We enrolled our two-year-old at DVMS for the 2026-27 school year and paid $2,890 upfront, including…read morea $2,700 payment that DVMS's agreement specifically calls a "Last Month Tuition Deposit." The agreement also states that the tuition deposit "is applied to your FINAL DVMS invoice." Before we paid, we had asked DVMS for additional time. They declined, telling us in writing that they had "a significant number of families currently in our wait pool" and therefore could not hold the space without the deposit. Our circumstances later changed and we notified DVMS approximately 30 days before Theo was scheduled to start that he would not be attending. He never attended the school and therefore never had a final tuition invoice against which the "Last Month Tuition Deposit" could be applied. DVMS refused to return the money. Less than 24 hours after we notified them, they told us they could not backfill the opening because wait-pool families had already committed elsewhere. This was difficult to reconcile with their earlier written statement about the significant number of families in their wait pool, our two years on the waitlist, and general community knowledge that most never get into DVMS. We pointed out the language in their own agreement and asked them to identify any contractual provision stating that the "Last Month Tuition Deposit" instead functions as a forfeitable reservation fee when a child never attends. We also asked them to preserve records regarding the wait pool and efforts to fill the opening. They did not provide that information or refund the payment. Parents considering DVMS should understand this policy and the language of the enrollment agreement before paying the deposit. Our experience was that DVMS retained the full $2,890 despite our child never attending, approximately 30 days' notice before his scheduled start date, and the agreement expressly describing $2,700 of the payment as a last-month tuition deposit applied to the final invoice. We also learned that four families from DVMS moved their child to our current school in moraga in the last 30 days alone. It seems this may not be an isolated issue with how they operate.

Diablo Valley Montessori School is an iconic and well known authentic Montessori School. It has a…read morelegacy of high fidelity Montessori education. It follows the scope and sequence of the Montessori curriculum. In a world of screens and instant gratification DVMS provides the hands on concrete experience vital for a child's cognitive development. Their staff is professional and knowledgeable regarding the Montessori curriculum and philosophy. I highly encourage families to experience the true meaning of a Montessori preschool education.

My daughter attended Nanny's House for two years before starting kindergarten, and we couldn't have…read moreasked for a better experience. Marta is amazing, so loving, caring, and truly invested in the children. My daughter always looked forward to going, made great friends (both boys and girls), and not once said, "I don't want to go to school." I love that Nanny's House is play-based but also incorporates academics, reading, music, art, and plenty of outdoor time. Thanks to Marta's guidance my daughter was already reading before kindergarten began. I highly recommend visiting Nanny's House and meeting Marta. You'll see right away why it's such a special place.

Our daughter started at Nanny's house when she was 3 months old. When I was 4 months pregnant with…read moreher I started researching facilities and make sure they were highly rated by the county. You'd be surprised how many come up with one violation or another. Nanny's house was violation free. I interviewed with Nanny (Marta) at her old location. There was instant chemistry. She has this organic and warm feel about her exuding positive energy. She has such a love for children and animals. She has a small and super sweet dog and maintains chickens in a chicken coop feeding the children fresh and organic eggs in the morning. There was a wait list but we made it through as we planned in advance. When we got in, it was like getting into Harvard... our first choice school! When I was at the hospital after giving birth, she sent a sweet care package of flowers, a balloon and a teddy bear for our little girl. Such a nice touch! What school does that? Our daughter spent all years leading up to kindergarten there, even into the pandemic. She worked so hard to keep everyone safe and healthy. It was a crazy time, but always her mind was on how can she protect the children. She was open to feedback and worked to customize her program to meet families on preferences. She has a life sciences program that's outstanding. The kids not only learn all the fundamentals in the classroom, but the learn to garden, they learn about life cycles, they learn cooking (supervised of course). Most importantly they learn how to manage emotions and social interactions. We also had our son join Nanny's House when our daughter was 3 years old. He also joined at 3 months of age. The infant program has a maximum of 4 babies in it all 3 months to 1 year 11 months. With the location being her home, it doesn't have an institutional style feel. I live nearby and as he was a baby during pre-covid, I was allowed to come by to nurse in person when I needed to. The family get togethers were some of my favorite memories at Nanny's house and I still stay in touch with the other families to this day. Halloween and her Christmas holiday party were a blast, along with a formal graduation celebration. One thing I helped Nanny's house bring into the program is a mobile app called Kidz Note that updates the families on what is going on each day in the classroom or infant room. She provides photos each day and often videos. Her reports let's you know what's going on with eating or and if there are any boo boo reports. It also allows for parent-teacher communication. We treasure our memories at Nanny's House. Our daughter still talks about Nanny's House to this day and wants to visit soon. For anyone who is looking for a very personal full time daycare and preschool experience with long hours 7:30a - 6p with all meals covered, this one's for you!

Our family has been incredibly pleased with Growing Light Montessori in Lafayette, and would highly…read morerecommend it! The teachers are extremely skilled, patient, and nurturing. Since our child started we've seen a dramatic increase in her social development, creativity, and engagement in group activities. Class sizes are small with multiple teachers, and allow for a level of personalized attention that you can directly observe during drop-offs and pickups. Our child even talks about her teachers and asks after them on weekends. Communication with parents is also great. The school keeps us informed with regular updates, progress reports, and pictures of the kids engaged in class activities. The communication is two ways as well, they always respond quickly to feedback or questions, and they're very accommodating to any life circumstances that may come up. The campus and classrooms are well organized, spacious, and have multiple outdoor play areas. The school also organizes regular social events, educational workshops, and seasonal celebrations for families. We can't recommend Growing Light highly enough. It's absolutely worth it, and we feel lucky to have joined!

Both our son and daughter attended this preschool, and we couldn't be happier. The staff is…read moreattentive, warm, patient, and always accessible--you can tell they truly care. The environment is nurturing and thoughtfully balanced between learning and play. Our kids came home happy, confident, and excited every day. We really have nothing but positive things to say. It's been a fantastic start to their learning journey.

We truly cannot fully express the amount of joy, comfort, and confidence we feel leaving our…read morechildren in the loving hands of White Pony Preschool. When searching for the perfect preschool, we had very clear priorities - and White Pony was the only school that checked every box (for context, I'm an Excel-spreadsheet fanatic and a serious researcher - I visited many schools, observed classrooms/teachers, analyzed environments, and spoke with current and former parents across 15 preschools in Walnut Creek and Lafayette before choosing Meher Schools). Our top priorities were: 1. Teachers who genuinely practice kindness, patience, and love, creating a safe, nurturing environment that mirrors the care we provide at home. 2. A strong focus on kindness, emotional and spiritual development alongside academics, using the Nurtured Heart Approach to teach leadership, right from wrong, and strong values - something that truly matters in today's world. 3. A calm, orga, clean, and open environment inspired by Montessori/Waldorf principles, filled with music, dance, art, nature exploration, and joyful activities that spark curiosity and a love of learning. 4. Low teacher-to-student ratios with consistent, dedicated staff and minimal turnover. 5. The ease and convenience of reliable daycare availability and consistent school hours, which is invaluable for working parents and provides tremendous peace of mind. Our children have grown into calm, patient, loving, socially and emotionally intelligent individuals. They come home happy - singing songs, performing dances, and confidently demonstrating leadership skills such as speaking up, standing up for others, self-regulating ("resetting"), appreciating nature, sharing their finished "projects" from school, and truly loving life. We are incredibly grateful for the dependable, efficient, and communicative staff and teachers. Watching our children's growth, confidence, curiosity, and joy throughout their time at White Pony Preschool has been nothing short of amazing. We wholeheartedly and highly recommend White Pony Preschool to any parent looking for the very best for their child.

White Pony Preschool literally changed our lives- not just for my 4 year old son but for our…read morefamily. Prior to attending White Pony Preschool, my son experienced behavior difficulties. After the first day of school, he told me he loves White Pony and that he is so happy. We saw an immediate shift in his overall mood, a decrease in negative behaviors, increase in social skill development, an improvement in cooperative play and an increase his interest in attending school. White Pony preschool offered parent training in the nurtured heart approach and helped us as parents focus on the positive qualities within our son which in turn changed his behaviors at home. In less than a year our son went from a child who was bullied, who cried and did not follow instructions to a warm, empathetic, helpful boy with loving and kind friends. He developed compassion, empathy, a love for art, music and gardening and well developed manners of which I can take no credit for (I'm from New York). White Pony's teachers are experienced, loving, kind and dedicated to the growth of their students. The school's dedication to multi-cultural and diversity teaching has encouraged us as a family to learn and grow. This year my son was so excited to tell me all about Chinese New Year including a beautiful red lantern he made as well as festive art and music. Since my son has attended White Pony preschool he has expanded the foods that he will eat since White Pony serves healthy snacks as well as vegetables and fruits from the preschool garden. They also involve the children in making food as part of the learning. Thanks to White Pony preschool my son will now eat vegetable soup, berries, cucumber, and more. While this may not seem like a big deal to some parents, it meant the world to use as we had such a picky eater. At first, I wasn't sure if I wanted my son to attend a mixed age classroom until I saw how it impacted him. He loves mentoring the younger students and acting as the "helper" in guiding them to follow the teacher's instructions. The mix of ages helped him develop his self esteem and also develop a gentleness with children younger than him. I can go on and on but this is already a long review so I will end it on saying that we will be continuing with the Meher school and our son will go to Kindergarten. Lastly, we would like to publicly thank the teachers and staff at White Pony Preschool for all they have done for our son.

My daughter attended Joyful Beginnings for 2 years before starting kindergarten. We always had a…read morevery positive experience there, but I'm kind of glad I never reviewed the preschool because now I have an even better perspective now that my daughter is in grade school. I feel like the teachers did an amazing job preparing her for kindergarten and fostering both her social and academic skills. I'm thrilled to write that my daughter is loving school and excited to go everyday. Thanks to everyone at Joyful Beginnings, especially the incredible teachers Erica, Tracy, and Taryn! The school runs very efficiently under the direction of Carol, and I always found it to be an incredibly safe and clean environment. I liked that the days/schedule was a bit flexible and that helped our family be able to select the schedule that would fit our finances. Thanks to all!

We love this school! All the staff is amazing! Very communicative, caring, professional and truly…read morehave the education and know how to care for your children and all their needs! My mom has been in education for nearly forty years and always loves everything I tell her about our preschool. I love that they use the brightwheel app and you can see pictures the teachers post to see what the kids are learning about or what fun activities they are up to. Can't recommend JB enough!

My son has attended TCDS in Lafayette for 2 years. I cannot say enough great things about this…read morewonderful school. He absolutely loves his friends and teachers and feels "at home" there. The teachers are warm, patient and caring and truly seem to care about each child. He has learned so much, both socially and academically and I know that he will be more than prepared when he attends Kindergarten in the fall. I work full-time so he is at school all day, but it gives me peace of mind to know that he is being well taken care of, challenged, and also having a great fun time at school. I truly cannot think of one negative thing to say about this school.

From the owner: The Child Day Schools, LLC (TCDS) provides a unique curriculum and dynamic environment that sparks…read morechildren's excitement and curiosity for learning. TCDS also honors the vital relationship between the teacher, child, and family to enhance children's lives today and in the future. * Preschool * Pre-K * Kindergarten * School Age Follows NAEYC Accreditation Standards Low Teacher-Child Ratios Preschool: Full Day: 6:45 am to 6:15 pm School Day: 9:00 am to 3:00 pm AM Preschool: 9:00 am - 12:30 pm Kindergarten: Full Day: 6:45 am to 6:15 pm School Day: 8:30 am to 2:45 pm AM Kindergarten: 8:30 am to 1:00 pm Our Lafayette location, the first campus of The Child Day Schools, opened in 1976. We are located in downtown Lafayette, on Stuart St., just off Mt. Diablo Blvd. Karen Garrity Director

My daughter attended two other daycares before Building Bridges, and we faced challenges at both…read more She is a sensitive, emotional child, so when we had to change schools again after her previous preschool was sold to a corporate owner, I was incredibly worried. From the very first day we walked into Building Bridges, though, we felt at ease. It truly is a hidden gem in Lafayette. My daughter blossomed there and became a completely different child. For the first time, she looked forward to going to school every morning and couldn't wait to spend time with her teachers and friends. The teachers are genuinely caring, and because the school is small to mid-sized, every child receives so much attention and love. You can truly see how much the staff pours their hearts into these kids. The campus is charming, clean, and beautifully maintained, tucked into a wonderful neighborhood with fantastic outdoor spaces. One of the things I appreciated most was the curriculum. It strikes such a wonderful balance between art, early literacy, math, hands-on learning, and play. My daughter came home excited to share what she had learned, and she constantly surprised me with new knowledge about different topics. It was clear she was learning every day while still getting to be a kid. The program was the perfect fit for her, and seeing her happy, confident, and excited before and after school every day meant everything to us. We feel incredibly lucky to have found Building Bridges, and it will always be a special part of our family's memories. Today we said goodbye as my daughter begins TK, and while it's bittersweet, we are so grateful for the wonderful year and a half she spent there. Thank you to the amazing teachers and staff for creating such a nurturing, joyful place for children to learn and grow. You made a lasting difference in our daughter's life, and we'll always be thankful.

We've been with building bridges over 2 years now, and we couldn't be happier. The teachers are…read morewonderful and it truly feels like a partnership. Ps they host date nights!!

Old Firehouse School is Exceptional!…read more We sent both of our children to OFS after moving to Lafayette, and it was a wonderful experience for our family. The dedication of the staff is truly what sets this school apart. We especially valued the model where teachers, like Liz, Pam, and Zahara, continue to work with the students as they grow. This consistency and the deep care they show for the children is evident every day. Our kids absolutely loved their teachers. We are huge fans of their kid-led, project-based learning approach. It allows the students to drive their own education. Just as important is their focus on emotional education--teaching kids practical ways to understand and manage their feelings, which is a key skill for life. Alex and Michelle are fantastic leaders, and the entire team deserves praise. We have nothing but great things to say about OFS and highly recommend it.

I have had at least one child at OFS since 2021. It is an incredible community and the director…read moreAlex is a thoughtful, bright, measured, and caring leader. We have loved all the teachers we've worked with and were first drawn to OFS because of the Reggio Emilio method they practice. This approach centers around a single primary caregiver for the majority of a child's time at the school. Our oldest has come out of OFS with incredible social emotional skills as a result of this model. We still have our son there and will be sad the day we have to leave. This is not the closest school to our home, but we trust the staff and we can't imagine going anywhere else.

We spent a lot of time looking for a school for our child, and we were lucky enough to find Pied…read morePiper! Being "transplants" without family nearby, we can attest to the care, compassion, and support that the teachers and families bring to the table. It is quite unique! My highly energetic son absolutely loves coming to school. It might be the huge yard that is accessible to the students for most of the day, the bikes, trucks, enormous sand pit, play structures and mud kitchens... or the rainbow room full of imaginative play costumes and accessories. As parents, we love how much he has been exposed to in just two years. The curriculum is play based and after reading up on this type of education and the science and statistics behind it... we decided we would give it a shot. I am so happy we did. Every day, there are tables dedicated to science, art, fine and gross motor skills and in the B session the kids learn how to read and write. In lieu of TK we decided to do another year of Pied Piper and we are confident he will be more than ready for kindergarten! Another thing that stood out to us about Pied Piper is the flexibility that their particular co-op model offers. Many co-ops are inflexible especially when it comes to maternity leave, or opting out of an expected committee. They have designed their co-op model for both working parents and stay at home parents. There is always an option and flexibility around your responsibilities, and all expectations are laid out ahead of time in their handbook. The teachers at Pied Piper are second to none. I am an educator myself and have worked with young children for over twenty years. Teacher Pia, Teacher Carrie and Teacher Mike absolutely love their job. They shine with the kids. They bring out the best in them and coach them (and the parents) through hard times. They are both compassionate and hold boundaries. They are consistent. My son has grown so much emotionally with them by his side. I've also learned so much as a parent co-oping in the classroom. Lastly we love how Pied Piper celebrates family traditions, and really knows how to make holidays and learning units special. Families are encouraged to share their unique backgrounds and traditions at circle time (Chinese New Year, Christmas, Chanukah,) and bring food and books to share with the class. Holidays are always over the top with decorations and celebration, and the teachers transform the school during learning units (space unit, teddy bear tea, post office). As transplants that came into the school only knowing their neighbors, we will leave the school with a wonderful group of friends and families that we have connected with. We love Pied Piper Preschool!

We cannot say enough wonderful things about Pied Piper Preschool! We have sent both of our children…read morehere, and it has been the most transformative experience for our entire family. If you are looking for a true play-based environment where 'kids can be kids' while developing a deep love for learning, this is it. Teachers Pia, Mike, and Carrie are absolutely the greatest. They bring so much joy, patience, and intentionality to everything they do. You can tell they truly understand child development and see each child as a unique individual. What really sets Pied Piper apart is the community. Especially being new to the area, we found a village here. We've made wonderful, lifelong friendships with other families, and our kids have thrived socially and emotionally. One of the biggest surprises was the flexibility of the co-op model. As a full-time working parent navigating the transition of being back in an office, I was worried about the commitment, but the school has been incredibly supportive and flexible. My co-oping days became the highlight of my week! It gave me a front-row seat to my children's growth and helped me become a much more informed and confident parent. Pied Piper is so much more than just a preschool; it's a family.

What a special school, led by outstanding director Holly and her truly incredible teaching team!…read moreI've been a middle/high school teacher, and my kids previously attended two different preschools in the area, so suffice to say I've met a lot of teachers and seen a lot of schools, and I am just blown away at the quality of Michael Lane. The teachers are genuinely warm, kind and loving with every kid, calm and professional in every circumstance and interaction, authentic and kind with parents...I'm not sure how they do it, other than they are just really special people, with a remarkable director, and they have a ton of experience. Great play-based program with thoughtful activities and opportunities every day/week for the kids. Inclusive and non-religious, though it's connected to a church. Hands down best decision we made was to switch to Michael Lane!!

With our first kid, we toured three preschools and got lucky getting accepted into MLP. Our…read moredaughter loved being there from the first day to her last , so it was a no-brainer sending our second one there. The teachers are amazing, the facilities are amazing, plus the snack calendar that's published every month is amazing. You'll get to know other parents and get integrated into a very welcoming community.