Recommendations for 'Room to Grow' Oakland Preschool?

My child was there from 2009-2012 and we loved it. If Kris Taylor is still running things with Jill Buckey, I can't imagine it's changed much, as they are both excellent. 

It has been 2 years since we graduated from Room to Grow. We spent 2 amazing years at RTG. What a gem of a school. It doesn't look fancy and in fact, a lot of things look a bit worn down. But, don't let that fool you. Teachers are amazing. Their philosphy is right on. My now 1st grader still uses tools and skills she learned at RTG -- being kind, problem solving in a democratic way, teamwork. She often fondly talks about her years at RTG and how she misses it so much. (It is a BIG change from the RTG bubble to OUSD public school...) It can seem a bit chaotic, and I can't say it's for everyone. If your parenting philosophy is to let the child take the lead and take risks and explore at their own pace, this is a fantastic place. We wish the same philosophy exists at public schools. 

Can absolutely recommend Room to Grow! Our child had the time of their life and developed into a confident, curious, sparkling person. I wish I would have had that preschool experience myself. 

Some things that stand out:

- Truly child-led, but with sufficient daily routines. Kids form their own classroom agreements, how they move through the space and choose their own projects. Project can go on for months if the energy is still there, resulting in a few dinosaur, cooking and paper airplane experts in the group! When doing art, kids are given materials, and can pick and choose what they do with it. This is not what you see at many other preschools, where all art looks the same, which suggests that kids were given instructions on what to make, there is a "right or wrong" and that restricts their creativity. 

- Teachers are incredible. I learned so much from observing them, our conversations, and the parent nights. 

- The community is amazing, with 2 family camping trips each year (organized by families) and weekly pizza nights. Our child is now at Kindergarten with none of their RtG buddies, but we are still continuing these camping trips and pizza nights. We definitely also made friends here, not just our kids.

Overall, this was a great match for us. We were looking for a place where our kid could get dirty, climb trees, stay curious, and learn how to work with others, express feelings and claim their own space. We were not looking for a place that would prepare for Kindergarten, or would help them calm down. This is such a precious age where kids can truly still be kids. Room to Grow and the Reggio philosophy provided exactly that. 

I can confirm with confidence and also with gratitude to the amazing teachers at Room to Grow (RTG). Even though we just joined this August, I can't say enough good things about the school and am sure that my daughter will continue to thrive in the upcoming 2 years. The previous review by nomsalina on 9/7/2019 is quite thorough, so I won't repeat those. One thing I'd like to highlight is the school and teachers have great communication with us parents.

- First example, before the school year starts, each child is assigned with a advocate teacher, and the teacher will pay a casual and low-key home visit (or at the places the kid and family are comfortable with) to get to know more about the child and kick off the communication with the family. To be frank, when I first learned this I was surprised, because this requires a lot of time devotion from the teachers. But that's how RTG does things, they really care about each individual kid and is willing to listening to them and respect them.

- Second example, everyday the teachers post some pictures or videos of the school day. This not only helps parents get an idea of what's going on but also provides some good topics to talk about with the kids during dinner time. I always enjoy reading the comments too, which sometimes describes the development they see within a child, or why they set up a certain project.

Hope this helps. :)