Schools near Kensington, CA

“The Good Earth School is amazing! We joined the school in 2020 and my daughter immediately loved TGES. The supportive, attuned staff, curriculum, dedication to social and emotional development, and experiential approach to learning were the perfect environment for my daughter to thrive. My younger daughter started at TGES when she was 2.5 years old. She is a kinesthetic learner and we could not imagine a better place for her to have her first school experience than TGES. We would keep our girls there through high school if we could!”

“My children used to throw a full tantrum anytime I dropped them off anywhere but now they run in to their little seats and to their teachers and instructional aides. I have preemie twins and when they were in the nido room they did all the physical therapy exercises with them. I love this place”

“The instructors at Safety Training Seminars provided top-notch instruction and guidance throughout my BLS certification course, ensuring my mastery of essential lifesaving skills. I was particularly impressed by their expertise in delivering the American Heart Association's standards, making me feel confident in my newfound ability to respond in emergency situations. I will definitely be back for my recertification in 2 years!!”

“My newly adopted niece has been attending Kids Corner for about 18 months, starting when she was just two years old. It has truly been a cornerstone in her development. We’ve seen tremendous growth in her communication skills and behavior since she started here. The teachers genuinely care about each child’s progress and well-being. She often comes home excited to show us her adorable and creative artwork—especially around holidays like Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Valentine’s Day, and Easter. She’s thriving at Kids Corner, and as a parent, I couldn’t be more grateful.”

“CCC is a co-op preschool where children and adults are invited to grow and play in an inclusive, supportive environment. Creative and loving teachers, spacious and thoughtful play spaces, and opportunities to be actively involved in a community make CCC a special place to spend these precious preschool years. CCC Forever!”

“This review is long overdue! Curious explorers is an amazing school!! My daughter loves it here. She’s excited about coming to school every day!! Sometimes when I come and pick her up, she tells me that she wants to stay. That’s how much she loves curious explorers. This school has been life changing for us. All the staff here are warming and welcoming and you can tell the kids feel safe. There’s also a class pet Bailey who my daughter adores ?.
Curious explorers has been a blessing to my family.
5 stars isn’t enough! 10/10”

“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.”

“My son has been at Daisy since October. In that time, his confidence has grown and he has clearly learned a lot. Irfan, Fey, and the rest of the teachers have supported him during transitions and cared for him deeply. He loves the outdoor space with the animals, all the art projects, and yoga and music classes.”

“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.”

“We’ve had such a great experience with La Plazita II! The maestras are super kind and really care about the kids. They work hard to create a warm, welcoming place where my child feels happy and safe. I also love the family events they host throughout the year. It’s a nice way to meet other parents and build a community.

One thing that really stands out is their monthly themes. They’re fun and keep the kids interested, and it’s amazing how much my child’s Spanish has grown because of them. Every month, the new theme brings in fresh words and ideas, and it’s helped my kid become really fluent in Spanish in such a natural way.

Lupe is great too. She’s always quick to answer any questions I have, which makes things so much easier.

Overall, you can tell how much effort they put into the curriculum and caring for the kids. I’m really happy with how much my child has learned and grown here.”

“Linda Beach has been a perfect fit for our child and our family. It is a lovely community of parents, wonderful staff, and a perfect balance of learning and play for the children. The additional gymnastics and spanish supplements are a bonus that we didn't anticipate but are very appreciative of. We are grateful for this caring environment during a crucial developmental time for our son. We highly recommend if you are looking for a cooperative preschool.”

“I am amazed by the care and consideration Hills Plaza has shown to my family. My infant daughter (6 months) loves coming to the center each day and I know her development is skyrocketing from all of the engaging experiences her teachers give her - even at such a young age! I am rest assured that she is well taken care of and the health and safety practices are top notch. I love the app which sends me real-time information about her day and the most adorable pictures/videos! Would highly recommend to anyone looking for infant care, even (especially) during COVID times.”

“We have been beyond thrilled with the care and education both of our kids have received at Nia House. It's hard for me to know where to begin. My first child is a 2020 baby, and it felt like a huge leap for us to start her in childcare. From the moment I set foot in the school, I couldn't have felt more confident in our decision. Every aspect of Nia House from the physical environment to the way teachers speak to the children is utterly thoughtful. The teachers are deeply knowledgable about development and about helping each unique child find their place in the community. The teachers and staff have also been extremely supportive of my husband and I as parents and have offered guidance and advice when we've run into challenges at home. I feel incredibly lucky to have Nia House as a partner in raising my kids!”

“I like Baby Penguin’s so much. I have two boys and they all go to this daycare for four year now. Ceci is generous, loving, and kind to everyone. She is a great mom and takes very good care of the babies, Janelle takes her time to prepare the kids for kindergarten and my son, Nigel has learnt a lot from her teaching. Abuelo is always welcoming to the kids and parents. I would recommend this day care to all parents with little kids.”

“We were new to the area and needed to find a good school for our fourth grade daughter. Even though St. John's was not on our initial radar, we decided to take a tour. Ms.Clabby who is one of the administrators and wears many hats at the school was so friendly and she made the process very easy for us. My daughter immediately felt comfortable with the small school setting and was excited to start. We appreciate the smaller student population which actually makes us feel safer during a pandemic. Her teacher is thoughtful, creative, and very inclusive to all the students. I would recommend this school for parents who are looking for a smaller school setting and provides strong academics. The only downside is that there aren't many extracurricular clubs like public schools may offer. I've been impressed at how easily kids can go transition to remote learning very easily on days when the city's power is out due to storms. Overall it is a safe and kind school.”

“I can't recommend this place enough. My son attended for about a year, and he loved his teachers and made great friends. The learning environment is warm and supportive. The staff really helped him grow and meet his developmental milestones, and we saw so much progress during his time there. We always felt he was safe and well cared for.”

“This is an update: After my son's graduation from SHCP, he attended Skyline Community College. He then got accepted to UC Davis and UC Irvine. He chose UC Irvine and graduated June 2022 with a BS in Theoretical Mathematics and a minor in History. It was his choice to first attend Skyline, primarily due to costs. He's now a college graduate with no student debt. SHCP prepared him for the academic challenges of a UC. He's now applying to grad schools.”

“My daughter has attended here for a little over two years. The staff are lovely. The kids are happy. They provide fresh cooked lunch and snacks everyday - which is a real time saver for our family and encourages our daughter to try new foods. They have optional extra curricular activities like yoga, cooking, science, and soccer. I have seen very little staff turnover, and one staff member has been there so long that she taught one of the parents! I also appreciate all the evening events and additional information for the parents - for example, they organized an information night on transition to TK, including inviting some local TK and K teachers to speak. It feels like a warm community. Candace and Linda are responsive, friendly, and caring. Highly recommended.”

“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.”

“The staff is so friendly, the teachers are super nice and knowledgeable. We have trusted them with our little baby without a doubt in our minds. You can feel the genuine love from the teachers towards all the babies. Feeling so lucky to have been part of this family. Thanks so much!”

“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.”

“Cali and the staff at Sugar and Spice are like family. We absolutely adorable this center and everything it has to offer every season, even movie nights on the weekends! Don't know what we'd do without them.”

“The Twos teachers are amazing! They have made this change easier on my daughter and I. They give the adequate attention to each and every kid and build a special bond with each and everyone of them, but I think they can use some extra help.
My daughter loves them ? We are so thankful to have them!
Wanda is also very helpful & always greeting everyone .”

“We absolutely love Rising Sun Montessori School!! Our child has been attending this preschool for almost 2 years and we have been so pleased with everything this school has to offer. The owner, Carolina, is incredible with the children. She is patient, knowledgeable, kind, and very welcoming. The same is true of the other teachers as well. They are very accommodating of each family's needs and they make our child feel very safe. I feel very comfortable leaving my child in their care. They provide an excellent early education and wonderful social skill-building. At pick-up, my child often doesn't want to leave school because she is having so much fun with her friends and loves her teachers! We are planning to enroll our younger two children when the time comes.”

“We’ve only been at Gan Ilan for a few months, but it’s already the best decision we’ve made for our family. Even with the commute from Walnut Creek, we’re incredibly happy with the curriculum, the environment, and the outstanding teachers. My boys are excited and happy to go to school every single day!!”

“After not even a full year at the school with a preschooler and Kindergartener, my husband and I agree this is the best decision we've ever made as a family and are beyond thrilled with everything we've experienced so far-the teachers and staff, the curriculum, and above all, the community and support we feel. We cannot wait to see what the rest of this year and subsequent years will bring!”

“Both of our boys are enrolled at Peter Pan. We love the strong community, getting to know the kids on our parent work days, and the play-based, child-centered format.”

“Cindy and the team at Rockridge Little School are absolute rock stars. We've been fortunate to have been part of the RLS family for almost five years. The school has done an amazing job creating a safe, stimulating, and fun environment for young kiddos. I strongly recommend that any prospective parents consider the school.”

“Wildwood has been a great choice for us! In particular, we love the community aspect of this school — from the parent-teacher partnership, to festive school events for families to come together and connect. We also really appreciate Anita’s leadership (Program Director); she’s thoughtful, transparent, and very involved — which is evident in the relationships she’s built with each kiddo. The fact that she actively supports in the classroom on a daily basis gives us assurance that decisions and updates are informed by on-the-ground experiences. Wildwood’s focus on learning through play resonates with us. Having multiple age-appropriate classrooms also provides good exposure / role-modeling for kids in different learning stages (from infants to pre-schoolers).”