Our son went to Golden Gate Learning Center from the time he was 14 months old until he was nearly 3 yrs old. Hanna and Sabrina are wonderful, hard working, and responsive leaders of the center... really wonderful thoughtful people. Our son's teachers always took exceptional care of him. Every day was a different fun and supportive activity especially designed for his stage of development to help him grow socially, emotionally, and physically. They have music, dance, and theater classes. He had plenty of outdoor playtime every day. They are improving their front yard to increase outdoor play space for the younger children. We couldn't recommend the team at GGLC any higher. We will REALLY miss the people here as will our son. read more

Great daycare. My kid has been attending for about a year now. They do lots of play and learning activities. My kid just brightens up when we pull up to the daycare, and always comes out smiling. The teachers are great. The director, Ms. Hanna is a sweetheart who cares for her students individually. She is professional and easy to communicate with. They use an app called Brightwheel. They log in all the meal/snack times, potty/ diaper change. Lots of pictures too! My kid loves her daycare! read more

This review is a long time coming, please read: I had enrolled my little boy here when he was 2 years of age in the Fall of 2012. I took a tour of the facilities and was impressed with what the school had to offer. We paid the application fee ($85) and went ahead and put a deposit ($1358). We got my son new shoes, school clothes, and a lunch box in preparation for his new school. I made sure to tell the staff that my boy was not yet potty trained and they assured me there would not be a problem. What seemed like a hopeful dream turned out to be an immediate nightmare beginning on day one. Here's my story: I picked up my son from his first full day of school (9/05/13) and noticed him having a hard time standing straight and walking--he had to crouch to walk over to me. I was told there might have been irritation to his skin because he was playing in the sandlot. On the drive back home my boy was in pain and had a hard time sitting. When I arrived home I took off his pants to see what was the matter and I shrieked at what I discovered. His leg and read end were covered in bright red open sores. As I unclothed him and put him in the shower to wash his little body, I called the director (Janet B.). No one answered the phones at Golden Gate Kids. My son screamed in pain as the water ran over his sores. After calming him and putting him down for sleep I got a call from his school. I told the director I suspected my son had been sitting in his own feces all day, and his diaper had not been checked until just prior to pick up time. Janet assured me he had not sat in his own feces all day. I went ahead and inspected his school clothes for clues. I turned his pants inside out and what I discovered made me sick to my stomach. The insides of his pants were smeared in feces. I took photos of his pants and later on photos of my son's leg sores (see photos). Seeing the pants verified my suspicions. None of the staff had bothered to check my son's diaper throughout the day. The next day, my son, his mom and I showed up to meet with Director Janet. Another staff person took my kid away, saying he was going to play with the other children while we talked. Five minutes later, she came back to report that the open sores on my son were indeed there. My immediate thought was: What gives you the right to take my child away under false pretenses only to check his under pants?? To add insult to injury, the director once again said my son might have gotten the rash from playing in the sandlot. I showed her the photographs on my phone of my son's soiled pants and that there could be no other explanation other than my son was in soiled pants all day. This had to have been discovered during the course of the day but no attempt was made to tell me the truth, or put him in the extra clothes we had provided. She could not argue with the photographs I had taken--his pants showed feces smeared all on the insides. Janet B. said they would take better care to make sure this never happened again. As any parent could imagine my trust had been compromised. I was not going to stick around for any second chances. Still shaken from the incident, on my son's third day of day care, I showed up by myself, without child, and told Janet B. she had lost my trust and I could not continue with them. I would pay for the two days I had my little boy in school, but I'd like to have my deposit reimbursed given the circumstances. I further explained--the $1400 and odd dollars we had spent at Golden Gate Kids was for his child care. The director declined and said she would not do that. I immediately withdrew my child from this school, gave myself peace of mind, and never looked back. After the incident my little boy had a hard time going to the bathroom at school. It took almost a year for him to adjust and finally get used to using the bathroom in a day care setting. It took me longer to adjust. The memory of my child with open sores and screaming as he showered was too painful for me to rehash again. It's taken me over two years to finally write this review. Now that some time has gone by I feel compelled to give my true experience of what happened at Golden Gate Kids Preschool to other unsuspecting parents. Currently, both my son's mom and me are in the process of looking for a kinder school next year for my son. We are looking for the same things that drew us to Golden Gate Kids back then--structured days, safe school environment, staff we can trust. One of the hardest thing a parent can do is trust complete strangers to care for your child. In hindsight, I probably should've called the police after discovering what had happened which is the only part I regret not doing. My second regret would've been not leaving this review. That's the least I can do from one parent to another. read more

My 1 year old son started attending here a couple of weeks ago and i can tell that he loves it here. Ever since he started, he has not cried for me every time I dropped him off. I get daily reports from the center from their app that they use and the teachers are very communicative. If there is anything my son needs, they will reach out and let me know. I like their system because even though they ask us parents to provide our kids breakfast and lunches, clothes, bottles, milk. I really don't mind because I am in control of what my son consumes, so I know he won't be eating something he's not suppose too, and I know that if he would have a BM, there's extra clothes that I brought him for him to change into. My son is actually lactose, so I provided the milk for them to give him. Not only do they report his meals, they also report how much milk he consumes, his nap times, and sends me pictures and videos throughout the day. It keeps me at ease to know what my son is doing while I'm working or in class. Therefore, if I would, I'd recommend this place to all parents. I would encourage the parents to check this place out if there find themselves unsure about the daycare they are looking for. read more

Golden Gate Learning Center - My son playing with shapes at his daycare. - Preschools Near Me - Berkeley, California

Best day care by far. All staff is amazing, very patisn't, caring and extremely helpfu. Our son has advanced so much since starting there back in Novembe. Highly recommended this daycare. Edith read more

My kids (4 and 2 years old) started going to GGLC for 4-month now. My older kid graduated from GGLC, and now he is going to transitional kindergarten. My 2-year old is still going to GGLC and she loves it. I know she likes there, because every morning, she gives me high five and goes into the center dancing. A teacher that I met is very experienced and she also teaches at unified school districts as part time teacher. My son who is going to TK still misses his teacher and friends at GGCL. My daughter has improve in her language skill, dancing moves and she is very proud of her art works. read more

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I'm so grateful I found this school for my son. The staff are highly reliable, professional and friendly! They show care and attention to each and every child. Thank you GGLC for all that you've done and continue to do for our family! read more

We are very happy with the care that my 3 year old son receives at GGLC. He is usually excited to go to school and comes home very happy. I like the level of communication they provide, they use the Brightwheels app to send pictures and tell us about naps/potty. They don't provide information about meals/snacks, but that's the same as other preschools. I think if I ask them to, they would. They do provide information about potty and diaper changes. They helped my son gain confidence in going to the potty.  The director, Hanna, is very professional, respectful, and kind. She's easy to communicate with. She cares about the students individually. Our concerns are usually addressed very promptly. For example, our son tends to stay up very late if he naps for more than an hour a day, so we asked her to help us keep his naps on the shorter side. The teachers often wake him up from naps to make sure he sleeps well at night. read more

We started to send our son here at the end of August, right when he turned one. I was so nervous to let him go, but he jumped from my lap the minute we got there. The teachers are very caring and careful. They do a great job of letting us know how the day went for our son. Overall we are very happy for the safe, and caring environment provided at Golden Gate. Our son is also learning a lot as the teachers often talk with him and do various learning activities. read more

Great experience for my 4 and 2 year old. Hanna and the teaching staff are fantastic and very communicative. The kids are engaged with fun and educating activities daily and they can't wait to tell me about their day when I pick them up. We also get multiple daily updates about the kids through an app, its always nice to see what they are up to throughout the day. read more

GGLC was an excellent place for our daughter. It was my daughter's first day care and she adapted very quickly. With great teachers, GGLC provided quality time for our daughter. She has learned so much and also played a lot. They supported us for our daughter's potty training, which was incredible! read more

My daughter attended GGK preschool for 4 months in 2015, when she was almost-3 years old. We had an okay experience with GGK and we didn't realize how dissatisfied we were until we enrolled in a better school and saw all the little things that GGK could have been doing better. ********************** Things we loved: ********************** The core staff: We found the core staff to be warm and they clearly cared deeply about the well being of the kids. We enjoyed getting to know Michelle, Kristi, Candace, Christina, Francis, and Shasta. We appreciated their knowledge and experience in early child-care. Nice outdoor space: The covered Lanai is nice and enables the kids to play outside even on rainy days. Beyond the Lanai is additional outdoor space with a garden and play structures. Nice building: The facilities were relatively new and clean. No shoes allowed beyond the entrance. The front door required being buzzed in (when it was working). Welcomed us mid-year: They had space available and were able to accommodate our daughter two months before the school year officially started. Many other schools we talked to were fully booked more than a year in advance. Diversity: The racial, cultural, and socioeconomic diversity of the kids and the staff at GGK very-well represented the diverse Berkeley neighborhood around us. There were families here from all over the world! **************************** Things we didn't love: **************************** Parent participation - Not permitted: I was discouraged from staying in the classroom for more than 10 minutes. I was told that this is because it's "too distracting" to have parents present at school. Compare this to the next school we went to, where parents (and grandparents) were encouraged to come in for cooking-day, walk-day, various religious holidays, or any day (or partial day) that they're available, in order to share their culture and add enrichment to the classroom (or just help out). Crying at Drop-Off: In the morning at drop-off, my daughter had a really hard time with separation--much worse than she did at daycare, or at her next preschool. Many of the other kids in her class cried at drop-off as well. The GGK morning drop-off routine was for the kids to have play-time in their assigned classroom, playing quietly with blocks, books, or small toys. I learned that I could show up late (after the 9 AM drop-off time) and we'd find her classmates all playing outside together. She never cried when I dropped her off after 9 because there was so much activity for her to jump into. I started making a point of being late for drop-off every day, to avoid the tears. Compare this with the preschool we switched to: the entire school played outside during drop-off time, and then came in later. It made transitions much easier to have the kids active and occupied during drop-off. Staff Training and Qualifications: The staff that I met were friendly and nice, but I had concerns about some of their qualifications and training. I noticed more than once that our daughter's primary teacher was singing the lyrics to the ABC song (IE: the alphabet) incorrectly. Also, our daughter frequently got sent home with her diaper on backward, even after we pointed this out to them. Poorly Worded Contracts: There were a significant number of inconsistencies and grammatical errors in the enrollment paperwork we signed. Details like dates and times were different from page to page. As another example, the contract stated that they require advanced written notice "60 business days" before un-enrolling. I asked about this and was told I need to give 2-months notice. I pointed out: that's not what "60 business days" means. The contract wasn't changed. I did give them 2 months notice when we left, and it was not a problem, but I'm a bit OCD when it comes to poorly worded contracts. Overall we were satisfied with GGK because they were very nice and they accommodated us. 3-stars means A-OK on Yelp, and that's how I felt about GGK. Once we were able to get into a better preschool, we realized how much GGK was lacking. read more

Phenomenal preschool! My son has been to 3 different preschools prior to his promotion and Golden gate learning center was by far the best. There balance of a play based and academic based program really helped prepare my son for Kindergarten as well as nuturing his playful spirit. He came into the program barely able to write his name. By his promotion (6 months later) he could not only write his name, but the entire alphabet, some sight words, all numbers to 100, and developed a passion for drawing! Staff is amazing! 5 star program for sure! BIG THANK YOU to Subhash, Serena, and all teachers read more

The management is very untrustworthy. We were told there is a 2 week trial period and that we can cancel any time during this period and the tuition will be pro-rated. We had to cancel since it was not a good fit for my child and we were charged for the entire month. They claimed that they do not want to pro-rate it. The director mentioned owner did not want to pro-rate it but when we asked to speak with the owner, they never responded to us. We had no option but to loose all that money. We are glad that we got our child out of there since I do not trust this place anymore. read more

As a family we moved quite few times with our 2 boys in the past 4 years, we changed location, cities and states, our 2 boys tried many daycare/ preschool, last year the boys started going to GGLC, and I can definitely say this: it is one of the best places our kids attended, - they enjoy their time and they are always excited to go to school, - the teachers are AMAZING! teacher Hannah, Farzaneh, and previously teacher Victoria and Jessica, they are all very caring and very professional, when we drop them at the school, we are very sure and relieved that we are leaving our kids in a safe and loving environment, as busy parents we are very grateful for everyone for taking care of our kids, it means a lot and we can never thank you enough!!! read more

It's such a pleasure to see my 2 y-o and 4 y-o children enjoying their time at school. The teachers are taking great care of them, teaching them so many skills with passion and love. The director, Hanna, knows each kid individually, following them in their growth and progress with a lot of kindness and attention. read more

I couldn't be more pleased with GGLC for my 19m daughter. They provide a lot of activities for the day, from outdoor play time to skill building to learning concepts through songs, books, and art. The "curriculum" seems strong for my kid's age. Communication with the school has been great. I can easily communicate with the school staff. They take reasonable and meaningful Covid prevention precautions. And it's a very diverse school, children and staff included. read more

We're really sad to leave GGLC due to relocation. Our daughter always looked forward to seeing her friends and teachers here. The school offers a safe, welcoming, respectful and loving space. Thank you for taking great care of my little girl! read more

I absolutely love Golden Gate Preschool. My little boy has been coming here since he was two years old and now he is almost five! The director Michelle is always warm, caring, and attentive to the needs of all the children and their parents. My little boy is always cared for, happy, and secure when he is in their care. His teachers geniuinely care for him and his happiness and well being. Whenever I pick him up he is always smiling and joyful, which means he is having a good time. My son has a vision impairment, and Golden Gate has been accomodating in letting his therapist visit him in the center when needed. When I first brought my son, I was going through a divorce, and it was also hard on my son emotionally. His teacher Jessica and the rest of the staff gave him the extra love and attention that he needed during that difficult time, and I will forever be grateful for that. The teachers that I have gotten to know are fantastic; cheerful, patient, kind, and love to update me on my son's progress and the little cute things he did during the day. Since I miss out on that stuff while I am at work, it always warms my heart that they take such an interest and share those things with me. The setup and cirriculum is absolutely wonderful for a little person to learn and thrive. If you are looking for a place for your child, I definitely would recommend Golden Gate! I know that my son is well taken care of and happy when he is in their care. read more

My daughter Sara (2 years old) started preschool Golden Gate Kids last month and she really loves going there...this is a kind a family school where everyone has known each other for some years now, so she feels home! Perfect!! I do trust the staff and the director (for some 20 years of experience with kids!), they are very warm and attentive. I know they like the kids to play and learn at the same time which is exactly what i am looking for. They try to follow as much as possible each kid's rythme while putting some boundaries so the kids follow also the group and the program. 2 Bonuses: I don't know if it is commun here in the US, but they also are helping me potty training (i'm so happy for that :)) and they eat lunch sitting altogether at a table (as a european old fashion girl, I do like that!). Conclusion, I do recommend this preschool (strongly!). read more

My son attended GGLC for more than 3 years and we'll be sad to say goodbye soon due to our move. He loves all of his teachers, especially Ms. Yessica and Ms. Azi. They interact with students in a way that is caring and full of love. I mean my kiddo can't wait to go to school every day​! We've seen lots of improvements over the last year, and we wish all the best for GGLC. read more

We started our son, James, at Golden Gate Kids a couple months ago, right after he turned two. We were looking for a preschool option where he could enroll before the mandatory 2.75 years that some preschools require. He has been thriving since moving from daycare to preschool. GGK has so many great activities for the kids. I love that they're doing art and learning so much every day. James is excited to arrive at school, and the staff genuinely loves him, which is an amazing feeling. We have been so pleased with the quality of care and the general ambiance of GGK. It is open and clean and full of things to distract and stimulate and engage the kids. We are thrilled with the environment and the staff here. read more

I visited several preschools trying to find a good one for my daughter. I choose Golden Gate preschool because the environment is gentle and home-like, and the teachers are encouraging. The activities are nice and firmly structured, with a lot of art works , music ,dance, early Spanish. My daughter thrives here. Most important for parents is pretty reasonable price comparing others in Berkeley/ Albany . Best part was graduation day of kindergartners . Good preparation for kindergarten. Very nice staff. We loved it. We highly recommend this preschool! read more

I can't even begin to say how grateful I am for the great teachers at this pre-school. My child is a very "strong-willed" child and after over a month of crying and not interacting with the other children is now behaving much better there. He was at another daycare before this one and got let go off due to his "strong-willed" behavior. The directors, Michelle and Janet assured me that they understood this behavior and would help with different tactics to smooth him in. And they have helped a lot along with the rest of the teachers. My child cried alot but was also very attached to the directors so I knew he was in safe and loving hands. Now he even talks about all his teachers while at home. You can't go wrong at this preschool. Great teachers, great activities and alot of room for the little ones to play in! 5 super stars for everyone at this daycare/preschool!! read more

My son, 3 year old, goes to GGLC since 2 months and we both couldn't be any more happier.. He absolutely loves going to school and he looks forward to meeting his teachers and his friends daily. If he could, he would even go there on weekends. Miss Ilham, Miss Fergie and Miss Nadia are so loving and dedicated to the kids and make sure that kids learn something new everyday. I totally recommend GGLC to every parent. read more

My husband and I could not have been happier to have stumbled upon Golden Gate Kids! We were placed on hold with EDC for 3 months and even after leaving a call to confirm where we were on the wait list and not having heard back, we had lost hope. We were lucky to have found GGK, who just opened their facility and had immediate openings for toddlers. 5 stars for GGK - all for the following reasons: (not in any specific order) 1. I love that they have a clean facility 2. I love how welcoming and responsive the staff is 3. I love how the kids provide an international environment 4. Price is very reasonable 5. I love that they have a montessori style way of teaching and my son comes home with cool arts and crafts activities, drawings, writings, etc! 6. Owner is extremely genuine and kind 7. You get that family sense when you first walk in through the door 8. I like the outdoor oasis and lanai 9. The kid size toilets for potty training the kids are awesome! 10. Our son loves the teachers! read more

Our little one started here January 2014 and I have to say that my husband, myself and our daughter love it . I am always surprised at how clean they manage to keep the place, how well behaved all the children are and how calm the environment seems to be-no matter what time I pop in. Our daughter started in the Caterpillar group (no older then 2 years) and it was a wonderful experience for her. Our daughter has some special emotional needs and teacher Jessica was wonderful with her. Teacher Jessica was patient, understanding and took the time to see specifically what she needed to succeed in a school/group environment. My daughter fell in love with teacher Jessica who often became parts of her play time stories at home or at the park-I can't tell you how many times she was having a conversation with teacher Jessica in my back seat. lol As our daughter approached the 3 year old mark she needed to be moved to the "butterfly" group-this was going to be a challenge since she was so connected with teacher Jessica and this is just the sort of thing that is hard for her to handle emotionally. Knowing that she would have a hard time moving to a new group and trusting the new teachers a plan had been put in place in advance where our daughter was allowed to spend short periods of time in the new group, that became progressively longer until all teachers felt she was ready for transition-which happened right on cue as she turned 3 a few weeks ago. Now all of this was discussed and planned before it was presented to me, I completely agreed that this was a perfect plan and I was touched that so much thought and care was put into how to handle my daughters transition from one class to another. All of this specialized attention really sealed the deal for me that these are people who care about my child and her well being. A little about the demographics of the school: The school has a great racial mix where everyone is represented in the students and teaching staff. Our daughter is bi-racial so this is great mix for her. I look forward to my daughter learning & growing in this very supportive environment and I will be sad the day that she has to leave for kindergarten. read more

I love this school . My little one started when he was 18 month and now he is 27 month. He loves to come to school every morning. The teacher are great and caring and the place is always spotless. read more

A few years ago when a new owner bought the school they went from a 6-7 kids per teacher ratio to 12 kids per teacher with no notice of any changes. Our child came home multiple times with injuries and personal cleanliness issues and her teacher was in tears because she did not feel she could take care of so many kids well enough. We felt we had to pull our kids immediately and could not give the two months notice. The new owner forced us to pay for two more months even though our kids no longer attended and threatened legal action if we did not! read more

My son went to the day care is San Francisco which was previously owned by the same person who now owns golden gate kids preschool. He started at the age of 6 weeks old and stayed until 3 1/2 yrs old which he then left for preschool. Being a newborn I was obviously scared to leave him, but that all changed the minute I met the owner and the wonderful people who worked there. I instantly felt the embrace of warm arms filled with plenty years of experience. I found myself in aww as I walked around an saw this very neat, clean, organized establishment. My son loved every minute he spent there and was in tears when he finally had to leave. You don't just find great people who love what they do and love your child as if they were there own. I would without a doubt, 100% recommend golden gate kids preschool to everyone who wants their child to wake up everyday happy to come to a place filled knowledge, enthusiasm, love, joy, and most of all learning. read more

Looking for a preschool in the Berkeley area for my 3 yr/old son. Saw a flyer for this preschool nearby my office. The preschool is located in a nice, residential area off gilman. From the outside, the building looks like a big box, but once inside, the school is huge! Very spacious and clean with multiple rooms for each age group and extends deep toward the backyard with a mini play structure, sandbox and baby bikes. Nice part of this place is they accept kids starting as babies until pre-k which makes it a convenient one stop shop until elementary school. The owner, director and teachers are very nice and seem to have a lot of experience working with kids. I have yet to find a preschool in the area of this size and the rates are reasonable. read more

We toured many, many preschools before we discovered Golden Gate Kids. We had just pulled our daughter out of a preschool that was an absolute nightmare, and we went the extra mile in doing our due diligence this time around. We're so very glad we found Golden Gate Kids. It is the warmest, happiest and smartest preschool we've ever seen. The people here just understand what kids need. The owner, Michelle, and director, Janet, have created a very welcoming, nurturing and stimulating environment. I could praise her teachers, Nyisha and Mikaela, for hours. She has blossomed in their care. Nyisha has an amazing ability to connect with kids, regardless of their cultural or ethnic background. Her class is filled with kids from different parts of the world. I believe 7 languages are spoken in her class.. and she still manages to make the kids feel like they belong. I've heard many parents echo this. She asked me for words from our language -- which she used when interacting with my daughter. (And my daughter often comes home with French phrases, Turkish words and Spanish songs.) I've heard Mikaela talk of the kids like they were her own. And act like they were her own! Our daughter now has moved to a new class, and loves her new teacher, Candace, as well. She is thriving here, and we couldn't be happier. This is truly a Berkeley gem. And I should add -- the morning program, even while it is filled with fun and play, is doing a fantastic job of getting the kids ready for Kindergarten. We also love that GGK has a music component! read more

My little one has been with Golden Gate school for a year now. I can not thank them enough for providing my boy such warm and friendly environment. I love all teachers and they all know all the kids, which makes a transition to a different class so easy. My boy, now 3 years old, it's potty trained already for 3 months or so, counts really well, knows his ABC and is talking so well. He loves going to school! I highly recommend Golden Gate. Thumbs up! read more

We love Golden Gate Kids! Our son started at 2.5 and is now 3.5. We saw a fast growth in his vocabulary and imagination since started school. He loves all his teachers. They have been extremely helpful with transitioning from daycare, potty training and normal toddler headaches. I can not recommend this school enough! They are also one of the only preschools that has early care and after care late enough for most regular work schedules. read more

Look no further for the best preschool in the Bay Area! I cannot rave about this place enough to other parents looking for a safe, fun, educational institute for their little ones to thrive in. My three year old daughter has been enrolled there for over a year now and we plan to keep her there until Kindergarten. She LOVES her teachers and all of the staff! The facility is very clean with different classrooms for different age groups. They offer extended care hours too, which is a huge plus for working parents such as myself who can't get there until 6pm. They're always singing, dancing and working on art projects and puzzles. She attends soccer class and music class there for an additional charge, which is totally worth every penny. Her interpersonal skills with other children have flourished since she first started there and I feel confident that she'll be ready for Kindergarten when that time comes. She's learned so much there already and continues to amaze me! Bottom line, best preschool EVER! read more

I was really disappointed. This preschool's sanitation is quite bad. Lots of children (around 2-3yr old) who have a cold were coming. My kid often caught a cold, when she went to this preschool. So I quitted. read more