We've had such an amazing experience at Sunshine House in Concord. When we first toured, we were…read moreimmediately blown away by how attentive the teachers were, their strong communication, and how engaged all of the kids seemed. Three years later, I can confidently say we made the right choice. My daughter has been attending since she was two and will be graduating this fall to go to Kindergarten. The growth we've seen in her has been incredible. I truly feel like Sunshine House has set her up for success. The teachers are so warm, supportive, and genuinely care about the kids. They were especially helpful during big milestones like potty training, which made a huge difference for us. Both of my kids absolutely adore their teachers, which says everything. I also love that they offer onsite electives you can sign up for--it's such a convenient and fun addition to their already strong program. Another thing that stands out is how they rotate rooms and toys to keep things fresh and engaging for the kids. Overall, this school has exceeded our expectations in every way. My kids LOVE it here, and we feel so lucky to be part of this community.

We love Sunshine House! All of the teachers are incredibly kind and personable. The space itself is…read morebig and offers various toys, as well as unique areas to play, including two outside yards. My son really enjoys the dress up room, which changes themes regularly. I'm also very impressed with the school's activities; each day has a different theme, and the kids do activities based on the theme. We are also sent a schedule of the following month so we're aware of what the kids are learning. Some of the days encourage (easy) dress up participation so it is fun for the kids to be involved. While the school doesn't offer lunch, they do serve breakfast and snacks. They also provide nap time mats and cubbies. As a parent, I particularly love the communication! The teachers sometimes leave notes about my son in his cubby so I can read about fun things he does throughout the day. They also post pictures and videos on social media (you can opt out) throughout the day, if you want to see fun stuff the kids are up to. Finally, we found it to be one of the more affordable preschools in the area. We plan to attend Sunshine School until it's time for kindergarten!

I can't say enough great things about this school. All of my kids attended here for preschool and…read moreTK. The teachers are wonderful and we really wanted a play-based program. You can't beat the outdoor space along with chickens. This is a co-op so you will volunteer more than a traditional drop off preschool, but you will build a community of like-minded families. I have made life-long friends here and after having kids, making friends can be tough. I loved getting to know the kids in the class and my own kids loved having me there with them.

I tried visiting their afternoon playtime to meet the teachers a couple of times before signing up…read more One time I signed up, showed up, and was turned away at the door because they didn't have enough sign ups to host the play time that night. A phone call or email letting me know that ahead of time would've been nice, because I had loaded my two kids in the car and my husband left work early to be there since they requested to meet both parents during the playgroup. The next time, same thing. I later found out that I can't bring my younger baby during my volunteer hours, which are required every other week. If my son were to attend. So in the long run, it really doesn't work if you have more than one child anyway. That information would've been helpful before I rearranged our lives to accommodate the school twice.

We've been part of the Kidz Planet family for six years with our two children, and we can't say…read moreenough great things about this school. The teachers and staff are caring, patient, and truly invested in every child. The school is well-run, communicates regularly through the app with updates and photos, and hosts fun family events throughout the year. We also have to mention the food--our son graduated two years ago and still says Kidz Planet had his favorite meals! We're so grateful for the love and care our family has received over the years and highly recommend Kidz Planet to anyone looking for an amazing preschool.

My daughter attended Kidz Planet in Concord for about a year and a half, and my wife and I couldn't…read morehave been happier with the experience. She would come home every day singing new songs and excitedly sharing the games she had learned at school. As first-time parents navigating the daycare world, we couldn't have asked for a better place than Kidz Planet. Celia and the team were nothing short of amazing. One thing that really stood out was their communication system. Whether it was for security updates or general news, their consistent updates and the photos they shared were incredible. It made us feel so connected to her day--we'd review the photos together and talk about everything she did. The level of detail and care in their communication was truly unmatched. Thank you again to the entire Kidz Planet team. Our daughter misses you all so much!

My 4 year old and my 1 year old loved it here! The admin…read moreteam and the teachers are all so wonderful and caring. They really care for the children and the classes are very engaging. I highly recommend this daycare!

I'm the mother of a 2 year old, and I'd like to start by sharing our expectation from a pre-SCHOOL…read more "A safe and loving environment, that allows our child to grow at his pace, while instilling values, that become the building blocks of our child's character." BACKGROUND: We are new parents who had to start our child in a home-based care at 9 months. We continued to explore schools with structure and curriculum in our area looking for educators, not mere minders. This brought us to his first "school". A 30-45 minutes drive each way. After enrollment however, we struggled with continuity of care, teacher accountability and overall responsible follow-through of promises made during admission at this school. After 10 months saddled with accumulating deficits of a rather inexperienced young school, discrepant communication and extremely long commute we withdrew our child to be enrolled at another nearby school with good reviews, camera access and good current-parent's positive feedbacks. This enrollment turned out to be 6 weeks of trauma and torture for our child and consequently us. Unreported scrapes, teachers bellowing across rooms at toddlers, not reporting the child having stayed hungry for the entire day, no engagement with toddlers wandering aimlessly through the classroom, no handwashing habits, no education of good or bad behavior, no changing of dirty clothes/use of bibs/sunblock, and inconsistent reporting of day's activities. To add insult to this injury, it took us 2 full weeks to schedule a sit down with the principal while the teacher failed address A SINGLE of our concerns. We served notice and withdrew our son. We mustered courage to fight our past failures with our child's school and worked out a plan, charted all our requirements. We started an open dialogue about our weariness for changing environments for such a young child and the abject need to do it with PRIMROSE SCHOOL OF WALNUT CREEK EAST and they heard us and delivered in the following ways. MANAGEMENT: Met with us as many times as we needed. Included class teachers to understand and address how they would work with our child. Continued to keep us appraised of all developments as well us accommodated our requests within the school policy. CONTINUITY OF CARE: In less than a week my child started running up to his teachers Ms. Kareena and Ms. Erica showering them with warm hugs each morning. At pickup the teachers share reliable, consistent feedback of my son's day and always greet and see him off with love. ETHOS: Primrose fosters different moral qualities embodied through its characters, which are being visibly inculcated in our child too. Teachers' planned effort to foster independence in daily chores/activities and how to grow in their community (of peers, teacher, parents) is particularly impressive to us. FOOD: The meals are appropriately planned throughout the day and the menu is balanced and pre-published. The team also respectfully offers to accommodate dietary restrictions should a child need it. PLAY: The pedagogy includes planned play for children, that we find particularly rewarding for our child, since it invokes his curiosity in a deliberated environment, while still allowing room for explorations and development. The curriculum plans for learning in diverse aspects ENVIRONEMNT: The classrooms are naturally and artificially lit, so none of the classes look like florescent shoeboxes. The facility is new construction and nestled in a safe neighborhood. The premises remain clean and free of ANY odor at all times (a really rare find) with most setups. DROP-OFF and PICK-UP: The neighborhood is rather active, and the surrounding businesses and its visitors give a safe feeling. That said, parking is not-easy during rush hours or when events are hosted, however, this, for us isn't a deal-breaker by a long shot. IN ESSENCE: I would like to underscore the efforts of my son's class teachers in painting our family's experience so positively. Their work makes us feel safe and worry free for our child. The management acts like the cherry on top that makes the school oh-so-desirable! I've written a lengthy review for the first time in my life, because it is essential to laud an institution for its remarkable effort. We have struggled with several bad experiences despite our best efforts, and had hoped our child could be spared these early challenges as we slowly discovered a suitable path. I hope this is helpful for some parents looking for answers about an experience at this school.

Our son is finishing up his time at sunshine house Martinez. He is graduating and moving onto…read morekindergarten in the fall. We can't thank Sunshine house and all the staff/teachers enough for everything they have done for our son. He has excelled and show such progress during T-K. They have prepared him for his next step and we can't thank Sunshine house enough. We are so excited our daughter will attending in the fall as well!

My daughter loves it here! We switched from another daycare (won't say any names) and it's so much…read moremore organized. My daughter says she likes how each day has a theme/topic that the kids learn about. On the way to school everyday she asks me to tell her what they will be talking about that day- the school sends that in an email every week. The teachers are all super friendly and they post a lot of pictures and videos of what the kids are doing on Facebook/instagram. I can ask my daughter about it when she gets home. Love it here!

My family and I LOVE Center of Gravity!!! It was a wonderful time of learning and growth for my…read moreson, as parents, and as a community. The teachers are so supportive and nurturing teaching the kids life long skills and beliefs in unique, innovative, and fun ways that have stayed put throughout the years. So much of who my kid is now is shaped by his early experiences with the COG teachers and staff (& families) and those abilities and skills are still very much a part of who he is! His commitment to caring for others, not because he should, but because that's his civic duty. His awareness for justice and injustice are due to the child-appropriate conversations that take place in class and followed up at home (with tons of resources from the school.) His ability to communicate, create, design, be an empath etc. are all things he learned at COG. We picked COG because of its commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and its STEAM-focused and child-centered instruction. We stayed for it amazing community of parents and teachers. COG isn't like everywhere else, and its not for everyone. Families who choose COG and stay at COG are intentional about a space that matches their own beliefs and values. Ask about how they approach holidays, birthdays, current events, etc - it's truly unlike most places, and if it resonates with how you value those things, then COG is a place to consider. I feel like we've met lifelong friends because of the shared belief systems and values, which is an added benefit to being a COG alum. Do yourself a favor and attend a tour when researching preschools, and you will immediately "feel" the difference. Look at the walls and see the uniqueness of the activities, projects, and themes selected by the students through meticulous planning and coordination . Listen (truly) to what's being said by the kids as they engage with one another and in community. Spend a moment and put yourself in the mindset of a kid experiencing choice, exploration, and curiosity in TRUE fashion. Ask about the "dailies" which are an epic insight into what your kid does all day, similar to a "Day in the Life of a kid."

Both of our kids have gone through Center of Gravity, and we couldn't be happier with the…read moreexperience. From the very beginning, we felt totally at home. The teachers are warm, caring, and incredibly thoughtful. They truly know and value each child. The school is mission-driven in everything they do. Our kids came home every day excited to share what they were learning and doing, and as parents we receive a daily slide-deck of photos and notes on what the kids did that day. It's quite impressive! We've also really appreciated the parent education support, especially around the Kindergarten transition. It helped us feel informed and supported during a big change. Communication is another big strength. The monthly emails are clear and detailed, with updates on classroom activities, school-wide events, and helpful resources. Extras like art, music, Spanish, Capoeira, and nutritious meals (included) make the experience feel well-rounded and intentional. Center of Gravity is more than a preschool. It's a caring, connected community that has given our kids a wonderful start. We're so grateful to be part of it!

Our child began attending Concordia in kindergarten and four years later, they are thriving!…read moreConcordia is everything we could hope for in a school and a community. The teachers are caring and invested. The Montessori curriculum gives the child ownership and responsibility for their own learning with guidance from the teachers, while allowing room for playful curiosity. The school also places a focus on social responsibility, so my child isn't just getting an academic education but a social education as well: learning personal responsibility, learning to interact with mixed age groups, to problem-solve through conflict resolution, and to contribute through acts of kindness at school and at home. The school is delightfully "dumb" in that devices and online learning are not a part of the lower grade levels. The kids are taught cursive and write out most of their works. Homework is not introduced until the third grade level. And I love that kids have the option to work in the way that suits them best, whether that's on the floor, sitting at a desk, or standing at a table. They can work with a friend, or work alone in the quiet room to aid focus. The school understands that every kid's learning process is a little different and helps set the kids up for success. We feel so fortunate to have found this school that is so caring and inclusive of families of all races, ethnicities, gender identity, family structure, and/or socioeconomic status. In addition to feeling like the right learning environment for our child, we are so grateful to have found this community and be welcomed into it. We will be so sorry to leave after 6th grade!

My kids have been attending this school since 2017 and I can honestly say that Concordia is a…read morespecial place. We looked at many preschools before deciding to enroll at Concordia and we haven't looked back. From preschool all the way to sixth grade, this is a special place where the teachers and staff care about each and every child's academic and social development. It really feels like being part of a big family. The school just celebrated their 50th anniversary - they have been around so long that my husband went to the school when he was a kid! Its great to be a part of a long-standing community. Who knows, maybe my grandkids will go here some day!

My son just graduated the New Hope Academy preschool program and NHA has been such an amazing…read moreexperience for him! He is excited to go to school everyday and talks nonstop about his friends, his teachers and all the fun things they do everyday. They make learning so exciting with all their activities and it's all so much fun for the kids. My favorite part of the program is the structured schedule that the kids can rely on and know "ok, now it's time for ______" but the activities are always varied so it's never boring for them! Watching him grow intellectually and socially while in the preschool program has been so rewarding as a parent and we are so grateful to have been a part of such an amazing school and community. We'll be continuing into the kindergarten program and can't wait!

This preschool is awesome. The level of care and love put in is absolutely amazing. My daughter…read moreenjoys her class, classmates and absolutely loves her teachers. I can't remember the last time I knew a kid excited for school everyday. When we were looking for different schools this one stood out, answered all my questions, and most importantly made me feel comfortable that this would be a place where my daughter would thrive. Much love to New Hope and a big thanks for all they do from not only myself, but my daughter to her teachers, friends, and besties.