Mills College Children's School is an absolute gem and a truly transformative environment for…read morechildren and families alike. The teachers and staff are incredibly supportive, creating an inclusive and diverse community where every child and family feels welcomed and valued. Their ability to meet each child where they are--both in terms of needs and abilities--is unmatched. The educators here are first-rate, highly educated, and deeply dedicated to their craft. They foster an environment where children can blossom socially, emotionally, and academically. Every child is seen, supported, and celebrated, which allows them to build confidence and thrive in all aspects of their development. The care and thoughtfulness that go into every interaction and every element of the program are evident. I feel so privileged to have my child--and myself--be part of this extraordinary community. Mills College Children's School is a place where children and families grow together, and I cannot recommend it highly enough!

My child is in their first year here and we are blown away by the thoughtfulness the teachers put…read moreinto every detail of the students' surroundings and the variety of creative activities my kid gets to choose from in following their interests to see where it leads. This school really does feel like a community that's aligned with our values as a family. I also appreciate that parents at MCCS are encouraged to participate in making learning fun and helping in different ways. I've guest read books to the children and am planning to lead a craft activity in a few weeks. My kiddo looks forward to those moments together. I also really appreciate how I can tap my kid's teacher for advice on how to handle different challenging behaviors when they arise (as a fairly newbie parent). I'd recommend the school again and again.

I strongly encourage families to do thorough research before enrolling their child at this…read morepreschool. My experience raised serious concerns about the quality of care, classroom supervision, staff professionalism, and leadership. I did not feel that the teaching staff or director provided the level of care, communication, accountability, or professionalism that families should be able to expect from a preschool. One of the most concerning issues was a rodent problem in the classroom. For a program caring for young children, I found the conditions and the way the situation was handled extremely troubling. There were also significant concerns regarding the administration and how problems within the school were addressed. Rather than feeling confident that concerns were being taken seriously and resolved appropriately, I came away with very little trust in the leadership of the program. At the time I am writing this review, I understand that the preschool is being investigated by California's Department of Social Services. I encourage prospective families to review the facility's licensing history and any publicly available reports for themselves rather than relying solely on what they are told during a tour. Young children cannot always tell their parents everything that happens during their day, which makes trustworthy teachers, strong supervision, a clean environment, and responsible leadership incredibly important. Based on my experience, I would not recommend this preschool. Parents considering this program should ask detailed questions, research its licensing history, and make an informed decision before enrolling their child.

Two years ago, my wife and I were looking for a preschool in Oakland for our then two year old…read more After touring many schools and care options, we are glad we eventually settled on The Lake School, because it provided the best care and education for our son at any price point. We believe this stems from their uncompromising commitment to what is best for their students at every age and developmental milestone. The teachers are knowledgeable and compassionate, and we trust them to guide our son's development with care personalized to his needs and personality. The Lake School also maintains a very small student to teacher ratio to ensure the attentiveness necessary for this level of care. Now, almost two years later, our son is happy and thriving. He has a love for books and learning that is nurtured at school. He's formed close bonds with classmates. He's learned how much more fun imaginative play can be with friends. Perhaps most importantly, he looks forward to school, and is excited to share about his activities and what he learned when he comes home.

Our daughter Mabel was at OMS for about 2 1/2 years, from 2-5. It's no exaggeration that OMS was…read moreone of the best parts of our life during that whole time. She has thrived there, making friends, loving her teachers, learning independence, learning about the world and just plain having fun. We looked at a few different Montessori schools as we were thinking about preschool, and a huge part of why we chose OMS was the amazing outdoor space. There are two separate classrooms (one for 2 year olds, one for 3-5) and they are separated by a huge outdoor space, so rare to find in urban preschools. It's fully fenced, safe and provides for children to have so much room to roam, explore and play. From the time she was two she was able to explore and have real independence. It was a very special part of her time there. The teachers are also wonderful. They are kind, caring and make the kids feel taken care of and safe while also giving them space to form friendships and choose what appeals to them. We'd frequently talk about how our daughter was a 'little citizen' at school: the manners they teach them, the ability to be in a group and interact with others, the skills to sit in a circle, pay attention, be heard, share. As she gets ready to go to kindergarten this year, we are so grateful that our time at OMS prepared her for this next phase. She is on the young side for K but we feel confident that she is ready for it and a HUGE part of this is her time at OMS. We'd recommend this school to anyone.

We pulled our two-year-old daughter out of this school within two months of her starting…read more Other negative reviews of OMS on Berkeley Parents Network and Yelp mention the same sorts of things we experienced. We regret not fully reading those reviews before enrolling. This was not our first preschool experience or our first Montessori experience. Our daughter was happily enrolled at another Montessori preschool in Oakland for a year. We had no real issues with that school, and our daughter seemed comfortable and engaged there. We moved to another part of town and wanted to switch schools to avoid a long commute. I was wowed during our OMS tour by the outdoor play area and the promises made by one of the school leaders. In reality, this school can be unsafe, unstructured, and understaffed, especially in the toddler class. Two good toddler teachers left within two weeks of the start of the school year and told parents they had been bullied by school leadership. Reviewing old reviews on BPN and Yelp, it seems this is not the first time good teachers have left in questionable circumstances. In the teachers' absence, a parade of substitutes came and went. There was very little continuity of care for the youngest students for weeks. One day, we saw a teacher roughly grab a child's arm in an inappropriate manner. The boy was not in danger, putting others in danger, or doing anything that warranted this treatment.  We ultimately pulled our daughter out after repeatedly seeing kids unsupervised near a gate atop a steep flight of stairs--a gate they could open. At one point, we watched a toddler unlatch the gate independently and go down the stairs without a single OMS staffer watching him. We informed them as to where he was, and no one seemed to take it seriously. At pickup, the kids sometimes seemed to be left to their own devices largely and sort of roaming around aimlessly. We know Montessori involves a lot of independent play and exploration. That's great and an approach we intentionally sought for our kid. However, this felt more like understaffing and disorganization. Our daughter frequently talked about kids crying at school and missing their parents. We didn't put excessive stock in this; toddlers say lots of things and aren't always reliable narrators. But we saw it with our own eyes at pick up. Kids were crying, and no one was appropriately responding to them or helping them through their feelings. The response was sort of clinical and rote. Since moving to a new preschool, she talks about fun things that happened at school and says sweet things about her teachers. She never talks about kids crying and missing their parents. Basic communication with parents was awful. Emails were confusing and haphazard, and critical scheduling information was poorly communicated. The only positive thing I can say about the administration is that they returned our full deposit and unused balance. In short, do your homework and really look into this school's online reviews before enrolling your kid here. It's a shame that this beautiful campus isn't better run.

Ms Ginny is the best director. Is a real mom who helps prepare children for kindergarten…read more Your children do NOT need to be potty trained and attendance days are flexible!!!!

All three of my children attended Joyful Noise Preschool and I thought it would be helpful to know…read morewhere some of the school's alumni have landed. My youngest will be starting her final year at UC Davis this fall, majoring in Food Science. My second child graduated from UC Davis last year and has recently embarked on a career in IT. The oldest Joyful Noise alum now works as a bioinformatician in a cancer genetics research team and has recently been accepted into the PhD program at the university that employs her. Although it's been such a long time since our family has been at the preschool, I would like to endorse Miss Ginny and her staff for giving my children the head start that got them to where they are today. Ten thumbs up, Joyful Noise Preschool!

Cometa's summer camp is truly one of a kind and we are so glad we got to be part of the very first…read moregroup of campers. Our son, age 7, did a one-week summer camp session and loved it. Like LOVED IT. I am writing this at the end of the week because my son was demanding I cancel next week's camp somewhere else so he can go back to Cometa. They have great hours, well-planned days with lots of opportunities to learn and practice Spanish, daily outings using their vans (the outings were very fun for our kiddo), and home cooked meals and snacks. Our kid did the "cooking" week and he was truly transformed by it. I think the staff did a great job choosing simple recipes that were delicious too and were very patient and caring during the lesson. Everyday they made something new and that was super fun. We are so happy with the staff, they were very professional and child-centered, and exuded warmth and a sense of belonging for the little ones. We plan to come back next summer and for other camps during the school year. They do aftercare too, but we're based in San Leandro so that doesn't work for us. Nevertheless, their afterschool program sounds really wonderful too.

My kid has been in this program since it first opened, and we're so glad we gave it a shot. After…read moreswitching schools, we needed a new after-school option and found out about this new bilingual program. It's been great! We speak both English and Spanish at home, but my kid wasn't really picking up much Spanish until she joined. Since then, her Spanish vocabulary has grown tremendously. She really loves going and always looks forward to it. Plus, the school pick-up has been super easy with no problems at all. We also participated in their summer program and loved that the kids were getting exposed to different settings like a ranch and my child loved seeing chickens and horses. I'd definitely recommend this program to other families!

Very active students. Very active staff. Love to hear them daily! Great location and recreation…read morearea.

best teachers and staff i've work for! EVER. and also a good school to send your kids to! the…read moreafter school program is also a big plus for this school site.. its called "learning for life"

as a cooperative preschool, the effort working in the classroom & school in is returned to your…read morechild threefold! play-based, reggio inspired, social-emotional learning / support are all core tenants. come for the amazing indoor and outdoor play areas, leave with community! also takes childcare subsidies (4C's, BANANAS, etc.) and has need-based scholarships available i have learned so much as a parent here too, not only from the wonderful example set by the teachers but from my fellow caregivers of tiny humans. it takes a village and KK is it!!! not just LGBTQIA+ welcoming but truly embracing (dragking story time!!!)

My children attended Kiddie Kampus and I am so grateful that this was the place of some of their…read morefirst learning experiences. I loved the careful thought and intention behind the play-based activities that really captured students' attention, fostered critical thinking, problem-solving and social skills in such fun and engaging ways. It's all set up in indoor and outdoor spaces that feel safe and welcoming. The social emotional skills, love of learning, and sweet friendships and relationships they've acquired here with their classmates, their loving and nurturing teachers, and other adults are priceless. I can also say that for myself as a parent! The community-building aspects of the school are unparalleled, and I feel so fortunate to have been surrounded by such supportive and kind people. I loved watching my children and their classmates learn and grow in such a joyous and magical place. It will always hold a very special place in our hearts.

We have been sending both our boys to here for the past year. Besides working on their current…read moresecond grade homework, they are also introduced to more challenging math concepts that they have been able to grasp. The highest form of recommendation is telling others who also like the service. We've done it and the another family is now sending both their boys, 2nd grade and middle school.