We are on our second year (4th if you count toddler play time. *Hi teacher Nick!) at MCPC with my…read moreson and 1st (2nd?) year with my daughter. Pros: Phenomenal parent support, wonderful community, great skill building, socialization models for the kids. Inclusivity, diversity and cultural exposure, nature and mental/physical enrichment are all here, disability support physical and neurodivergent. Cons? This is a true co-op Parent involvement is required. The parents are running the school under the guidance and tenure of a past parent turned director. At least 25% of your life is this school once you join. You will work once a week per child.(Two child cap*) The kids will be here three hours a day so when you leave it will feel like you are coming right back. Second year you get a board job, more work! So, is it worth it? For our family, yes!!!! The memories, the involvement put you right in the front seat of your child's development and education. I feel like I am attending the school and relearning how to problem solve and function on my own. The experiences here are priceless. We don't want to leave!

This is our third year entering MCPC. We absolutely love the community...our kids are loved by the…read moreteachers, we're able to make friends with the other parents, and one of the best perks - we are all involved in parenting the children from a similar socioemotionally grounded approach which makes playdates so fun and easy. Any parent can step in at anytime and the messages our kids receive are loving and consistent. And the Director Jolie as well as Teachers Jamie and Nick are just rockstars. I feel a lot of confidence when I'm out at the playground, I feel that I can work things out with my child and ask about his plans and intentions and come up with safety guidelines together. It's helped so that he's able to re-engage with children and meet new friends rather than just decide they're done playing. I could go on an on about what I've learned alongside my kid at MCPC. Highly suggest attending their Toddler Playtime classes that run year round in the afternoon (18-36 months) and/or the annual Info Night in January if you're interested in preschool.

Lakeshore Children's Center has a new director and new vision. To compliment its commitment to…read moreteaching children through play to respect themselves and others, it has added a curriculum inspired by Reggio Emilia. The classroom has been refreshed and looks great. I am excited by what is happening at LCC and recommend this preschool to all families wanting a safe, loving and caring environment for their child.

This is a great camp for afterschool and the summer program is incredible! All the kids have a…read moregreat time and they never have problems. The counselors and staff are so kind and they always deliver. The value of the camp is so great, and a pretty good price also.

My son attended Treehouse for 2 years and my daughter attended some of their summer school…read moreofferings. I cannot say enough good things about this school. 1. The campus is beautiful. Classrooms are clean and beautifully decorated. It is set in the trees so it feels like a real retreat. The playground is beautiful and fully equipped with all kinds of toys. 2. The teachers are beyond! Each one is so loving and kind and fully invested in loving and supporting the kids. They got to know my entire family - grandparents visiting, siblings, etc. and took a vested interest in our entire family. They are kind, engaging, joyful, energetic, and professional. Most of the teachers have been there for several decades and I know that is largely due to the incredible warmth that Principal Jan and Kayla set as the administration of the school. There is truly no place I have ever visited with the same warmth and kindness. 3. The curriculum is impressive! I am shocked about how well my son is prepared for TK. They are doing kindergarten level work in preschool. But of course it is mostly fun and playing and art. I am amazed by all the creative projects he comes home with and the patience and attention to detail it must require from the staff. I truly cannot say enough good things about this wonderful loving environment and cannot encourage families enough to send their kids here.

My daughter attended Treehouse from age 3 through 5. Treehouse is such a sweet, supportive,…read morewonderful school. We are not religious, but chose Treehouse due to the great reviews, nice campus, and lack of teacher turnover (pretty much all of the teachers have been there for many years), and are so glad we did. Every member of the staff knows all of the kids by name, and the love they have for the children, and the children for the teachers and staff in return, is palpable. Treehouse is a perfect mix of fun play and deep learning of important life skills, expected behavior in the school environment, and academic curriculum. We are sad to have aged out of Treehouse for now, but look forward to returning with our younger child in a few years for the two year old class.

TLDR: Highly recommend this Daycare + Preschool, Strong Kindergarten (&TK) preparedness, Friendly…read moreStaff, Great Value (especially for this quality level). Was very pleased with the overall experience here for 2 years, and my student loves the teachers, their school friends, and the facility. Without going into a crazy long monologue, here are a few things that made this daycare/preschool great from my perspective. - My soon to be TK student already has 95%+ of his Kindergarten academic preparedness criteria met. They love telling me about the basic addition they are learning, and they love showing me their schoolwork papers when they get home. - The curriculum includes age appropriate social centered curriculum like noticing others' emotions and changing ones own behavior based on it (most noticeable when they ask their friends or visitors at our house if something is wrong, or what made them happy today). - Enrichment curriculum includes germinating plants, learning animals (including on-site animals), children's yoga, numerous art project styles etc. - Super cute performances!!! The Mother's Day performance was spectacular with actual singing and age appropriate choreography - The local parent community is reasonably active with play dates, and school centric activities. Was very easy to find parents within a short drive of the school for playdates and birthday parties etc. Easy to find parents on private Facebook community, and easy to share and access pictures from school - Staff has been great during our attendance here. Very responsive and my student loves them. Highly recommend checking this school out.

My child has spent 2 years at Daisy and we are so grateful for the love, care, and instruction that…read moreFey, Irfan, Mandy, Ron, Tim, and Nancy and all the teachers have provided over the years! We feel confident that our child is ready for TK and beyond, both from a social and academic perspective. Daisy isn't for everyone, and that's ok. There are definitely some quirks in communication, information, and structure. You won't get a student list, parent contact info, or a daily schedule, but you will have a safe and loving environment where your child is cared for and nurtured. One of the things I loved best about Daisy is that every adult takes time to genuinely interact with every child, and make them feel heard and valued. All the teachers (even the ones for other classrooms) knew our child and interacted with him in a positive and respectful way. Another thing I loved about Daisy is that the kids get A LOT of outdoors time which worked great for our family. We know he had a good day when we pick him up and his clothes were covered in dirt and his shoes were filled with woodchips. We know this isn't for every family, but our active kiddo thrived because of it. There are also goats, chickens, birds, and a turtle. Most importantly, our child loved going to Daisy. All the days where he would run to join his friends in the big yard at drop off, and blurt out all the stories of how much fun he had throughout the day at pickup made us confident that we made the right choice for him. Other pros: * They do music on Mondays and yoga on Tuesdays. * There's plenty of parking for easy drop-off and pick-off. * They focus a lot on social skills, and our child has made a lot of friends and frequently talks about them. * Though academics aren't their stated focus, our 4-year old can count to 20+, recognize numbers and letters, and identify words that rhyme. At 3, our kiddo knew all sorts of shapes, colors, etc. * They take hygiene seriously and the kids seemed pretty healthy (there wasn't ever a widespread outbreak of lice, COVID, etc. and our child I think only stayed home once or twice for being sick over the 2-year period. I think the outdoor time helped keep germs from spreading as well.) * They foster independence and teach kids to track their belongings. I remember thinking it was ridiculous that my 2-year old was supposed to track his own water bottle, but he learned to do it and at 3 he learned to navigate his lunchbox on his own too. Other helpful details: * The youngest age they take is 18 months. There's a separate smaller yard area for younger children. * There are many different family structures at Daisy. * They are flexible with start and end dates. * They generally follow OUSD's school calendar for days off with the exception of summer break (there's thankfully no summer break at Daisy). * They don't provide lunch, but they do sometimes provide snacks and your child certainly won't be hungry if they didn't have a great breakfast or won't eat what you packed them for lunch. * Onboarding was a little rough on our schedules as parents (our child started with shorter days for a few weeks so that he could ease into the new routine and space), but I think it set us up for success. * They occasionally post pictures to Facebook.

My daughter was at OGS for 2.5 years and really thrived there. We are so, so thankful to have this…read moreamazing place in our neighborhood. Christina, the director is wonderful and so are the teachers. Everyone is dedicated and the kids are happy as clams. The whole facility is great with the amazing backyard with sunny and shady areas, sand pits, mud kitchen, a yurt, a boat and even goats! Every time I picked up my dirty, crusty, smiling kid was a great day! She learned so much every day and came home tired and happy. My kid has now graduated and moved on to TK and it's still bittersweet because of the great people we met there and the wonderful community. We are still in contact with many other families and will hopefully continue to see them

We visited several preschools for our daughter, but nothing came close to the magical wonderland…read morethat is Oakland Garden School! Nevertheless, I was admittedly still nervous after reading some pretty damning reviews. But I soon discovered that pretty much ALL preschools have some real scary reviews, or no reviews at all. What made me feel most optimistic about OGS, was the emphasis on creating a true sense of community and accountability with families. In addition to regular community events and volunteer opportunities, OGS also has a parent advisory committee (PAC). As a former PTA president, I think such a group really can have an impact on as school, and along with Christina's leadership, the school seems to be a thriving community with some VERY skilled and caring teachers. I want to give a special shootout to Teachers Sam, Melissa, Candace, and Emily who all went above and beyond to support, encourage, and care for our neurodivergent daughter. The classrooms at OGS are large, air conditioned, and full of quality and creative toys and activities with special areas for kids who need a quiet and calm space. And absolutely NOTHING compares to the outdoor space. If OGS's outdoor space was a public park, it would be our favorite park! It's true that in this industry there is a fair amount of teacher turnaround. But our sense from teachers (and I really prodded them to give me the dirt!) really like working at OGS. While there was some staff turnover during our time, it certainly didn't strike us as abnormal or excessive and because each class has multiple teachers, there was always some consistency. Director Christina was often helping in classrooms, especially during times of transitions and she also, was great with the kids. My one critique for OGS is something I really doubt other schools are doing better with, that is communicating and enacting protocols for illness. There were many times when I noticed HEPA filters not turned on and I would occasionally not see soap or towels by a sink. We were always given alerts when there was an exposure to anything other than a cold, but it was not always clear when it was or was not OK to bring our child in. Again, I think OGS is probably far above average when it comes to dealing with this stuff, but I would be remiss if I didn't prod them (and other families) to do more. The extra outdoor time at OGS also probably gives the school a leg up on others. My wife and I were so impressed at how OGS went above and beyond our high expectations of the school. We are going to miss it as it sets a pretty high bar for whatever is next for our children!

My 8-year old daughter has been attending Berkeley Rose since she was in preschool. She has been…read morehappy & thriving there, despite some difficult transitions that our family has gone through. The school is only a few years old, so I was concerned at first that the teachers would not have enough experience & that they wouldn't offer all of the subjects that a more established Waldorf school would. That has not been an issue at all. The 3 teachers she has had have all been wonderful. I can tell that they love the children & that they have a deep understanding of Waldorf education. Every year I can see that the school has grown & improved. The children learn Mandarin & Spanish, starting in 1st grade. And, they have an excellent eurythmy teacher, which is something that many Waldorf schools struggle to provide. We have sacrificed a lot, financially, to keep my daughter in the school, but we believe that it's worth it.

Awful school. They claim to be a Waldorf school but they have no idea what the true meaning of…read moreWaldorf is and what Rudolf Steiner originally intended. They treat prospective families horribly. At first they appear welcoming and supportive, but that is completely fake. They discriminate and there is complete lack of transparency.

I have found this school to be full of staff that are very thoughtful, intentional, and loving of…read morethe larger community that they serve. The founder/head Michelle is a passionate leader who is in her purpose and it jumps right off of her when you meet her. I strongly recommend Pear Tree as they really do an exceptional job of wrapping around the youth. They promote and build a strong sense of community and ownership of the youth's educational advancement here. My plan is to bring others to this environment. Our son loves it here. Fred Tatum

Our daughter has been enrolled in Pear Tree as a preschooler and is now a 4th grader. We loved the…read morepreschool so much that we were ecstatic that director, Michele Hamilton, decided to grow the preschool into a separate elementary school. We've watched the school grow from just a handful of students to its current enrollment and its new location in Montclair. What we love: Montessori curriculum - we have had a rethinking of the state of education in the United States. It is not set up in any capacity to create critical thinkers and dynamic creators which is what the future economy will require. Montessori in the way that Pear Tree implements it allowed our daughter to consistently test 2 grades above her level, while allowing her the opportunity to become an awesome drummer with Pear Tree's musical enrichment. With a no homework policy, she has ample time to explore her love of reading and is an avid bibliophile. This love of reading usually starts to wane around the upper grades as kids struggle with the rigors of grades-based academic performance. Social Justice emphasis - the kids are being exposed to history and sociology from the context of social justice. Focus has been on pre-colonial history and ancient civilizations in the primary grades. Project based learning, group and individual research papers have allowed our daughter to put context in her history lessons. This year, climate resilience as the number one social justice cause, has given our daughter the ability to look at our current situation and actually come up with solutions with her class. This has been done through in-house video and audio content creation. Small class sizes - with no more than 16 students in a class along with a teacher and an aide, our daughter has always felt supported. She came into the preschool shy and timid and is now a vocal leader at school and outside. We don't think she would have found her voice in a class of 30 or more. When it comes to raising kids, no parent's decision-making is perfect. But our decision to be at Pear Tree was perfect for our daughter.

We have two children who have been coming to Bright Futures (BFELC) for a couple of years now (one…read morechild since 2.5 years, another child since 5 months infant) and they are both thriving at this school. We are really grateful to Miss Jenel and her amazing team for their thoughtfulness, care, and professionalism. This school really hit the sweet spot for us in terms of a small and intimate community (rather than a franchise place) that truly puts early childhood education at the center with play-based learning. A few things that encapsulates my experience: 1. Do the staff genuinely care about the children? - YES!! I've had my children in a couple of different daycare/preschools, and they range from daycares where the staff are paid so little that they are literally just phoning it in to the daycares are super fancy and they have bells and whistles and matching t-shirts but little personal touch. BFELC hit the sweet spot for me in terms of being small enough so that it feels like teachers actually deeply know and understand our children as individuals, but also that the school is big and professionalized enough that there are appropriate controls and systems in place - and teachers who can sub for one another, as opposed to everything all falling onto a few people's shoulders. The other thing that contributes to a genuinely caring environment in my opinion is the fact that the teachers seem to really like it here and for the most part are also deeply passionate about early childhood education. It's a good sign to me when teachers are constantly investing in themselves to upskill themselves in certifications on childhood education over and above the professional development that's offered by the school, they see themselves as childhood educators and that makes a big difference. There was also a teacher who had particular gardening skills so she started a vegetable garden which grew and resulted in this beautiful bounty for the children to take home with them. This is the kind of thing that large institutions usually have rules against, but I like the BFELC is enough of a smaller community that it can allow this kind of personal touch and entrepreneurialism from teachers. 2. Is the school administratively okay to deal with - Yes, BFELC is pretty solid in this department. This was a painpoint for me in one of my previous daycares for my child, there was a constant stream of forms to fill out or processes to follow or the school was just super stickler on communicating ONLY in the app so you could not actually TALK to the teachers you had to only go through the app - not a very human experience. At BFELC, it's a much more human experience and the school administration totally understands that parents are juggling a million different things. They keep things systematic and organized (eg using the BrightWheel app for announcements) but also easy going and LOW ADMINISTRATIVE BURDEN especially on the number of asks to parents. 3. Are my kids happy and learning and growing? - Yes, they are! One thing I really appreciate about BFELC is how low-key the community of parents are. The student population is generally diverse and representative of the Oakland area (including teachers who speak multiple languages - one of them has been teaching the older kids a bit of french on the side) and the other parents are the kind that get to know my kids' names and bring group snacks at pick-up for everyone when they can. Parent participation is always welcome but never mandatory or looked down upon if you're not able to be more involved, and the other parents are welcoming. I've noticed my children grow meaningful friendships through the school, and grow in leaps and bounds in their social and communication skills as a result.

We had our toddler son go here from 18 months to 3 and a half years. We absolutely loved it! The…read moreteam is so loving and hands on, communication was great, and our son made so many great friends there. Highly recommend!!