The Children's Workshop Oakland
Community SubscriberOakland, CA
- 2021: licensed capacity increased from 33 to 43
Now offering toddler program enrollment for children ages 18-23 months!
CWO is a diverse and inclusive Reggio-inspired and play-based toddler and preschool center fostering social, emotional, intellectual and physical growth through sensory exploration and child-centered project work. Our full day programs run year round for children ages 18 months to 5 years, with each new school year beginning in early August.
We provide a joyful, equitable, nurturing, language rich and highly responsive collaborative learning environment committed to supporting individual children of all backgrounds and ability levels in their spirited efforts to come to know more about themselves, one another and the world. Extensive documentation of the children's learning and development is made available weekly.
Parent Q&A
Parent Reviews
Parents, please Sign in to post a review on this page.Children's Workshop Oakland is amazing for us and has a 5s/TK cohort that they might be able to take her. I'm not sure. You could check it out! https://childrensworkshopoakland.com/
Hi! I'm a current CWO parent and we LOVE it there; our son attended from 7/2020-8/23 and our daughter started there in 8/23. Jessica, the director, was very communicative about the background check thing and it was done before hiring, it just didn't go fully through the systems the way they thought it had or something. We received multiple emails about it a day as the issue was getting resolved. They are meticulous about hiring, safety, health, and the general well-being of the children. Our daughter started just after she turned 2 and I was really worried about her because she'd been with a nanny since 6 months and didn't have many words to express herself. Our son was in daycare since 9 months so when he started it was just a new school after his shut down at the beginning of the pandemic. Both kids thrived there. They teach the kids to be kind, loving, inclusive, and really let the group interests drive large group projects while also teaching basic preschool stuff like counting, the alphabet, songs, and later, basic reading. They have a mixed 2/3 cohort with 4 full time teachers, and my daughter's language and confidence has expanded so much since she's been there. She calls all the kids in class her "best friends" and enjoys each and every one of them. Every teacher (and we've had them all at this point) is warm, loving, and amazing. The community is lovely and we still get together with the families my son went to school with. Feel free to message me if you have other questions!
My son attended CWO from September 2020-August 2021.
This school is so special. My son grew so much in just a year! It's a great blend of play-based and Kindergarten readiness. It's a project-based approach (which I never heard of previously) but my son really comprehended the concepts. Some projects were Space, Oceans, Earth Science, Woodlands, Compost, and the human body.
The facility is.a victorian home; They have beautiful and well maintained indoor and outdoor spaces.
The parent community is engaged but chill. We had a WhatsApp group for birthday parties, meet ups, and updates on runny noses.
The director is incredible. She is a very strong communicator and very responsive. I know managing a school during Covid must have been a nightmare, but she did it with such strength and grace while keeping parents informed every step of the way. I felt very safe and confident sending my son there.
The teacher sent lovely weekly newsletters and photos from the week that we adored. They always made time for a brief chat at pickup. I always felt looped in to how my son was doing and what he was learning.
My son has food allergies and the school was very accommodating and understanding. They feed the kids all snacks and lunch. My son never had a reaction in their care.
I highly recommend CWO to all covid-conscious and/or food-allergy-conscious parents!
Highly recommend Children's Workshop Oakland. Play based, engaging, snacks and lunch provided. The teachers really connect with the kids and clearly love what they do.
Highly recommend Children's Workshop Oakland in Lake Merrit/ Cleaveland Heights area.
Hi! My kiddo is a CWO alum; he attended from age 2.5-5. I plan to send his younger sibling there. My sense is that there are not many reviews of the school on BPN because most enrollees find out about the school via word of mouth, or are younger siblings of alums. The school is intentionally small & in my experience, fostered a sweet, nurturing, tight-knit community amongst students & parents (our cohort remains friendly even after we have scattered to various elementary schools).
There are lots of wonderful things to say about the program, the vision of the director, Jessica, & how she & her staff interpret & apply a reggio emilia, child-led, inquiry-based curriculum. It is helpful to have some knowledge about this approach to learning because it is unique compared to more traditional preschools. We loved this approach to learning, as it emphasizes following the inherent curiosity & creativity of children to guide learning, while fostering children’s understanding of working & learning in community (i.e. class is working on a project, teachers facilitate kids expressing their own ideas, while encouraging them to consider the ideas of others & collectively solve problems).
The school rooms are beautiful, if cozy; I liked that it is a formal school with a home-feel. One unfortunate drawback is that the outdoor space is very small & used as outdoor classrooms, so while the children spend a good amount of time outside each day, the physical campus doesn’t have a lot of space to run. However, this gets compensated for as the kids get older & take neighborhood walks. The kids build up to walking to local playgrounds/fields, Lake Merritt, & even taking the bus to other local destinations. The neighborhood in which the school is situated is vibrant, with invested community members, but it is also an urban setting & is not immune to some of the challenges that can come with this. The school is on a busy street; the sidewalks can suffer from trash accumulation & illegal dumping; it is not uncommon to encounter used condoms in the morning when dropping off your kiddo. Over the years there have been occasional reports of school families witnessing muggings or other crime. I mention all of this, not to detract from the program, but for awareness. Jessica is very committed to safety of staff/children/families; she communicates & solicits feedback regarding any safety concerns that arise.
Jessica is very intentional about the teachers she hires. There was significant teacher turnover during our time there, however we were there during the pandemic; teacher turnover was not unique to her program. She has some long-term teachers that are very dedicated to the program; other teachers come for a few years, then pursue other career opportunities.In some cases, teachers don’t end up being a good fit for the program & have very brief tenures.
The ratios of teachers:students is small & was never a concern for us.
The program is expensive (as are many preschools), but we felt that it was worth it & that the tuition goes into the school & staff. Having snacks and lunches included is invaluable!
There is much more to say; the program has its quirks & it’s not for everyone. However, for us, it was overall a very special experience for our kiddo & family. Happy to chat more & answer any questions you have. Feel free to reach out directly.
We're in our 4th year with CWO. My son started in 2020 when they reopened after being closed for a few months due to covid and have always been super happy with the team. This year my daughter started with the 2s. Most of the time my son was there, there were just 2 teachers per class but now they're fully staffed with 3-4 teachers per room with a floating teacher to help when and where needed. Everyone is so loving and both kids love it there. My son loves going to pick up his sister so he can say hello to his teachers. There is a regular amount of turnover for a preschool and the director, Jessica, always communicates any change happening. My son had already been in daycare prior to joining CWO so we knew he'd do fine, but my daughter was a nanny share kid and I was worried how the transition would be for her. It has been so much better than I expected. The 2s/3s spend their days together and she loves playing with the older girls. We're really happy we've ended up with this community and def recommend CWO.