The teachers here are amazing! The teachers and staff are always welcoming. I know my child is safe…read morewhen I drop them off. If I can give them 10 stars I would! I highly recommend this center for families.

Although our little one doesn't go here yet, as we only did the tour earlier this month, I wanted…read moreto provide a review of the tour. The preschool has locks on the doors which i though provides an extra sense of security. The entire facility was clean and well maintained. Dawn was polite, friendly and down to earth. She answered all our questions, and you can really tell she has put time and energy and most importantly her love into this place. Excited for new beginning here in August:)

Our daughter started at SMCC a week before her second birthday. She is now 6 years old and…read morecontinues to frequent SMCC on days that her elementary school is closed - we wouldn't send her anywhere else. SMCC is not just a "daycare" to us; it's a part of our family. When our daughter was diagnosed with autism at 2 1/2, they opened their hearts and minds to learn more and educate themselves. They become part of our journey. SMCC is full of the most supportive and loving individuals we could ever ask for.

So happy our friends who have 2 children at SMCC recommended it to us. Our child has thrived in…read morethis truly special environment. We are very grateful to all the staff that create this wonderful community focused on outdoor play, opportunities for lots of learning based around social time and nurturing our child as he grows.

We absolutely love this school! After raising two children and starting over again with our…read moreyoungest, finding the right school was very important to us. This is our favorite private school in Marin County. We are so thankful to have found a wonderful Lutheran school that offers a caring environment and an excellent education. We couldn't be happier with our choice, and we're so grateful to be part of this wonderful school community.

We decided to move our son from Kent in order to find a school that valued psychological…read moredevelopment as much as academic. The education at Good Shepherd is very hands-on as the classes are smaller and more personal. Laura the principal, heads a group of committed educators who genuinely care about their students. They strive to educate without creating a stressful environment. The language arts is fantastic. It fosters the type of analytical thinking that creates critical and creative thinking. This is a wonderful school providing a nurturing academic experience. We are very glad we chose to send our son to Good Shepherd Middle School.

Very unique school, amazing director and teacher, fantastic community, a chance to participate in…read moreour kid's growth and development, and to learn a lot as a parent.

I sent both of my kids here and loved it. True, it is a lot of work but totally worth it. The 1…read moreadult to 3 kid ratio means they get more attention and practice conversing with adults and kids in a proactive way, which lays the basic foundation for emotional health for the rest of their lives. You can almost spot the co-op kids wherever you go because they are so confident in many settings. I treasure all the friendships we have made along the way.

I've put off writing this review for quite a while now, b/c DC'ing is such a beloved institution,…read moreand also, there are so few daycares in Marin, that even if not a good fit, you may not have a choice. I ultimately decided to throw down my two cents, in case it helps a family, with similar ideas and priorities as ours, in deciding where to spend their hard-earned money and time (because this is a co-op you will be expected to dedicate work hours, too). If you commute from SF for work, good luck getting there at 6pm. I think more than a few parents hire nannies to pick up their kids or one parent only works part-time or not at all, which is how they manage it. And don't let the relaxed vibe there fool you. Even being a minute late will cost you $5, plus a few very nasty looks. Do it twice, and they threaten to expel your kid. It's a nonprofit, but they charge nearly as much as any other daycare. They have a fundraiser too that you are expected to contribute to. I raised $500 my first year there (Didn't get so much a thank you note. Makes me sorry that I traded in my "mommy capitol" among my friends and family to get them to donate, when I really could have used that effort and my friends cash for a nonprofit that would have truly appreciate it.) When you tour the place, you will see the rows and rows of diapers in the one small bathroom. Thats because easily 80% of kids are not toilet trained, including the ones who are going to start kindergarten next year. They only take the kids to the bathroom twice a day. The bathroom is hidden off in a side room, very far away from the play area. Trying to potty train your kid in this set up is a losing battle. (My kid was potty trained w/in 4 weeks at a new daycare, without me changing anything else about our routine. The new place takes the kids every hour). Initially, I thought the place had a sort of casual chic. $1300/month later, I wondered where my money was going, with the dirty toys, broken furniture, peeling paint, and all the delayed maintenance, including plumbing / drainage problems that shut the place down for a few days, that left us scrambling for daycare. Once again, they rely on that "relaxed" vibe to be what I would charterize as disorganized. If you have any questions or issues about your kid, you are supposed to write it in this notebook at the front. I don't think anyone reads that though, so I wound up spending a lot of time buttonholing teachers and telling them personally anytime I had info to convey. Meals - as you probably know if you are touring the place, you provide meals. That's fine, however, they are supposed to help your kid find, open, and eat their food. The very small kids, 3 - 5, have trouble with this. Example - my kids lunchbox had front and side compartments. I discovered that no one was bothering to open them up, and get the food out for my toddler. Meals wasted, kid hungry. 3 years old is just too little for kids for to be expected to feed themselves. My son is a picky eater as is - but even for a good eater, expecting them to find and open his own food? Like the potty issue, it comes down to staffing - too little of them. Staff - some are nice, some are less so, most of them seem overwhelmed. The owner only works 3/4 time (not there on Friday). I'm not one of those parents who minds if their kid gets dirty. My son is a very active child and loves a good mud puddle. However, I have my limits. He would come home, absolutely filthy, just about every day, including permanent stains from nonwashable markers and paint. I asked them if they could either switch to washable paint ("no, these are the paints we use") or put a smock on the kids ("no, we don't have time for that"). So, I had to add soaking and treating my son's clothes to my To Do list every day, or else have every picture ever taken of my kid in clothes looking like I dug them out of the trash. Or have an entire other wardrobe for weekends, with all my extra cash. And call me a bad person, but I would have liked to be able to go at least one day without having to give my kid a full bath. Overall, I don't think this place is understanding or responsive to the needs of working parents, particularly moms. It probably started as little coop for mommies to take the kids to a few hours a week, so they could socialize, but not as a real daycare, for working parents. Example - my kid was having a tough week, and kept asking for me. The teacher asked me if I could "spend some time with him. Just 15 minutes a day." She actually believed that I literally never spent more than 14 minutes a day with my kid - probably less! I didn't know whether to laugh or cry, but I calmly explained to her that despite having a jobs, my husband and I spent breakfast, and 6 pm to bedtime every night with our kid, not to mention of course weekends. She honestly looked flabbergasted. Then said "oh. ok. I guess you do see him." SMH. Like I said at the outset, I know I'm the outlier here.

I cannot say enough about this wonderful school. I credit my two-year-old son's happiness, growth…read moreand (decent ;) behavior at home to all of these absolutely wonderful providers. They have shown my son incredible patience and love (He has grown especially attached to Eva ;), and, as a single mom, it means a lot to me that they charge very affordable prices compared to other schools.

Incredible preschool, our daughter recently graduated and started kindergarten. Now our son is in…read morethe new toddler daycare program and we are so happy having him there! Teacher Nico does an excellent job running the school and we really enjoy having had both kids there!! The new toddler house is fully renovated, everything is bright and open and brand new. A great facility, wonderful staff!

My daughter spent her first year of school here before we moved and I cannot express how much Mr…read more Nico helped her progress. She knows a lot of letters, numbers, shapes and more, but most important my shy girl found her voice! Starting school at her new school was a breeze and she is far ahead of the class. I would recommend anybody to send their kid here. Mr. Nico is welcoming, warm and always consistent with the kids, not to mention the kids absolutely love him. My daughter still asks to go back to school at Acqua.

We love Miss Nicky's! As first time parents we weren't sure what to expect in a preschool when we…read moreenrolled our daughter almost 3 years ago, but we (and she) couldn't be happier. Literally within 24 hours of her first day we noticed her vocabulary had expanded, she was more sociable, she was excited to go to school each day, and she has been thriving ever since. The teachers at Miss Nicky's are fabulous- so patient, knowledgeable, helpful, and genuinely caring. The school has so many fun events for the kiddos year round, and they do an amazing job of balancing fun with education and learning. Highly recommend this preschool! And bonus that it runs year round with an awesome summer program!

Context: This is our first pre-school experience for first child (three year old) in the midst of…read morethe covid-19 pandemic(enrolled in Jan 2021). Our son is thriving and LOVES going to pre-school(MNP&TC campus). He raves about Miss Karina and his teacher Miss Mandy. While the pandemic/safety protocols have made it difficult to get a closer glimpse inside the walls, staff and Nicky are great at communicating our son's progress, development, and day-to-day details. Miss Nicky is super responsive and makes herself available in all phases from pre-enrollment to being a tenured student. It's worth noting that we started our son during one of the largest COVID surges and were admittedly anxious. Miss Nicky invested a material amount of time guiding us through the protocols staff takes in addition to her close tracking of state/county/officials and subject matter experts on operating safely during these times. Additionally, Nicky and some of her staff's children are enrolled at the campuses which I see as a positive. Thank you for creating an environment that brings so much joy and love to all those who are lucky enough to attend! Random side note: The outside area at MNPTC is awesome and spacious, I toured many different preschools in Marin and SF and this one stands out in particular.

Teachers were always good. Just a really liberal school. Lots of the kids end up going to…read morealternative schools afterwards. Or those outdoor learning schools.

Toured many preschools and found St. Francis to be the right fit for our child. While the school is…read morenot faith based we liked that the campus was at a church and tucked away. Immediately upon touring St. Francis we felt it was something special. It felt cozy and whimsical yet they offered structure and an established reputation. The staff are competent, caring, and enthusiastic about their work. We love our teachers so far and our kiddo is constantly doing things at school like art, cooking, and general play that support her current social and emotional skillsets. Definitely a great place to start your kiddos educational journey. We feel very lucky to be a part of the St. Francis community.