My oldest attended here from 2022-2024 along with Midia's son. The old reviews are an accurate…read moredescription of how this place used to be. The first year here with Ms. Amy, Ms. Joanna, and Ms. Lesli was wonderful! Ms. Amy and Ms. Joanna are exceptionally talented with young children and effortlessly brought our child out of her shell. She was finally experiencing life outside the home and other children for the first time due to the pandemic. For this, Amy & Joanna alone are worthy of five or more stars. The reason for the low rating is the new administration that came in after our first year here. The new director, Ms. Claire, oozes disdain for her job and incompetence to lead, and that is reflected in the high staff turnover and low morale. My daughter's second year here, she went through more than three different staff changes and the lead teacher took an extended leave after only a month in. Another teacher admitted to me that she doesn't interact with my child much. My child was not developing or learning, and she lost interest in preschool until we changed preschools. Two years later in 2026, I was catching up with a current family there. Their daughter has come home twice with pants soaked in urine, despite there being a change of clothes on hand for her. They also were crammed into a classroom that already had other children when the sewer line backed up in their classroom. Her teachers change on a regular basis with the turnover. Even before we started at Holy Shepherd, it was evident that previous staff had been close-knit and worked as a team. Under Claire, they just show up to collect a paycheck. They are too overwhelmed and undersupported to care. Verdict: this place attracts working parents because of its flexible hours all weekday long. However, your child may fall through the cracks.

What an incredible place. Miss Joana and Miss Pat are angels. My son was new to group care. We…read moretried one other place, but that didn't work out. I knew he was going to need a lot of care, love, and attention through any transition. At two-and-a-half and not having much social play because of the pandemic, Miss Joana and Miss Pat were ready for the challenge. They worked their magic and now he loves going to school every day! I'm so thankful and blessed for them and lucky that they had an opening when they did.

We are lucky to have had our daughter attend Orinda Afternoons for 3 years. Bekki and her staff…read moreprovide a safe, loving and educational environment which has helped our daughter to thrive. Orinda Afternoons is as professionally run as any larger non-home based program - electronic sign-in/-out, daily digest e-mails, and very consistent and high-quality staffing. At the same time, it retains a very warm and caring atmosphere. Bekki takes a genuine personal interest in the children and is highly proactive in helping us stay ahead of our daughter's needs and interests. She's even offered the opportunity to take swimming and gymnastics lessons while attending the program.

I cannot say enough about Orinda Afternoons! They have been a godsend to our family. Bekki and her…read moreassistant teachers are unfailingly kind and communicative. Our son is very high energy and they have been able to redirect his energy in a positive manner while teaching him about the alphabet, numbers, volcanos (which he adores) and hydroelectric power to name just a few of the subjects taught. He has made friends and we have also made friends with the other families attending. Bekki has been available for calls on the weekends and evenings. I feel that I have an adult that is as invested in my son's success as I am. There is not greater comfort for any parent.

Both my kids went to St John Preschool and they thrived there! And my kids were well prepared for…read morekinder. The teachers are top notch and get the kids ready for K -- socially and adademically. I highly recommend St John Preschool! They are NAEYC accredited and from what I remember, they have the folders for you to review to see what goes into the accreditation process. (In case you didn't know, St John Preschool does not have any religious affiliations. The school rents space from the church.) St John has 2 teachers for each classroom and they are engaged with the children. They get to to know each and every child really well. Most teachers have been there a long, long time with very low turnover. We loved the teachers. Over the 5 years that we were there, there were some incidents that concerned me. I talked to the teachers and/or the director, Carol. It was handled well with follow up. If you hear of bad behavior from your kids, talk to the school. What I loved about the preschool: 1. TEACHERS! 2. open door policy - I can come unannounced and observe any time 3. they serve hot lunch made with love in their kitchen 4. well stocked classrooms and playground (constantly improving playground) 5. diapers included for the younger kids & daily notes! 6. mixed classrooms in the summer as the kids get older (a 3 year old would visit the 4s classroom) Many families lived nearby so many kids from my kids' classes are not in the same grade school so it is fun to see the familiar faces school in kinder (and now!). There were mornings when they wanted me to stay there longer at drop off. So we cuddled and read books (plenty of really great books to choose from), played with legos, drew in their notebooks (my daughter who's now in 1st grade still has her preschool notebooks and we look at all the drawings in there), read to the class during circle time at 9am, looked at all the kids art on the walls, etc. The program is so flexible. You can be as involved as you'd like. There were parents that we only saw at pick up and drop off and rarely at the school events. There were families that we saw all the time - at every school event, volunteer in the classroom, etc. It's up to you! They have a huge parking lot.

My son has attended St. John since just before he turned two, and now he's almost three. He loves…read moreSt. John and proudly proclaims whenever we pass by "That's my school!" My son loves his teachers, he loves seeing his friends every day, and he loves the meals he gets at school, if his choosy palate asking for seconds is any indication. My experience of the teachers is that they're highly nurturing and guide through positive reinforcement. It's important to remember that as toddlers our children are still learning how to be little people, and preschool is a laboratory for social interaction. My philosophy is to give him a space to explore and learn with enough structure that he can still learn to be independent. I feel confident that this is what he gets at St. John. Features which have made St. John super convenient for us: - Hours: 7am-5:30pm full time, though half day also offered - Meals: morning snack, warm lunch, afternoon snack. - Diapers: provided - Potty training: The teachers help with potty training. Bless their souls. - Lifecubby: personal online account for regular photos and updates of your child at school. So this review is based not just on my own experience, but more than anything, the wonderful way my son has developed since starting at St. John. My son was in home daycare prior to St. John and has tended to be a happy, independent child, and this environment has been so well suited to him. We have nothing but gratitude for the dedicated teachers who are teaming up with us to raise our son!

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 applied for preschool and were put on a wating list. Once we were told we were next in line and…read morethen miraculously dropped down to 8th place. Then upon another check by us they told us they could not find our application papers anymore and asked us to reaplly. Apparantly you pretty much have to become member of their church if you want to get in. We were waitlisted for over a year, and even partcipated in one of their donation drives hoping that it would help our chances. I cannot comment on the preschool itself but it ticks me off that they took our application money for THIS.

The teachers at Seedlings are wonderful nurturing educators but the directors and administrative…read morestaff are unfortunately very challenging to deal with. Our daughter had a great experience but the lack of communication, poor payment management and disrespectful directors means I can't recommend this preschool. One year after our daughter stopped being enrolled we are still waiting for them to reimburse us our prepaid tuition. The director continues to give us the runaround and does not return emails or phone calls. But when you drop by are told everything will be in the mail shortly.

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.

The school's academic curriculum is awesome. I put my two daughters through Mountain Blvd.,…read moreMontessori and they were more than prepared to thrive in kindergarten. The staff and teachers are also very caring and want to see the children be successful in all aspects. If there is one thing I would love to see evolve is more activities/events geared towards parent and family participation. Overall, the school has done a fantastic job with our two little humans.

My son attended Mountain Boulevard Montessori for two years and three months before advancing to…read moreTransitional Kindergarten (TK). During his time there, we had experience with their toddler, preschool, and pre-K programs, and overall, our experience was wonderful. We never had any concerns about our child's safety, and communication with the school was consistently excellent. Every email or phone call was responded to promptly, and we always felt informed and supported. The curriculum is quite structured and leans a little more academic than some preschools, but in our case, that proved to be a real benefit. It provided an excellent runway into TK, where our son seems very well prepared compared with many of his peers, both socially and academically. There were several staff members who really stood out to us. Mr. Andreas has a wonderful disposition for working with children--he strikes a great balance between setting high expectations while remaining warm, patient, and humorous. Mr. Dennis is an exceptional administrator and was always communicative, open, and thorough. I never felt that a question or concern went unanswered. Ms. Wendy was my son's favorite teacher and was part of his experience for most of his time at the school. She was his classroom teacher for about a year and later his Spanish teacher after he moved into the pre-K class. She is very nurturing and has a particularly good way of channeling the energy of highly active children like my son while still keeping them engaged and focused. In terms of value, tuition seemed right around market rate. Compared with similar schools we considered, Mountain Boulevard Montessori was somewhere in the middle price-wise, but what stood out to us were the smaller class sizes, strong teacher-to-student ratio, and the overall quality of the facility. The school is highly organized, impeccably clean, and consistently well maintained. It was also extremely helpful that the school calendar generally mirrored Oakland Unified's holidays and vacations. That made childcare logistics much easier and avoided many of the scheduling conflicts that can arise when preschool and elementary school calendars are out of sync. If I had to offer any constructive feedback, I think families would benefit from as much advance communication as possible around staffing changes. At this age, changes in teachers can feel significant to children, and having a little runway can help families prepare them. At the same time, I completely understand that employment and privacy considerations may limit what a school is able to share. I also observed a few interactions involving one long-standing teacher where the communication style felt somewhat less patient and nurturing than what we had experienced with the rest of the staff. I have no doubt about her academic abilities or experience, and my son had very limited direct interaction with her until right before his departure, so I can't speak to any lasting impact, however, it was something I noticed that seemed inconsistent with all other interactions with staff at the school. This was very much an exception to an otherwise consistently positive experience over more than two years at Mountain Boulevard Montessori. We were very happy with the care, education, communication, and preparation our son received, and I would feel very comfortable recommending the school to friends or family without hesitation.

We've been part of the Gan Ilan community for the past three years, and it's hard to put into words…read morejust how special it is. Our son spent two wonderful years here before transitioning to public elementary school, and now our daughter is thriving after a year in the toddler program (she started at 18 months). What makes this preschool stand out is its truly play-based philosophy and the emphasis on outdoor time. The kids spend so much time exploring the beautiful property--rain or shine--and it's clear how much they learn through play and nature. And I so appreciate how they come home happy, fulfilled, and absolutely exhausted every day! The teachers are absolutely incredible. They are warm, attentive, and deeply invested in the kids' growth and well-being. Our son grew in every way during his time here--physically, emotionally, socially--and we watched his confidence blossom. But more than anything, we're grateful for the community. Through this school, we've made lifelong friendships with other families, and our kids have formed strong, joyful bonds with their peers. It's a place where children and parents alike feel connected, supported, and engaged. We couldn't imagine a better place for our kids to begin their educational journey.

We have two children now at Gan Ilan and we have had such a positive experience. The teachers are…read morewarm, knowledgeable and communicative. The kids spend so much time engaged in creative play, especially outside in the garden. The school makes a wonderful effort to build community among families and we have made so many close friends. We are so happy with the quality of this school and its Jewish programming and will certainly be staying there when our next child is ready to start preschool.