La Plazita Preschool II on MacArthur
Community SubscriberOakland, CA
Also see La Plazita Preschool III - a La Plazita Preschool on 35th Avenue that opened in 2016
La Plazita II is located at 3625 MacArthur Blvd.
Parent Q&A
Parent Reviews
Parents, please Sign in to post a review on this page.This doesn't. meet all your criteria, but we have loved La Plazita for both my kids. There are a few different locations, but they're in East Oakland, so maybe not workable location-wise. But the hours are great, the prices are reasonable, it's a Spanish-immersion program with super dedicated and loving teachers and staff, lots of outdoor time, focus on some "academic" skills like letter and number recognition but not at the expense of lots of free play and imagination. If you can make the location work I highly recommend!
check la plazita preschool! they are offering weekly spanish classes to the parents and community starting this week. located in the laurel district. it’s a sweet community space and the director and teacher are wonderful!
Both my girls have attended La Plazita and we have been very happy there. Great teachers, great directors, great community. I highly recommend it!
We had a great experience with La Plazita! The staff is wonderful and helped make our son's preschool years smooth and productive. He learned what he needs for Kindergarten and made some special friends.We especially enjoyed meeting other parents and seeing our son play with his friends at the many after school events and celebrations.
La Plazita is wonderful! The staff is amazing and have designed the preschool environment with attention to every detail -- creative and engaging curriculum, indoor & outdoor free play, helping kids develop good habits around hygiene, sharing and clean up. The Spanish immersion was perfect for our family - we speak Spanish and home and my daughter was already bilingual. La Plazita helped further her language development, but the teachers also helped her overcome her shyness! My daughter graduates out to Kindergarten this fall, but we'll miss La Plazita.
We highly recommend La Plazita Preschool in the Laurel District of Oakland. It is a Spanish immersion program (100% Spanish), offering full days from 9am to 3pm, with the option of before and after care (both of which we used). Our son attended this school for two years and is now bilingual! We don't speak Spanish at home, so his language acquisition has been solely from school. The school sends home monthly vocabulary and songs to practice at home, which has helped us reinforce what he is learning. The teachers are amazing! They are all so loving, caring, and highly skilled as educators. As an educator myself, I have been thoroughly impressed with the quality of education, which includes plenty of free play time. The school also has fantastic social events for the families, so you can connect with other parents if you'd like. My son has loved everything about this school, and has gained incredible confidence in his Spanish language skills.
Archived Q&A and Reviews
May 2016
RE: Spanish language daycare/preschool
La Plazita in Oakland! great teachers....all native spanish speakers!
Mucha suerte!
mama de ninas bilingues
Nov 2013
We could not be happier in the La Plazita community. Our 3 year old daughter started a few months ago and we love it. They speak only in Spanish, and my daughter's vocabulary and comfort with the language is increasing daily. The facility is colorful and allows for lots of creative play, and they have an awesome outdoor play area with a garden. The kids routinely help themselves to the strawberries that grow on the vines. What attracted us most to this school was the quality of the teachers and the feeling of community. As a teacher myself, I could immediately see what great teachers they have. Gabriela does daily art projects with the kids that truly bring out the artist in all the students. They start every day with circle time that is inclusive, fun, creative, and academically focused. Before looking at this school, I had never seen a 4 year old writing 'zoologico' on a whiteboard with better penmanship than I possess. I know my daughter will be ready for kindergarten, but the curriculum never feels like boring drills. As mentioned, this little school in the Laurel really does reflect the diversity of Oakland, and they make families feel so welcome. They host fun events like an all-school Dia De Los Muertos potluck celebration and there is lots of room for parent involvement. They don't serve meals daily but they have no problem heating up the food we bring for my daughter, and they do serve healthy snacks twice a day. Sammy
March 2013
La Plazita is a great Spanish immersion preschool and has been a solid experience for our family so far.
Our 3 yr old knew minimal Spanish going in, and we of course were concerned with how the transition to a full Spanish environment would play out. So far so good. Within weeks, she was reciting the alphabet in both English and Spanish, counting and talking about days of the week in Spanish as well. She also took to writing her name within the first couple of weeks.
The true familia spirit of the school really shines. Dropping our daughter off the first day felt very familiar and comfortable due to the care they take in organizing family get-togethers at the school beforehand. The whole family has also enjoyed celebrating Spanish culture and holidays at La Plazita. Our daughter loves her teachers and friends. And we love that she's getting a very early bilingual experience and exposure to different cultures. Jessica
Our preschool has a couple of rare openings, so I wanted to write a review. We wanted a bilingual Spanish-English preschool experience for our children. We have been with the school for a year now, and we are thrilled with the school.The kids love their school too and look forward to going there. The school also welcomes parents to participate in various activities, but there are no volunteer requirements.
The school is very organized, with well laid out lesson plans and monthly themes. The curriculum is fantastic. Every month we receive a vocabulary list and song lyrics, so that we can practice them at home with our kids. The teachers are kind, well respected by the kids, and are very successful at teaching Spanish. The school itself is cheerful and inviting. The director of the school has really good attention to detail and it clearly shows in everything they do. The school day runs 9am-3pm, with flexible before/after care hours. They offer 1 to 5 days/week slots depending on availability. I love their flexibility!
My daughter's Spanish is progressing so quickly and she is only there part time! Besides learning Spanish, the school does a great job of sharing other aspects of Latino culture (food, Day of the Dead, piC1atas, etc.)Another great aspect to the school is the diversity of the kids-it really reflects the greater Oakland community. There are fun parties at the school and field trips too. The parent community is warm and welcoming. In summary, my daughter is well prepared to go off to kindergarten in the fall and her Spanish is fantastic.
If you are looking for a bilingual Spanish-English preschool, I encourage you to check out their website:http://www.laplazitapreschool.com/ Happy La Plazita Family
My son is about to graduate from La Plazita Preschool (La Plazita II, the one on MacArthur) and attends full time. I couldn't be happier with it. Between my two kids, this is the third preschool I've had a child at, and it is definitely the best. The staff are caring, attentive, and thoughtful about child development. They are responsive to kids' conflicts/ problems but not punitive. They have a well organized curriculum and they communicate it well with parents.
I think one day a week is usually not a good idea for preschools (in general). It's not enough time for the child to really get comfortable in the setting and build friendships, and they will be really out of the overall flow of things. I think kids should attend at least 2 days a week, 3 is better. Most parents say if their kids attend something 1-2 days a week, they have a hard time transitioning in and out.