Schools in Menlo Park, CA

“We had a wonderful experience with Safari Kid Menlo Park! Our son attended from ages 4-6 for the afterschool (after TK and K) program. Sandhya was always incredibly reliable with pickup. All of the teachers were fantastic, and our son loved his time there. When he began to have some intermittent problematic behaviors, Sandhya and the teachers were very supportive and attentive and worked with us to address them. Highly recommend!!”

“This is a repost - all my previous yelp reviews just disappeared, and I am making an effort to repost reviews for my kids' preschool and elementary schools because I feel the reviews help other parents who are searching for the right fit. Synapse School is a great school. The curriculum is innovative and engaging, teachers are passionate, and the community is diverse enough to be able to find your tribe. It is true sometimes their curriculum didn't seem accelerated enough, but when you take a long view, the interdisciplinary project-based, integrated curriculum really builds the foundation of habits of a learner's mind (curiosity, engagement, persistence, collaboration, communication). The one example from my son's last semester here, the early US history unit integrated with the geometry of land area calculations, the science of the natural habitat of various US geographic locations, the social science of the economy of trading natural resources, and eventually writing of declarations of independence and the constitution in one long semester arc while the students played out a part throughout the semester. While the children are investigating all these different aspects of early US settler's life, their social-emotional learning was bootstrapped daily through twice-daily meetings to decompress their emotions- some students were given the role of oligarchs having all the wealth and power. That emotion of injustice led to the writing of some powerful declarations of independence. We left the school after three years, because while we found our tribe in the community, ultimately, the distance and traffic to Menlo Park made little things difficult - like playdates. At a young age in elementary school, playdates are an essential part of healthy social development, and without them, my son had a harder time forming a larger base of allies and friends. He had a couple of best friends, but in a setting where those friends are not present, there was almost apathy from the other kids. When we moved to the local school GATE program, he gained the whole class as friends, but he really missed the teachers and curriculum from Synapse dearly. All in all, my son gained a great foundation in habits of a mind for a learner here at Synapse. At his current middle school, his leadership, kindness, his academic achievements are praised, and I believe some of that growth was planted during the years at Synapse and continued to be well nurtured in the current middle school.”

“We have been very happy with the Robert's school. Prior to starting our 2 year old there she went to an in-home daycare. Everything has been so much easier at Robert's school! We had no problems with our daughter refusing to go to school on Monday morning, which had been a struggle at the previous place. It is comforting she enjoys being there. When kids are sick, we also appreciate there are clear guidelines. Our daughter is in the Rainbow room and her teacher seems great; we love reading her daily summary on what the kids are doing (as well as seeing pictures posted on Friday), it sounds like they are having a lot of fun. The director of the school is also positive and kind.”

“Incredible faculty and educational experience! We've had our two children at PBS for 3 years now, and have appreciated the partnership and community. They did a great job with COVID, and I always appreciate how thoughtfully major decisions are communicated. My kids enjoy school and love learning, and are challenged in the classroom and (more importantly to me) appreciate the focus on social-emotional skills as a complement to the academics.”

“My 3 kids have came to Belle Haven Child Development Center. This is a wonderful place.*They prepared the kids to kindergarten and able to achieve their goals.*Personally, socially and physically competent.* Safe and Healthy.The teachers and staff are wonderful! Teachers are bilingual which is a great for kids learning. The teachers are kind, caring and more.My experience from the first day of registration at the front desk with Karina was amazing. She is very helpful. Also Kira is AWESOME. She is the supervisor of the center.My first child had teacher Stephanie, teacher Radina and teacher Teo . Now he is in middle school and the teacher are still there and is great to still see them there. They are awesome! My second and now my third child have teacher Elaine, teacher Rosa and teacher Yesenia. Wonderful teachers. I highly RECOMMEND!!I want to thank everyone that works so hard to make this center so awesome for the kids and parents!!!”

“Peninsula School has been an amazing experience for our kindergartener and for us as his parents. The school puts joy, love, and play at the center of the learning environment and process. Instead of orienting on test scores and grades, Peninsula School strives to instill and nurture the love of learning, the internal desire to explore and understand, and it shows - our child loves going to school everyday, and we witness the blossoming of his curiosity and confidence to engage in all kinds of pursuits, from reading to woodworking to physical play to arithmetic. Peninsula emphasizes the development of the whole child - self-confidence, emotional awareness, the ability to understand others and form deep friendships, the willingness to take risks and embrace challenges. Freedom and responsibility are part of the core values of Peninsula, which has helped our child on his journey towards independence - from learning how to walk around campus on his own to thinking about and choosing from a variety of daily activities.The teachers at Peninsula continue to impress us with their thoughtfulness, authenticity, and talent, as well as their passion for the pillars of progressive education. Our child regularly wants to stay a little longer when we come to pick him up from after care, which is heartwarming. And we love how intentional the families are about building community among the parents and the kids.We are so happy and grateful that our child is at Peninsula School.”

“Alto has been an excellent experience for us so far. We are new to the school *(2018) and it is clear the the new leadership and teachers push every day to provide the best possible learning experience for kids. We absolutely love the International experience each teacher brings to the classroom every day and the joy in our child learning the breadth and depth of the IB curriculum. Love it.”

“As a parent, I want my children to feel happy, safe, and supported at school, and they absolutely do at Oak Knoll. They simply LOVE their school. The teachers and staff go above and beyond, and have created a very special, warm environment with a strong sense of community. There is a clear focus on academics and individual progression, as well as on a child's social and emotional development. I could not be happier with my children's educational experience.”

“We transferred our child to Nativity from another private catholic school and we wish we had done it sooner.Nativity is a wonderful school. Academics are solid and the facilities are beautiful. Tuition cost is justified relative to other very epxensive schools in the Menlo Park/Atherton area. The parents are all very involved at the school (mainly volunteering) so friendships are formed not just with the kids but with parents also. Parents are also really vocal here so changes are implemented quickly. That could be a good thing or bad thing depending how you look at it.There have been alot of leadership changes in recent years but it seems to be happening in all the catholic schools in the bay area. Leadership and teachers need to be paid more to retain the best.”

“Very warm, friendly and positive environment! Open communication about progress and concerns. My son felt encouraged and positive about the program right after the first day and made also lots of friends. It took a lot of pressure away.”

“BK of Menlo Park is wonderful! Sylvia is fantastic and we have been taking our kiddos here for the last two years. They have a great pre-k curriculum that allows children to gain the confidence needed to start primary school.”

“Thank you Toddle, in particular Maria and Samantha! Toddle helped to educate, foster and support my 3 year old through a tough time. Their guidance and care goes beyond a dollar value and layered a foundation of social confidence in my son that will be realized through his life. Thank you Toddle, will never forget!”