Looking for a good preschool with fewer days off
Hello BPN parents!
I am seeking recommendations about a good preschool in the Berkeley-Albany-El Cerrito that doesn't have too many days off. Our current school has a schedule that is impossible to do unless one of us stops working or we hire an au pair. Would appreciate advice about solid schools in our area that are geared for more working-class families.
Thanks in advance.
Aug 26, 2019
Parent Replies
Claremont Day Nursery is really designed for working parents. They have a site at the Colusa Circle, as well as a couple in Rockridge. I think the only non-federal holiday is the Friday before Easter and the week between Christmas and New Years. And they provide lunch!
The Model School in Berkeley is open 244 days a year. Child care can be provided 7a-6p. Very flexible when it comes to their contract, that is, if your hours change, you can change your child's hrs easily too. They have a few openings in the older toddler (18 months - 2.9 yrs) and PreK classrooms (2.9-5 yrs). We love the school. Very active parent community, lots of social events, great for making friends and giving back to the community (the school is a non-profit). More diverse than other schools I've visited too. My son (3) started PreK last year and is thriving. They recently did units on the solar system, bugs & insects, the ocean - we got lectured about echolocation and bioluminescence a few days ago ... Totally recommend!
We sent our kids to Claremont Day Nursery in the Rockridge neighborhood of Oakland, but they have a location in Kensington as well, and I'm pretty sure they all run on the same format. It's definitely geared toward working parents -- the hours are either 7 or 8 am to 6 pm, they provide a hot lunch every day (!!!!), and the only time I recall them closing is the 4-day Thanksgiving weekend and Christmas week (maybe 2 weeks at most); they don't close at all in the summer. We absolutely loved our experience there with both our kids.
Try Claremont Day Nursery in Kensington.
Look at Claremont Day Nursery, there is a location in North Berkeley near Albany. They have long hours, are hardly ever closed, they provide lunch to the kids, and they’re cheaper than many other preschools with much shorter hours and more breaks. We’ve been at the Claremont location for a few years and we love it.
Step One School is great, both in this regard and in every other way. We are in our fourth year there, and the teachers are nothing short of amazing. https://www.steponeschool.org/
I don't know how many days off is too many for you as most seem to take all the federal holidays as well as various "breaks", but we've been happy with Little Inti in El Cerrito. It has real hours for working parents (8-6) and it's a good group of nice families and caring teachers. If you're looking for a "curriculum" or "philosophy" of some kind this isn't the place, rather it's a real play-based school that does an excellent job of socializing kids and feeding them wholesome food. Good luck.