Golestan Preschool

This is my dream school in every regard honestly.  Setting aside having the opportunity to meet more Iranians in the community, celebrating Persian food, the culture, the language (in the preschool program), this is everything I would have ever wanted in a school for my kids.  Like, if I had the opportunity to make a school for my kids, I would design Golestan.  

Visually, aesthetically, it's #1.  No other school in the Bay Area can compete.  The flowers! The colors! It's so clean and orderly, I get a sense of calmness and a heavenly feeling the moment I enter the grounds.  And you know what the best part is? The KIDS ARE OUTSIDE most of the time, enjoying this beautiful campus.

The quality of the food, the kitchen! These kids eat better than adults.

 The teachers - I love these teachers.  I feel like they are my family honestly.  They ask how I am doing when I drop off.  They ask about my family.  They ask to see pictures of my kid's birthday parties.  This isn't just a job for them.  

The curriculum is amazing - it's an IB curriculum that encourages questions and risk taking.  Every week is a theme, and everything relating to the day relates back to this theme.  The teachers update us regularly with what the theme is, what questions are being addressed, what songs they are singing and what the free play activities are (and it's always rotated! So the kids never get bored). 

The Google Photos! It allows me as a parent to see what my kid is doing everyday.  There are hundreds of photos showing all the kids exploring and playing.  I used these photos and make an album, like a yearbook for my son.

The garden outside, the activities these kids do.  I'm jealous they are outdoors ALL the time. 

And finally, the community.  Yalda, the Director, is always there to help with any questions I had as a first time parent.  She gives the best advice, recommends the best books (which typically aren't the mainstream books).  I'm a better mother because of this school, because of Yalda.  

Being a part of this school is like being a member of a really large big extended family. 

If you could dream up a school for your kids, this is what you would create.  No doubt about it.

We discovered Golestan when we were searching for PreSchools for our son. At the time, it was a small school in an old Victorian house in Berkeley. We fell in love with the schools philosophies about raising kind, caring, global citizens, the focus on nature and community, the natural and healthy food they provide, and the warmth and kindness that came from the teachers and staff. It was clear upon entering that everyone was genuinely happy to be there, from the teachers to the kids. The icing on the cake was the language immersion. Its just a coincidence that my husband is Iranian, so now my half Iranian children speak Persian and are even more familiar with the culture (living so far from our relatives). Another reason I loved the school was because it never felt exclusive. Not being of Iranian decent myself, I always felt welcomed. The majority of families are mixed and some don't even have any Persian in their household. As a culture, it might just be the most hospitable and altruistic I've ever encountered. Since then, it's expanded to an elementary school, and now both my kids are in Kindergarten and 1st grade...and they are thriving! I love in elementary school, they are introduced to other languages, such as Hebrew and Arabic, to continue expanding their understanding of different cultures and the world (classes are taught in English with other languages incorporated throughout the week). We are incredibly grateful to have been apart of this organization and community before covid...Now, at the new campus in El Cerrito, the school was set up to deal with the pandemic from the beginning. Having transformed an old Catholic school from the 50's (maybe earlier) into the modern oasis it is today, with lots of outdoor space, big open windows for lots of natural light and airflow, and a curriculum that has the kids working outdoors, rain or shine. They've done such an amazing job, that Golestan and it's Covid safety protocol has become a model school for others in the district and beyond! Full disclosure, about 2 years ago, I was transitioning out of my 15 year corporate career and ended up taking an Admin role at Golestan! Having been heavily involved as a volunteer, I found that I just wanted to spend more and more time in this beautiful place that just oozed joy. I am very proud to be both a parent and an employee and get to spend my days here. Needless to say, I highly recommend this school for so many reasons. :)