Our son has been with Creative since he was just 6 months old, and we couldn't be happier with our…read moreexperience. Silvia and the entire staff treat him like family, which gives us so much peace of mind while we're away. Their love and dedication truly shine through. Since joining Creative, our son has flourished in so many ways--physically, emotionally, and in his speech development. Now, at 20 months, he amazes us daily with new words and songs he's learned, as well as important life skills like picking up his toys and throwing things in the trash. The learning environment they provide is incredible! Beyond his development, we've also noticed how social and personable he has become, which we largely credit to the nurturing and interactive atmosphere at Creative. We are so grateful for Silvia and the entire team for fostering such a loving and enriching space for our son. Thank you, Silvia!

My son started at Creative Montessori at age 3.5 years old. Due to Covid he had been home the whole…read moretime and spoke no English prior to attending school. Ms Silvia and other teachers have been so patient and helpful. My son has grown so much in every aspect and loves going to school every day. Highly recommend.

My children attended DVMS years ago now (my son is a senior in high school and my daughter is in…read more6th grade). I cannot say enough about how well their experiences at DVMS prepared them educationally and socially/emotionally for continuing in school and for their lives in general. They had wonderful, caring, nurturing teachers who took the time to get to know them, provide engaging activities, and supported our family. I look back so fondly on their time here and still wish that DVMS extended beyond kindergarten! The community here is wonderful and supportive, and the teachers are passionate about their work and love the children. It is a testament to them that my daughter still asks to come visit and see her former teachers. Couldn't recommend this school enough!

My son went there for his first year of school (TK) and had an amazing time. DVMS is such a…read morenurturing and loving place for not only the children, but parents too. They are incredibly supportive and really care about the families. The teachers are also the absolute best! You can see how much they love the students and really pay attention to each of them individually. There's a reason they have been around for over 60 years. If you're looking for a school for your child during infant to 6 years old, DVMS is the one!

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.

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.

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!

Not a good fit for kids with special needs. I was told we need to find another place to go because…read morethe school is not just "babysitting" but rather an "environment of learning." My son learns in his own beautiful and unique way, so naturally I found that hurtful. After we left they hired my child's school aide to work for them which felt like a serious conflict of interest.

In the 12/13 school year, SS offered the 3's program 3 days a week so we went to a Moraga preschool…read moreon the other 2 days. Very quickly we realized that we couldn't continue at the Moraga preschool, my son would kick and scream the whole way, he didn't like that school and only wanted to be at SS. SS has wonderful teachers, a beautiful facility and a great group of families. Miss Tracie always brings in special people and her special touches - like goodie bags on the first day of school, a magician, the bee guy who brought his hives and the police and fire department. I also love that the school offers a soccer program in the afternoon's once a week, it's great to have one less trip to the park. The other teachers are great too. They talk in Spanish to the kids and have a separate art teacher and room. When I go to pick up my son, the mom's of the other kids have become great friends and we usually hang around catching up and chatting - love this community! Also, this is a not-for-profit school so the prices are $200-300 less than other places we've been.

We truly cannot fully express the amount of joy, comfort, and confidence we feel leaving our…read morechildren in the loving hands of Meher Schools. When searching for the perfect preschool, we had very clear priorities - and White Pony/Meher Schools was the only preschool that checked every box after extensive research, visits, and interviews. After falling in love with White Pony preschool, we decided to stay for The Meher Schools elementary school - also, one drop off for kids if you have one in preschool and another in elementary?! Yes, please! The Meher Schools met our top priorities in choosing aas did the White Pony Preschool: 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, organized, clean, and open learning 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, 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 Meher Schools has been nothing short of amazing. We wholeheartedly and highly recommend Meher Schools to any parent looking for the very best for their child.

I want to start by saying this is a long time coming, and this is just my experience…read more We first looked at Meher after learning our son's previous preschool prioritized moving kids up to open seats, over real development. He was three, and his old school, though called Montessori, felt like just unstructured play with no guidance. We wanted better for him, so we applied to Meher. When I spoke with the administrator, she was initially hesitant to transfer him but ultimately accepted our application but in hindsight it felt influenced by where we live and work more than our child's needs. On our tour, we learned about the school's "legacy" tradition: multiple generations attend, and one teacher is even an alumna. It struck me as both odd and charming--I wondered if our son's future children might go there too. They want you to stay on his first day (and as long as needed) to help him adjust. Since we both WFH, one of us could be there until he settled in. We appreciated the school's structure: clear work time and play time, unlike his old school's laissez-faire approach. Fast-forward to his transition: he struggled with the new routines, having mini-meltdowns when he couldn't do things his way. On day one, another child cried for an hour over a forgotten jacket. Day two, the same child sobbed over his beanie. Then our son had his first major meltdown screaming and crying. Concerns arose when a parent complained her son was negatively affected by our child's outburst, even though her child had cried extensively before our son had any issues. We were also told one of the girls in the class reported the meltdowns to her principal father. During one episode, the teacher scooped our son up facing her; he flailed and knocked her glasses off. I don't think what he did was right, but at age three, kids sometimes lash out in fear or frustration. After just four days in class, the school questioned whether Meher was right for him. They cited the legacy parent's complaint, the report to her father, and the incident with the glasses. This happened just before Founders Day; a big celebration we didn't know about and weren't part of. When I picked up his things, I saw the pomp and realized the decision had more to do with "show" and pleasing established families than supporting all students. In the end, I learned two things: 1. In the school, legacy families hold sway, and compassion is in short supply. 2. The administration cares more about appearances for legacy parents than the well-being of every child. They promised to "follow up" and welcome him back, but we never heard from them again. If you're new to the area (we moved to Saranap in 2021) and lack connections, think twice before choosing Meher. Your child won't get the same grace as those with legacy ties, and the school won't invest in you as much as you'll invest in it.

This review has been a long time coming...we've been so grateful for The Nurtury and I've been…read moremeaning to put into words just how much this school has meant to our family. It is truly a top-caliber preschool in every way. Every single teacher is exceptionally caring, attentive, and deeply present with the children. You can tell they genuinely love what they do, and it shows in how happy and supported the kids are every day. The teacher-to-child ratio is excellent, which means every child gets the individual attention they need to thrive. Since starting at The Nurtury, our two-year-old has blossomed--he's become so much more social and confident in group settings, his language has taken off, and he even started saying "please" and "thank you" (a very happy surprise for us!). It's a truly special place that nurtures not only the child's development, but also their sense of safety, joy, and belonging. We feel incredibly lucky to be part of this community.

Our son has a fantastic time at Nurtury. The leadership and loving teachers really care for the…read morestudents and it is a solid, well-run Christian pre-school program. We entered when our son was 2 and the teachers were very patient in helping with the pre-school transition and provided a wonderful and safe environment. They have many activities and the children spend their days doing art, music, building social and emotional skills, and gather together for full-group activities such as a visit by the fire department (big hit!). We are thrilled to observe our son grow to be confident and enjoy school, and without qualms we hope to send our second kid there.