Our daughter had a great experience here. caring, devoted staff that loved her and she loved them!…read more They updated us on how her day went daily and regularly post photos. They also do a monthly parents night out that is very affordable. They feed the kids dinner and have a big party. My daughter loved it and felt like she was having a big hangout party with her best friends. Staff was attentive and communicative. Good outdoor play space, too. Positive parent community!

My kids have thrived under the wonderful care and instruction of the teachers at MCD2. My son…read moreattended from age 2 to 4.5 and was almost always happy to go to school. He made good friends there, liked his teachers, and loved playing in their outdoor space. I loved seeing pictures of the kids learning and making things in the classroom and coming in for activities where parents are welcome, like the annual Easter egg hunt, trunk or treat, and mothers and Father's Day celebrations. My daughter is now in the baby room and seems to love it as well. We definitely recommend this school to other families who are proactive and engaged in their kids school experiences.

MCD has been such a wonderful place for my two children. We left our old center because of staff…read moreturnover, but MCD has many staff that have worked there for 10+ years. My children have grown so much with the helpful care of the staff at MCD

Montessori Country Day is a wonderful place for kids to grow and learn. My child just aged out of…read morecare here after attending since he was 2 years old (plus a long break for COVID). He grew from a shy, reserved child to an outgoing goofball with countless friends. He learned to read at 4 and I fully credit MCD with that. The care that every teacher and teaching assistant here gives is evident, and the environment is rich and colorful. I'm sad to be leaving but so glad that MCD was part of our young childhood experience.

When we first moved to Davis, we assumed our kids would go to one of the great public schools here…read more-- that was part of why we chose this area. After the first few months, with 27-30 kids in our son's class, we observed that it was hard for him to get individual attention, and during our first parent-teacher conference, it felt like his teacher didn't really know him. A friend mentioned Peregrine, and at first we weren't sure -- especially because of the tuition. But when we visited, the campus immediately stood out. There were tree forts, gardens planted by students, zip lines, hay bales, and ample space to run. It just felt alive. Our son absolutely loves it there. Every morning he sprints onto the playground before we can even say goodbye. The teachers know him -- really know him. Within the first two weeks, they even noticed he was having trouble pronouncing certain words and suggested we check with our pediatrician about a speech evaluation. That early attention made such a difference. We've also been amazed by how intentional the academics are. He has one-on-one reading time twice a week, small group literacy sessions, and a class library full of graphic novels like Dog Man and Zita the Space Girl that keep him excited about reading. His progress has been incredible. He learns outside -- rain or shine -- with teachers who guide gardening, cooking, ceramics, and project-based lessons. The school celebrates different cultures through music, food, and dance, and the meals are cooked right on site and actually healthy. What stands out most is how much the teachers care. They communicate proactively, notice social dynamics, and address things right away. It's clear that he's seen, supported, and surrounded by people who genuinely care about his growth. After his first week there we received a detailed assessment of his reading and math levels with handwritten notes explaining areas of improvement and where we can help him further. This sort of detailed individual feedback really showed how they truly took the time to get to know our son. We also really appreciate the weekly class emails we get from his teachers. They summarize what the kids learned that week in reading, math, and other subjects -- along with photos and little anecdotes. It's such a thoughtful touch, and it makes us feel connected to what's happening in the classroom day to day. In addition the teachers are always accessible before and after class for us to discuss concerns and questions that arise. As the more financially cautious one in our family, I wasn't sure how we'd feel about private school -- but seeing how happy and curious he is now, it truly feels worth it. Watching him grow, ask questions, and grow his love of learning has been such a gift. One thing we've learned is there's no one-size-fits-all when it comes to school. Davis has so many great options -- I'm just glad we found one that fits our son so well. We ended up enrolling our daughter there at the preschool as well!

This is our forth year at the Peregrine school: my daughter started at 3 years old in their…read morepreschool and now she is in their elementary school. I wanted to share our experience from this most recent school year. The school's full-day kindergarten program has small student-to-teacher ratios, a nurturing environment, a terrific teaching team, and an immersive project-based curriculum. My daughter was in a classroom of 12 children and three teachers. Two of the teachers swapped places depending on the subjects that were taught that day, so there were always two teachers with the kids. The school created a trilingual program where the kindergarteners were learning a bit of Spanish and Mandarin in addition to having the core curriculum in English. What I particularly appreciate about the language component is how the teachers wove in cultural literacy into their lessons along with language instruction. There are many things that set apart this kindergarten program from others. Six hours of daily programming allows teachers to create a rich experience filled with language arts, math, science, gardening, cooking, music, and movement. The program allows you to drop off your kid at 8:30 am and pick them up by 3:15 pm with before and after school care available to those who need it; instruction takes place between 9:00 am and 3:00 pm. Children are served healthy, nutritious, and well-balanced meals that are prepared on site and given at snack time and lunch. The food is so good that my child begged me to get a recipe from the school chef for a "lentil dish that is better than candy." The school's acre of gardens and play space allows the children to learn and play while being surrounded by beautiful nature. Kindergarteners spend at least an hour outside each day. Additionally, the school has three teacher specialists who work with the students weekly in the areas of gardening/cooking, music, and movement. The incredible food program coupled with the gardening lessons exposed my child to lots of new food that she was resistant to try before. My daughter particularly enjoys the kale and peas she gets to eat straight from the school garden. This past year the class got to go on five field trips to visit the Davis food co-op, a farm in West Sac, and attend three events at the Mondavi center. (This does not include many smaller trips to the playgrounds and parks near the school.) The Peregrine school also arranges for performances around Chinese New Year and other holidays on the school site. Towards the end of the school year, as part of their science unit, the class got to watch caterpillars hatch out of eggs and transform into butterflies. Children also witnessed the entire lifecycle of silkworms ending with moths laying eggs. I feel lucky to have this kindergarten program available in our town and I wanted to share our experience in case this may be a good fit for other families in this group. The Peregrine school offers instruction at all elementary grade levels through sixth grade in case you have an older child and you are interested in their program.

We had our son at L'Academy for nearly two years…read more His one year-old care was exceptional, and the school facility itself is brand new and clean, with bright happy colors, and some wonderful people. The school looks very appealing. Unfortunately, there has been much turnover within the staff, to varying degrees of quality. Recent months have proved very concerning. There has been a lack of control surrounding gun-related content among the children, which I never thought could be an issue at a preschool. One child had very specific, graphic violent language (my initial review included a few of his phrases and was flagged by Yelp). This child told me he was making guns from legos, and said other deeply alarmingly violent things to other children, observed by staff. We and other parents expressed our concerns over this issue for months on end, and the staff hemmed and hawed and sat on their hands. Many meetings were offered, but there was no corrective action taken. We left because we wanted to protect our child from gun-related content, but there were other issues. Despite touting otherwise, there is no "curriculum", no learning goals established week to week or month to month. The plan seems to be to survive the day, understandably. We had hoped for more kindergarten preparation, and less "daycare" as our son got older and more capable. There also was not one, but two, separate instances of teachers posting pictures of students to their personal Instagram accounts, obviously without parental consent. This school looks super sweet, but optics deceived us, as there clearly is no global plan. Every childcare facility will have its issues, and there will always be other families and staff members with different values than you - but it's up to the school to ensure there is a safe learning environment, which this school failed at, in our experience.

I have absolutely nothing but positive things to say about this preschool/daycare! My search for…read morethe right place for my children was incredibly stressful like many parents, I'm very particular about who I trust with my kids. When I came across L'Academy, I called to ask a few questions, and they immediately offered to schedule a tour so I could see if it was the right fit for our family. The moment I walked in, I knew this was the place for us! My daughter started at L'Academy when she was just over a year old in the baby room. She had never been cared for by anyone other than me or her father, so naturally, we both cried that first day. But the staff handled everything with such warmth and care. They welcomed her with so much love that her tears disappeared within seconds -- and mine soon followed. One of my favorite things about L'Academy is the parent app. It keeps us updated throughout the day with details on meals, nap times, diaper changes, and even adorable photos of our little ones (shared securely only with parents). Now, my daughter is over two and in the toddler room, and her development has been amazing. Her speech and knowledge have grown tremendously -- she can sing her ABCs, count to 20, and even count to 10 in Spanish! (Neither her father nor I speak Spanish, so I know she learned that from her wonderful teachers!) The staff is incredibly attentive and proactive. If there's ever a minor incident, they immediately intervene and document everything in the app for parents. I recently enrolled my second daughter, who is now six months old, and this time there were no tears at all -- from either of us! It's such a relief knowing both my babies are in a loving, safe, and nurturing environment while I'm at work. As parents, we all know how hard it is to entrust someone else with our children. As an admittedly overprotective mom, I can confidently say L'Academy has been the perfect place for our family. The teachers are truly amazing, kind-hearted, patient, and full of genuine love for these kids. Seeing the way they interact with the children often brings tears to my eyes. My daughter talks about her teachers constantly and how much she loves them. Thank you to the incredible staff at L'Academy for caring for my babies as if they were your own, and for giving this anxious mom such peace of mind. You are all truly a blessing!

I can't say enough good things about our experience at Merryhill Preschool. This morning really…read morereminded me why we love it so much. After a busy weekend, I dropped off my 1.5-year-old son and he was genuinely so excited to see his teachers and classmates--it says everything about how loved and comfortable he feels there. When I went to put his bag away, I noticed his cubby had been thoughtfully organized--his extra clothes were neatly folded and everything was in place. It's such a small detail, but it meant a lot knowing someone took the time to care for his things like that. Looking around the classroom, I saw all these creative new art projects tied to the books they've been reading. I'm honestly blown away by the level of engagement and thoughtfulness, especially for such young kids. Every single day when we pick him up, the kids are happy, the environment is warm, and the teachers are so kind and attentive. We feel incredibly lucky to be part of this school community. Highly, highly recommend!

My family loves Merryhill Preschool in Davis! We started our child in the infant nursery when he…read morewas 4 months and we've been very happy with the experience. Ms. Diana is an excellent communicator and has been especially helpful in making us feel comfortable leaving our son in the infant room. As first-time parents, we've really appreciated her guidance and thoughtful suggestions to help him adjust.

Both of my children have been at the Davis Waldorf School since kindergarten. Initially we were not…read morequite sure what we were signing up for, but we knew that older children that had attended the school could speak to adults in a coherent and mature manner, making eye contact and speaking with clarity and confidence. Each time we met a Waldorf teen, we were impressed with their intellect and demeanor. So, we thought we'd give it a try. Now that our children are in the upper grades, and I can look back on this journey, I can't say enough about this school. We heard grandparents worry that the children wouldn't learn to read or spell. Yet, as it turned out, both boys are avid readers and devour books because they learned to read in a supporting and nurturing fashion, the way Waldorf teachers bring all their lessons. And of course, because they read so much, their spelling is incredible and effortless. Math, science, Spanish, music, cultural studies, art, etc are all presented in a way to ensure each child can learn the material and excel. The children have the opportunity to learn with hands on projects, field trips and by engaging together and collaborating. At Waldorf, learning goes well beyond worksheets and rote memorization. The teachers have all been so amazing, not just for the children, but also in the they way they engage the parents. I am writing this now because last night I had one of those wonderful parenting moments where I got to see my 7th grader glow with pride as he figured out what he needed to do for his Rube Goldberg physics project. As I see both children grow, I am endless grateful for our wonderful school.

Was charged assessment fee and then told there was no room in the class. Was told there was room in…read moreanother class I was interested in. Was told admissions/administration would call me back within day or two to answer my questions. Several days later and still haven't heard back from school. It's deceptive to charge assessment fee when admissions knows there isn't room available. Bad business practice not to return calls as promised.

Returning back to work after having a baby can be scary and emotional. I am so glad Gina is there…read moreto watch my child when I or a family member cannot. Gina ensures great care for my child. Teaches her basic manners and how to play with others. Love the mix of activities and down time Gina provides for the children. My baby loves this preschool. She loves visiting new places with the group and playing with other children. Gina's home is very adaptable and perfectly structured for kids. Highly recommended!

My child has been going to Gina's for over two years. As a first time parent, it was stressful…read morefinding a place that didn't view my child as a number/paycheck. My wife and I must have looked at ten different places. Gina was the only one that my wife and I got a good sense that she genuinely had the best interest of our child. She initially met with my family to make sure the school was a good fit for all parties. The kids that attend are great and the structure is perfect for my child. The kids exchange books, dance, do arts and craft, etc. Gina takes them outside and they go on field trips often to the park, firehouse, library, pumpkin patch, etc. She also accommodated my child's minor food allergy needs at the time. I couldn't have asked for a better place to send my child. My wife and I highly recommend Nurturing Steps preschool!