My son attended PAMS from age 2 to 3.5, and we had a truly wonderful experience there…read more He came home every week excited to show us all kinds of handmade projects like paper cows and snakes, drawings, shapes, and even letters he practiced writing. It was very special to watch his creativity and confidence grow over time. PAMS also organizes many fun events throughout the year, especially during the summer. Some of my son's favorites were the cooking classes, gymnastics, dance activities, and visits from fire trucks and police cars. The campus itself is warm, cheerful, and filled with things young kid naturally like, e.g sand boxes What stood out most to us was the kindness and care from the staff and teachers. They are incredibly warm and attentive with the children. Whenever we traveled for more than a couple of weeks, by the second week my son would start saying he missed his school, friends, and teachers. While PAMS is not the type of school that sends daily photo updates, they do keep thoughtful photo albums from school events and activities. Some of those photos are very meaningful to us, especially from when my son first joined the school. I still remember seeing a picture of his teacher holding his hand during a police car visit while he was adjusting to a much larger class than his previous daycare. Moments like that gave us a lot of reassurance as parents. We ultimately left only because we applied to the early learning center of an elementary school we were interested in, and to our surprise, our son was accepted. During that transition, Dinesh was also incredibly supportive and kindly helped by writing evaluation letters for us, which we truly appreciated. Otherwise, we likely would have stayed at PAMS through the kindergarten years. We are very grateful for the care, warmth, and joyful early childhood memories they gave our son.

My son started at PAMS when he was 3.5, and we elected to keep him there until he started…read morekindergarten. PAMS is not the school for you if you want daily photo updates, lots of field trips, fancy holiday events or rote learning. Instead, it has an unpretentious emphasis on seeing each child for who they are and helping them grow. I believe this is largely due to the Director, Dinesh, who is one of those magical beings capable of getting small humans to listen to him without ever raising his voice. I can attest to the fact that the feedback he gives during parent teacher conferences is unique to each child, and that he genuinely has a good grasp of their personalities and needs. He also believes firmly in letting little kids be little kids, meaning lots of play and not too much anxiety or hovering. The children are encouraged but not forced to explore academically, meaning that some kids will be doing multiplication, spelling words and counting into the thousands, but only if they seem inclined and interested. There IS an emphasis on social interaction, which was perfect for my pandemic child. He really grew in his social confidence over his 2+ years at PAMS, and I must say, as a parent, I adore the families we met here. My second is still too young for PAMS but will be heading there once he is qualified! I know that just like his brother, he will be in good hands.

First of all, I want to start with my daughter's words from last week, when she sat in the car…read moreafter school and said: "Mom, I love Mrs Shawn!" I guess it's the most important words from my child I needed to hear to insure how amazing Sunshine preschool is. 5 months ago when we started going to Sunshine preschool my daughter has been never without me longer than 2 hours. So the thought of her going to school for the whole day was pretty stressful for me and for her. But Mrs Shawn made this adjustment so easy and comfortable for our family, she just covered my daughter with so much love and care, and make her feel like at home. That's the next thing I love about Sunshine preschool: family spirit. Mrs Shawn and Christy created the atmosphere of coziness and joy and you feel a part of their family. Every kid is safe and loved, with a lot of attention and care ( but at the same time my daughter started being so independent). Now she dresses by herself, washes hands after being outside (without reminders), goes potty and flushes by herself, she does a lot of stuff without my help after Mrs Shawn taught her to do it herself. In addition, they do a lot of Montessori activities, singing and dancing ( favorite part of my child), learning how to keep pencil, studying ABC, practicing life skills, painting, reading and spending a lot of time outside. And I feel so blessed to call Sunshine preschool our second family. Also we speak Ukrainian at home and I was so worried how my daughter will adjust to English but Mrs Shawn made an incredibly hard work with my daughter and she speaks English now even at home when she plays by herself. I would like to mention that Mrs Shawn provides a good quality food and it makes my life so easy and my child loves it(especially some Greek food). Believe me you will be the happiest family if your child is in Sunshine preschool.

Shawn and Chrystie are more like miracle workers. Our son has been at Sunshine preschool for almost…read morea year and a half. He started just after turning 2 and came from a fairly sheltered home life - we had a nanny that gave him 1:1 attention. Shawn and Chrystie created such a loving environment that he adjusted in no time. When we'd drop him off in the morning, Shawn would take Remy in her arms and hold him while he sat with her in her rocking chair to comfort him and ensure he felt loved and secure. When he started out, he was not potty trained and, as first time parents, we had no idea where to start. Shawn and Chrystie walked us through the process which we started over the weekend and helped us potty train our son for over the course of the next week. It was because of their methodology, training (of us and our son), consistency and support that our son got potty trained. A few months later, I gave birth to our second child. Months of adjustment ensued during which Shawn and Chrystie continually provided us with the guidance we desperately needed to help our son through this life-changing transition and emotional support during some of our toughest times. I love that they provide morning snacks, lunch and afternoon snacks. All the food is prepared fresh and all of it is healthy. It takes off the huge burden of preparing meals. Most preschools do not offer this huge advantage. Our little boy's development has grown by leaps and bounds since he started at Sunshine. But just as important, he had learned the difference between right and wrong, understands compassion and kindness. Shawn and Chrystie have become like family for us. We toured many preschools before making this choice, and there is no better choice for a child's introduction into education than Sunshine in the Palo Alto area.

My daughter attended Guidepost from 20 months- 28 months, when we decided to move out of state. I…read morewas a previous educator and looked very hard for a place like Guidepost. Leaving Guidepost was one of the hardest decision we had to make in considering this move. Everyone there was the greatest support in transitioning from 1 to 2. Guide Nicole and Makena have such a connection. She is one of the most gentle and professional "guides" I have ever met. It amazes me, and I am at times a little insulted, that Makena was so eager to go to school. At the very heart of their approach was a deep deep respect for the children as individuals. They inspire us to challenge our children and to allow them to grow greater than we ever imagined.

My son started at Guidepost just after he turned two and it's been the most wonderful first school…read moreexperience. The school leadership and teachers are incredible educators but more importantly amazing people. They've created a really special community and embraced my son and his needs as he begins his education and learns how to socialize with others. I recommend Guidepost to other parents who are looking for a top notch Montessori education and loving environment for their children.

This school is such a gem! It took me forever to find a school where my son would adapt and happily…read morego to school every morning. And I am so glad I found Good Neighborhood! We tried all the famous, fancy schools in the area, none was a good fit for us. Expect to find a lovely and respectful environment, with teachers who will pay attention to the smallest details to make sure your kids are happy and respected. My daughter just started school for the first time in her life and she is loving it already. When you visit the school, don't expect a sales person to sell you (and sometimes lie to you) about how amazing this school is. They are teachers, great ones at that. Not sales people. They just reopened after the covid lockdown, and the teachers are wearing double protection, they have a very limited number of kids in the school. This is exactly what we wanted, specially now during covid.

The first thing I noticed since my boy started school here is he's always happy when I drop him and…read morepick him up. He's eager to go to school every day. Ms. Nadya and Ms. Sadaf take a very good care of the kids. They are like grand mother/aunt to the kids. The classroom and yard are roomy and have a lot of things for kids to learn and discover. I like the small size class that GNM offers because every kid are equally paid attention and care. That's so hard to find in PA where pre schools are packed and teachers are exhausted. I hightly recommend GNM for any parents, especially the ones with little toddlers.

Pretty good place, location kinda sucks if you do not live in Palo Alto. I live in redwood city,…read moreonly reason I stopped coming was because it takes 30 minutes to and from, that's 2 hours a day. Enrollment and all was easy, via brightwheel. There's an outdoor play area for the children, few classrooms. Teachers are more or less all nice, I can see the Mandarin develop quickly and it would've been so much easier if it was closer. Unfortunately, that's the only reason we left. They have great hours, especially if you need early/late care and a single parent. It didn't break the bank.

The teachers and the owners truly care about the children here. The bilingual education is great…read more My child is learning Mandarin and English so well. She loves her teachers and can't wait to go back whenever on vacation. Many fun extra activities in summer too. It gives the children extra fun! Highly recommend

I have toured 20+ preschools and this is definitely the best one. We decided to send my son there…read moreimmediately after touring. My son has stayed there for almost 3 years. Several highlights: 1. The cleanest school. I heard that it's common in preschools that one kid gets sick (e.g., flu), the whole class gets it. This has never happened in Discovery (amazing, right?). During this very special school year 2020-2021, there was no COVID case found in this school. 2. The teachers use Positive Discipline to educate kids. They even gave a lecture to parents about it! This is the only preschool that I know which truly does this... (Many teachers in other preschools do not even know Positive Discipline.) 3. This is a true Montessori school, but my son is doing great academically in terms of math, phonics etc. He is super happy every day there. Drawbacks of this school: The teachers focus too much on caring the kids that they may not reply to emails or phone calls quickly. If you are interested, please just walk to their door and talk to them. And this becomes dramatically different after your kid is enrolled: whenever you have any questions regarding to your kid's development, just give them a phone call and they usually respond within 1 day, giving you awesome suggestions (often following Positive Discipline). They just care too much about kids' education, rather than advertising... If you have any questions about this school, please do not hesitate to message me and I am more than happy to help.

Discovery is an excellent school. My both kids attended here (one is still there) and my daughter…read morewas reading Harry Potter in Kindergarten thanks to Bonnie and the other teachers at Discovery. It is Montessori style and has a very diverse student and teacher population, which we loved. While my kids are doing very well academically due to the school, it wasn't a very "academic" environment. They teach things in a fun way using Montessori and have plenty of enrichment activities - art, music, Mandarin, etc. We have recommended 5+ families to the school that have all loved it. We even know two families who left and then came back within a year after realizing this is the best preschool in the Bay Area!

I enrolled my son at Casa dei Bambini at the recommendation of a Speech and Language Pathologist in…read morePalo Alto. The clinic specifically recommended Casa dei Bambini as a preschool with an educationally-focused teaching staff and with a more formal, active, and stimulating program. My son was working through some developmental delays - particularly in speech - when I enrolled him at Casa dei Bambini. I was looking for a program where my son would be able to thrive. While the Casa dei Bambini program is not specifically designed for students with delays, it made a 180 degree change for the better in my son. When my son enrolled in Casa, he made little eye contact, struggled to verbalize and was socially awkward. The teachers at Casa made a point every morning of shaking my son's hand and ensuring he would look them in the eye while greeting one another. The school focused on my son's demonstrated social and emotional needs first and provided special attention in these areas. Casa created a systematic approach with intentional opportunities given on a daily basis, such as helping teachers with daily tasks and giving him additional responsibilities in the classroom. He also excelled academically - for example, as a four year old, my son could count up to 10 with some aid. As he entered kindergarten at Casa, he was counting in the hundreds using the Montessori materials. Since my son blossomed in their preschool and Casa dei Bambini is registered with the State of California as a kindergarten, I kept him there up until first grade. My son made additional strides in emotional wellbeing and interactions with others. He was able to assume a leadership role in the classroom as an older student that he would not have had the opportunity to have otherwise and this made an incredible impact on his self-confidence. He also interacts exceptionally well with younger children - taking care of them and being gentle with them. He does not have younger siblings and this is a skill set he learned at Casa through their mixed aged classrooms. The school's director, Sandra, is terrific and extremely dedicated to the success and wellbeing of her students. In my interactions with Sandra, she has consistently gone above and beyond all expectations I have had of the preschool and their abilities to help my son. I also am extremely grateful for Mrs. Roshan and her wonderful instruction in my son's classroom. I have also been impressed with the community of parents at Casa. Even though my son aged out of Casa, my relationships with the other parents have continued and I am in frequent contact with them for playdates and other events. It's the best parent network I have experienced and I love the continuity in relationships that my son has experienced with his former preschool friends. I often get complimented on how well behaved and polite my son is. I wish I could take credit for that as his parent but Casa made all the difference in my son's behavior and in his making significant educational strides. My son continues to be a well-behaved, thoughtful and compassionate young boy who is excelling at academics. I'm forever grateful for the change that Casa made in my son's life and can't recommend Casa dei Bambini highly enough.

I'm writing this to warn other families about our experience at Casa dei Bambini. While some of the…read moreteachers are great (already left), the leadership and business ethics are beyond disappointing. 1. Lack of Transparency on School Sale The school is permanently closing/selling the site, but management kept us in the dark until it was almost too late. Because they didn't disclose this sooner, many families missed the window to find other high-quality school placements. It feels like they just wanted to keep our tuition locked in as long as possible while they negotiated a deal behind the scenes. 2. Dishonest Billing Practices This was the deal-breaker for us. After our kid transitioned to the Primary class, they continued to charge us the much higher Pre-primary rate. When we called them out, they flat-out refused to adjust it, citing a "policy" that isn't even in our signed contract. It's clear they only did this because we had already prepaid in full. Other families who didn't prepay had their rates adjusted--this kind of discriminatory billing is unprofessional and greedy. 3. Hygiene Concerns The facility isn't as clean as it should be. We've known several kids, including ours, who came home with unexplained red rashes. It raises some serious red flags about their daily sanitization and hygiene standards. 4. Hypocritical Leadership The director, Sandra, puts on a very "sweet" and "nurturing" facade in emails, but it's all about the money. She runs the school like a dictatorship and shuts down any parent concerns with threats of "libel" or debt collection. It's heartbreaking to see a school leader prioritize "proforma financials" and profit margins over the well-being and fair treatment of children and their families. Look elsewhere. Your child deserves a school led by people with actual integrity, not just a polished sales pitch. -------------------------------------------- I am updating this review to address the director's response, which attempts to use "legal frameworks" and "family circumstances" to deflect from unfair business practices. * The "Tuition Credit" Deception: The school claims they offered "future tuition credit" to resolve our dispute. This is a hollow gesture. Why would a family accept "credit" for a school that is being sold or closed? We requested a refund for the price difference after our child transitioned to the Primary class, but the school continued to charge us the significantly higher Pre-primary rate. * No Contractual Basis: The director cites "clearly written contracts", yet failed to point out any clause that justifies overcharging a family for a lower-cost class level simply because they prepaid in full. This "policy" was unilaterally imposed and not part of our signed agreement. * Lack of Transparency: While the director mentions "procedures" for communicating the school's sale, it is ethically wrong to actively collect non-refundable annual pre-payments from families while withholding the fact that the school location is being sold. * Hygiene Concerns: Attributing recurring red rashes solely to "playing in grass" is dismissive when multiple children are affected. Parents deserve sanitization accountability, not excuses. True integrity is shown through fair financial treatment and transparency, not through polished emails or "future credits" for a closing business. I stand by my warning to other families: look elsewhere for a school that honors its agreements and its families.

Odyssey Montessori in Palo Alto has been a wonderful preschool for our family. Our three children,…read more5-year-old twins (now graduated) and a 3-year-old, thrived and loved their time here. Director Marthe's excellent administration of the school contributed greatly to our positive experience. Our kids loved their teachers. Ms. April, Ms. Sophia, and Ms. Bianca helped our twins develop confidence and mastery in foundational concepts such as colors, shapes, letters, manners, counting, addition/subtraction, and basic Chinese characters. Ms. Nuo and Ms. Lupe helped our younger child grow in his motor skills, language skills, and ability to play with others. All three children are fluent in both Chinese and English with support from Odyssey's diverse bilingual atmosphere. The teachers alternated to prepare school lunch, including accommodating our kid's allergies. The thoughtfully implemented Montessori approach fostered independence and curiosity, while ensuring our kids felt happy and secure. Classrooms are well-prepared with engaging, age appropriate activities. For a preschool with energetic caring educators who inspire learning, we highly recommend Odyssey Montessori Palo Alto.

Odyssey has been a great place for our child. The teachers are kind and caring. They share lots of…read moreupdates and photos, and chatting with them at pickup is such a treat. The activities are fun and help our child learn. It feels calm, safe, and welcoming. We're really happy we found it!

How can I even begin expressing my gratitude for this school? We were lucky enough to find it for…read moremy older son (pre-pandemic) and now my younger son is set to graduate from here too! It is a gem and has been in the community for generations. It's a play-based school centered around social and emotional development. Having been a part of this community for 5 years, I've seen such growth in all the kids that come through here and prepared for Kinder. I've noticed that the kids graduate here with their creativity in tact, with an insatiable appetite to learn new concepts and ideas. The teachers are nurturing and kind, but most importantly focus on conflict resolution rooted in communication and open dialogue. The kids go into the 3s and 4s every day with new projects and discover new ways to collaborate and creatively play. Lastly, it is a Co-Op which doesn't suit everyone, but I often found that as parents we set examples. And being in a Co-Op gives an opportunity to show service and volunteering to our children. I will be forever indebted.

Friends is simply the best. The teachers build wonderful relationships with the children. This…read moreallows each of them to feel safe and free to explore the world of building relationships with new friends. The culture is one of self expression, engagement in art, nature and friendship. We couldn't have been happier with our daughters experience here.

We switched our son who is a third grader to Emerson from the public school. It was the best…read moredecision that we made. Our son wasn't thriving at the public school. He is now transformed academically and socially. The lower elementary head teacher Raji is absolutely amazing, and brings out the individual potential for success in each child. Director, Chuck and Assistant Director, Boi are very supportive and kind. The school runs 8 hours with one hour of lunch play time. My son comes home happy and calm despite having the long day. His attitude towards academics has changed in positive way. My son is now enthusiastic and cares about learning. One thing we really like about Emerson is that the school is very low tech in my opinion. They use technology with intention. We love Emerson!

Mr. Bernstein does not know how children learn, and therefore should not be teaching them. I…read moreobserved his teaching over several days, and it was fair at best. Teachers must build up their students, not belittle them in order to get what they want from them. It's sad...