Schools near Ross, CA

“Ross cottage has been such an incredible experience for our 3yr old son, as well as our whole family! Each morning he arrives excited at drop off, and each afternoon comes home happy (and exhausted!) Not only is he learning how to spell his name, colors, trace, count, etc. (all at what feels like a rapid pace!), he’s also practicing his manners, how to communicate kindly with us, other kids/his friends (!), his little brother, and other adults with clarity, respect, and confidence. All while having a ton of fun! The teachers, MiMi and Michelle, have created such a special loving, stimulating, and caring environment - The small class sizes provide each child the space and attention the to truly connect with each other and with their teachers. We love that they spend so much time outside, while also having such a bright, beautiful, and clean indoor classroom.”

“It's not just the best health club in Marin. It's the best place of any kind in Marin. I truly have no words to describe how fabulous it is. One has to experience it for oneself.”

“The sweetest director you can ever meet who has the sweetest team together!
Couldn’t be happier, thank youu bright stars fam🫶🏼”

“Our daughter (2.5) and son (7 months) are both at golden poppy with both our daughter and son starting in the baby room (kitten room) at 4 months old.

Overall, you can tell how much the teachers love and care about the kids. Communication with teachers and admins is also super easy with the mobile app.

The teachers use a mobile app called procare throughout the day to send photos and updates, which makes you feel like you are in the know on what’s happening. The app leaves no room for doubt on if your child is eating, napping, ect. (In the baby room this is especially important. It always put my mind at ease to know when our babies were drinking bottles and how many oz they were consuming.)

Miss Anita who runs the baby room is incredibly kind and friendly and helped get both babies on an eating and sleeping scheduling (which was a huge help to us at home.)

Miss Christina runs the toddler room and has been at GP for 20+ years. She does daily lessons and curriculum for the kids. She also does a cooking lesson every Tuesday, which my daughter loved and continued to want to do at home (examples, they made guacamole, muffins, fruit salad.)

My daughter recently moved up to the 2-3 year old room with Miss Annalee. Annalee has been SO SO helpful when it comes to potty training. She helped my daughter understand when she had to go to the bathroom and took her at a regular cadence to where Nora wasn’t having many accidents, even the first week. We couldn’t have done potty training without Annalee’s help.

Outside of normal school, golden poppy regularly hosts events for parents and kids, especially around the holidays. We had fun at the trunk or treating Halloween event, holiday concert, and Valentine’s Day party. My husband and I have made friends with many of the parents at school and have built a great community at GP.

Golden poppy is a great option for both infants, toddlers and preschoolers for the loving teachers and great community of kids and parents!”

“Erwin and his team are my go to crew for all embroidery and screen printing. We like to do very high end stuff for our startup so we buy pieces (camp chairs, fleeces, hats) and he always delivers with super high quality branding. Our team loves it.

Thank you for everything over the years. This review is long overdue.”

“I moved to Novato in the middle of the Covid global pandemic. It was lonely as a stay at home parent to a young child, isolating. So when I was looking for a preschool for my daughter, I was also looking for a community for myself as well as for her, and I found that at NPNS.

It is truly a unique and incredible school with an amazing director (Clare) who brings kindness and calm and wonder to every moment, kind and caring teachers (Lauryn and Lindsey - who both have children at the school!) and a community of caregivers - parents, grandparents, and other guardians - who all believe in the child-led, play-based philosophy of the school and who care for your child as if they were their own.

I've made friends I know will last a lifetime - and so has my daughter!”

“I started my journey with Creart back in 2015 with my first born child. Being a first time parent and not having personal experience on what to look for in a child care facility made me a bit nervous, on top of my attachment issues. It was hard for me to leave my child with anyone who wasn’t family. Paty went over her child care program routines, introduced me to the staff and made me feel I could trust them with my child. From the first day my child attended Creart, they kept me informed by text or talking to me at pick up time of how my child did during the day. They shared picture of my child’s developing growth and any accomplishment my child made. Their curriculum includes, creative art, outside playing, multicultural activities and much more. When my child was diagnosed with Speech Delay and learning disabilities at age of 2, Paty facilitated his services by allowing the specialists to evaluate and provide his therapies at the child care facility. From day one, they were very supportive. Two years later, my second child started Creart. My experience didn’t changed. Both of my children loved their child care, their teachers and the experience they had while at Creart. They loved looking at their photo albums and remembering their preschool days. On early school dismissal, they come to visit their preschool teachers and pick up their little brother. Creart has been more than just a quality child care facility for us, they are family ♥”

“To anyone wondering if this is the right school for their child, it is!

Crystal, Josh, and all of the staff at Montessori in Motion are excellent. They do everything! Academics, crafts, music, play, cooking, wellness - you name it! My favorite thing that they teach, though, is independence and consistency. My daughter has flourished in her time there.

I highly recommend Montessori in Motion. If you have any questions and/or want to know more, reach out to Crystal and Josh and see for yourself.”

“I wholeheartedly endorse Noah's Ark Preschool as both my girls went through their program. The staff members are not only caring but also incredibly knowledgeable, fostering an environment where children can thrive. Communication is seamless - they send reminders of upcoming events and photos of the kids doing activities via an app almost on daily basis. It gave me peace of mind to see a pic of my 3-year-old among other kids having fun. The classrooms are consistently clean and well-organized. One aspect I particularly appreciate is their secure entry & exit system, ensuring safety for all. The well-structured curriculum played a pivotal role in preparing my kids for kindergarten, a testament to the school's dedication to quality education.For parents contemplating enrollment, I strongly encourage you to schedule a tour by calling the school. I am confident that, like me, you will find it to be an excellent choice for your child's early education.”

“The assessment, timing, rest breaks, and encouragement were excellent.
Reporting the results by Laura was exceptional. I am grateful for the detailed information and clarity about the action plan.
I greatly appreciated the thorough approach and hopefully a positive outcome after remediation occurs!”

“Our first year at SNS in the Pre-K program feeling very welcome and nurtured by this wonderful community. A co-op that runs like a well oiled machine of parents and teachers working together to create a warm and loving environment for our children. Not to mention, how special it is to be able to peek into the classroom as a teachers aid in this stage in my child’s life. It’s a small window of opportunity to share with my son before he starts the rest of his independent learning. Lastly, I believe my family will build friendships that go on beyond preschool years from this wonderful experience.”

“We are so grateful we found Oakview. After moving to Marin during COVID, it was difficult to find a sense of community, but Oakview gave our family that and so much more.

Our daughter started at Oakview at age two, and from the moment we toured the school, we knew it was special. The warm and welcoming environment stood out to us. Every classroom felt joyful, engaging, colorful, and thoughtfully designed. After touring a handful of places we knew Oakview was the one.

Over the years, it has been a joy to watch our daughters grow and thrive. Our oldest recently graduated and is heading to kindergarten with confidence, independence, and a genuine love of learning. I have especially loved seeing how much she admires and adores her teachers. The teachers really go above and beyond with unique and creative, hands-on projects and building relationships with each child and their families.

Lastly, as newcomers to Marin, we met so many wonderful families through the school who have become some of our closest friends.

Oakview has been an incredibly special part of our lives, and we are deeply grateful for the love, care, education, creativity, and community it has provided. We couldn't recommend it more highly.”

“We’re now in our second year, and I can’t express enough how much growth I’ve seen in my son — and in myself. Every day, he comes home more confident, curious, and imaginative. The teachers do such an incredible job fostering creativity through hands-on activities and imaginative play, and they truly care about each child’s development.

What makes this school even more meaningful is that it’s not just for the kids — as a participating parent, I’ve learned so much about how to be more patient, present, and connected. It’s teaching both my son and me the foundation for a better future — how to raise an amazing little human while growing as a parent, too.

Everyone here is so loving, trustworthy, and communicative. The sense of community is genuine, and I couldn’t give The Children’s Cottage a higher recommendation. It’s truly an awesome place — we absolutely love it! 💛”

“We sent both of our kids to Mill Valley Nursery School and it was an incredible experience. Not only did our kids love it and thrived there, but we also learned a ton about how to be better parents and made some great friends along the way. The community is very special. I cannot recommend this school enough!”

“My son enjoys going to RVNS everyday. There is an amazing community of families we've grown close with. The teachers are great and do amazing work taking care of the kids.”

“I am so happy and grateful that we found New Village! There's a deep breath of relief within me when I think of the school and what it means to us. The sense of community and connection between parents, kids and teachers is palpable and nourishing. And the joy of seeing my child thrive both socially and academically. I absolutely recommend this wonderful school with all my heart. Since the classes are comparatively smaller I know that the teacher is able to be fully present with each child. Another aspect I appreciate is the wholesome way letters and numbers are introduced to the younger students. And of course the amount of time they get to be outdoors and not just any random park, but the kids get to explore the beauty and wilderness of the coast line and beyond.”

“Heidi's Kinderhaus is a great place for little ones. We needed to enroll our kid during summer to a daycare but couldn't find anything in or around our town at that time (Petaluma), luckily we found Heidi's Kinderhaus. Our son supposed to stay there only 3 months because he had a spot reserved close to where we live (once he was about to turn 2y). But if the commute wouldn't be so bad, we would leave him at Heidi's. He truly loved it there, teachers, other kids, everyday activities, the place. Teachers were always very helpful and accommodating to our son's (or ours) needs. So at the end, it was really hard for us to leave.
Highly recommended!”