It's difficult to articulate my thoughts on something that means so much to me. As parents, we…read morevalue the education and care of our children more deeply than words can express. As a teacher, I attach a special significance to this part of my family life. As both a mother and educator, I can confidently say that VLN is a truly special place. The head teacher and owner, Hilda, truly creates a community through her school. One thing that immediately stood out to me was how many of the families either work in education or are teachers themselves. I think that speaks volumes. VLN feels very much like an educator's choice for their own child, and many families return with younger siblings after their older children graduate from the program. At the very beginning of my daughter's enrollment, Hilda did a home visit on her own time and free of charge because she wanted to better understand my daughter's environment and needs. She also invited my daughter to attend extra days during her first month simply to help her acclimate more comfortably after being home with me full-time. That level of care and intentionality is rare. Hilda runs VLN from a place of genuine love for children and their growth, not simply as a business. The tuition is also remarkably affordable considering the children receive homemade meals, thoughtful activities, and individualized attention every day. Because my daughter is an only child, socialization was incredibly important to me, and Hilda, Marimar, and the rest of the staff are extraordinary at helping children build relationships and learn how to exist in community with one another. My daughter started at just 18 months old after being home with me full time, and instead of developing fear or separation anxiety, she quickly became attached to her classmates and excited about school. Even now, I have to be careful not to arrive too early at pickup because she never wants to leave the playground. Another incredible aspect of VLN is its Spanish immersion approach. It has been so fun and meaningful to watch my daughter begin learning Spanish at such a young age. As both a teacher and a parent, I deeply value giving children exposure to another language and culture early in life, and I love seeing her naturally absorb it through songs, play, and everyday interactions. The emotional culture at VLN is something truly special. During circle time, the children talk about gratitude, emotions, family, and kindness toward one another. Hilda also incorporates yoga, breathing, and mindfulness practices that help children feel grounded and connected to themselves. Of course, toddlers will still act like toddlers, but I truly value that my daughter is learning emotional awareness and self-regulation at such a young age. Every morning, Hilda greets her with a big hug, and I can see my daughter melt into it. There is something deeply nurturing and healing about the environment she has created. I toured more traditionally academic preschools before choosing VLN, and I would choose this environment again in a heartbeat. What Hilda has created is not just a preschool, but a deeply loving and emotionally healthy community for children.

Our family has had an incredible experience at Vivan Los Niños. Hilda and her team work so hard and…read morewith so much love for the kids and the community. Our older kid went there for 2 years before TK and our younger is in her second year there now. They do lots of activities (yoga, art, singing, etc.), have amazing outdoors time in the yard with a play structure, and eat excellent food. From the moment I met Hilda I knew my kids would receive loving care in a safe, clear environment from experienced professionals. Communication is great, too, as is the introduction and onboarding process (we toured the school and met Hilda, and before our start date she came to our home to spend time with the kids). Hilda also puts genuine value in creating community around the preschool and between families, and I feel so very fortunate that VLN has become a part of my life. Hours are great (7:30-5) and the price is very reasonable (under 2k per month for full time). Team VLN, you're amazing! After settling in, our kids ran into VLN in the morning and didn't want to leave in the afternoon and so parents' minds can rest easy during the day. I couldn't ask for any more than that. Except there's also Spanish immersion, music, songs, community events, genuine love and care from the owner, etc. etc.

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!

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.

Our daughter has been at Bay Sky for 2 years, and we couldn't be happier with the experience. In…read morethis time she's blossomed into a smart, confident and happy girl, ready for kindergarten. Her Mandarin is spectacular. She has no problem maintaining conversations with native speakers, whether they're close friends/family or chatting up total strangers at the playground. But most of all, we appreciate the warm, caring environment that Grace has provided for all the children. I just wish we had found them earlier so that our older kids could have also attended Bay Sky.

Bay Sky is a gem of a school. Grace does an excellent job supporting the whole child--socially,…read moreemotionally, physically, and cognitively. Mandarin is the primary language used in daily routines, songs, conversations, and play-work, and the children all seem to gain real comfort and confidence with the language even if the household is not Mandarin-speaking. The classroom environment encourages independence and hands-on activities and exudes warm calm. We've seen our child develop solid skills in emotional regulation, social interactions, and self-confidence. Highly recommended for families seeking authentic Mandarin immersion in a thoughtful Montessori setting.

Both of my kids attended Skyline preschool. One of the things we've always loved is the outdoor…read morespace. It's beautiful, really spacious, and the kids have plenty of room to run around and play. The large parking lot is also a huge plus--it makes drop-off and pick-up so much easier! And of course, the teachers are the best part. They're warm, caring, and really attentive to the kids. We've always felt comfortable leaving our children in their care.

We've had such a great experience with Skyline Preschool that we're getting ready to send our third…read morechild there! All of 3 our kids have loved their time at Skyline. The teachers are caring, supportive, and truly get to know each child. It's a warm, welcoming environment where kids can learn, make friends, and have fun. We're so grateful to have found a preschool that our family keeps coming back to year after year.

I don't know where to start! We have sent our 2 boys to Cottage Playhouse (my youngest graduating…read moreend of July). We feel so incredibly lucky to have had Michelle and Chalena in our lives to share their love, care, encouragement, patience, fun, guidance, attentiveness and warmth with our boys. The kids LOVED going to Cottage, each went from before the age of 2 until they went on to Kinder or TK around age 4-5. Cottage is a special place and is hard to put into words. Its small size makes it feel so much more like a family where all kids of different ages support each other and play together. Michelle and Chalena have supported the boys in their learning from early on with letters, numbers, spelling, workbooks and math. The art projects are out of this world, frame worthy. My oldest was completely ready for Kinder and my youngest for TK. Don't hesitate (RUN!) to send your kiddo to this amazing group of kids and teachers. We are extremely sad to say goodbye but feel so fortunate to have had our boys thrive in this amazing community. THANK YOU MICHELLE AND CHALENA. WE LOVE YOU!

Our daughter has been at Cottage for a year and we love it. It was a surprisingly easy transition…read morefrom a nanny I think because the smaller size allows so much individualized attention for each kid. We toured other preschools in the area but they felt overwhelming especially for a sensitive two-year old. The school has several outdoor play areas and the kids do a ton of imaginative play and art. There is also weekly dance and music class which my daughter loves. She comes home with flowers she has planted, amazing paintings, and most recently the ability to describe her feelings! The other parents are great and often get together. It's a really special place! The main limitation is that the current hours are 8:30-3:00. We have arranged our work schedules to make this work because this preschool is so worth it.

We can't say enough positive things about Sunflowers Home Daycare. Our 3.5 year old has been there…read morefor a year now and the growth we've seen has been amazing. She knows letters, numbers, is beginning to spell, practicing tracing/writing. Her days are balanced with fun outdoor play, music, yoga, science/cooking/baking, and arts and crafts. The directors and teachers are so caring. We feel so lucky to have found this gem of a daycare/preschool!

We're thankful to have found Sunflowers! Our daughter has been there for a year and her younger…read morebrother has just joined her there. We like that there's a fun mix of different activities (cooking, yoga, music, outdoor play, nature walks) and learning. The kids play well together, I often hear about things like whose favorite color was what that day and cute songs I haven't heard before. The teachers are so wonderful and in tune with our kid's personality/needs/temperament and they make a point to nurture their interests.

We are so grateful we found this school! Our daughter has grown so much since going. She loves…read moreseeing her classmates and being able to play outside everyday. She gets to feed the chickens and hang out with the Alpacas that are at the school. The teachers are incredible! They are kind, patient, and communicative. We get pictures and videos everyday through Brightwheel and we are so thrilled to see all the fun activities she gets to do. It is so heartwarming to see how much fun the kids have and how kind they are to each other. This school is very special and I highly recommend it!