I am so grateful that I came across Children's Learning Cottage (CLC). When our prior preschool closed, that prior director told us that Ms. Adela had helped get their preschool established and was open to sharing advice and knowledge. I began my preschool search there and that's where it stopped :) My little guy cried on and off for over a month starting preschool at the prior school (his first time at school), so I was admittedly nervous to switch him as he just got settled. However, the yelp reviews for CLC on how Ms. Adela helps create a warm and stimulating environment for the kids so they want to be there were very accurate - my kiddo was so excited to start preschool and there were NO tears even on the first day (I was shocked!). CLC's teachers are top notch. They provide a variety of enrichment activities (cooking, sensory bins, obstacle courses, dance, yoga, crafting...) and send long updates at the end of the day explaining what activities they did and the benefits of the activities on child development (with the cutest photos!). The environment itself is magical, with a climbing wall, sensory swings, sensory bins, etc that the director/teachers rotate out every few weeks. They also have great opportunities for parents to get involved if that's what you're interested in. The tuition is fairly priced and their schedule is flexible with half and full days. I cannot speak highly enough about this preschool! read more

We started sending our 3 year old here about four months ago and we couldn't be happier with our decision. The teachers are so thoughtful, caring and experienced, which made for a super easy transition. I was worried about starting a new school because he had trialed another preschool that he didn't want to go back to after the week. But he immediately took to CLC-after his first day he told me "I love my new school". Honestly that alone is worth a five star review. Since then he has grown so much. Every day we get updates about their activities, from books they're reading to recipes they're making. The school is wonderful about communicating with parents-there's an app and Adela is very responsive if you need to text the school about something that can't wait. We've had a great experience here. Thanks so much CLC! Update*** I posted this review a year ago, so updating it since we now send our 2 year old here, too! Both my kids LOVE school. Shout out to Ms. Melissa, Ms. Suzie, Teacher M, and Ms. Nandini. They've treated our children like family and take such great care of all the kids here! And special thanks to Ms. Adela who is AMAZING at what she does. This school is so special. Glad we found it. read more

Children's Learning Cottage - Mother's Day breakfast for family and kids - Preschools Near Me - Mountain View, California

I rarely write reviews, but am compelled to do so for CLC because I know how valuable childcare information is to parents. Of course these reviews are always subjective, so I will first share my background and values and then describe my experience at CLC. Background: I am a 40yo Korean-American male who grew up in the bay area and work in edtech. I live in Mt.View, about 10 minutes from CLC, and have a 5yo daughter (half Korean, half Vietnamese) who started going to CLC when she was ~3.5yo and just graduated last week. We wanted to send her a year sooner but got delayed due to Covid. Value: I value safety, creativity, and empathy in my kid's learning environment. Hands-on and outdoor activities, arts and music, and diversity. My CLC Experience: My wife found CLC after looking up several other places between Sunnyvale and Palo Alto. We didn't require any particular style (e.g. Montessori, bilingual), but did care about the vibe of the place and the staff, including the energy and communication level of the teachers. We liked working with Adela, the owner/director, because she had been doing this for decades and was able to answer our questions as first-time parents with clarity and confidence. She has assembled a great group of teachers (more below), and has been very responsive via email/school app/whatsapp throughout the last two years. Considering that we were in the thick of Covid for most of it, Adela did an amazing job navigating through all the issues, sensitive topics, and setting expectations with transparency and respect. The teachers at CLC are absolutely amazing. There are 3 classrooms by age group, and my daughter started in the middle one (Ladybugs) then went onto the oldest one (Dragonflys). In the process we worked with a handful of teachers - the main Lady bug teacher left mid-year to join a preschool in her neighborhood as a Director (which shows the high quality of teachers at CLC), and the teacher who took over, Ms.Suzie, did an absolutely amazing job the rest of the year and is dear to our heart. Ms.Melissa, the Dragonfly teacher, has been equally amazing - she brings the confidence of a calm, collected leader required to handle older kids. And all the other teacher who've helped along the way - Ms.Nandhini, teacher M, etc. have all been great. They all share genuine love, care, and empathy towards the kids. The facility is relatively small and feels very home-y (which we preferred over larger operations). It is essentially a converted home, with a room per class and a shared bathroom, kitchen, and an indoor hangout space. There is an outdoor play space in the backyard - it's spacious with a play structure and tables/benches and a mini garden, and a covered nook area that feels cozy and charming. They do a great job keeping the place clean and organized (I believe they have cleaners come regularly) without making the place feel too sterile. CLC has diversity, with various ethnicities among the kids (German-Chinese, Jewish, Brazilian-Danish). I'm not sure if such interesting backgrounds are common, but we really appreciated connecting with the parents who were mostly from those countries and spoke the languages. It felt very global. I could go on and on, but our experience at CLC has been overwhelmingly positive. I realize there are lot of factors and each kid/parent is different, but I can say with confidence that most, if not all, the parents in my daughter's cohort have been very happy with CLC. It is a small operation with limited availability, so if you're interested do reach out to Adela and get a tour. I hope this is helpful! Looks like their FB page is most up to date: https://www.facebook.com/childrenslearningcottage/ read more

After several weeks of visitng preschools for my son, I stopped by the CLC and met Ms. Adela, the owner of the school. The enthusiasm and involvement of the teachers blew me away. The small personal touches, and individual attention given to each student made the enrollment decision an easy one. Every parent wants the best for their child. Our son thrived at the CLC, and Ms. Adela will always have a special place in our heart. Although my son has since graduated from preschool, we still love visiting and seeing all the ways they continue to grow their programs. We have nothing but fond and positive memories of the time we spent there. read more

We are grateful to Adela and her team for providing a strong foundation for my daughter. CLC is an extremely well run preschool with a great sense of community. If you are looking for a play based environment with a creative curriculum, community feel and loving teachers, this is your place! Thank you CLC for creating the best memories for us! read more

My two boys spent three years each at CLC. The review is part of my way of saying 'thank you' for a wonderful five years combined. My wife and I visited 5-6 preschools in the Mountain View area before choosing CLC. CLC was an easy choice, at least for my son in particular. Relatively speaking, the other schools felt less personal. I was stuck by how many schools had rules for the kids' behavior written on the walls. The kids can't read; why would you write the rules on the wall? And why are they at an adults' height? Between the staff and the decor some of the schools just didn't feel like a nice place to be. CLC felt very different. I remember reading another yelp reviewer commenting on how CLC was the one place her kid didn't cry when visiting. That helped me trust what I was feeling. The staff - child ratio is excellent here, and the staff really is attuned to the children. I believe CLC follows the Reggio philosophy pretty closely. They certainly create very pleasant environments, with craft projects, both the kids and Adela's, displayed tastefully all around. I think one of the core beliefs is that children learn through their hands, so there are always lots of 'invitations' the children can explore involving new materials, shapes, textures, etc. Adela must have a warehouse somewhere to store the tremendous amount of materials she cycles through. They certainly document kids activities extensively. Adela says that she is "a big believer in childhood." As in, kids don't need to be shaped into acting like older kids, but rather need an environment they can explore through play and experimentation. I had some brief moments of doubt when my son was transitioning to kindergarten and other kids' writing and reading was way ahead of my son's. But I loathe the approach of telling kids they have to sit still and do something today, Why? Because you will have to do this tomorrow. By the middle of first grade he was ahead of grade level in reading and math and I don't believe he would have been meaningfully more advanced if he had gone to an academic preschool. And I do think he really benefitted socio-emotionally from the time and space to be free and self-directed with other kids. One last shout out to Ms. Melissa, who occupies a special place in both my boys' hearts. All teachers here do a good job of actually talking with the kids, rather than at them. Melissa was particularly exquisite in this regard. read more

Your child will be relatively safe and entertained. This is better than a huge center because disease/illness is kept at bay due to the low numbers of children and mixture of indoor outdoor space. The 'learning' aspect is nothing to brag about, but it's better than 'daycare'. The teachers seem loving and emotionally engaged. Director has good heart and good intentions but is 'predictably' disorganized and unpredictable as are the school learning activities. The price compensates for the quirks. read more

I can still remember bringing the 2 year old boy around to visit different schools in Mountain view/ Stanford/ Palo alto/ Menlo park. Wracking my brain trying to figure out if we should send him to a play based or academic based school. He cried when he visited some of those schools. It made us realized that we should send our boy to a school that he is comfortable with. Enrolling him in CLC was an excellent decision, we made without regrets. Here's what we like about the school: 1) Good Layout/ Environment Even though the school looks small and plain on the outside, its common area and all the classrooms are bright and warm. Decorations are tasteful and interesting and many students' work are used. The school has 3 classrooms. The Ladybug classroom (3-4 years) and Dragonfly classroom (4-6 years) are connected with a common area and shared bathroom. The Butterfly (2-3 years) classroom is in a separate room further away. It is a sensible layout providing the younger Butterflies proper "rest" times. As the kids get a little older, they can move and interact with kids in other classroom. In my opinion, this also helps to contain the spread of virus from older to younger kids. 2) The kids are shifted from one class to another according to their "Birthdays" (subjected to vacancies) and not by the year. As a result, every child gets an opportunity to be one of the younger kids or one of the older kids in class. "I did better than XXX." "XXX is younger. He / she is still a baby." "XXX always run faster than me in tag." With only one child, I appreciate the school providing such a diverse social interaction for my boy. 3) The teachers in this school talk to the children. Yes, I mean talk, not giving instruction. I have visited schools which boast of their students' ability to start reading at 2 years old, a solid academic curriculum in place and worksheets as homework for each child. During the visit, I only see the teachers giving instructions to those students and focusing on meeting the objectives in their academic curriculum. CLC is play based. Children learn through play, hands activities and discussions. Based on my observation, the kids approach the teachers (Ms Adela, Ms Karen and Ms Denise) and talk to them confidently. And the teachers made attempts and create opportunities to get the kids to speak and listen to them. 4) Good teeth brushing habit. I am really grateful to the teachers who painstakingly bring each kid to the restroom to brush their teeth after lunch. As a result of promotion of strong dental hygiene in Ladybug classroom, I never had a problem getting my boy to start brush his teeth. This is a life long habit that will keep him cavity free. 5) Good Control over Allergies When we first started, we were still trying to figure out what our boy is actually allergic to. We provided the teachers with a long list of items. End of the day, my boy outgrown most of them except unbaked eggs and peanuts. There were other kids at CLC with nuts and gluten allergies too. Overall, I think the school dealt with cases with allergies well. The children learnt about allergies. All of them knew that they do not share food during lunch except for "parties". My boy is pretty upfront about his allergies, he will ask an adult if the food he is offered contains unbaked egg or peanuts. 6) Parents Participation During our near 3 years at CLC, the school has a good diversity of students with parents from different countries and cultures. Storytelling, craft making, cooking lessons, calligraphy, festive celebration ... ... Every parent has in some ways, chip in to make the students' class interesting. I am not saying that CLC is 100% perfect. Every school has its own ups and downs. Good teaching staffs are hard to get. Overall, CLC is still a great school. Adela and all the teachers, rest well and keep it up! read more

My 4 year old daughter has only been attending Children's Learning Cottage for a few months, but I am so impressed with the program and staff, I had to share my experience. As the first point of contact, Ms. Adela is welcoming and accommodating for both parents and children. We arrived mid-year and she went above and beyond in welcoming my daughter and making sure she felt like it was her school. When my daughter showed signs of separation anxiety, Ms. Adela worked with me to address my daughter's upsets at drop off and we discussed different ways to ease her into the transition. Before CLC, my only preschool experience had been a local parent cooperative preschool, so my expectations were high in terms of wanting a similar environment in a drop off preschool. CLC meets those expectations--they provide a variety of activities, opportunities for the children to explore both inside and outside, community field trips, and a caring teaching staff. Ms. Karen and Ms. Denise are both lovely teachers and truly care about the children. They fit a lot of fun and learning in a cozy space. Like other reviewers have mentioned, it is easy to pass right by Children's Learning Cottage and not give it a second look. But I am so glad I did! read more

I like CLC very much. I used to work as a sub in CLC for some days. Generally I worked difference schools every day. I have seen so many schools in sunnyvale, cupertino, sanjose. Mountainview, Menlo park. But this school is very special for me. Teaches are very caring, and main low Teacher child ratio, this is very important for kids development l. Teachers are focusing each and every child.This school follows all California rules. Indoor and outdoor activities are very attractive for kids. They are learning so much from play also. Art works, Nature walk, involving community, parents involvement and curriculum are best in CLC. Miss Adela is very nice person and Miss Mallisa and Miss sherry, they are very friendly with kids. Kids likes to stay in school. I was very impress. It's a little gem. One of the best school in bay area. read more

To be able to give a clearer picture of why my family loves Children's Learning Cottage, I'm going to split this review into two parts - "Before CLC" and "At CLC". BEFORE CLC My husband and I decided to place our daughter in daycare/preschool when she was around 2.5 years old. We visited three different daycare centers before deciding on a nearby branch of a large daycare/preschool chain. However, after five months in that other place, our daughter was very unhappy, still cried and clung to us at drop-off, and did not look forward to going to "school" at all. My husband and I began picking up our daughter earlier and earlier in the day, and started noticing concerning things there - in the afternoons, the teachers in that place seemed to have more children that they were able to competently take care of, as several children (my daughter included) would be crying or sobbing in different parts of the room for several minutes without an adult being able to give the time or effort to address their needs, there were "teacher assistants" who could not answer our questions clearly and thoroughly, and we were given very short "daily progress notes", some of which seemed downright untrue (for example, that our daughter ate most of her lunch - but it was all still there in her lunchbox when she got home!). AT CLC After five months of giving that other daycare/preschool one chance after another, we finally had enough and decided that our daughter deserved much better. Truth be told, I still feel a twinge of regret that we did not make this decision earlier, but being new parents, we didn't really have any experience nor much guidance at this sort of thing. In any case, after five months we started looking around at different preschools again. We were somewhat hesitant to look into CLC because it seemed smaller and simpler compared to what our concept of a preschool should be. But we had learned our lesson about not judging a book by it's cover, so we looked into it more closely. We are so glad we did! The school's Owner/Director, Ms. Adela, personally discussed our daughter's needs with us, as well as our schedule requests, and did her best to accommodate our particular situation. During our school visit/tour, we mentioned to her that our daughter had a very strong case of stranger and separation anxiety at that time (which she actually saw in action). Ms. Adela then made sure that she was present during our daughter's first official day at "school", and patiently dealt with the crying and the clinging. Two weeks later, we were so surprised when at drop-off our daughter happily jumped down from my husband's arms and ran to her classroom without a backward glance! We had to call her back to give us a goodbye kiss! Since then, we have seen first-hand how Ms. Adela and the other teachers at CLC provide a warm, nurturing, and caring environment for the kids that go there. Our daughter loves going to "school" and asks when she can go back there whenever we go on an extended vacation. She looks forward to playing with her friends there. She loves the teachers in her classroom, Ms. Denise and Ms. Norma. She is particularly fond of Ms. Denise, who has been there longer and was our daughter's first "official" teacher, and who patiently and affectionately helped her through some of her toughest adjustment periods (stranger anxiety, potty training, making new friends, eating solid food outside our home). My husband and I also appreciate that Ms. Denise (and occasionally Ms. Norma and the other teachers, when she is not around) provide us not just with a perfunctory daily report, but really take the time and effort to remember significant family events, as well as appreciate the things that make our daughter unique (such as her love for drawing and books). Ms. Denise, Ms. Adela, and the other teachers also acknowledge our daughter's small and major accomplishments (such as letting go of her "security toys", or finally eating more than just the crust on the pizza at lunch), which shows us that they really care about the kids. We also appreciate that every week, Ms. Adela sends out a newsletter and the different "curriculum" for each classroom. She and the teachers also makes an effort to include parents in school activities, and encourage families to share some parts of their culture with the rest of the class. These and many more small and large gestures of warmth, caring, and kindness is what makes CLC special to our family. We have seen our daughter grow emotionally and socially during her stay there. We feel fortunate to have found CLC, and we are very grateful to Ms. Adela, Ms. Denise, and all the other teachers there. read more

Our daughter has attended CLC for seven months and during this time has flourished in their care. I really appreciate the director & teachers' dedication and enthusiasm for early childhood education and their Reggio Emilia influenced program values children as inherently competent, creative and curious. They have many opportunities to explore their environment & the visual arts and the curriculum is play-based emergent. The teachers in her classroom have also assisted us with toilet training, which has been very helpful. Our daughter loves her school and looks forward to returning after the weekend to see her teachers and friends. If you're looking for a small, warm & personal preschool setting with caring & dedicated staff - you should strongly consider CLC. read more

It's a good preschool when the facilities are nice, your child enjoys going to school, and the teachers are good. It's a great school when the owners care deeply about the children and are expert educators/mentors- which is what the CLC has. To me, it wasn't just that the normal days were good, but that the challenging days were also handled well - temper tantrum phase, toilet training phase, even yucky vegetable phase... I was very happy with the teacher/student and family dynamic involved to pass through each difficult phase. What I like about the CLC: 1. Activities are structured thoughtfully to provide educational benefits while the children are having fun. Kids learn to have fun learning! 2. Facilities are cared for lovingly, the kids arrive daily to a clean, warm and inviting environment with no shortage of learning materials. Toys/books/playground all maintained well. 3. Student/teacher ratio small - kids learn to interact in a classroom setting, and the teachers maintain just the right level of attention and care customized to each child's unique personality. 4. Insightful owner with a good team of teachers - they know the children well and teach with wisdom acquired from years in the educational field. If I have a second child, he/she will definitely go to CLC. read more

Our son loves the CLC and we've greatly appreciated their hands on approach to helping kids learn some basic skills while having fun (and without all the media and computers that other schools are using). The school is very clean and cute. The teachers are always attentive and in a good mood. They really care about these kids. My only wish is that they took more time to find outside play activities for them. I realize their backyard play area, while very small (can't really run around at all), is safe and convenient while walking to the larger park a couple of blocks away is a chore when you've got a bunch of 4 year olds to worry about. But outside time is important for kids, especially when they've been inside for 3-4 hours. That's really our only suggestion for improvement. Its the best daycare/school we've toured in the area and we're glad we decided to attend. read more

Ms. Angie who is a teacher at this school is wonderful to my son and other students. In addition to teaching them about basics (abc, colors, letters), she gives them positive and caring attention. The children are always clean and the classrooms are very tidy and sanitary. read more

Our son is going to the CLC for the last two years, he loves it there. It's a small loving preschool, all kids are great friends and the teachers are the ones to make it happened. They are all involved in our lives and it feels like family. If your are looking for a small and personal preschool with a lot of love and learning through play and exploration this is the place for you. read more

This is an excellent school. The staff provides a warm and personal experience for the children and they work together with the parents. The environment is a creative one and we always see new activities being rotated for the children. Best of all, there are lots of stimulating projects like working together to make smoothies or making mini volcanoes. Our child looks forward to going here each day which is really the best compliment we can give it. read more

My wife and I have had our daughter here since she turned two (minimum enrollment age), and she's about to graduate and head off to kindergarten. I can't say enough about this place. Adela is in this business for all the right reasons, and she consistently exercises excellent judgment in hiring and retaining teachers who are just as motivated to treat the kids right. I will most definitely be asking her to reserve a spot for our younger daughter. read more

Great pre-school. Very modest place with a great heart. I was hesitant before walking in the door (the exterior is a little old/faded), but all of the kids' smiles after entering convinced me otherwise. We chose this place over the CPSC and the Wonder Years and never looked back. Our 3 year old loves it here, and his development has really accelerated since joining. read more

Between our first and second child and various relocations, we've had the chance to experience several high quality child care centers and preschools. CLC is simply the best! The teachers construct thoughtful activities for the children that foster creativity, problem solving, and learning all through play. They work daily with art and natural materials. Every morning, my daughter is immediately drawn to whatever activity they have put together - whether it's decorating a tree branch with beads, water colors, or cutting shapes from scented playdough. All of the teachers are so thoughtful and caring and I love that someone always comes to tell me about my daughter's day when I come for pickup. This is a small school with a wonderful parent community. It simply doesn't get any better! read more

This is the best preschool my son has ever attended! I love the teachers and the school! Took my son there when he was 2 - after he had been home with a nanny - the transition was initially rough for him - but Ms Adela and Ms Rebecca were soo encouraging and patient with him and worked hard to comfort him - within no time - he was in love with the place and would ask to go to school over the weekends! I love the play based curriculum, small class size, and the size of the center is actually perfect as it allows for more interaction with the kids - we loved all the teachers there - we moved out of state after my son had transitioned to Ms Denise's class and my son kept talking about the school, his friends and teachers for a long time! as a bonus, Ms Adela got the class to send pen pal letters - that my son enjoyed sending and receiving, setting him off to a love for writing letters - he still loves doing so today and its become the tool we use to practice his writing! and like another reviewer has mentioned here - we were really happy with the teeth brushing, potty training, and independence skills (Ms Adela was teaching them to dress themselves and put on their shoes) - she set such a good foundation for him and made it easier for us to continue working on those skills... My biggest regret is that we were not able to stay with this school and curriculum till my son went to Kinder - however, I am thankful for the great start that Ms Adela and her team gave our son Kuddos to the the staff at the school for a job well done! read more

My son has been at CLC since March 2010 just before his 2nd bday. He has adjusted quite well to the school and loves his teachers. Ms. Angie is amazing and Ms. Adela has brought wonderful changes to the school. Very happy with program and pricing. read more

I want to start my review with the fact that my family and I moved to the U.S. 1.5 years ago and my children did not speak English. Thank God the case and that we had found such a wonderful place for our children. A month later they began to speak in English, and thanks to the teachers that really helped my kids gently integrate into society of children. Teachers have prepared my daughter to school. Thanks to them, my daughter will study in one of the best schools in our city. Great preschool. My son will stay there for another 1 year and i know that CLC will help him to be successful at school. read more

Great place. My daughter has been to CLC for two years now and really has enjoyed it. The owner Ms Adela is really nice and has a lot of experience with kids. The kids do many age-appropiate art projects. Loved the warm and caring environment. I am really sad that we have to leave CLC as my daughter is getting ready for kindergarden. read more