Very mixed feelings. Pros: My LO's teachers were amazing. They truly love and care so much for the kiddos. Being a preschool teacher is probably one of the toughest gigs, but the teachers brought their energy and passion every day. They even went out of their way to do special things for my LO like buy her clip on earrings out of their own paychecks when they noticed how much my LO loves jewelery. My LO also learned a ton. Her vocabulary exploded after several months there and I was amazed by how much she knew about shapes, animals, etc. The South MV campus is also brand new and very nice, complete with a large gym and play yard. Cons: All preschools are businesses but the Wonder Years really is operated as a business first, school second. The unusual financial policies others have mentioned (like the $700 deposit that can only be used towards tuition if you end your contract in July- the $700 is otherwise forfeited if you give notice any other time of the year) are inflexible and the administration is merciless when enforcing the policies. I found the latest Covid policy too coercive and the last straw for us. Not only did they ask parents to pay full tuition for the entire time they were closed but if parents were to terminate their contracts and then re-enroll (subject to their availability of course, as they kindly reminded us :P), parents would need to retroactively pay tuition for all the months they had pulled their kids out for. While I understand the rationale for all of this, it's so heavy handed and prioritizes their own bottom line. Instead, they could have prorated their tuition to cover their bare minimum expenses (which many other daycares are doing) or set up a donation fund for teachers which parents would've very happily contributed to. The administration knows just how much of a daycare demand there is in the Bay Area and it feels like they're exploiting that. read more

I've had mixed experience in the past with childcare - and was feeling very anxious about sending my youngest to the wonder years. This place is my unicorn. It's a really lovely facility and the team are always planning fun events for the kids including a race day where they ran a mini marathon around the playground for charity, an Easter rabbit and a day where they painted a mural on an outside wall. What makes this facility unique is the support provided to the parents. My sons teacher would come out at pick up and provide us with an overview of his day. This made a huge difference to us and I really appreciated the level of parent-teacher dialogue. We've moved to the east coast now and his teacher still checks in. I love this facility, I found everyone to be kind and thoughtful and working really hard to provide the kids with a positive and nurturing environment during the ongoing pandemic read more

We have been part of this preschool community for almost 2 years now and I don't think this review will allow for enough characters to say how happy we have been with our experience. I began looking for a preschool when my oldest daughter was in the womb! The thought of entrusting my children to others was always frightening. Wonder Years was recommended to us by 3 different families. It only took me 10 mins into the tour before I knew that was where my daughter and future daughter would thrive. We have experience in the Toddlers, 2's and 3's classes over two years. Part of my reasoning behind this review is because I am disappointed in the current negative reviews people even have the time to write. And some of their information is false and misleading. From the start of this pandemic, TWY sent out informative and detailed information about how they are keeping the school clean, new preventative measures they are taking to minimize contact amongst other age groups etc. I appreciated that so much. When the school shut down, it took them about 2-3 days to prepare the most extensive, weekly curriculum packets for our kids. Pics are attached. The amount of work that went into these packets was unbelievable! They even gave the kids a fresh pack of crayons and paints. Now, my stepson goes to a public school in San Jose and his school sent home and prepped ZERO curriculum and it's been 3 weeks. Since the self quarantine, TWY team has sent WEEKLY (sometimes DAILY) emails that include links for the kids to join in on circle time, music class, dance class, Spanish and even Mandarin. The time that it likely takes them to film and organize what goes out, I truly appreciate their dedication. My kids have stayed connected, and engaged in all the activities that have been planned out for them. I don't know how I would have stayed sane without it. As far as tuition, you cannot put a price on education. I went to the finest private schools in the Bay Area and I have two working class parents who BOTH worked 2 jobs. They told me I had one job: go to school, get good grades, find a career I love. That work ethic they bestowed on me, I now push on all my children. My fiancé and I have one income. We struggle every month just to make tuition work. But we would never complain bc I know my girls are getting the finest education even at 2 and 3 y/o. While I empathize with families that are struggling right now because of the loss of work and such, finding time to write a negative review towards an educational establishment is just down right nasty. The most thorough email was sent out regarding tuition and there where several options to pay. At the end of the email, we were told that if we have any concerns re: tuition to reach out to the director personally. The negative reviews complaining they were never given an option, is misleading. Every family has their own financial troubles during this time and they're not all the same. Perhaps taking the time divulging that in a respected email to the director would have been more beneficial than taking time to write a negative review. No one planned for what has happened to our country. We are going to look back years from now still astonished. But one thing I will remember is how I had an even larger village of people who loved my kids and cared about their education and well-being during this time. I would HIGHLY recommend TWY to all families I know who ask about preschool! Thank you Wonder Years. read more

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They don't care about kids safety. But they do care a lot on whether they could operate on continuously and hiding the hurt the kids had at preschool and push the responsibility to the kids. Totally not recommend for any parents who wants to have a safe place for their kids. read more

My daughter was sent to the preschool for 6 months, and she cried almost everyday, there was no love and care she felt at school. A lot if arbitrary teacher days off. No lunch. Lock-in tactic is snaky, deposit is not refundable but only to the last month of the school year if you leave on that month. If you leave earlier, you lose it. They they ask for registration for the next school years 6 months ahead, to lock in the next deposit and registration fee, if you dont do it, you dont have a spot, if you do it, you lose your deposit in the similar scenario mentioned above. Very greedy owner. read more

My son went to Wonder Years from Oct until pandemic hit and I wished I never sent him here. He cried almost everyday for 4 months. He stopped eating there completely. Administration use to say they don't force but my son use to say they don't provide enough time to eat (He is not a slow eater for sure) There is a deposit of $700 which was revealed to us only during the enrollment process in the office. It is not refundable and will be adjusted towards the last payment of next year. Deposit is not refundable and will be lost if you leave the school earlier. Wish the school was more open and upfront about this deposit. Only good thing about the school is the good infrastructure and they do a lot of activities. My son went to 3 schools so far, this is the only one which he never talks about. read more

We have had multiple children attend Wonder Years over many years now. We have had so many amazing teachers throughout the years that have a deep passion for teaching and caring for children. Our children love their teachers and love going to preschool every day. Our child was way ahead academically when they entered Kindergarten, thanks to the Wonder Years curriculum and excellent teachers. During the covid crisis, they were able to adapt and immediately implement a remote learning program which included live video lessons, recorded lessons, and enrichment classes too. The teachers have been working hard to provide take home packets with lots of material and fun art projects. Wonder Years is a very organized and well-run program that I highly recommend to any parent who wants a balanced (play and academic) education for their preschoolers. read more

If you believe in free-play and respectful communication this is not the place for you. The children are on a tight schedule with only 40 min of free play out of a whole day. They are moved around in sometimes intimidating manners, and there are little time for each as the teachers have their hands full. The owner Helen is not any better - if you raise any concern, you are the problem. There is simple no room for an open dialog or any understanding of your point of view. Stay away - and save the money, the are greedy as hell too. read more

I decided to leave review because I read Tori R's review of The Wonder Years' response to the covid-19 crisis and I wanted to offer a different point of view. As a warning, this is going to be much more cynical appreciation of The Wonder Years, but I will try to back up my statements with sources. The first e-mail arrived on March 25, and offered the following guidelines regarding tuition: " As it relates to tuition, we have consulted with other neighboring preschools and the majority plan to continue charging their full tuition for the duration of the closure to be able to sustain their operations. We understand that some parents may not be earning their normal income during this time period; we would like to propose the following approach starting April 1st: 1- 100% of tuition for families whose parents are able to work from home and maintain their normal income during the closure; of course, this applies to all "essential" parents whose children qualify for attendance. 2- 75% of tuition for families where one of the parents have lost some or most of their income during the closure 3- 50% of tuition for families where both parents have lost most of their income during the closure. " Myself, and many others took this at face value. It wasn't until months after with groups of parents communicating, that this was found out to to be a lie. The following day-care/preschool's in the area required zero tuition. KinderCare: 100% refund Challenger School: 100% refund Palo Alto Community Child Care: 100% refund The Learning Center in Palo Alto: 100% refund Children's Pre-School Center in Palo Alto: 100% refund Littlest Angels in Menlo Park: 100% refund OFJCC from April: 100% refund Action Day: 100% refund Google Day Care: 100% refund Genentech (Bright Horizons): 100% refund Children's Preschool Center in Palo Alto: 100% refund for April and May "They even gave the kids a fresh pack of crayons and paint." I'm sorry, something you can buy for $10 on Amazon doesn't come close to justifying the full $2,000+ tuition. But I suppose if you're lucky and both of you lost your jobs, that comes down to a mere $1,000 per month for a pack of crayons. Great. Here's another interesting quote from that e-mail " We ask that you consider the above options carefully; we need the majority of our students to remain enrolled in order for this strategy to be viable. Otherwise, we would have to consider other less desirable options including but not limited to: * Reducing salaries temporarily for all staff while retaining all insurance benefits. * Laying off some or all of the teachers temporarily without benefits and hope to re-hire them once the crisis ends (this is, of course, our last resort). " From a business perspective, it's pretty shrewd; they basically hold the teachers' salaries ransom. But let's be clear, the teachers were not the first priority in this scenario. If you are familiar with the FPUC during the COVID crisis, it provided an extra $600/week for furloughed workers, meaning people at the income level of the daycare providers would have actually been making MORE money had they been furloughed. The teachers were also never at risk, because of the conditions of the PPP loan. This loan gave the incentive that the loan is forgiven if the company simply does not lay-off employees during an 8-week period. You can search propublica dot org and view how much each company received in COVID 19 bailouts. The Wonder Years received a loan in the range of $350,000-$1,000,000 that they will not have to pay back. The Wonder Years asks for full tuition to support their business, but don't extend that courtesy. We found one of our child's favorite vendors asking for donations on youtube as they had immediately lost their contract. Again from Tori's post: "My fiancé and I have one income. We struggle every month just to make tuition work." This seriously hurts my heart to hear, because my family is in the same situation. The tuition cost is the vast majority of my family's discretionary spending. After rent + tuition + essentials, we would be lucky to save a couple hundred a month. The prospect of buying a house or even our children simply having their own room is not even remotely on our radar. But like Tori, we felt it was worth it for their education. What's worse is knowing WHO the owners of the company are. This is not your small mom & pop shop. This company is owned by Helen and Sam Szteinbaum. Sam is on the board of directors for major tech companies. So Tori, you who is struggling? You should know that you're giving $2,000 a month in charity to what could be your husband's boss's boss's boss's boss's boss. The owners of this company are not going to struggle in this crisis the same way you do. They will go home to their $4.5 million dollar 5 bedroom home at the end of the day. read more

We had an appointment with ms Courtney, she told us on the phone that she has a slot free and asked us to come and book it for our daughter. Me and my wife were on time at 9:00 but she was on the phone for ten minutes in-front of us, which felt really weird. We did not wanted a tour but she asked her assistant to give us a tour of the school. To our surprise after the tour the assistant told us that the place is no more available and they already gave it to someone else. we felt that we were dealt in a very unprofessional and un-ethical way and lost our confidence as a whole in the wonder year schools. Though we loved the school at Stierlin Rd, but this one was a disappointment and we are no more looking for any of the wonder years now. If the head of the school does not have any manners what can we expect they will teach our kids, and even from anyone anyone else in the school. read more

A great great preschool, in fact, it is the best that we have experienced! As we moved, my child has attended 3 different preschools in the area. This is the best and I have recommended it to all my friends who are searching. * Most teachers are very warm, caring and simply fantastic such as Ms. Shy & Ms. Ashely. My child mentioned many times how enjoyable it is. School principal - Ms. Helen is excellent! She is very dedicated to the school programs and puts a lot of extra effort to the day-to-day activity and management. She is also very responsive and frequently communicates with parents on school news, activities, field trips, etc. All my emails sent to her got a response within 12 hours, sometimes it's even 10pm at night. I really appreciate that. Hope they can maintain their top teachers and recruit more, because the teachers are the ones who make a difference! * Program is play-based but has very solid curriculum to facilitate learning and prepare kids for the kindergarten. My child has learned so much and brought back home a lot of drawings, math, cooking projects, etc. on a weekly basis. Also, love their enrichment programs. They invited outside music and dance teachers once/twice a week to provide extra fun and learning for the kids. No extra fee charged (All included in the tuition). Awesome! * The facility is safe, very new, clean and spacious for kids. We love each classroom and the nurturing environment it creates. Love the hardwood floor throughout. It is always clean whenever we visit. We love the separate playground for toddlers and for preschoolers. It's safe, fun and very nicely arranged. We love the big gym room - what a nice place for the music and dance class! * A couple minor things if I can think of: 1)The lingering odor in the kitchen area sometimes makes the classroom close to it smell bad. It'd be nice to get rid of; 2) Although most teachers are great, it'd be even better if teachers are further motivated in engagement and enthusiasm - hope to see more outstanding teachers like Ms. Jeca (so sad that she left in 2012). She is always very polite and passionate about caring kids. You can tell that she really enjoys her job and loves each little one in her class. My child loved Ms. Jeca's special add-on activity on Friday - face paintings. 3) If possible, reduce the late penalty from $2 to $1 per minute. The school is located at El Camino which is terrible during rush hours. If the goal is to stop the late parents, I guess $1 per minute will do it too. Like Ken Robinson says "every day, everywhere, our children spread their dreams beneath our feet. And we should tread softly." As parents, we wish that we could find the best school and teacher for our little loved ones, so that when we go to work, we don't have to worry and we trust that they are treated softly with a lot of love. Thank you Wonder Years and those great teachers for the love you have shared with my child! Keep it up!! read more

My son started going here the first day it opened in April, and we have been so impressed! The teachers are incredibly caring and warm, the facility is gorgeous and fun, and the activities and learning the kids are doing are fantastic! Every single teacher at this campus of The Wonder Years, from the director Ms. Courtney to all of the great teachers (Ms. Carmen, Ms. Gaby, Ms. Jessica, Ms. Cande to name a few of my son's favorites) are so loving with my son and all the kids. Even though we've only been there for a few short months, it already feels like they treat my son like their own child and us like family. The classrooms and activities are second to none. I love how the kids rotate between classrooms that include things like math and science, dramatic play, art, and so on. My son is always learning new things and comes home excited about his projects and activities for the day. And while I love how much he has learned, I primarily appreciate that this is a mostly play-based program in which he learns by discovery and doing. The enrichment activities, such as music with Andy Z and Ms. Zhanna, the language (Mandarin and Spanish) classes, and the PE classes make it even more fun. Honestly, I can't say enough good things about The Wonder Years. I love it and my son does too. I'm so happy we chose it for his preschool. read more

The Wonder Year is charging 100% for April during the school closure (due to COVID-19) despite the surrounding schools (Action Days, Challenger, Learn and Play, Kinder Care, Montessori of LA, etc) offering 100% refund for April for every one. In a school wide email, they offered a discount to essential workers and those who lost their jobs. One family (non essential worker, working parents with the ability to pay) challenged about charging 100% and was told they could pay 50% of the tuition, the same discount as essential workers. However, the school never communicated this as an option for everyone. While we want to support teachers, the way the school communicates it's clear they put the school's bottom line first read more

This TWY location is awesome! During a time of much unknown (Covid), our 5 year old (who had been at the NMV location since 18 months) had the opportunity to do both summer camp AND kindergarten here. We felt very lucky to have this opportunity and know our son benefited from the school continuity, friendships and even teachers he had known for years. Julie and Team were welcoming, supportive, communicative, followed strict safety protocols - all while making sure the kids could just be kids. There is very consistent programming and communications across all the locations. We have recommended TWY to many friends and family and will continue to do so. read more

Wonder Years is such a warm and nurturing community for our son to thrive emotionally and socially. We owe a big thank you to Wonder Years. Our kid was non-English speaker when joining the school. His teachers and other staff were showing great patience, love, and encouragement to him. Within 6 months, he was well adapted to the new environment. We are so amazed by his big progress! The director and teachers know every child and welcome them with warm greetings and big smiles each morning, what a nice way to start the day! During circle time, they learn a lot about the nature, the space, the letters, shapes, on and on. I'm impressed by the plentiful teaching tools, materials, and toys for the little ones to learn the topics by playing! The school also provides kids with plenty time for outdoor activities. Different classes with similar ages are playing together. It's so sweet to see big ones help the little ones. Wonder Years also offers complimentary on campus enrichment programs and a reasonable priced Mandarin program. We are so happy to find the school! read more

Our son has been going to Wonder Years since he was four months old (he is now 2 1/2.) I can't say enough about how much we love the WY. The teachers are excellent - caring and fun and always keeping the kids involved. We have especially loved Ms Kendall, Ms Karina, Ms Marieli, Ms Cathy and Ms Monique. They have always made our son feel comfortable and cared for. The facility is bright, cheerful and clean. They rotate the kids through different rooms so they get new environments throughout the day. The outdoor play area is great and they have a large gym for when the weather is bad and for other activities. The curriculum is play based but the kids learn so much there - alphabet, colors, songs, even exposure to Mandarin and Spanish. The staff does a great job of keeping different themes going throughout the year to keep things interesting and fun. We love the WY and are so glad to have found them. read more

This school was so loving and wonderful to our kids when we newly moved to CA. Our girls felt right at home there, and the communication was quick and excellent. The facilities are bright, clean, and welcoming. I would recommend this school to anyone. I wish they offered Elementary, as we would have kept going there! read more

My 2-year old attended Wonder years for 14 months. This is what we experienced: Pros: - Great Facilities: They have a gym and a good playing area. This is what wowed us and the primary reason why we chose this place. - Well organized and clean. Very professional! - Most of the caregivers are great and very loving! Cons: - Caregivers change every year: the kids "graduate" to a different class with new caregivers each year so they start from scratch. New caregivers and 50% of the other kids gone every year. Our son had a really hard time adapting to the change when they switched rooms. - They make it clear that they have a waitlist so if you don't like something you can go. It's run as a business and personal relationships are secondary. They have A LOT of rooms with a lot of kids, so you're just one more and won't be missed if you leave. - Profits first: It's more expensive than other options. You have to sign up for 1 year and if you have to leave they will keep your deposit and won't prorate partial months. There are NO exceptions even in extreme circumstances. We have to leave the country due to last-minute unforeseen circumstances, but they don't care. - The owner (manager) is hard to get a hold of. They own multiple pre-schools at multiple locations so you have to schedule time a week in advance at inconvenient times even if you need to talk about a sensitive/important issue. There are several good things about Wonder Years but there are better options in the area. One great example is the St Paul CDC: Our older son went there and if we were not moving out of the area we would be switching. read more

My daughter started in the Toddler room when she was 18 months and what a wonderful journey it has been. I was looking for a school which offers and balance between a structured program and environment offering social-emotional development based on her age. She had been at home with me always. TWY was her first time experiencing learning outside home. There are so many amazing aspects which contribute to the success at TWY. Firstly, the administration (Ms. Melissa, Ms. Nicole, Ms. Julie, and Ms. Helen) are always putting the parents and children first. They really understand what a roller coaster ride it is for parents esp when starting at the school. I still remember the new student orientation was phenomenally helpful in transitioning to the school where everything from guidelines for pick-up, drop-off, communication etc. was detailed and covered to the T. And I am so glad that we trusted them. The curriculum is thoughtfully curated and allows the kids to develop all the skills (gross motor, numeracy, literary) they need.Thank you! All this would have been incomplete without the teachers who really put their heart and soul in bringing up these kids. Ms. Yasmina, Ms. Diana, Ms. Cande, Ms. Wendy, and Ms. June were all like a strong team! I still remember how Ms. Diana sleep trained my daughter within a few days. And she did not give up and came up with new ideas. Ms. Yasmina has always shared insights on her behavior and helped to provide rationale to the kids growing behavior. When COVID times hit us, the school was quick to adapt to the changing circumstances and provided packages with live zoom learning sessions (4 times a day) so that the kids don't miss out on learning and have sense of continuity. They also coordinated with the enrichment vendors for the smooth transition. Anyone who is looking for a school which is futuristic, well managed, and has the most loving teachers - this is the school for you! Thank you for making us a part of TWY family! read more

We had to take our 18 month old son out of there, he clearly wasn't happy there and whenever we tried to say something the director basically said that they have plenty of parents in the waiting list and they will gladly move to the next family (after keeping the deposit and an additional two months fees). Took us two months to take our son out, makes me sad to think we left him there that long... When we came to pick up our son, he would sit sadly doing nothing. When I tried to talk to the director she said that all the other families are happy and we are the only ones to complain (I find that hard to believe given the reviews). I really didn't feel like they cared too much about our family, not nearly as much as they care about their fees and tuition. read more

Our daughter has been here for 2 years and has learned so much. I only have good things to say about this preschool. Our daughter was potty trained extremely quickly and I have them to thank for how well she did with it. We have loved all the teachers and students as well as the director of the school and my daughter has been thriving here. We look forward to sending our youngest to the toddler room next year. read more

This review will be very different, because it's important to know the real truth. (review date: 1/21/2014) Pros: Extracurricular classes Cons: Staff high turnover Hiring inexperienced staff to work deep in the water with no supervision of more experienced Lack of Cleanliness No private restrooms in the classrooms No "break" or substitute teacher Rubber mulch (made of used cars' tires) in the playground (it blacken kids' hands) Very tight schedule The story: since we started to attend this preschool (beginning of 2013) it passed many changes. 1st- director, 2nd- staff. We began in toddlers room and till we were there it was just excellent - very professional and warm care. Then on July 1st started the transition to 2's (my daughter was 2y 7m). I don't know how but in 2's staff were all new to the preschool and young and our problems began. The main problem was cleanliness - when my girl returned home 3 days in a row with dirty butt (wasn't wiped enough after bowel movement) I decided to talk with director, Mrs. Helen, she apologized and promised that she will solve the problem. She did it and really solved it, for 2 weeks approximately, then everything returned together with new young faces in staff. Again we talked with Mrs. Helen, this time she went deeper, in e-mails she sent me detailed description of all reasons why my daughter couldn't get wiped well, the reasons were: my daughter has very loose poop, my daughter has special rotund structure, staff didn't change soiled paper on which a kid is lying during the change, staff is changing diaper while kid is standing, my daughter doesn't want them to wipe..... these were all excuses I received in email, Mrs. Helen again taught the staff how to do it right. Yet, two weeks of cleanliness and the problem returned... after 2-3 months of this I was suggested by Mrs.Helen to find another provider. At last we've got black dirty hands problem, after some times- I talked to teacher, she explained that it is a rubber mulch (used cars' tires) in the playground blackens kids' hands and I asked if they have a rule to clean hands after outside time. The answer was "no" - it was news(surprise) for me and for Mrs. Helen. Then again I went to director, she took care and till we left this preschool (1-2 weeks) my daughter hands were clean. Mrs. Helen loved to tell me that I am the only parent with complaints, but I talked with other parents and understood that I wasn't alone. One day I took my daughter from the preschool, we said "goodbye" to our teacher and went to our auto. Then I noticed that my girl was with brown small spots all over her body: face, hands, legs; her shoes. First thought was "chocolate" while I wiped it, but then I smelled - it had a smell of poop. I was shocked. I called the preschool from home and asked, they explained that there was an accident during the play in the classroom, kids started to play with a poop which fall through the diaper of one kid. Stop! where was a teacher? Why nobody cleaned the children? why nobody warned the parents, by e-mail? I needed to investigate it and guess on my own??? Pay attention they have very tight daily schedule with passing through classrooms, especially for 2's and up. Bathrooms are not inside the classroom, during the day we used to have 1-3 accidents, when we changed the preschool- 0 accidents. Our young teacher always looked tired and stressed. They say that ratio is 1:8 but in practice it was 1:12 and worse, somebody always need to go with child to bathroom and etc, there is no permanent break teacher or aide. After that transition from toddlers to 2's almost for 2-3 months my girl didn't want to go to the TWY. Now, we are in a new preschool and adaptation took 7 days, she is calmer and happier than it was in TWY. And I thought, as many moms do, that my baby will always be whining before going to the preschool. read more

After my first visit to The Wonder Years in Mountain View, I immediately liked everything about the school. Unfortunately, they were full and I had to be placed on a wait list. I knew I wanted my son at The Wonder Years and decided to wait for a spot. A year or so later I was happy to hear back from the director. I was impressed that she remembered me and my son. I thought she was calling to offer me a spot at the Mountain View school but instead she was calling to inform me that they were opening a whole new school instead. My son started on the first day the second Mountain View school opened. My son loves The Wonder Years and he loves his teachers. I am so thankful to have found a school for my little boy with such warm, kind and creative teachers. He goes out of his way to hug them goodbye and looks forward to showing them his latest and greatest superhero t-shirt the next morning. The teachers do an excellent job at establishing bonds with the children. The school is absolutely beautiful and always so clean. It feels like everything about the school was chosen so creatively and with so much thought. The child friendly restrooms are adorable. The Wonder Years offers my son so many wonderful experiences each week. Each week has a different theme and they never repeat. My son is exposed to Languages (Spanish and Mandarin), two different music classes, a gym class (in their beautiful gym), a dance class, daily art projects, and phonics. My son comes home from school happy, wanting to sing songs and practice writing his name. We have been at the school for five months and we are very happy. They were definitely worth the wait. read more

Our daughter transferred from a local daycare. The Wonder Years is a wonderful change. The teachers and administration are very caring, thoughtful, and personable. Our little one loves it and asks to go to school. She has made wonderful friends and loves the day to day activities. Thank you Wonder Years. read more

I cannot thank this school enough (and the person who recommended them to me) for taking our two children in on such short notice. It was totally meant to be, once they called me and told me two spots were open! There are so many positive things to say about the preschool: Extremely tidy, passionate teachers, scheduled curriculum, diverse curriculum, informative, and so much more. I look forward to the next few years with the Wonder Years! read more

-Continued- My child got badly hurt on totally unsafe slide (blunt straight end) without any incident report which I notified the owner through email, that ensued a long email thread in which no apology or any concern about my son was shown. Not even that sorry he got hurt or that its unfortunate that he got hurt. Or hope he is doing ok. Nothing, that really awkward frustrating communication ended with oh, we have fundamental difference of opinion so we leave it at that. What do they even mean by difference of opinion? In your opinion my child didn't get hurt? Or it's not important that he got hurt? Or that I expect you to care about him and you don't? If anybody want to see pictures I can provide. You can see for yourself what kind of wound didn't warrant a phone call or incident report at this school. They can't even fake to care about your child. I didn't get any incident report in whole year we stayed. The communication with them shows a really low education level from the office. They can't even calculate simple percentage. We were told if we took our child out this year we lose our next year registration. Our spot will be given to someone else while we can be put on waiting list if we wish. We will have to pay registration and deposit again if we get the spot anyway. Director said he would have a less than 1% chance of getting in. Now how come they calculate less than 1% chance is beyond me. Last year 6 kids left from my son class which means 25% spots re-opened. We understand that we have 0% chance to get back in on the basis of their secret algorithm. Their 2+ playground has mulch made of recycled car tires. If you ever visit school after outdoor time, you can see kids full of black marks on their hands, arms, legs and faces. Even though this has been brought up before by other parents school refuses to spend couple of hundred dollars to replace it with some natural/harmless material. On daily basis they are exposing kids to heavy metal and toxic carcinogenic chemicals (gases in summer) shamelessly while keep filling their pockets with their parents money. They don't give you any daily sheet about kids eating, changing and activities. Teachers will only say he had a good day when you can see dried tear marks on his face that clearly no teacher bothered to wipe. Consoling a crying child is definitely not part of the philosophy of this school. That's why they start all 24 kids on same day and let them deal with it. If they cry it's not school's fault. Any time I offered any suggestion about helping my constantly crying kid they refused citing some weird school policy while not offering any help or suggestion of their choice either. Some kids like my son made it known how much they hated coming to school but many sulked all year. I can't even begin to imagine what kind of psychological effect this school has left on these toddlers when their feelings are dismissed and their sadness is ignored. This school does not have a heart, only pocket. Regular services that you expect at daycare are non existing. I could not sign in to their hot lunch website because website was malfunctioning and director refused to help. When they told me they use shutterfly picture service, I assumed it will be like other schools where you receive some pictures of day to day activities of your child couple of times a week atleast. I was wrong, they used free shutterfly only for events like Christmas etc to send you a link to 400 pictures of all classes. After going through all of them you realize that your child's clear profile was in none of them. After keeping all your money this school owe you nothing except you just leave your child and don't even expect they will fake to care about her/his wellbeing. And you better not raise any concern because it will be automatically a disrespect to the school and a great opportunity for them to double dip. Their intentions and lack of responsibility is so painfully obvious that it's a torture to correspond with them on regular basis. I could just breathe easier while leaving the school on our last day. read more

I have three young children (one who went through the Wonder Years' Palo Alto campus; one who attend the Mountain View campus; and another one who will start soon) and have been in the Wonder Years' family for over 6 years. I was searching for a pre-school that would develop not only my child's IQ (through academics) but also EQ (thorough social-emotional play). I found what I was looking for in Wonder Years. I love the rotation system that kids experience through the day--which is a good blend of "structured flexibility" in that while the rotation occurs, kids have flexibility on what activities they engage in. The staff at Wonder Years are great. There is a lower level of turnover than most preschools and the teachers are very energetic and passionate about their students. I was most impressed with the young 5's program that my son attended while he was there because the teachers taught to Kindergarten standards in fun and innovative ways. I would highly recommend this preschool to anyone looking for well-rounded caring, active, preschool environment for their child. read more

My 2 Kids graduated from TWY at the South Mt. View branch. I'm a very apprehensive mother and I cannot be more thankful to everybody there. Both of my kids got to Kindergarten super ready in all aspects: academically, socially and emotionally. The new Director, Miss Melissa, who has been there for a couple of years is absolutely adorable, nothing like the previous Director, Miss Melissa is kind, she's always trying to accommodate your requests the best she can and most importantly she is respectful, loving and caring with all kids...and she is always happy, so if you're having a bad day you can go to her office to say hi when you pick up your kid and maybe you could be surprised how she can say something that is going to make your day a little bit happier. All teachers are incredible nurturing and loving, I will be forever grateful to Mrs. Diana (toddler room), Mrs. Nicole (2's room) Mrs. Kathleen, Mrs. Kendall and Mrs. Shy (3s room) my superheroes pre k teachers Mrs. Ashley and Miss Jessica (my kids are going to love Miss Jess forever) Mrs. Danielle and all other teachers who helped to make my kids' preschool experience happy and unforgettable, Miss Cande, Mrs. Becky (Mandarin), Mrs. Sarah (Spanish), Mrs. Delfina and Miss Wendy. Preschools have high rotation, I didn't like it very much at the beginning and it was hard for me to leave my kids with new people, but with time I started trusting the administration, sometimes teachers go and others they are let go (you will never know because they don't tell you) but the ones who stays are the ones you want to trust your kids' wellbeing. Every holiday or celebration was much anticipated for the kids and they always had a blast. They have so many incredible memories. Also, we have an incredible group of parents, very nice families! The school is always clean and well maintained. Mrs. Helen (the owner) is always willing to listen to you and fix what is needed. She's always finding new developmental toys, materials, she improves the infrastructure, there was no year or quarter without seeing something new. The curriculum is always up to date in order to prepare the kids to kindergarten. They also have enrichment classes, they are really good and kids love them. Mr. Berry (PE) and Mr. Wesley, Dance class, Mrs. Linda and Zhana....Music with Mr. Matt...they're all great!!!! I've read a review complaining about the group ages. If you want your kid with older kids, remember that families are waiting as much as they can for their kids to go to Kindergarten. Most kids are 6 or couple of months younger than 6. TWY has the right ages groups, the cut is September which is good, Harker preschool had the cut in October and a friend of mine who's kid finished Pre K, not only wasn't accepted at Kindergarten at Harker School, she has to send her kid to pre k again at another private school. It's true they have lots of rules, some of them (not the important ones) I didn't agree very much, but if I have the chance to keep my kids there forever I will do it in a heartbeat! There's nothing more important than your kids feeling safe and happy, my kids were incredible happy at TWY. I cannot assure you that yours will have the same experience but I feel very fortunate for finding this preschool for my little ones. Thanks TWY for everything!!!! We miss everyone!!! read more

We have been a part of The Wonder Years for about six years across two kids and have had a wonderful experience with all their staff, from the office directors to the teaching aides and language teachers. They have good security policies in place, keep a very clean facility, have teachers who care about their kids and will communicate with you on both the constructive concerns as well as the positive ones. They have both educational and play activities to enrich the children. We are sad to have graduated. As with any company in the Bay Area, they experience change and do so with positivity. I have seen aides grow into teachers and teachers in to leaders. Helen supports her team's growth and takes care of her people which is why they have teachers we love who care for our children. They are expanding the MV campus and we truly wish them well. read more

Finding quality, full time, care for toddlers can be difficult. Our daughter has been enrolled in the toddler class at TWY South MV site for nine months and we LOVE it! It is a safe, secure, clean, beautiful, and fun campus. The level of care she receives from the teachers and staff is amazing. It's definitely play based and our daughter gets plenty of time to play and get out her boundless energy. But I love that she's also learning social skills, colors, numbers, letters, even Spanish! All of the toddler teachers are amazing and so patient with the kids. We love Ms. Cande, Ms. Wendy, Ms. Diana, Ms. Yasmina, and Ms. June! Our daughter is a very picky eater and didn't nap well at her previous daycare. All of the teachers are so patient and loving with her at meal times and she naps better than ever now. I really love the level of communication between teachers/office staff and parents. I always know what my daughter did at school each day and what fun activities and events are coming up. Plus, I really like that I can see pictures of her school events on Google Photo. It's a great feeling to know that your child loves going to school and you can see the pictures to prove it! Additionally, I cannot say enough great things about the front office staff. Melissa, Julie, Nicole, and Helen are so helpful, understanding, respectful, professional, and committed to providing a safe and fun learning environment for all of their students. We are greeted with smiles every day and they always have time to talk if I have a question or concern. read more

Put our daughter on the waitlist as an infant; When she was nearly 2, they offered her a spot in the infant/toddler classroom. We said we wanted to put her in the 2's or 3's class when the waitlist opened up. Somehow, they lost our waitlist spot for 2's. Since we didn't accept putting our older daughter in with mostly younger kids, our waitlist priority was lost, and they added a "declined" note in our account. Promises from the previous director (Courtney) were broken when a new director came in (about 1 year ago). 2nd daughter was also added to the waitlist, and then she disappeared. They're disorganized, have been rude when we have either called or showed up to talk about enrollment, and we certainly no longer wish to put our kids their, given the attitude of the office staff. read more

This school has just opened in April under the same management as The Wonder Years in North Mountain View. This school has also a License caring for infants starting at 3 months of age. Our son is attending this class since school has opened and loves to go. The teachers, not only in the infant room but in all the class rooms, are so loving and wonderful. It feels like they are taking care of their own children. Like the other sites this facility has a main class room for each age group and offers a variety of activities throughout the week: Spanish, Chinese, Dance and Music. All class rooms are bright, very well furnished and organized with different themes that allow for the classes to rotate during the day and learn/explore the world in different ways. The well planned daily schedule allows the children to get use to a routine, which is important for little ones' development. The facility offers a huge gymnastic room for diverse activities and is also used when weather does not permit outside play. Two very nice play grounds, infant and toddler/pre-k, complete the facility. I can only highly recommended The Wonder Years as this place gives me great comfort leaving my son in the best hands when I am not able to take care of him myself. read more