Two years ago, my wife and I were looking for a preschool in Oakland for our then two year old. After touring many schools and care options, we are glad we eventually settled on The Lake School, because it provided the best care and education for our son at any price point. We believe this stems from their uncompromising commitment to what is best for their students at every age and developmental milestone. The teachers are knowledgeable and compassionate, and we trust them to guide our son's development with care personalized to his needs and personality. The Lake School also maintains a very small student to teacher ratio to ensure the attentiveness necessary for this level of care. Now, almost two years later, our son is happy and thriving. He has a love for books and learning that is nurtured at school. He's formed close bonds with classmates. He's learned how much more fun imaginative play can be with friends. Perhaps most importantly, he looks forward to school, and is excited to share about his activities and what he learned when he comes home. read more

I have had my children at The Lake School for 3 years and cannot say enough good things about the school but I will try and synthesize it here for you... 1) The Teachers: The teachers at The Lake School are simply AMAZING. I have been fortunate enough to have a child in every single class and I can say with confidence that each teacher is warm, sensitive, patient and takes the time to learn about each child as a unique individual. The teachers are more than just teachers, they are my main source of parenting support and have always worked with us to make sure that we are creating supportive, enriching environments for our children inside and outside of school. The current director of the school is a past teacher so she brings all of her wonderful, toddler-whisperer magic to her leadership role which resonated across the community. 2) Play-Based: I am so thankful that we ended up choosing a play-based school. Children only get to be children once and The Lake School embraces this phase and lets it flourish. Like at any school, our children are learning letters, numbers, writing and reading but all within their own interests and play, as opposed to a set curriculum that doesn't take the student's interests into account. When my son's class was really interested in dinosaurs, the teachers reorganized the curriculum to be dinosaur themed to keep the kids attention while teaching them skills. It is amazing to see how every teacher and every class becomes a completely unique learning environment driven entirely by the students. 3) Flexible Hours: The Lake School is truly unique with how flexible the program is. From 2 days a week for 3 hours to 5 days a week for 7 hours, each family can choose exactly the schedule that works for them. And if life changes at some point during the year, you can easily make changes to your child's schedule without any roadblocks. You will not regret sending your children to this wonderful community. It is a family, lead by an amazing director, who really know your children and teachers who let the kid's unique interests drive their education. read more

Our daughter is in her third year at the Lake School. She loves it and we love it. She has had some really tricky emotional issues to work through and the Lake School and its amazing teachers have created a super supportive environment for her. We were there for the change in directors and can't speak highly enough of the new director, Osnat S. She is a huge proponent of play based learning and that is supported in all curriculum. She brought SO many welcome changes to the school and is highly accessible to both teachers and students. She is very easy to communicate with and is quick to offer ideas and support for the children and parents. One of the most welcome changes for us as a working family was the extension of hours and extra program offerings. We have taken full advantage and can relax knowing our daughter is happily learning spanish and phonics in addition to all that is taught in their amazing pre-k program. read more

When I bought a house in the Peralta Heights neighborhood a friend gushed "you can send your daughter to the Lake School!" I was super happy because I can see the school out my window, and it's really cute. But the problem is, I can't go enroll my kids. This school does not cater to working people...it's 550 a month, and you can only send your kid for three hours a day (in the morning or the afternoon, but not both). In other words, this school is only for people with very flexible schedules and enough money to employ a nanny (in addition to forking over 550 a month), have a grandparent working for free, or be a stay at home mom or dad. I've been walking by on my way to work for many years now. and it's been my experience that patrons of this establishement who attend here are both unfriendly and thoughtless. They double park, drive like maniacs, and do not know how to exchange basic pleasantries with the locals (me). Sometimes an entire coven of mothers is circled around on the sidewalk gossiping and won't budge -- I have to walk out into the street to get by. I have to admit it chafes me to be see these star-bellied sneeches enjoying themselves, not having to have a job, and treating everyone else like nothings. I'm sure as individuals, these are nice people who just want to do right by their children, but as a group, they rub me the wrong way. read more

I love-love this place. I got my kid into Mills two years ago (which is super hard BTW) and that school was twice as expensive and not as good. I have something to compare this school to and my experience at The Lake School has been fabulous. My kid is always doing really neat things. Her art projects are great and they have tons of cute animals she can play with at the school. Someone made the comment that a lot of the parents are rich snobs. I am really offended by that post. The parents are lovely and the involvement at the school is at the level you want it to be. I am very grateful for the parents who greatly contribute and they make the school a better place. At the same time, I am a full-time working mom who travels and they are not judgmental that I can't offer my time like others. My kid is not exactly easy and they have been patient and kind. The teachers have provided us some really great advice on how to handle a "strong willed" child. The school's delivery has been kind, helpful and informative. Someone made the comment about the cost and it being expensive. I did not pick Lake School based on cost. I went here based on the outstanding recommendations from my neighborhood. However, I am a finance professional, and ran a huge spreadsheet of a lot of preschools in the neighborhood. This location was the most reasonable. read more

The Lake School is safe, fun, loving, stimulating, and supportive of each child and all parents. I appreciate parent conferences, where parents have the opportunity to meet with both teachers and receive detailed reports of social and cognitive progress. The director is wonderful. She has been involved since the school opened. The father of my son's classmate was in the founding class over 30 years ago. The school is fairly diverse and sincerely welcomes families of all types. I feel completely comfortable as a gay "older" mom. We have met close friends at The Lake School and expect to stay in touch for many years to come. read more

My daughter just finished her first year at The Lake School. There have been so many positives about our experience so far, I'll write as many as I can think of: -Osnat, the director, is super approachable and responsive. She sends out a newsletter each week, curates photo albums of each kid, and replies to emails and calls quickly. -The teachers are warm and wise. I've often arrived at pickup to witness discussions between the kids and their teachers that are heartfelt and productive (and often end in hugs, a least in my daughter's case. If she trusts you, she'll hug you). -The outdoor play yard always has new fun equipment, puzzles, etc that come and go in rotation. And it's mostly shady! -The parent community is down to earth, solid people. Did you know the school is a non-profit, partly run by a parent board? That means you have a lot of say in how things are run. I personally am not able to commit to a co-op style school, but it's nice to have the opportunity to get involved without having to work shifts in the classroom. -Parent teacher conferences were well done and helpful to me in working through my daughter's defiance. It's nice to work as a team with your child's teachers. -The mini graduation that just happened this week was wonderful. The teachers' affection for their class was so apparent. -Hurray for this sweet play based with purpose school, filled with free form art, different animals in every room/outside, and the perfect balance of free play and structure. If you can work the somewhat limited schedule into your life, check it out. I don't know how many scholarships are available, but if that is an important feature in a school for you, there is a scholarship fund. read more

I wanted to look for a preschool close to my work and this preschool fits the location. I called for a tour and spoke with Jaynese Davis. I told her my daughter has a speech delay and was wondering how she would fit into the school. She told me there are a few kids on site that has similar issues, but I felt as I was talking to her she was not interested in us. She did take down my address and said she would send me information regarding the school. It's been 3 weeks and I have not heard from them. According to the reviews, this school would be great for those kiddos without any developmental delays. I did not pursue this further as I feel my daughter would not be accepted in this kind of environment. read more

Oh my goodness we LOVE the Lake School. My twin boys went there for 2.5 years, and over the summer for their camp program, and we only left during our third year because we moved to Colorado. This school felt like a second home for my boys and they made wonderful friends and still talk about their teachers. We were there during the transition to the new director Osnat. She is fantastic! She keeps an open line of communication between the school and the parents and we always looked forward to the weekly newsletter letting us know all about the goings-on at the school that week. We are a life-long Lake School family! read more

Not sure what the previous reviewer was thinking. How does it help anyone that you are reviewing a school that 1) your child has never attended, and 2) that you have already admitted is not a match for your schedule? We have our little guy at this school, and we are in no way "littering, elitist, money-grubbing anorexic snobs". (Seriously?) The moms and dads coming and going to drop off their kids are like all moms and dads these days--in a hurry, and a little protective of their little ones when strangers are around. Sorry that the parents that you said 'hi' to didn't want to be your new best friends. So...as a parent of an actual child who actually attends this wonderful, fun, creative play-based pre-school, with tons of active parent involvement, amazing, intelligent, loving and dedicated teachers, and an exciting and stimulating environment, I felt I should add my two cents. If you are one of the "elite" (!) who can handle, or may even want, shorter school days for your pre-schooler, then this school is definitely worth a look. Say you want them in some other day-time activities like swimming or soccer, or just home with you for part of the day, their schedule might be a match for you. It was for us, and I can't say enough great things about it. We love this little secret gem of a pre-school, who never needs to advertise. read more

Proud to start our 3rd year at the Lake School with our second child. With a new Director in place, I'm excited for this year of change and transition. This play-based neighborhood treasure is perfect for a gentle introduction to socialization. We've developed great family friendships and enjoy the many opportunities to visit and be a part of the annual curriculum. Complete with animals (bunnies, chickens, fish, bird, walking sticks, silk worms... on and on), learning games, tactic experiments, messes that kids love, wooden toys and a safe and well monitored playground, this is a great place for active preschoolers! and I just found out it was voted Best of the East Bay 2016! Way to go! read more

I would agree that the times that are available for kids to attend are a little tough to match. Bottom line though is that the vast majority of us either have a parent or a full-time caregiver watching your child so it is a pretty easy place to get to/from in the times available. I'd also say that we have a 4 y-o there in the afternoon and a 2 y-o at home and we've been able to get everyone the nap/rest time needed to avert craziness. That said, I've been to the school a bunch of times and seen what they do and how they care for the kids. Everything has been great. Good play based activities - indoor and outdoor - and a very appropriate amount of supervision (let kids try to work it out themselves then step in if necessary). My 4 y-o also spent two years at Mills pre-school - the activities at the Lake school are pretty much on par with Mills and the people are nicer. Seems like they have deep bench of people to help out if someone's sick. Also, we did a bunch of evaluation of costs and the Lake School is at or below the cost of most all. All things considered, we're very happy there and will be sending the little one there when she's ready. read more

Both of my kids went to this wonderful school for two years. They loved the school - the kind teachers, the animals, the beautiful outdoor play spaces and creatively designed classrooms. It's a very nurturing environment and we were so happy to give them a play-based preschool experience. The community is also very welcoming and supportive for parents. read more

We've sent two of our kids to The Lake School. We've had a wonderful experience. Our two children are different, but both of them loved The Lake School. The teachers, staff, and other parents were very friendly. There was a nice balance of inside/outside activities. We felt the play-based approached encouraged our children to view learning as fun. Highly recommended. read more

If you are familiar with the culture you know that a handful of parents (mainly those on "the parent board") rely on their child's pre-school for their main social network. Such is the case at The Lake School. But if you can get past this and the constant fund raising you will find the director more than capable and the teaching staff very qualified. With the knowledge acquired in their three years at the lake school our two children were more than prepared for kindergarten. read more

We have been a Lake School family since 2015, and we couldn't be happier. I have two sons who both started around the age of 3 (my younger son is currently attending the lake school). I visited a lot of preschools when we were looking for a place for my older son, and as soon as I entered the lake school I knew it was just what we were looking for. It has such a warm, friendly, homey environment, and you are immediately made to feel welcome. The teachers and director are amazing and really committed to play based learning. The classrooms are bright and colorful and spacious. There is a great outdoor area for the children play, which is easily accessible and they get plenty of time outside which was really important to me. The school also provides a great deal of 'enrichment' including art, music, gardening and lots of animals for the children to help care for. Both my children are quite shy, but they totally blossomed during their time at the lake school. Also the parent community is just amazing. The other families are always friendly and supportive and it feels like a really special place to be a part of. I couldn't recommend it highly enough! read more