Preschool Needed in Almaden Valley

Hi K.,
I am in the Almaden area also and enjoyed the preschool program at the local library on Camden Ave. The teachers are great! The catalog for the classes can be picked up at the library. Hope that helps. :)

Hi, I used precious with my first daughter 10 years ago. It was great then although that was a long time ago. I went to St. Timothy's for my 2nd but have heard it has gone done hill since. My third and currently my 4th attend the Play Years Place near Williams Elem. It is run out of a woman's home but she is completely credited and awesome. My 3rd left reading. She can gear things more to a child's need. He actually did a jr. kinder with her. The days are 9am to 1pm, mon. to thurs. I am not sure if she has space but you can call her. Janice Basu, ###-###-####. I have also heard to stay away from Cornerstone these days. Good luck!

I've heard some positive and some downs on Precious -- I think it can be really good for stay at home moms. I work, so it doesn't. There are a couple of really good schools in Almaden Valley -- Bright Horizons Los Gatos (it's right on the border) is ours and I love it. The Learning Company is another that I've heard good things about but don't know personally.

Hi,

You might check out Almaden Country School. My son has been going there since Jr. K (he's now in 6th) and my daughter is currently in the Jr. K program and they absolutely love it there! The school has a very tight knit community where everyone knows everyone on campus which has always made me feel very welcomed and happy to be a part of it.
Mrs. Drucker and Ms. Day teach the 4 year old program (begindergarten) and they are wonderful.

Hope that helps!

Hi K.,
Both of my girls attended the preschool at South Hills Church on the narrow end of Camden. They LOVED it. It is not too academic so if you're looking for a 3 year old to read, it would not be for you, but they do loads of hands on stuff including beginning science and 'science art'. My kids favorite was when the class went out and filled cups with whatever they found (dirt, rocks, sticks, grass, etc.) and then poured them all into a large clear container back in the classroom. They then 'hypothosized' what would happen when they filled the container with water. What would it look like? Would some things float? etc. After they added the water they checked their hypothosis. Were we right? Will it still look the same in the morning?
That school was full of this type of activity. Great to get their little brains working without sitting around going over letter sounds and such. My girls are both great problem solvers (and above grade readers too!) and I'm sure this early education helped with that!

Precious Preschool is the satelite preschool for Clement Preschool on Branham Lane. I can tell you my experience with Clement preschool has been wonderful. My three children have been through there (my last child is in his last year there) and have learned so much. The kindergarten teacher at our elementary school said any child that comes from Clement School is way above any child from any other school. It's actually worked out to be true because both my daughters are at the top of their class in all subjects. Clement is fun academics, they have a weekly singing program that parents can attend, and a big playground for them to play in during break times. Precious is owned by the same people and I'm sure just as wonderful. Clement has also been rated the number one preschool in Bay Area Parent magazine for three years running. Give them a call. If you want to talk to Clement their number is ###-###-####, the director's name is Shahana Shah.
Good luck!

Both of my kids attend Tomorrow Montessori on Almaden, my 3year old daughter was in the toddler room, now in preschool, my son was in the preschool, now in the kindergarden class. He just turned 5, but his elementary school is going to start him in 1st grade in the fall. I love the Montessori approach, especially at this school. Both my kids love school. I don't know if they have any openings for fall, if they do, they'll be gone fast.

Dear K.,
I attend South Hills Community Church on Camden. We have a wonderful preschool there called Cornerstone. You may like to visit and see how it fits your needs. Hope it works out for you. I see happy moms leave there, not a bad sign :) Ev
P.S. Its been around for a long time.

Hi
I live in Almaden and am familiar with those preschools you're considering.

Check out St. Stephen's School too. From my house its 10 mins away and provides a great program and preparation for Kindergarten.
http://www.saintstephensschool.org/

(My two daughters both went there. Now one is in 6th grade there, other graduated 8th there last year. .. and yes, in the middle of this time we tried out Simons.)