Schools in Berkeley, CA

“When my son first started CCC, I was nervous and unsure. We were transferring from another lovely, smaller preschool that topped out at about eight kids per class. Before entering kindergarten, my husband and I agreed that we wanted our son to be able to spend as much time being a kid with other kids, in a space where parents are invested in language and behaviors rooted in acceptance, openness, and growth.

CCC has exceeded our expectations and it was has been incredible to watch our child create friendships, navigate conflict, and both learn about and from others in the process. The teachers are loving, thoughtful, and rooted in RIE and play-based teaching, which is exactly what we were looking for in a school. The campus is gorgeous, multi-levels, and full of families from different cultural and financial backgrounds, something that I worried about with other financially-prohibitive co-op spaces.

Take a tour. Meet parents, teachers, and community members/Alumni who know CCC culture and history. It has been around since 1927 and I hope to see it thrive for at least another one hundred years. CCC truly is the blueprint.”

“BHNS is such a special place, like a little tree house in the hill that feels like a second home more than a school, so it’s a great transition for young kids. There is so much warmth and care and the teachers – Betsy, Nisha and Kathleen - are so wonderful. They put so much attention and thought on each child. It’s a great place for little ones to develop social skills and grow at their own pace in a nurturing environment without stress or pressure. We feel so lucky to have found it.”

“Jagreet who leads this branch is so enthusiastic and committed to the kids. She set a tone that made me feel comfortable taking my child here and made learning fun. Matt and Clinton met with me every 40 of instruction and took a lot of care in managing my child's program. We loved all the staff and most importantly my child underwent a profound transformation, improving her reading by several grade levels. For a dyslexic child, this center is salvation. I don't have enough words for the gratitude I feel for Jagreet, her team and the Lindamood-Bell system, but I want to be clear that our lives have been changed in the best way.”

“Our children absolutely adore the New School and so do we. Most importantly, at the New School, they are safe, nurtured, and get to be inquisitive, curious, and explorative.

It was bittersweet when our kids went off to Kindergarten but fortunately they have after-school programs and summer camps so our children can remain connected to this one-of-a-kind community.”

“We're in love with Mustard Seed! We can't overstate how grateful we are for this incredible team and community. It really feels like there's a village helping to raise our family.

Our eldest transferred to MSP from another daycare / preschool center during the summer term when she was 2 1/2. It was a difficult decision because there were things we loved about her first school (where she'd spent almost a year), but the switch felt right. We liked that MSP's physical space, level of enrollment, and staffing strategy provided more structure: with same-age classrooms, age-sensitive schedules, age-sensitive teaching approaches, and opportunities for mixed age play outdoors several times a day. We liked that our daughter would always have a primary teacher team focused on her, as well as opportunities throughout the day and week to build relationships with other teachers. We liked that she'd have a dozen peers close to her age, for a nice variety of personalities to befriend and grow with. And we liked that the outdoor space supports a variety of play types under a beautiful leafy canopy. It's all turned out beautifully.

Judging by our daughter's energy at drop off and pick up, her transition to MSP was immediately easier than her previous transitions. Even in her first weeks there, it was clear that the structure made it easier for her to get through the day than at her previous school.

In the past year and a half it's only gotten better. The vibe is relaxed and confident; they really know what they're doing and everything about the program feels intentional. The teachers are very thoughtful about helping our daughter navigate socio-emotional development and challenging social dynamics, and are happy to discuss strategies with us when we ask how we can support at home. Although her classroom teachers are primary, she has great relationships with all of the teachers in the play yard and they all know her well. She is developing strong social skills and has made wonderful friends. The community of families has been warm and fun for all of us: we regularly meet classmates at King School Park after school, the staff organizes incredibly fun family parties for holidays and more throughout the year--usually featuring Music Man Chano and his band, total celebrities for all ages!--and there's a meal train organized every time a new baby arrives. Lunches by Chef Miguel are expanding our daughter's palette and simplifying our mornings at home. We can't wait to start it all again with our newborn when she turns 18 months old!”

“We were lucky enough to get a spot for our child here and the staff and parent community are top tier. I continue to be impressed by the care our family received from this institution. Kid #2 starts next year and we are so excited to have another child go through this school.”

“I cannot accurately express how grateful our family is for Step One School. I want to specifically call out the experience we had with our daughter while she attended. We moved across the country to be closer to family, and our experience at a previous preschool was the antithesis of what we experienced at Step One.

Our daughter loves to sing, and would often at her previous preschool (as a 4 year old!) be written up for singing. She'd get in trouble for being disruptive because she would sing herself to sleep at school. Eventually she became so scared, she stopped singing entirely.

Enter Step One and their loving and caring environment. Within a week of attending, she was singing again - and while this is a very specific story, I will say that our experience at Step One with our son was largely the same.

Step One really takes the entire experience to heart and teaches beyond the walls of academia - skills like empathy, compassion, and kindness are really focused on, so that they're prepped for kindergarten past just the ABCs. We adore the play-based curriculum and the way they approach things like conflict resolution in the classrooms. Beyond all of that? The outdoor play space is nothing short of magical.

I will forever be grateful for Step One and its kind and caring teachers. I truly cannot recommend this place enough.”

“Loved the experience here. Good teachers who have the requisite patience and understanding needed to educate adult students and train them in the skills required for careers.”

“Our son went to Golden Gate Learning Center from the time he was 14 months old until he was nearly 3 yrs old.

Hanna and Sabrina are wonderful, hard working, and responsive leaders of the center… really wonderful thoughtful people.

Our son's teachers always took exceptional care of him. Every day was a different fun and supportive activity especially designed for his stage of development to help him grow socially, emotionally, and physically.

He had plenty of outdoor playtime every day. They are improving their front yard to increase outdoor play space for the younger children.

We couldn’t recommend the team at GGLC any higher. We will REALLY miss the people here as will our son.”

“My daughter just started at Crowden as a 7th grader. She is a complete beginner in violin but the music faculty has been very understanding and appreciative of her aptitude to learn. So far, we are having only positive experiences. She is learning music at her level, and following the academic program of her grade. Everyone at school is extremely understanding, adults and the kids.The small class size makes it for a better learning environment for my daughter because she is usually very distracted at school. While the school still follows the common core program, they also have art and French classes. Overall, the breakdown of classes reminded me of a more European school, with shorter periods, which helps kids to focus and pay attention in each class.My daughter also enjoys the school and really looks forward to having her first concert.”