recommend visiting any preschool before enrolling your child. Take your time; watch and listen while you're there. Take notes. Ask questions. See how your child reacts to the surroundings and the other kids. Talk to the other parents if you can. (When I was looking at preschools, I accidentally met a few parents of Sierra Preschoolers at different venues -- Mighty Mites class, the local library, and while I was there at the school), and every single one raved about Sierra Preschool and how we would love it. Now I know why and I agree!) JUST DO IT!: And if you have any reservations about being a participating parent, don't! It's not that big of a deal, doesn't take up too much time, and you get to meet wonderful people from the community. Message me thru Yelp (upper right corner of my review) if you have any questions.

If you haven't been in to see Sierra Preschool for yourself, you & your child are missing out! We…read morewere new to the area 2 years ago & each time I asked somebody about preschools, I was referred to Sierra Preschool. My daughter is in her 2nd year there & absolutely LOVES it! She can't get enough of Teacher Ramey & Teacher Heather. We'll be sad to leave next year for Kindergarten. The environment is so great with all the parent participation, we all get to know eachother as parents & we get to know all the kids too. I love that we are making lifelong friends. Go check it out, Today!!

I'm so grateful our child has been able to attend Mighty Acorns preschool the past two years. It is…read morea very gentle and safe learning environment for young children in a cozy home environment. Teacher Tyana's approach is nurturing, conscientious and joyful. I deeply appreciate the spotlight put on multiculturalism, and the importance of caring for earth, all creatures and all humans. The lesson themes, such as healthy bodies, are so important for children and Tyana has a special talent for delivering them in an engaging and fun way for kids. She is skilled at empowering children and supporting them to be responsible contributors/independent thinkers. The support staff at Mighty Acorns, Maestra Michelle & Turtle, add to the love the kids and families feel at this preschool. Mighty Acorns is a high quality preschool that feels like a second home for your child.

Wow, so where to start. Tyana and her wonderful Mighty Acorns preschool has been such an amazing…read moreblessing for our daughter and our family. Tyana is wonderful in every way, and all of us parents in her little community love her. Our daughter absolutely loves going to "school" and has such a great time with Tyana and the other kids. It is so clear that Tyana truly cares about the kids and goes above and beyond to give them a fun, warm, nurturing, and all around positive environment. I could not imagine a better place for our daughter and we so hope that our Son gets to be a mighty acorn as well once he gets old enough. Thank you so much Tyana!!

Wonder Woods is amazing. The teachers communicate everything from a child falling to what they are…read moreeating for snacks. All the teachers are excellent and have put so much time and consideration into this program. I genuinely believe that my son's have become more patient and just overall good people since they attended. They have also created genuine friendships which we adore. Huge shout out to Ms. Destiny for putting together this center with the child's development in every thought. We love it here and will be sad when my child goes on to Kindergarten.

We have been with Miss Destiny and her team for almost 5 years now, and we truly couldn't be…read morehappier with our experience. We started at the old location and are now at the new one. My child has always loved going to school and transitioned beautifully because of the welcoming, nurturing environment they create. Miss Natalie, Miss Jen, and Miss Destiny have been absolutely incredible. One of the things we appreciate most is the consistency of the staff. There isn't a lot of teacher turnover, so they really get to know the children, build genuine relationships with them, and truly care about each child as an individual. It really feels like a second home. You can tell that so much thought, intention, and care goes into everything they do. As a parent, it gives me so much peace of mind knowing my kids are somewhere they feel happy, safe, and loved. I would highly recommend them to anyone looking for childcare. We are so grateful for everything they have done for our family over the years.

This preschool is really good. We've had both of our kiddos attend.... Our now 8 year old…read moreattended when he was 3-5 and had a great experience. He made friends who are still important and cherished in his life now. Ms Divine is kind and funny and always attentively involved In the kids days.... I love how she keeps magic and imagination at the forefront and encourages the kids to be aware of the life and spirit in everything. Our younger son who is going to be 4 soon has had good experiences too :). Love and appreciate this place ! Highly recommended. :)

Iron and Pine preschool is such a magical place. I too wish I went here as a child. There is…read morevintage wall art of mermaids and unicorns and carefully selected hand carved toys and tractors. You can just tell there was so much thought put into every little detail of this school. This preschool is licensed and legit and full of heart and soul. Teacher and owner Jessi is brilliant with the kids and I love seeing the connection and happiness her and her staff create together with the little ones.

My daughter has been at Jack and Jill for the last 2 years. They have been amazing with her. My…read moredaughter loves going to school, she even wants to go on days that aren't her normal days. The teachers are great. As a teacher myself I have watched my daughter grow so much since being at Jack and Jill. As a parent her loving school makes drop offs so easy because I know she will have fun and be well taken care of. I enjoy hearing about all the fun things she does every day at school.

Such a wonderful opportunity for your young child to grow through play in a loving environment…read more The focus here is on encouraging your child to find adventure through learning while being presented with early language arts, singing, science, art, movement, imagination through play, and a welcoming large outdoor free play. My son attended here and now my granddaughter. Both thrived in this environment. This coop has a great, caring staff and parent volunteer board that puts the child first in a fun family environment. I highly recommend Jack and Jill for any family looking for positive social and early education growth. In response to financial transparency from other reviews: this school is fully-funded by tuitions and fundraising, with a goal to provide a safe environment for a reasonable price. It is a coop, not for profit school. I have found the fundraising to be appropriate for the logistics of operating a school like this. The property is owned by the coop and therefore incurs cost . The financial cost for each family is clearly represented in the parent handbook. The parent volunteer board strives to keep costs down by requiring parent volunteering (hence the coop portion of the name), clear family responsibilities, and breaking up operating costs into low shared payments for families.

If there were more stars to give I would. The Little Owls Nest has been such a blessing to our son…read moreand family. Childcare can be an incredibly nerve-wracking experience as a parent, but Little Owls has made the experience great. I highly recommend this program to any family looking for excellent childcare. From spirit weeks filled with fun, to the creative daily projects and nurturing care, Little Owls Nest has made such an impact on our child, we look forward to continuing his care here.

Little Owls Nest preschool is such a great place very clean and friendly staff. They have exceeded…read moremy expectations.

Our experience this year has been wonderful! Mrs M. Foulkes , 3rd grade instructor is a God send…read more She's loving, yet uses tough love to the advantage of this class. We're ever so grateful for her sacrifice to be here every day.

I have had nothing but wonderful experiences with this school. They are organized, caring, and…read moreinvolved in the education of your children. The teachers are terrific- they work together to ensure that they provide each and every child with the best education possible. They keep up-to-date on new techniques of teaching and learning and aren't afraid to explore various ways of continued improvement.