I can't say enough great things about this school. All of my kids attended here for preschool and…read moreTK. The teachers are wonderful and we really wanted a play-based program. You can't beat the outdoor space along with chickens. This is a co-op so you will volunteer more than a traditional drop off preschool, but you will build a community of like-minded families. I have made life-long friends here and after having kids, making friends can be tough. I loved getting to know the kids in the class and my own kids loved having me there with them.

I tried visiting their afternoon playtime to meet the teachers a couple of times before signing up…read more One time I signed up, showed up, and was turned away at the door because they didn't have enough sign ups to host the play time that night. A phone call or email letting me know that ahead of time would've been nice, because I had loaded my two kids in the car and my husband left work early to be there since they requested to meet both parents during the playgroup. The next time, same thing. I later found out that I can't bring my younger baby during my volunteer hours, which are required every other week. If my son were to attend. So in the long run, it really doesn't work if you have more than one child anyway. That information would've been helpful before I rearranged our lives to accommodate the school twice.

Our children have been attending for 4 years. We love the teachers and the attention and care they…read moregive to every child. Their community events are especially fun. Would recommend to anyone looking for daycare in this area

If you are looking for a daycare or PreK class, look no further. My son is in his final months of…read morePreK before embarking to Kindergarten in the Fall. He has loved his time at Stepping Stones since he was 2 years old. He has made great friends, learned so much & has a blast. All the teachers are amazing and so helpful. Ms. Francie and Ms. Lydia have been wonderful and are great communicators with updates and reminders. I also have a now 1st grader who attended for 2 years, and she loves picking up her little brother so she can go hug all the teachers & see what crafts are set up in the classrooms. PreK has special visits with the Carlton Senior Living next door, which my daughter loved participating in. The visits have continued with my sons class this year. We have never regretted our choice in sending our kids to Stepping Stones.

My family and I LOVE Center of Gravity!!! It was a wonderful time of learning and growth for my…read moreson, as parents, and as a community. The teachers are so supportive and nurturing teaching the kids life long skills and beliefs in unique, innovative, and fun ways that have stayed put throughout the years. So much of who my kid is now is shaped by his early experiences with the COG teachers and staff (& families) and those abilities and skills are still very much a part of who he is! His commitment to caring for others, not because he should, but because that's his civic duty. His awareness for justice and injustice are due to the child-appropriate conversations that take place in class and followed up at home (with tons of resources from the school.) His ability to communicate, create, design, be an empath etc. are all things he learned at COG. We picked COG because of its commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and its STEAM-focused and child-centered instruction. We stayed for it amazing community of parents and teachers. COG isn't like everywhere else, and its not for everyone. Families who choose COG and stay at COG are intentional about a space that matches their own beliefs and values. Ask about how they approach holidays, birthdays, current events, etc - it's truly unlike most places, and if it resonates with how you value those things, then COG is a place to consider. I feel like we've met lifelong friends because of the shared belief systems and values, which is an added benefit to being a COG alum. Do yourself a favor and attend a tour when researching preschools, and you will immediately "feel" the difference. Look at the walls and see the uniqueness of the activities, projects, and themes selected by the students through meticulous planning and coordination . Listen (truly) to what's being said by the kids as they engage with one another and in community. Spend a moment and put yourself in the mindset of a kid experiencing choice, exploration, and curiosity in TRUE fashion. Ask about the "dailies" which are an epic insight into what your kid does all day, similar to a "Day in the Life of a kid."

Both of our kids have gone through Center of Gravity, and we couldn't be happier with the…read moreexperience. From the very beginning, we felt totally at home. The teachers are warm, caring, and incredibly thoughtful. They truly know and value each child. The school is mission-driven in everything they do. Our kids came home every day excited to share what they were learning and doing, and as parents we receive a daily slide-deck of photos and notes on what the kids did that day. It's quite impressive! We've also really appreciated the parent education support, especially around the Kindergarten transition. It helped us feel informed and supported during a big change. Communication is another big strength. The monthly emails are clear and detailed, with updates on classroom activities, school-wide events, and helpful resources. Extras like art, music, Spanish, Capoeira, and nutritious meals (included) make the experience feel well-rounded and intentional. Center of Gravity is more than a preschool. It's a caring, connected community that has given our kids a wonderful start. We're so grateful to be part of it!

My daughter attended Kidz Planet in Concord for about a year and a half, and my wife and I couldn't…read morehave been happier with the experience. She would come home every day singing new songs and excitedly sharing the games she had learned at school. As first-time parents navigating the daycare world, we couldn't have asked for a better place than Kidz Planet. Celia and the team were nothing short of amazing. One thing that really stood out was their communication system. Whether it was for security updates or general news, their consistent updates and the photos they shared were incredible. It made us feel so connected to her day--we'd review the photos together and talk about everything she did. The level of detail and care in their communication was truly unmatched. Thank you again to the entire Kidz Planet team. Our daughter misses you all so much!

Kidz Planet has given us the most amazing teachers and school program we could have ever imagined…read more Both of our daughters grew up here and were nurtured every step of the way. We developed lifelong relationships with the teachers, whose dedication and love shaped our children into the wonderful, smart girls they are today. For the past five years, Kidz Planet has provided inclusive, fun, and enriching environments that foster young minds and warmly welcome families. I feel incredibly fortunate to have experienced early childhood development for our girls with such a passionate and caring team of educators.

My son has attended Learn and Play for the past two years. In that time, I have been very impressed…read morewith how much the staff (office and classroom) cares for the children. The teachers have a positive attitude and clearly love what they do! There is also a real community within the school. Teachers introduce parents whose children play together often, and the school offers a number of fun parent events throughout the year. It's so fun when my son comes home singing a new song, talking about letters, and even using positive self talk that he's learned in school. Unfortunately we moved and this location no longer works for our family. We will miss Learn and Play!

We have had a wonderful time at learn and play! Our son is thriving and learning something new…read moreevery day. I am so grateful to the teachers and staff for creating such a creative and fun environment for our kiddo.

Our son attended KidTime and we are so happy we found this school! I have chatted with so many…read moreparents and left so many rave reviews for the school online when parents shared they are looking for a preschool or a better fit for their child. We left a previous school and were looking for an environment where our son could thrive, and after touring with the director, Sydney, we knew we had found just the right fit. Our old preschool, a Montessori-style school, didn't do any TK curriculum, so we were worried he wouldn't be as prepared for Kindergarten. Our son missed the cutoff for public TK, so we knew we needed to find a better fit for him. Plus, our previous school wasn't accommodating for our active little dude. KidTime wasn't concerned at all when I mentioned our son wouldn't sit for circle time or stay focused during 'work time'. Instead of concern, we were met with open arms! The school meets the children where they're at! There's no need to hide any problems your child may be having. The school will not only work with you, but they will take the time and care to help your child and your family with any issues. There are no expectations for a child to meet a cookie-cutter mold. Your child will be embraced! The school is very inclusive! I was told, he sounds perfectly at his age level. This is truly refreshing to hear when you're leaving a school that isn't welcoming. The school has a massive backyard with a garden, chickens, and the biggest sandbox you've ever seen, with a water play area as well. There's plenty of shade and trees as well. The school will also apply sunscreen (they supply it, or you are welcome to bring your own). The school prepares fresh meals for the children, which after sending our son to school that didn't; this is such an amazing aspect! It saved our family so much time and hassle. Our son is a great eater, but for children who arent; it's so helpful to have the children all eating the same meal together. A lot of parents have said this helped their picky eaters embrace new foods. Plus, there's onsite water fountains, so we didn't even need to bring a water bottle. Again, you really appreciate this when you realize you don't need to wash a water bottle daily. The staff are so kind and warm! They do really fun activities with the children. Each week they cover a new theme and do activities related to the theme including STEM, art, math, etc. Our son learned about the earth's rotation and how time worked, learned his phonics, etc. Their teaching style is all play-based; at first, I didn't really know what that meant. I thought it was just open play, but it's not. They play a lot of games and do a lot of hands on learning, so they learn through play. It's truly wonderful! They also have a lot of community events, like a Thanksgiving meal where the children prepare all of the dishes, and families are welcome to come and eat together. Plus, they host Trick or Treating, a very lively Cinco de Mayo party, a family camping trip, and many more! Families are also welcome to come at pick up and play with their kids in the backyard! This is so different from a lot of other schools. This is so fun because you can see your child at play! You can join in and meet other families. We're happy our baby will go here as well, and this time for the full experience, as our son joined only joined for one year. They even welcome back alumni for their fun Cinco de Mayo party! Only downside, that they will openly tell you during your tour, children are allowed to be children...meaning they are allowed to get very messy! When I first toured with my baby, I didn't think this would be a good fit for him because he didn't like to be messy; but when he joined later, it wasn't a problem. Some kids do get wildly messy, but our child never did. Just know, that they use all washable materials, so any stain, I was easily able to get out. However, it's very possible, your child might be covered head to toe blue when you go to pick them up! I've seen a mini Smurf there at pickup!

Truly a child led program with amazing teachers and staff. The school has a huge play area for the…read morekids to explore and just be kids.

Kids Kastle consistently gets flooded with inquiries, so let me first say you'd be better off with…read moredirect referral from a current or past family. That said, if you can get a spot at Michelle's, you have won the jackpot. Finding quality childcare was significantly more difficult than I could have imagined when we started searching for my eldest. We tried both a facility setting and another in-home setting in Pleasant Hill before finding Michelle through a trusted friend. We knew instantly that she actually cared about our son and she went out of her way to meet him where he was and help him feel confident and comfortable in her care. Fast forward to today, our family has been with Michelle for 4+ years and she is one of the few people I would have trusted with our second baby when he was an infant and I had to go back to work. I never worried a single day knowing my kids were in her care. Kids Kastle has been our village for many years, all of the teachers are sweet, truly enjoy children, and work hard to keep things FUN. They are very knowledgeable and stay current on licensing standards and go above and beyond the guidelines. As a busy mom, I have appreciated that they were consistently on-time and extremely reliable over the years. I didn't ever have to worry about good quality meals, diapers, or other supplies. The kids always came home covered in paint (meaning they had a blast and played outside a lot!), well fed, with handfuls of projects, and they were both well prepared academically and socially for TK and Kindergarten. Michelle leads with high emotional intelligence, decades of experience in early childhood and unwavering empathy and partnership for all of the ups and downs of raising little ones. She has maintained relationships with families that she cared for many moons ago and I've witnessed those same long-term, multi-sibling relationships blossom with other families we've known during our time there too. Michelle has become more like a bonus family member for our kids (and us) and my older son still RUNS to give her hugs at every chance he gets even though he is in elementary school now. Thank you Michelle for everything you and your entire team have given our family. Our experience at Kids Kastle was so far beyond anything we could have hoped for.

Both of my children attended Kids Kastle. They loved being there and thrived. My grandchildren now…read moreattend Michelle's program. Need I say more? I read a review where a parent was upset because her child couldn't acclimate into the program. She was upset because she felt like it was a waste of her time, helping her child adjust to the program. Michelle Service took the time to explain that the child needed more time to acclimate and needed the family to come in with the child as long as it takes. Putting a child needs above the parents expectations; shows me that Michelle truly cares for their child's well-being; giving me a greater respect for Michelle's Service and her program.

This message is you Sharon the owner. I've reached out to you several times to find a resolution…read moreover our daughter's situation regarding Ms. Julie whom no longer is with you. She was fired! Not for just our experience but for several other families with children with IEP and special needs. Now I don't know how the school treats students currently with specific needs, but I do know that me being public about our situation opened the doors of many families to come forward with their negative experience. I went as far the legal route and you and your team didn't even acknowledge the letter received that was required to be signed via delivery. Your generic message to everyone's negative review goes so far and shows sooooooo clearly of whom you are as an individual and what you care about regarding the appearance of your school. I haven't dropped my anger with what our daughter went through and hearing what other families endured makes me so upset. I'm a huge IEP advocate and what that specific teacher did and how the school treated the situation was completely unprofessional and heartless.

Thank you Empire for taking care of my little one! Shoutout to Ms. Lin, Ms. Rosalie, and Ms. Seema…read more Teachers here are kind and vigilant, facilities are clean, and there is a good mix of playing and learning in the curriculum. My child has grown to be independent, eager to learn, and considerate of others. By the end of our stay at Empire, he was well prepared for school. If my testament isn't enough, here is a message from his kindergarten teacher after the first week of school: "[Child's name] has been doing great in class the last three days- outstanding behavior on the carpet (listening, engaged, respectful), doing great work independently, and being kind to others. Keep it up!"

Had both of my daughters go through this daycare. Have to say, always felt comfortable, and never…read moreworried that my children were being well taken care of. The staff is great. The curriculum is great, I feel like they left there with a huge advantage over other kindergartners as their program provides education and guidance and our kids knew how to behave in a classroom by the time they got to kindergarten. Can't recommend more highly.

Our 3rd kid is currently in the 3s class, having started as an infant and we still love the care we…read moreget at this place (since 2019). The teachers are great and the thought that is put into any teacher turnover (which is already pretty low!) and helping kids with transitions is great. So much more to say, but in sum, still a big fan.

Honestly this is the best daycare/montessori in the TriVally area. We toured dozens of daycares and…read moreFountainhead was the cleanest and most organized. When we did the tour at Fountainhead, the kids were so calm and the environment was peaceful. My wife and I are so happy that our son loves this school. We are pretty protective parents...He was the youngest of his class (2.5yrs) and the older kids help him a lot. He started early this year and his language skills has improved so much. We enrolled him for 2027 and hope to enroll his little brother at 1.5 years. Highly recommend!

All of the teachers here are great! We chose this school specifically for their mandarin immersion…read moreprogram, but my child has thrived in all areas. The facilities are well maintained and conducive to their learning.