We enrolled our daughter at Little Hugs after a not-so-great experience at another preschool, and…read morethe difference in her demeanor has been night and day. She is genuinely excited to go to school now! She loves her teachers and friends, and we've seen her confidence skyrocket under Miss Gracie's care. What I appreciate most is the thoughtful balance between play and structured learning. They focus on the 'whole child,' everything from manners and hygiene to the fundamentals like numbers and letters. Beyond the curriculum, the community here is incredible. Between the Chinese New Year celebrations and other events throughout the year, the school goes above and beyond to bring parents together. It's rare to find a preschool that prioritizes building a real community like this, and we feel so lucky to be a part of it.

Our family has been part of the Little Hugs community since 2015, and I cannot say enough about the…read moreincredible care and dedication this school has shown our children over the years. Both of my kids attended Little Hugs, and each one left fully prepared for kindergarten -- confident, curious, and eager to learn. The teachers have a genuine gift for nurturing young children and building the kind of foundation that sets them up for success. But what truly cemented our love for Little Hugs was what they did for our family during the pandemic. When so much of the world shut down in 2020, Little Hugs continued to show up for our youngest during her kindergarten-prep year. Having her in a safe, caring, in-person environment was an absolute lifesaver -- because at home, I was already juggling my older child's Zoom school schedule on top of everything else the pandemic threw at us. I honestly don't know how we would have held it together without Little Hugs during that time. If you're looking for a preschool where your child will be loved, challenged, and truly prepared for the next chapter, Little Hugs is it. We are so grateful for everything they've done for our family from 2015 to 2021.

My daughter has spent 3 years at Genius Learning since she was 2 years old. We even kept her here…read morefor 1 more year instead of entering TK because we have been extremely happy with the care and education my daughter has received. She is happy to go to preschool everyday and comes home telling us all about her friends and teachers. The teachers are very warm and nurturing. I don't worry about her when she is in school. I am impressed with my daughter's growth of knowledge. She is now fluent in Mandarin even though we do not speak Mandarin at home. She recites many songs and poems. She also knows some basic math. She does well socially with other kids. They encouraged and helped with potty training even before I was ready to start. I feel she is well prepared to enter kindergarten in the fall because of her experience at Genius Learning. The school celebrates holidays with class events which my daughter will miss! The hours are great for working parents. There are not that many days the school is closed. It includes snacks and hot lunch which is one less thing for me to think about. The director Heidi is very responsive to concerns and is easy to communicate with. I would highly recommend this school to my family members and friends.

My daughter has attended Genius Learning since February 2024, and from the very beginning, Heidi…read morehas been incredibly responsive to our family's needs and concerns. I truly appreciate the structure and care this preschool provides, starting with a thoughtful tour and orientation for parents. One of the things I value most is their gentle transition process. When my daughter first started, she attended half-days to help ease her in before progressing to full days. This made a world of difference in helping her feel comfortable and secure. I also admire their teaching approach, especially their emphasis on emotional development and expression. My daughter has come home singing in Mandarin and even used the word "Meiyou!" during potty training to say "none"--a moment that made us smile since we primarily speak English at home. It's clear she has learned so much in just a short time. It is with sadness that we'll be transitioning to another preschool after being on a 3.5-year waitlist. This move will support her long-term path, giving her priority in the afterschool program at her future elementary school--a decision that was not easy to make. I cannot recommend Genius Learning enough. The entire staff has been wonderful, caring, and attentive to my daughter. We are so grateful for the foundation they've helped build during this precious time.

Both of my kids attended Parkside Day School, one being there for 1 year and the other being there…read morefor 2.5 years. We recently decided to make a switch in schools as this place was no longer the right fit for our needs, but overall, had a generally positive experience with the school during our tenure here. Positives: * Ms. Tina from the toddler class is amazing. There is no better Head Teacher to work with kids that are entering preschool for the first time, dealing with separation anxiety and lots of big emotions, and also having to learn how to potty train at the same time. Both of my kids loved her and you can tell that she genuinely cares about the children. * The classrooms here are big and well maintained. * The playground is big with lots of equipment for the kids to interact with. * There are plenty of organized parent volunteer events or offsite field trips. * All meals/snacks are included as part of tuition. * You get tons of pictures throughout the day of your little ones. Cons: * The teachers speak little to no English. If you don't speak Mandarin or Cantonese, you have to rely solely on the Assistant Director to translate for you. And things get lost in translation when you are not communicating directly with the teachers that are the ones watching your kids ever day. * As the staff are all Chinese, the cultural philosophies of how kids are cared for lean very much toward an Eastern approach. Many of the kids that attend the school are also from a Chinese background so in general, this can be a good match, but if you identify more with a Western philosophy, as we do, then the values and philosophies don't always align. * There were many teacher changes during our time there, especially in the Rainbow Class, with new teachers and new faces showing up with no communication from the school in who these people were. * Price - you are paying an arm and a leg to send your kid(s) here, especially when you consider the amount of holidays/school closure days there are and having to drop off later than 8:30 and pick up before 4 (unless you pay extra for extended care hours). * Class size - they advertise the class ratios as 1:8, which is reasonable and normal. However, there are actually 4 teachers assigned to each class, meaning you can have up to 32 kids in a class. Having 32 3-5 year olds together at once can be very overwhelming. The reason we pulled our kids out is a mixture of the cons above, but primarily, there was a severe drop in the ball from the staff in communicating some important information about our son to us in a timely manner. This was already unacceptable on its own, but in addition, by the time we were notified of what had been going on, changes in our son's school plan were already being actioned without our input or consent. This led to us losing faith that this school was the best fit for our child's needs. While this was our unfortunate experience, others may very well have a positive experience here, so take my review with a grain of salt. But I do think that the ability to speak the language and/or have an alignment with the Eastern philosophy of how to raise kids will be a major determining factor in the type of experience you have here. We were fortunate to find another academic institution that is much better aligned with our values and philosophies and have a more nurturing environment that meets both of our kids' needs. Our kids are currently thriving in their new school and while I wish our experience at Parkside could have ended differently, I'm grateful for the time that we spent there and for the good times that we did have.

My daughter Nora attended the toddler class here in 2025, and it has been a truly wonderful…read moreexperience. She absolutely loved her classmates and teachers -- especially Miss Tina, who is incredibly thoughtful and treats every child with so much care and love. The teacher-to-student ratio is excellent, which gave us great peace of mind. We received tons of photos showing the kids enjoying circle time, making crafts, and learning letters. They host fun events like pajama night, and the facilities are among the best we've seen in South San Francisco. The classrooms are bright, spacious, and even larger than some entire daycares we toured -- both Chinese immersion and English-speaking ones. As we say goodbye, I just want to share our experience and give this school the review it deserves.

I can't tell you what it's like for when your children are in this school, but I can tell you that…read morebased on how they present themselves, I don't think they would be doing a good job at that. To start with, you're asked to message them on their website or email. Cool. And then they'll tell you over email to call and make appointment to tour the facility....why can't you just tell me over email? I took a tour and I wasn't sure about it, so I wanted to arrange another time to come back with my wife. So I called them again, and guess what they told me? "Call back in January." No explanation. Why would you give me a tour just two days ago in September, and then say that I can't have another one until the next year? "That's when the waiting list opens"....got it. I was promptly hung up on. So now it comes time to tour again. We come back and make an appointment over the phone. The school is a school but...the people just don't seem like they care at all. The tour was so lackluster. It took all but like 15 minutes. I've spent more time looking through a grocery store. I don't think they're paid enough to give tours, let alone look after your kids. I've seen high schoolers give better tours at the children's museums. I could have been guided around with a lifeless robot. Hell, if robots could critically think, then they would be like, "...Damn. You're making me look bad." The ratio is 7-8:1, at the toddler age. It's ideally supposed to be 5-6:1. I guess the school is affordable, but it seems too good to be true. It's too affordable for something that's supposed to be Montessori, so I'm suspicious. RESPONSE: "...genuinely wonder if your review may have been intended for a different school." Does your version of Montessori teach children to deflect and gaslight to protect a narcissistic ego?

--With a half-eaten chicken nugget in one tiny palm and a fistful of buttered pasta squeezed into…read morethe other, our then three-year-old turned to us mid-meal and said, in the sweetest, most innocent little voice: "Mommy... Daddy... I think I really love my school." () That was the moment we knew, meeting with Ms. Simin and enrolling our child at Mills Montessori was the right decision. From day one, Mills felt like a place filled with genuine warmth and care. Over the 2.5 years our child attended, we experienced a close-knit, family-like environment that helped shape the foundation of his social, emotional, and academic growth. It's a school we've confidently recommended to family, friends, and coworkers looking for a loving first school experience for their children. His final year at Mills was especially impactful and played a big role in how prepared and confident he was starting his new school. Ms. Jen and Ms. Kaytlin provided incredible attention, nurturing, and encouragement, leaving a lasting impression we know he'll always carry. Ms. Helen is truly a gem--her dedication to phonics and early literacy made a huge difference in his reading and penmanship, and we credit her greatly for his progress. We also loved the variety of extracurricular programs offered. Our child participated in soccer, ceramics, art, dance, Spanish, and piano, all of which he genuinely enjoyed. One standout experience was the Messy Hands sensory class led by Ms. Ineca. We were amazed at how much he loved it and how quickly we saw growth in his sensory confidence and cognitive development--major shoutout to Messy Hands. The teachers, the playground, the programs, and most of all, the warmth and care make Mills Montessori truly special. We're so grateful we walked in for that first tour, and after our experience, we couldn't agree more with our son's words. We really love this school too. -Bryan

My wife and I originally planned to start at another daycare last year for our 8 month old…read more However, we learned last minute that daycare was not going to have a spot for us for three more months than planned. This led to us searching for a bridge care solution until our spot in line was called. Insert Buiding Kidz. With only a few weeks until my paternity leave was ending, I reached out to Jackie to see if they would have an opening for him in January. Over those few weeks, we were able to tour the facility and enroll, with Building Kidz fully aware that he would only be there for three months. During those three months, I couldn't have asked for an easier transition to daycare as a new parent. Ms. Rosanna, her team in the Infant room, and any staff we interacted with showed so much love, care, and attention to our son. We loved that we would receive updates on their app, including feedings and how much he ate, diaper changes, and photos and videos of him playing and learning. There is also a messaging system to chat with the teachers during the day. We have even received some art that he created, creating precious memories for our family. Even when he bumped his head one time, we were immediately notified, sent a picture of the injury, and was updated through the day. The pick-up deadline is later than our new daycare, which is nice, although the parking situation outside can become difficult during peak times. This great experience made leaving after the scheduled three months that much harder. We had intended reasons to switch daycares, and it had nothing to do with how Building Kidz cared for our son. If, for whatever reason, things didn't work out at his new daycare, we planned to bring him back.

I sent my child here through care.com's backup care program…read more The day of the first drop off, they took my paperwork and child and basically had no interaction with me other than where to write my son's name on the log. They didn't ask about my child's specific needs or any tips for his care. I doubt his teacher read his large stack of paperwork before they started his care. My son usually is quick to tell us about all of his meals and when we asked him what he ate at school he said "nothing" and was ravenous when he came home. We were concerned and when we picked him up the next day and asked how he was and how he ate, the lady at the door shrugged and said he was not in her class. We tried calling the office to see how he was and never got past a voicemail. My son seemed to be fine and doesn't appear injured in any way, but I would never know if there was an incident because THERE IS NO COMMUNICATION other than hello and goodbye at the door.

My daughter and son have been going here for over a year and a half, since she was 18 months and he…read morewas 4 months. The teachers here truly care about their students and my children love their teachers. I like that this is a full mandarin immersion program, as my daughter's mandarin is now very fluent. She often comes out with words/phrases I know she did not pick up at home. It's super helpful that You&Me provides lunch so I don't need to worry about packing their meals. They do also have several educational elements woven in with activities geared to develop their skills in between play time. Facilities here are clean and well maintained. The staff tries to accommodate parents requests. Communication with the staff is streamlined through an app in which we also receive regular updates and photos. The regular parent teacher conferences with a binder collection of photos also serve as a good summary of my children's progress. This is the 3rd daycare facility my daughter has been in and this one has provided the most resources, structure, and environment compared to our 2 previous home based daycares. We are overall very happy here.

We have two children enrolled at You & Me Children and we couldn't be happier with the care they…read morehave received. My older son is nearly 2 and has been attending since he was 3 months old and my second child just enrolled a month and a half ago. What drew us to You & Me was the warmth of the teachers. When my husband and I visited for our initial tour we both remarked that you could just feel how much the teachers cared about the children. The facility felt warm and welcoming and the children seemed happy to be there. A year and a half later and we are so glad we went with our instinct and enrolled our children here. Communication: To be honest we were a little concerned at first about how we would communicate with the staff since the school is Mandarin immersion and my husband and I cannot speak Mandarin, but it has never been a problem. There has always been someone at You & Me available to translate, if the direct caregiver doesn't speak as much English as we needed to express nuanced concerns. You & Me uses a mobile application to provide secure check-in and out for the children and allows you to stay updated on how your little ones are doing throughout the day. We love getting pictures of our children throughout the day, it helps us to feel connected even when we are not physically with our babies. Cost: The tuition is competitive and very reasonable for the level of care they provide. They were the most cost effective center based daycare we could find in South San Francisco. Yes, we did find some nanny-shares that were a little less expensive but I was not comfortable with the idea of one person trying to care for 4 or more children on their own, to say nothing of the hassle of becoming an employer and dealing with the tax ramifications of that (no thank you!) Care: You & Me does all the adorable Pinterest-esk things with my babies that I wish I had the time to do! You & Me has a rotating age appropriate curriculum of stories, songs, cultural activities (like celebrating the Lunar New Year, Harvest Festival, and Halloween), and what I would call life skills like brushing their teeth and putting together their own meals (even using little plastic cutters to make fruit salads!). They even do parent teacher conferences where they go into detail about how your little one is doing and what areas they are flourishing in and what areas they need more support in, then they work with you to create detailed plans for how to help your child grow in those areas. I recommend You & Me to all my colleagues and if you are looking for care in this area I highly recommend you schedule a tour, you won't regret it!

My son has been with The Early Years since he was 2 years old. I am glad we decided to enroll him…read morehere. Compared to other schools they have different rooms and the kids are not stuck in their classroom all day. I have seen other schools and kids have all their materials and toys just in one room. Sometimes eat lunch in their classroom. No separate lunch room. There set up is similar to kindergarten. My son doesn't even want to graduate and leave. The teachers are great and have been in the school for a long time.

My oldest child started here when he was 2 and now he's 5. He loves this school and learned so much…read moreand I know he's fully ready for kindergarten (abcs, numbers, counting, planets, significance of national holidays (mlk, presidents day,etc). They do so many activities that he's never bored (I want to say they switch to a new activity every 20 minutes, which I think is great for younger children). Tuition includes snack and lunch at a very affordable price. The teachers are soo extremely nice and have been with the school for a long time. Can't say enough great things. Now my younger child is going and she loved going to school and I can see how being so much more social and talkative.

The staff are extremely caring and my niece had so much fun in school every day. She learned to…read morecount and sing some songs. I would highly recommend Intelligent learning preschool because we want my niece to learn some basic Chinese. I know it's hard to teach little kids to recognize Chinese characters, but all the staffs are patiently teaching my niece. She's so happy to learn new words and will show me when she get home. All the while building her confidence and socializing with kids her age. She's become a talkative, assertive little kid and I thank Intelligent learning preschool for providing the secure, loving environment for her development.

Very good bilingual school! The activities prepared by the teachers are amazing. My daughter has…read morebeen in panda class for three months. She recites the Three Character Classic and many ancient Chinese poems every day. Barrier-free communication with Chinese grandparents! We are so happy!

We love Happy Hall! We have seen wonderful improvements since they took over Temporary Tending…read moreTots. Gemma and I were delighted that they kept the teachers! Snacks are provided , which is great and the teachers are wonderful. They truly enjoy their job. Gemma frequently talks about her teachers and friends when she comes home. She looks forward to going to school everyday and enjoys their curriculum! We are so lucky that they are less than 2 blocks from our house!! The tuition is also reasonable.

From the owner: We offer programs that cultivate emotional, social, physical, and intellectual independence. Our…read morewhole-child development approach embraces all areas of learning and character development. Call to tour and enroll today!

My daughter was at Gateway from age 3 to 4 (graduated to TK) and it was such a great experience…read more This was her first step into care/schooling outside of home so I was particular in what I wanted for her: Clean facilities: Due to covid, I couldn't go inside but I did a video tour, reviewed classroom videos, and was able to sneak peeks from outside. We felt good about it what we saw. After she was enrolled, we were allowed in a few times for family events and I was thrilled at the space. Neat, clean and organized. (The outdoor play area has shade for the kids and soft padded areas ... no tan bark!) Learning and Development: I'm amazed at how much my daughter learned over the year. They focused on the things you would expect like ABC's and numbers but also STEM experiments and social development (managing feelings, consent/boundaries, and relationships). Celebrations: when searching for schools, I came across a number of them that didn't celebrate holidays, birthdays and the like - which was a little sad to me. I understand it isn't for everyone but I wanted my daughter to be able to celebrate the fun stuff... gateway was an awesome place for that. They hosted a really fun Halloween event, a few family events and an adorable graduation ceremony (caps, gowns, awards, flowers, goody bags and all!). Teachers: They are truly wonderful. My daughter absolutely adored her preschool teacher (we had teacher Jianna) and I know all the parents in the class felt the same. She took the time to really build relationships with each child and work with them on individual needs. We had a parent-teacher conferences and I always appreciated how thorough her assessments were. Overall, I we have a lot of great memories at Gateway and I'd highly recommend.

I was a bit concerned with some of the earlier reviews here. BUT thankfully, this is a great…read moredaycare and we have both our kids here (2, 4). ALL of the teachers that we've encountered seem so friendly and you can tell they truly love kids, love what they do, and are so caring. The infant teacher that takes care of my son truly loves him SO much, and as for my 4 year old, the teachers are always on top of how she is, what she's doing, what she likes/dislikes, what she needs work on. The facilities COULD use some updates, but honestly, staff & kids are what's most important, kids don't care that much about amenities. I can tell my kids are really thriving here and would highly recommend to anyone! I think the only gripe was that it was a bit hard to get a hold of them for enrollment, but it's only one main office staff and I'm sure she has a lot to deal with dealing with parents, general office & building maintenance, etc. Took some persistence over email and over phone. The contact info on the site is updated so just keep trying!