Schools in Palo Alto, CA

“We couldn't have asked for a better preschool for our son! His initial start date was delayed by 4 months due to COVID. However, once he did start it quickly became clear that Dinesh and his team had taken all the necessary precautions to provide a safe, yet fun environment for all the kids.You may find loads of preschools in the area that carry Montessori in their name. But once you talk to Dinesh you'll quickly realise that he truly embraces and embodies all Montessori values and principles.We're beyond grateful for the last 3 years and we couldn't recommend this school more highly!”

“Update: I learned that the head teacher of Room 1 is no longer with the preschool so my comment to avoid that room is now obsolete. The rest of my review, which is very positive, still stands.”

“Heffalump is a wonderful school! Meenakshi andBarbara are great teachers. There were different themes every day, my kids loved Cooking Friday!They now 8&10 went there 5 years ago but still we get together with some friends from Heffalump. Such a great community!I highly recommend it!”

“Our son has been here for 1 year and he absolutely loves it. The teachers are caring and the curriculum is advanced, which really helps prepare him for kindergarten. We chose to keep him at ACME instead of sending him to TK because he would learn more here and have the exposure to Mandarin that he wouldn't otherwise have at home or at a public TK. 1) He's already learning phonics and reading 3 letter words and understanding life cycles and basic math that's normally taught in kinder. 2) My husband and I don't speak Mandarin, yet my son is able to converse and understand Mandarin with his teachers. I find that ACME is more inclusive of other ethnicities than a few other Mandarin bilingual programs in Palo Alto. While I was interviewing preschools, many of the Mandarin bilingual programs gave us the cold shoulder as soon as I mentioned I couldn't speak Chinese. I feel that ACME is the most friendly and inclusive, especially of mix raced families.Ms. Le, the program's director, is the sweetest person - she kind and thoughtful; she has a soft-spoken yet authoritative way about her and she addresses any issues I bring up. Ms. Param literally held onto my son and calmed him down for the first 6 months as he was crying profusely during drop off. Ms. Lily is spunky, talkative and always gives me updates on how my son is doing whenever I see her. Ms. Xu, Ms. Star and the rest of the staff are very kind and sweet.I would highly recommend ACME Children's to any parent.”

“Country Day Little School is a truly unique and special place. It is a Waldorf-based school that is kind to children and parents alike, has patient and wonderful teachers, and is accommodating of every child and parent's needs.From the moment you walk through the doors, you feel like you are part of something bigger than yourself. The teachers and staff are all so welcoming and supportive, and they go out of their way to make sure that every child and family feels included.The Waldorf curriculum is truly unique. It is based on the belief that children learn best through hands-on experience and through the arts. Each day, the students at Country Day Little School spend time working in the garden, preparing and eating healthy/organic/nutritious snacks, and even growing their own vegetables or baking their bread. They also have plenty of time for free play and social interaction.One of the things I love most about Country Day Little School is its focus on social skills. The teachers teach the children how to resolve conflicts peacefully, how to be respectful of others, and how to work together as a group, steeped in developing good manners with the teachers often using their wonderful voices as persistent tools of persuasion and compassion.The school also does a great job of maintaining order and decorum. The teachers create a calm and nurturing environment where the children feel safe and respected.I highly recommend Country Day Little School to any parent who is looking for a Waldorf-based school that is kind, supportive, and focused on the whole child. Every child and their needs are unique and CDLS demonstrates that reality and takes into account these unique and special needs at every step of the way in a patient and loving way.Overall, Country Day Little School is a wonderful Waldorf-based school that provides a unique educational experience for its students. The Waldorf curriculum is focused on the whole child and helps children to develop academically, socially, and emotionally + without screens/media (which is both rare and important for complete and unassisted growth and development).I am so grateful that my child has the opportunity to attend Country Day Little School. It is a truly special place where children can thrive and learn to their full potential.”

“We love CPSC! We decided to send our son here because so many of our friends’ children attended and loved it. It’s a loving environment with curriculum-based learning and just the best teachers. We are better parents because of the advice and community that CPSC provides.”

“I believe it's one of the best school in the world for kids with learning differences. The results for my child are tremendous. People who work here are so knowledgeable and enthusiastic!”

“How can I even begin expressing my gratitude for this school? We were lucky enough to find it for my older son (pre-pandemic) and now my younger son is set to graduate from here too! It is a gem and has been in the community for generations.It's a play-based school centered around social and emotional development. Having been a part of this community for 5 years, I've seen such growth in all the kids that come through here and prepared for Kinder.I've noticed that the kids graduate here with their creativity in tact, with an insatiable appetite to learn new concepts and ideas.The teachers are nurturing and kind, but most importantly focus on conflict resolution rooted in communication and open dialogue.The kids go into the 3s and 4s every day with new projects and discover new ways to collaborate and creatively play.Lastly, it is a Co-Op which doesn't suit everyone, but I often found that as parents we set examples. And being in a Co-Op gives an opportunity to show service and volunteering to our children.I will be forever indebted.”

“My daughter has been in both the infant daycare and the preschool and has received amazing care in both places. They have taught her so much and made sure that she is happy to be there every day. Andrea and JR have been wonderful with her and she genuinely loves them. They are patient, engaging, and really have learned who she is and how to interact with her in a way that helped her self esteem and love for learning blossom. I am so sad to be moving away. I have felt so secure in her care while she was here. Thank you guys for everything.”

“This place is pure Magic!Our son loves attending PNS and our family loves being part of such a wonderful community of parents and educators. If you are considering joining (take it from someone who toured almost all the preschools in the area) nothing compares to PNS!”

“My daughter loves her teachers and friends at OMS! She eagerly waits to go to preschool in the mornings and loves sharing about her day once she is home.Odyssey's teachers are warm, welcoming, and nurturing. It is evident that they love what they do and are incredibly gifted in working with children. They provide a loving and respectful environment for each child to grow and thrive. Like Odyssey's teachers, Odyssey's director is also wonderful. She thoughtfully sets the caring tone for the school. She makes firm decisions to keep staff and children safe. This has been critical, especially during COVID.”

“Their services are one of the best of the Santa Clara County. Despite being short-staffed, one of the managers named Jake was very kind and understanding. He and his staff always replies to my emails and always tries their best to provide the best services that they are willing to offer.”

“Could not have asked for a better program for our children for the last three years. Our oldest was in the Sea Turtles (1-2) and then Dolphin (2-3) classrooms and our youngest was in the Octopus (Infant) room. All of the teachers we had were warm and caring and provide frequent updates (and pictures) for us throughout the day; the staff is extremely organized (shoutouts to Ms. Nancy, Ms. Cass & Ms. Sonia) and runs fun school wide events like spirit weeks, book fairs and art shows to get families involved. We recently moved to be closer to family on the east coast and it was hard to say goodbye to this wonderful place. There is a waitlist so would definitely recommend reaching out as early as you can.Some other aspects we really appreciated:- A coordinated curriculum (frequent art projects / music / learning themes that change throughout the year)- A secure location (keypad entry - closed off outdoor space not accessible or visible to the street)- Fun large outdoor space (there are two separate playgrounds for different age groups - the older child one in particular is great)”

“Challengers preschool program goes above and beyond! The teachers truly care for the students and the accelerated program is really giving my child an early advantage.”

“Great School facilities are great. Academics is awesome.They have a decent football program, now that Mr Greyhounds is coaching there. ?They have a great pool, which helps in running an awesome swimming program.”

“I have two kids in the PreK and the 2s class and we LOVE LOVE LOVE this place. Very well structured, monthly emails with calendars and announcements, teachers and staff all around amazing and just love on all the kids, and we appreciate all the enrichment activities they offer. My kids have both been singing and counting in Spanish and Mandarin, and singing songs from the music teacher. Highly recommend.”

“I attended Paly from 1997-2001 and had a pretty good experience while at Paly. I was in the TEAM program while in ninth grade and this helped me immensely academically and socially (not sure if they still have this program since I was a freshman 24 years ago). The school is beautiful and I know that they have added more indoor buildings since when I graduated. The sports programs are excellent as are the fields and track and tennis courts, pool, etc. plus it's great that its an open campus so you can walk over to Town and Country for lunch. I will always cherish my time at Paly.”

“Great immersion program. We've been at the school since in infant room for both our kids and through the pandemic. If you're looking for a balanced montessori + academic focused school I would definitely recommend the immersion program. By the time our son left for Kinder he already knew how to read on his own and do addition and subtraction. He's also doing really well in his current mandarin immersion elementary and learning characters isn't hard for him. Our kids love music class, Spanish class, and art class and are self sufficient. Even at 3 they came home singing songs about continents and planets and all sorts of animals. The complaints and bad reviews I think are mostly from parents who disagreed with the pandemic rules for the school since they were quite rigid. They don't really apply anymore but the proof is in the pudding. Our school didn't get a single case of COVID in class until 2.5 years in and even then it didn't really spread and was well isolated. I would talk to the current parents at the school before you judge based on disgruntled parents who didn't like the COVID policies. We've never felt the need to talk to the president and those teachers that left had their own personal reasons that people are assuming or generalizing. We live 30 mins away and still am willing to make the drive since the kids are developing so well.”