This is by far the best preschool in the Bay Area that we have found. The school offers an…read moreincredible variety of activities and art projects, and there are so many toys, learning materials, and thoughtfully designed spaces for children to explore and grow. What truly sets this school apart is the teachers. Every teacher is energetic, engaged, and genuinely passionate about working with children. They are proactive, attentive, and highly experienced--you can tell they truly know what they are doing. I highly recommend this school. Your child will love it here, and you won't be disappointed.

I can't say enough wonderful things about this preschool! My fourth son is attending now, so after…read morehaving four children and experiencing different stages of early childhood education over the years, I feel like I have a pretty good sense of what makes a preschool truly special--and this one absolutely is. The teachers and staff are warm, caring, patient, and genuinely invested in the children. They've created such a nurturing and welcoming environment where kids can learn, play, build confidence, and just enjoy being little. It means so much as a parent to know that your child is not only safe and well cared for, but truly known and loved by the people he spends his day with. My son is happy to go to school, comes home excited about his day, and has had such a positive experience. The communication, thoughtfulness, and care from the staff have been exceptional, and you can tell how much heart goes into everything they do. Having gone through the preschool years four times now, I don't take for granted how special it is to find a place where you genuinely feel good about leaving your child each day. I'm so grateful we found this preschool and would wholeheartedly recommend it to any family.

We've had a really positive experience at Happy Hearts in Burlingame. The first thing that stood…read moreout to us was how clean and well kept everything is. It immediately gives you peace of mind. More importantly, our daughter has built close relationships with her teachers, Lily, Adriana, and Leila. You can genuinely tell they enjoy what they do and care about the kids. Since starting there, she has been talking a lot more and has clearly developed stronger social skills. She has made a solid group of friends, which has been great to see. We also really appreciate the structure they provide. They handle breakfast, lunch, and a snack after nap time. That is one less daily stress for us. They make an effort to get the kids outside, which we think is important. Communication has been strong. They send updates when we ask and share photos, which helps us feel connected to her day. They have also been flexible with drop off and pick up times, which makes life easier.

I am so happy with our decision to put our daughter in daycare at Happy Hearts. It's not a daycare,…read moreit's a family. At this age, the most important things to me are love and safety and I could not ask for more in these departments. You can tell the teachers genuinely care for the children - this seems like more than a job to them. It warms my heart to see the connection my daughter has built with the teachers. The learning also seems solid for this age. Today my daughter started counting by tens all the way to the 100 and I was impressed she learned it at school. The owner of the daycare is wonderful and even came to our home to drop off a Father's Day present the students had made. If you're looking for a safe space where your child can be loved and cared for, I could not recommend Happy Hearts more.

We feel so lucky to have found FSM Montessori. Both of our children attended FSM for preschool and…read morehave absolutely thrived. They not only learned so much academically but also grew socially, emotionally, and independently thanks to the nurturing and thoughtful environment. Mrs. Rehmane and Ms. Carla are exceptional educators. Their kindness, patience, and genuine love for the children shine through every day. They really see and respect each child as an individual, and it shows in the confidence and joy our kids brought home from school. The school itself is always clean, safe, and calm, and it's clear that FSM follows a true Montessori approach--encouraging independence, curiosity, and hands-on learning. The quality of education is simply outstanding, and we couldn't have asked for a better foundation for our children. FSM Montessori has been such a gift to our family. We're so grateful for the experience and can't recommend it highly enough to other families in the area.

Our family absolutely loves FSM Montessori School. Both of our children attended for over a year…read morebefore their kindergarten. We couldn't have imagined a better experience for either of them. Before FSM, our kids went to a play-based preschool where they were often bored and unchallenged. Especially our son was craving real learning and engagement. From the moment he started at FSM, we saw a complete transformation--he became full of excitement, curiosity, and joy for learning. He made truly wonderful friends and came home every day excited about what he discovered and determined to continue working on it saying "I don't want to forget what I learned today Daddy!" And all of this is thanks to the incredible Mrs. Rehmane, who is honestly the best teacher I have ever met in my life--from perspectives both as a student and as a parent. She has a true gift for understanding each child's unique strengths and nurturing their potential. She discovered so many talents in our son that we didn't even know he had. What truly stands out about FSM is the lasting care and connection. Even after our children graduated, Mrs. Rehmane has continued to check in on them, invite us to visit, and show genuine interest in their growth, how they're doing. That kind of continued dedication and kindness is so rare, and we're deeply grateful for it. Thank you, Ms. Carla for visiting us in the morning to cheer our kids on their first day at Kindergarten! FSM Montessori is not just a school--it's a community built on love, learning, and genuine care for each child. We feel incredibly lucky to have found it, and we can't recommend it highly enough to any family looking for a truly exceptional school where kids find the joy of learning, caring for each other, and just being amazing.

This is a phenomenal school and hidden gem. Between our 3 children, we have experienced 3…read morepreschools and Trinity is, by far, exceptional in every way. My youngest daughter came here 1 year before starting kindergarten. She was at another daycare and I was concerned she was behind academically (compared to where her brothers were at her age), especially having a late summer birthday. She also had some issues with asserting herself. My goals were helping her to learn the basics so she was prepared for kindergarten and being in a positive and nurturing environment so she could gain confidence and become her own person. She achieved both at Trinity. In less than a year, she not only recognizes numbers and letters, but she is starting to read. More importantly, she is in a very positive and warm environment which has allowed her to not only come out of her shell, but have many relationships with lots of friends and classmates. To our surprise, she's blossomed into a social butterfly! What makes the difference is that the teachers love teaching. They are happy and it shows and creates the amazing environment at Trinity. Ms Jam is an exceptional director who not only organizes the most creative events (field trips and on-site activities), but she understands learning and how to build a program and foster an environment that allows each child to thrive. The parents are down to earth and centered. That also makes a big difference. The children are kind and they learn kindness. This is a very special place.

My daughter started at Trinity right when she turned 2yrs old. At the time she was almost done…read morewith her potty training, but they still accepted her, which was awesome! This school goes above and beyond to educate your little one with full exposure to so many classroom activities, local field trips, and 3rd party vendor events like petting zoo, bubble foam fest, etc! When my daughter was old enough, I looked into our district elementary school for TK. I applied and almost transferred her to TK. But I'm so glad I didn't! From the TK open house that I went to and observed, it was more like a daycare center and nothing like what Trinity provide for my child. What do Trinity provide? Well, let me tell you this... my daughter is now 5 years old and she only has a few more months left at Trinity before you graduate and attend kindergarten. My daughter is reading Magical Tree House chapter books with ease (she's on book 2 now). She is doing 3 column math arithmetic! She can confidently count in Spanish and a few other Spanish words. She's currently in the older class and they have 7 or 8 teachers for classroom size of 25 students. They are flexible in late pick up because they understand traffic happens. Class schedule is from 8am to 5:30pm.

My son attended One Love Montessori for almost 3 years. It was such an amazing experience. Everyday…read morehe came home with something new he learned. He learned a lot about about independent and that really gave him a lot of confidence in himself. Ms. Rita was great and very hands on. He looked forward everyday for school with One Love.

One Love Montessori was wonderful for my daughter who attended from age 2.5-5. We loved the…read moreMontessori style of individualized learning, and our daughter thrived. One of the teachers especially worked with my daughter to boost reading, writing, and math proficiency. My daughter graduates OLM able to read BOB books, write short/simple sentences, count past 100, do easy addition and subtraction, understands TK/K science concepts, etc. All this while making learning fun and motivating. She has learned independence, how to build strong friendships, communication skills, motor skills, and more. OLM was definitely the right choice for us!

Our son has attended Burlingame Montessori Preschool for the past two years, and I truly cannot…read moreimagine a better first school experience. It was the perfect transition from an in-home daycare to a small, warm, homey, and nurturing preschool before starting Transitional Kindergarten in the public schools. From day one, we felt welcomed into a caring and supportive community. The teachers and staff genuinely know, value, and appreciate each child as an individual. They focus on developing the whole child, and it shows in everything they do. The greatest gift this school gave our son was a strong foundation in social-emotional learning. He learned kindness, courtesy, sharing, empathy, communication, and how to interact respectfully with others. He also developed a deep appreciation for our environment and understands how interconnected we all are. He now reminds us to protect bees and insists on washing his hands thoroughly--small but meaningful examples of the life lessons he brings home every day! Academically, he was encouraged to be an active participant in his own learning through engaging, age-appropriate lessons in math, literacy, science, social studies, art, music, and Spanish. At the same time, the Montessori curriculum helped him build fine and gross motor skills, independence, perseverance, problem-solving abilities, and self-confidence. His love of learning has truly blossomed. As a parent sending my oldest child to school for the first time, I always felt supported, heard, and understood. Communication is outstanding. The school holds thoughtful parent-teacher conferences twice a year, regularly shares photos and updates through the Brightwheel app, and makes it easy to stay connected to your child's day. All four teachers and the director are friendly, highly trained, and approachable. They have always welcomed questions and conversations with kindness and professionalism. There was one occasion when our son was involved in a situation that required teacher intervention. I was incredibly impressed with how thoughtfully and fairly the staff handled it. They responded appropriately to both children involved, communicated openly with the families, and used the situation as a learning opportunity while maintaining clear, respectful expectations. It reinforced my confidence that the staff leads with both compassion and consistency. Beyond the classroom, the school hosts wonderful family events throughout the year that helped my husband and me build friendships with other families, arrange playdates, and feel genuinely connected to the school community. As an elementary school teacher and reading specialist with 18 years of experience, I have high expectations for early childhood education. I can honestly say I could not be happier with our experience at Burlingame Montessori Preschool. I recommend this school wholeheartedly to any family looking for a loving, enriching, and supportive environment where children thrive academically, socially, and emotionally. We are so grateful for these past two years and only wish we could stay here forever!

My son has been attending Burlingame Montessori for the past two years. The teachers are caring and…read moreamazing. They foster independence and compassion in their students. My son is very happy here.

Our son entered UMC at 3 1/2 while navigating several major changes: a move from San Francisco to…read morethe suburbs, separation from his friends and former school, and a newly mobile baby sister. We shared this context with both the Program Director and lead teacher before he started. We were assured that the teacher's decades of experience would help him successfully adjust. Within his first few weeks, our son began having frequent toileting accidents despite previously being potty trained. Our pediatrician and child-development professionals identified this as a possible stress response. Rather than working with us on the underlying stress and a consistent toileting strategy, the teacher put him back in diapers. We were concerned that treating an already potty-trained boy this way could feel embarrassing and shameful and would revert the progress we had already made. Their approach also directly contradicted UMC's own handbook, which states: "Your child does not need to be toilet/potty trained to attend UMC. We partner with our parents to ensure consistency in toilet training strategies." Our son also began struggling with emotional regulation and, at times, became physical with other children. We do not minimize that behavior or the school's responsibility to protect every child. We wanted to work collaboratively with the staff on a plan that would support our son while maintaining a safe classroom. Instead, the school repeatedly required us to pick him up immediately, without establishing a clear intervention plan or giving us practical strategies to reinforce at home. When we requested a meeting, we were told it could take weeks because a board member was unavailable after a surgery. Meanwhile, our son continued attending without any meaningful plan in place. I finally stayed after school and waited for the Program Director to force a conversation. We told her we wanted to meet with the lead teacher to talk about what was going on. She told us that the lead teacher was "great with the kids" but did not do well interacting with parents. That was deeply concerning given how essential parent-teacher communication is. On our son's final day, we flagged to the teacher that he was unusually tired from an early wake up and might need additional support. After he hit a child, we were texted that we needed to pick him up. We later received an AI-generated message informing us that he could no longer attend UMC and that his belongings would be shipped to us. We were not offered a final meeting, an opportunity to collect his belongings, or a constructive conversation about what had occurred. Since leaving UMC, we have spoken candidly with several preschool directors, teachers and child psychologists about our son's behavior, including the hitting, kicking, scratching, and hair-pulling. Their responses have all been consistent: these behaviors can occur when a young child's stress response exceeds their still-developing ability to regulate impulses. The behaviors require clear boundaries and active support, not shame, but they do not mean there is something fundamentally wrong with the child (something the Program Director alluded to multiple times in our conversation). Our concern is not that our son struggled or that the school had to address unsafe behavior. We went into the situation knowing it wasn't going to be easy. Our concern is that UMC responded without a collaborative support plan, did not follow its stated approach to parent partnership, and ultimately ended his enrollment without a direct conversation. Families considering UMC should understand that. In our experience, the school's approach to developmental challenges and parent communication fell far short of what should be expected of a preschool.

My child started at UMC a few months ago. It is a lovely school. All the teacher are so kind and…read moresupportive of each child. It is nice small community. There are several child gates and a main entrance gate for safety. They have great activities and are wonderful about providing updates and send photos of my child playing throughout the week. The also offer different schedules and pricing options depending on your needs which really helped make our decision when looking at several schools. Everyone is very knowledgeable and sweet. We are really enjoying our experience here.

Our daughter had the most wonderful experience at Stepping Stones. The teachers created such a…read moresupportive and nurturing environment where she could learn, explore, and truly enjoy herself. She loved doing arts and crafts, listening to stories, and participating in special events like Science Day, visiting the farm, Bubble Week, and Dino Week over the summer. The school is very welcoming and organized, and the playground quickly became one of her favorite places. She made new friends and she adjusted to the school easily. We could see her confidence, curiosity, and joy grow every week. The teachers are kind, patient, and genuinely invested in the kids' happiness and growth. We're so grateful for the creativity, care, and dedication they put into making preschool such a joyful and enriching place.

Stepping Stones Preschool has been a wonderful experience for my family. Both of my children spent…read moretheir early years there with my younger child starting at age 2, and we couldn't have asked for a more nurturing, creative, and caring environment. The teachers provided warmth, encouragement, and thoughtful guidance. From fostering independence and curiosity to building friendships and confidence, Stepping Stone has left such a beautiful mark on our family. Teresa the director has every child's best interest at heart and I appreciate the structure that has been created for the children. My oldest child had an easy transition to kindergarten and has done well socially and academically. The families we have met have also been an additional bonus as it has been meaningful to connect with like minded parents and neighbors.

We have had such an incredible experience sending our son to the Hillsborough North Preschool…read more Teachers Marcia, Claire, Caitlyn, and Lubna are exceptionally loving, compassionate, and dedicated. The daily programming is thoughtful and engaging. Our son loved sharing weekend photos in front of his peers, which built so much speaking confidence early on. From weekly soccer coaching to imaginative event days like their "Indy 500" box car races and field trips to the farm and theater, every week brought something exciting. Having access to the North Hillsborough School facilities including its library, playground, and soccer fields is also a fantastic bonus that really enriches the kids' day.

Our son just spent the last year at West preschool with Teacher Becca. It was a magical experience…read morefor him, and he looked forward to going to school each day. I had expected it to be fully play based but during parent teacher conferences was delighted to learn that my son was learning numbers, letters, shapes, early phonics skills! Teacher Becca runs an organized, tight ship while being warm, kind, and thoughtful. Also loved being a part of the parent community which was friendly and inclusive.

Our son has been at Genius Learning preschool for the past 2 years. The staff is kind, the hours…read moreare flexible, and our son is learning a lot. They also provide lunch for the students, which is a huge plus! I would highly recommend Genius Learning for any parents interested in a Chinese immersion preschool program.

My son has been here for 4 years now. Great experience overall. We are very happy that we found…read morethis preschool. Lots of pros (open up to 6pm, open all summer, often on holidays, nice teachers, Chinese immersion, good balance of work and play, etc). The only con, which other reviews mention, is the heptic pickup, mostly caused by a few parents trying to maneuver their giant unnecessary pickup trucks in a very small parking space.