Not a good fit for kids with special needs. I was told we need to find another place to go because…read morethe school is not just "babysitting" but rather an "environment of learning." My son learns in his own beautiful and unique way, so naturally I found that hurtful. After we left they hired my child's school aide to work for them which felt like a serious conflict of interest.

In the 12/13 school year, SS offered the 3's program 3 days a week so we went to a Moraga preschool…read moreon the other 2 days. Very quickly we realized that we couldn't continue at the Moraga preschool, my son would kick and scream the whole way, he didn't like that school and only wanted to be at SS. SS has wonderful teachers, a beautiful facility and a great group of families. Miss Tracie always brings in special people and her special touches - like goodie bags on the first day of school, a magician, the bee guy who brought his hives and the police and fire department. I also love that the school offers a soccer program in the afternoon's once a week, it's great to have one less trip to the park. The other teachers are great too. They talk in Spanish to the kids and have a separate art teacher and room. When I go to pick up my son, the mom's of the other kids have become great friends and we usually hang around catching up and chatting - love this community! Also, this is a not-for-profit school so the prices are $200-300 less than other places we've been.

Amazing full-time care and Montessori education for kids 3 months through Kinder right off the…read morefreeway in Lafayette. My oldest started at 13 months (we were on a waitlist, so reach out early!) and youngest started at 5 months (siblings get priority). My kids come home every day and surprise me with what they've learned at school. Things you'd never picture such young kids understanding. My oldest son (2.5) has made his first best friend there, which is the cutest thing to watch take place. We also do soccer on Sundays with about 5 kids from his class. I love the teachers, opportunity for as much or as little parent involvement as you'd like and the parent community as a whole (they do parent nights out every month as well as other fun events). My brother went there in the 80's and it's a staple in the community.

Diablo Valley Montessori School is an iconic and well known authentic Montessori School. It has a…read morelegacy of high fidelity Montessori education. It follows the scope and sequence of the Montessori curriculum. In a world of screens and instant gratification DVMS provides the hands on concrete experience vital for a child's cognitive development. Their staff is professional and knowledgeable regarding the Montessori curriculum and philosophy. I highly encourage families to experience the true meaning of a Montessori preschool education.

Old Firehouse School is Exceptional!…read more We sent both of our children to OFS after moving to Lafayette, and it was a wonderful experience for our family. The dedication of the staff is truly what sets this school apart. We especially valued the model where teachers, like Liz, Pam, and Zahara, continue to work with the students as they grow. This consistency and the deep care they show for the children is evident every day. Our kids absolutely loved their teachers. We are huge fans of their kid-led, project-based learning approach. It allows the students to drive their own education. Just as important is their focus on emotional education--teaching kids practical ways to understand and manage their feelings, which is a key skill for life. Alex and Michelle are fantastic leaders, and the entire team deserves praise. We have nothing but great things to say about OFS and highly recommend it.

I have had at least one child at OFS since 2021. It is an incredible community and the director…read moreAlex is a thoughtful, bright, measured, and caring leader. We have loved all the teachers we've worked with and were first drawn to OFS because of the Reggio Emilio method they practice. This approach centers around a single primary caregiver for the majority of a child's time at the school. Our oldest has come out of OFS with incredible social emotional skills as a result of this model. We still have our son there and will be sad the day we have to leave. This is not the closest school to our home, but we trust the staff and we can't imagine going anywhere else.

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.

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.

Pleasant Hill Recreation & Park District Preschool has been absolutely excellent for our daughter…read more She always tells us "I like preschool!" There are many things that she tells us she does not like, so we know she is telling the truth :) Sarah Smith, the director, is fantastic, the facilities are in good shape and cared for, and we really like all of the many teachers our daughter has had over the past couple of years. We highly recommend the preschool to other Pleasant Hill parents :)

Pleasant Hill Rec Preschool exceeded our expectations! My husband and I originally chose PHR…read morebecause of the part time hours and their new and clean facility! It was clear when our son started school it would only get better and better! The school director (Miss Sarah) is wonderful and is always open for conversation. She creates fun activities for the kids! I was also EXTREMELY impressed with their curriculum for the students. Miss Rebecca and Miss Katie were the sweetest teachers welcoming kids with a hug and a "hi friends" every day! Not only are they warm and inviting which is great when you have a 4 year old going to school for the first time, but they also focused on how the kids treat one another and put an emphasis on making good choices. We will forever be grateful for our year at PHR!

This preschool is truly a magical place! It's a warm, peaceful, and loving environment where…read morechildren are not only cared for, but deeply seen, heard, and nurtured. The educators are incredibly kind-hearted and compassionate. They lead by example, and kindness is genuinely the cornerstone of everything they do. The director, Debra, is a force of nature in the best way. You can tell she has dedicated her life to early childhood education. She's shaping the next generation to be good humans -- empathetic, curious, confident, and capable. Her leadership sets the tone for the entire school. She is leaving the Moraga campus to head up the new Springhill campus and we are in turn getting Kavisha (from the Oakland campus). It's bittersweet saying goodbye, but we're excited to have Kavisha who already seems incredible, and we feel lucky for the new families who get to be part of GLMS. The Montessori-based curriculum here is the real deal, with the added gift of Spanish immersion. My children sing songs in Spanish (and correct my pronunciation at home of course :)). They learn real-world life skills, gain independence, and engage with thoughtful, rotating themes (some months it's the continents, the next it's the parts of an apple or the lifecycle of a butterfly). The curiosity this school inspires is beautiful. The school is also incredibly clean. Cleanliness is a huge priority for us. My kids both have sensitive skin and you can tell how well cared the environment is -- carpets are changed out regularly (when they sometimes still look new), toys are refreshed, sand is rotated out, and everything always feels fresh and well cared for. There are also many enrichment courses offered throughout the year: yoga, music, dance/movement, soccer -- all brought in through thoughtful partnerships with local programs. The energy of the school is calm, joyful, and intentional. It's the kind of place that where you feel instantly at ease when you walk through the doors as there is usually a gentle hum of children playing, laughing, or working. We are so incredibly grateful to be part of this community. There is truly no better school in the area!

10/10 love GLMS Moraga! My son attended for two years and my daughter started in June. Love the…read morecommunity created by GLMS. The director Debra and all the teachers are wonderful.

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.