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August 2025 by Sumaya Khanom
Berkeley Hills Nursery School is a truly wonderful place for young children to grow, learn, and thrive. The nurturing environment, dedicated teachers, and play-based curriculum create an ideal setting for early childhood development. Families appreciate the strong sense of community and the emphasis on social-emotional learning.
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August 2025 by Maksuda Islam
Berkeley Hills Nursery School is an exceptional place for early childhood development. The moment you walk in, you can feel the warmth and thoughtfulness that goes into every part of the program. The teachers are caring, attentive, and deeply experienced in creating a supportive, child-centered environment where kids can learn through play, discovery, and meaningful connection.
The school’s philosophy truly values each child as an individual. There’s a strong emphasis on social-emotional development, creative exploration, and building independence—all at a pace that respects where each child is in their journey.
The outdoor space is beautiful and engaging, and the daily rhythm is both comforting and enriching. Parents are also welcomed as part of the learning community, which makes the experience feel collaborative and personal.
We couldn’t be happier with our experience at Berkeley Hills Nursery School. It’s a place where children are free to be themselves, make friends, and grow with confidence. Highly recommended!
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August 2025 by MD Mijanur Rahman
Berkeley Hills Nursery School is a warm, child-centered community that truly understands early childhood education. The teachers are nurturing, experienced, and attentive to each child's emotional and developmental needs. The play-based curriculum encourages curiosity, creativity, and social growth. The outdoor space is beautiful and used daily, allowing kids to explore and learn through nature. Families are welcomed and involved, creating a strong sense of community. It’s a wonderful place for young children to begin their learning journey.
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August 2025 by Mst Salma Begum
Berkeley Hills Nursery School is a truly special place for early childhood education. The warm, nurturing environment fosters a deep sense of community where children feel safe, supported, and free to explore. The teachers are incredibly attentive and experienced, encouraging creativity, curiosity, and social-emotional growth through thoughtful play-based learning. Families are actively involved, creating a strong partnership between home and school. The outdoor play spaces and emphasis on nature and discovery are just wonderful. It’s clear the staff genuinely care about each child’s individual development. Highly recommended for families looking for a balanced, loving, and enriching preschool experience!
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April 2025 by Sahab Yaqubi
We’re so happy we chose BHNS for our son. The nurturing atmosphere, thanks to the amazing teachers Kathleen and Nisha, makes the school feel like a peaceful retreat in the hills. Our son looks forward to going every day, and we’ve been amazed by how quickly he’s grown socially and verbally. The play-based learning really supports his curiosity. We couldn’t be happier with the experience .
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April 2025 by Shawn Drost
My two kids have absolutely loved the years they spent at BHNS. All the teachers are deeply effective, nurturing, and invested. They cultivate a tight-knit classroom and family community. I'm grateful to have this gem in Berkeley and I would highly recommend BHNS.
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October 2023 by Megan Tremelling
My son thrives at Berkeley Hills Nursery School and we could not be happier! The teachers and the director have 10 - 20+ years of experience. I trust them 100% as experts in their field to help nurture and develop my son.My son does well at this small school, with an intimate group of friends. Because of the low student to teacher ratio, the teachers are very familiar with my son as a unique individual.The director, Kathleen, is top-notch, easy to work with, and very involved with the kids. Kathleen makes our parent "tasks" easy: applying was free and simple, enrollment steps were clear, and daily communication is concise (made even easier through an app).I like that teachers lead activities for the whole group of kids. The play-based activities get my son moving and learning. For example, today the kiddos moved through an obstacle course that helped them with balance, and fine and gross motor skills. They also do art, yoga, and walks in the neighborhood.Lastly, we have a strong parent community, with adult and family social events. We are so happy to have found this gem in the hills!
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October 2023 by Marian Deuker
Our daughter is in her second year at Berkeley Hills Nursery School, and we feel so grateful she has been able to have such a wonderful preschool experience. In our mind, the quality of the teachers makes BHNS stand apart. The teachers treat the children with kindness, fairness, and do so much to help the children learn to interact with each other in socially-appropriate ways. The teachers are all consistent in their guidance, and as a result the cohort of children understands expectations and thrives at the school. There are so many fun activities for the children that span a diversity of subjects, from sensory art projects to science explorations to walking trips around the neighborhood for the older children. Our daughter has relished her time at BHNS from the very beginning, and somewhat to our (selfish) chagrin, weekends are sometimes met with disappointment because preschool days are so beloved. The facilities at BHNS are idyllic; the school has expansive outdoor play areas in the front and back, with many fun options for gross and fine motor exploration. There are three rooms inside school, giving the children ample space. The views of San Francisco Bay and the city add to the somewhat magical, treehouse feeling of the space. Additionally, the back of the school is connected to a city park (with appropriate security for student safety) which allows children to play together after pickup, enhancing the sense of community. Our daughter couldn’t be happier in preschool, and we are so glad to have found BHNS!
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October 2023 by Marian D.
Our daughter is in her second year at Berkeley Hills Nursery School, and we feel so grateful she has been able to have such a wonderful preschool experience. In our mind, the quality of the teachers makes BHNS stand apart. The teachers treat the children with kindness, fairness, and do so much to help the children learn to interact with each other in socially-appropriate ways. The teachers are all consistent in their guidance, and as a result the cohort of children understands expectations and thrives at the school. There are so many fun activities for the children that span a diversity of subjects, from sensory art projects to science explorations to walking trips around the neighborhood for the older children. Our daughter has relished her time at BHNS from the very beginning, and somewhat to our (selfish) chagrin, weekends are sometimes met with disappointment because preschool days are so beloved. The facilities at BHNS are idyllic; the school has expansive outdoor play areas in the front and back, with many fun options for gross and fine motor exploration. There are three rooms inside with school, giving the children ample space. The views of San Francisco Bay and the city add to the somewhat magical, treehouse feeling of the space. Additionally, the back of the school is connected to a city park (with appropriate security for student safety) which allows children to play together after pickup, enhancing the sense of community. Our daughter couldn't be happier in preschool, and we are so glad to have found BHNS!
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September 2023 by Megan D.
My son thrives at Berkeley Hills Nursery School and we could not be happier! The teachers and the director have 10 - 20+ years of experience. I trust them 100% as experts in their field to help nurture and develop my son.My son does well at this small school, with an intimate group of friends. Because of the low student to teacher ratio, the teachers are very familiar with my son as a unique individual.The director, Kathleen, is top-notch, easy to work with, and very involved with the kids. Kathleen makes our parent "tasks" easy: applying was free and simple, enrollment steps were clear, and daily communication is concise (made even easier through an app).I like that teachers lead activities for the whole group of kids. The play-based activities get my son moving and learning. For example, recently the kiddos moved through an obstacle course that helped them with balance, and fine and gross motor skills. They also do art, yoga, and walks in the neighborhood.Lastly, we have a strong parent community, with adult and family social events. We are so happy to have found this gem in the hills!
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July 2023 by Harry Lee
Nice environment nursery school even is up on hill at Berkeley
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July 2023 by Allison Bryan
Berkeley Hills has been the perfect place for our son. He was lucky enough to go for two years and enjoyed the love and learning from each of the groups of teachers. The school does an amazing job meeting kids where they are and fostering love, respect and independence. There are so many things both large and small that they think of to help the kids grow from toddlers to school age. For example, they even thought of having the older kids start to walk the path to class on their own the last few months to prepare for kindergarten.I researched many different kinds of programs for preschool and am so thankful we landed at Berkeley Hills because they perfectly blend the best of all methods. The kids play freely and hike but also learn the alphabet and the sound of letters. They do science experiments, take note of bugs and plants and spend time listening to stories. They even learned some Spanish and yoga. The updates and photos help to foster conversation about the day which has been amazing. They were so helpful through the various challenges that come with raising toddlers. They'd give suggestions on how to tackle typical toddler challenges or just be a patient ear when you needed someone to talk to.I have an endless list of amazing memories from our time at Berkeley Hills and couldn't recommend the program enough.
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April 2023 by Lauren Locke-Paddon
We feel so lucky to have BHNS! The preschool is play-based, but provides lots of structured projects for kids to explore different topics. Our son is thriving in the Red Room (for younger kids), and we plan to continue next year in the Blue Room. The kids spent much of the day outdoors and make frequent trips to the park next door.
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April 2023 by Lauren L.
We feel so lucky to have found BHNS!This lovely preschool has a staff that are truly passionate about early childhood learning through play and helping nurture a community amongst students and parents.The kids are outside for much of the day, make almost daily trips to the park next door, and given many options to explore different interests. My son is currently in the Red Room (the younger cohort) and we plan to continue next year to the Blue Room.
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January 2023 by Nikki Cheng
BHNS is a true hidden gem of a preschool! When I was initially looking for preschools, my priorities were a small play-based school, with great teachers, and no potty training required for the younger kiddos. BHNS fit the bill perfectly! My daughter is now in her second year at BHNS and loves it. The teachers are warm, caring, accommodating, and very experienced. The kids spend most of their time outdoors (weather permitting) where they have rotating toys and activities to play with. I’ve been pleasantly surprised with some of the hands-on things they do like helping to make easy snacks (eg. mini pizzas, apple muffins) or making their own play-doh. The school is also located right next to Grizzly Peak Park where the kids spend time as well. The older kids (4-5 year olds) go on multiple walks each week to neighboring parks, and occasionally have field trips to Tilden Park.Kathleen, the school director, is fantastic! She provides excellent communication to parents, knows the kids as well as the teachers do, fosters the overall school community, and ably and capably handles any issues thrown her way.
