Buena Vista Elementary School

March 2010

Our daughter will start Kindergarten in the Fall and we're hoping someone out there will share their experiences at Buena Vista Elementary, including their aftercare program the Buena Vista Club. Since we work in Berkeley and our daughter is in preschool in Berkeley, we don't know any families in the BV district who have young children. In searching comment sites I found some positive recommendations but also came across a comment on BPN in 2007 describing the aftercare as ''chaotic'' and essentially unsafe, stating ''I could have easily grabbed 3 kids, walked them right out the gate.'' Does anyone have a child currently at Buena Vista? We would really appreciate any information and thoughts you have on the school and on Buena Vista Club. an anxious Walnut Creek mom

Hi, I have 5 and 7 year old at BV. They both go to the after school day care (the club) and it has been great. I think there may have been some changes before we got there so the older postings may just be that. The daycare people all wear headsets and can call out to one another if they are outside vs inside. They always know where my boys are, and in general it seems like a happy, fun, safe place. The kids are always signed in an out.

As an aside, 97% of abductions are with family members, not strangers coming onto a school yard. Just something to remember. anon

Feb 2007

I'm hoping some of you might have some reassuring comments. My son will be turning 5 this year so I took the day off yesterday to tour some of my Kindergarten options. I went to 3 public schools and 3 private schools. Two of the private schools are DOUBLE what I pay for full time preschool/daycare, but I went anyway just to see what their programs are like. Once I checked out a couple public schools (in Walnut Creek) and their after school daycares, I was really depressed. The kids at the private schools were polite, well behaved, smart, working on really interesting projects, getting a great education in music and art as well as the ''3 R's''. The kids at the public school were obnoxious, bad-mannered, running around like wild animals, etc. The after school daycare at one of the supposedly best elementary schools in Walnut Creek was so chaotic, that I could have easily grabbed 3 kids, walked them right out the gate, pushed them into a van and driven away and NO ONE would have noticed. I was horrified. To top it all off, after seeing the costs of after school care (about the SAME as I am paying for FULL TIME preschool/daycare), I am convinced we will never be able to afford to have another child. Can anyone comment on how their elementary school handles discipline? Are the kids learning ANYTHING except how to ace the state mandated tests? Is there any hope for us parents who aren't rolling in money? need a lift

My kids went to Buena Vista Elementary in WC. Not sure if that is one you looked at. My son started in 1st, my daughter in K. We loved the school and did not love the onsite childcare program. Rarely used it. If your child is in afternoon K, the onsite childcare program seems to be pretty good for before school--they only have the kindergartners and are able to attend to them well and do fun activities with them. That only works if you can pick up at 3:30 when school gets out, otherwise it is back to chaos.

Or you could look at other childcare options--there is a church sponsored childcare in the same block that picks up and drops off from Buena Vista K. Not sure if it is religious or not. there is a family day care a block away that my daughter went to pre-K and continued to go to in K before and after school. Annie's Little Farm (Ann Cohen). Not sure if she can do the drop-off and pick up, you would have to check. Some parents hired a babysitter to cover before and after school. Remember it is only during K that you will have so many hours of childcare to cover. Don't give up on public school! Good luck in finding someplace that works for you. Happy WC parent