Playschool

My son has been going to Mommy and Me Playschool in Atherton since he was 17 months old, and we have loved every minute of it. It has been great watching him grown, learn, and build friendships within the program. We are excited to start the next chapter in September with Young Twos!

Love this school! I’ve had 2 kids in the various programs (Mommy and me, Preschool, and Pre-​K) and have loved each unique class and appreciate the individuality each teacher contributed to the overall experience.
The location is welcoming and perfectly situated in Holbrook Palmer Park. The school is well maintained, clean, and wiped down everyday. The teachers are vigilant about hand washing, teaching respect, and are really «in touch» with each child’s unique personalities. There are many different art projects, music programs, cooking projects, and learning opportunities available to cater to all types of learning styles. The teachers also update parents daily on every day events and pay very close attention to social interactions among the children.
I can’t say enough positive things about this place, the teachers, and their director, Susan Knox. We will miss Playschool!

Love this school. Teachers, staff, and other parents are all lovely people. I feel this is a great experience for my two year old — to play with other kids, learn songs, and be away from mama sometimes. This is the perfect school if you are looking for a part time program for your young child.

I arrived from the UK and looking for a preschool for my youngest I started going to the Mommy and Me group at Playschool as a tester for future attendance. However I was very unimpressed.
The classrooms were dirty, outside toys were old and snack time very unhealthy. The teacher also seemed more interested in chatting to other parents/​staff than teaching the children. Unsurprisingly I did not enrolled my child here and was very happy with my decision. I later met a mother who had enrolled her son and confirmed all of the above negative issues I had experienced.
The location is fantastic and the founder a lovely lady but my experience with this particular staff member put me off.

We absolutely love Playschool and are so glad we found it. Nestled within Holbrook-​Palmer Park in Atherton, it’s an extraordinary setting for a preschool. The pre-​K teachers my child has are terrific — they are easy to communicate with, engaging and genuinely seem to enjoy what they do and where they work. The directors are friendly, approachable and welcoming. My 4-​year-​old daughter is thriving there and enjoys every day she spends there. Would highly recommend to everyone I know with preschoolers.

We moved my little nephew to this Playschool location from their Valota school. We are equally happy with his experience here — he is really enjoying his time at Playschool and learning a lot in a fun environment. It’s very clear that the teachers here love what they do and they prepare a lot of educational projects for the children to work on. There’s a lot of value in the education that he is receiving while being in a fun and engaging environment. We are comfortable knowing that he is in a safe place and developing a lot through his experience here. He has been at Knox Playschool for about 2 years now and we are very happy with the school.

My son was 3.5 when he started preschool here. He enjoyed very much because is a play based program and kids just love to play and learn this way.
The problem is teachers were not approachable so forget about an open communication.
As any parent: I wanted to know about my son’s day or how he was doing but perhaps one of the teachers said a few words about him in a period of three months.
I always felt like they were too busy for me. This was frustrating and the only reason i left my son here to finish the year was because they kept the kids safe and their washing hands policy is pretty strict. Another reason was, my son seemed pretty happy in spite of the arrogance i could perceived from the teachers.
I live pretty close from the school and I thought that in pre-​k things were going to be better so I enrolled him again. The class was less in sync with my son’s comfortability since they had a kid with challenging behavior who hit my son with
a heavy toy once. Not to mention the countless times this disruptive kid knocked whatever my son was building.
On top of that, I realized my son had another dismissive teacher… oh no! more of that?
After 2 months of playschool, I’m so glad I moved my son to a fabulous preschool where teachers are warm and make us feel so welcome… not to mention the great program they offer with lots of activities outdoors. Obviously, the fun water and sand area is his favorite and he can spend most of the time there if he wants.

My son has been going to Playschool for several months now and the experience has been really great. The curriculum is a mix of free play and academic learning. Many schools in this area focus on intense rote learning from a young age but we didn’t want that for our son. The classes are well balanced with a good gender and ethnic mix.
One of the previous reviewers noted that the school did not meet her standards for cleanliness. Playschool is about as clean as several other preschools we saw in the area. Also, the children bring their own snacks so it’s not like they are giving the kids popsicles.

My children will be attending this school for the third year this fall. We’ve used the pre-​school, pre-​K and Young 5’s programs and all of them have been nothing short of excellent.
The teachers and director are all very friendly and welcoming each day. They treat all of the kids with respect and are very patient and attentive.
Each classroom always has something different and fun going on and the kids really enjoy the variety of subjects.
The outside play area is really nice with lots of different structures to play on and there is also a bike area with bikes, scooters and play cars.
I recommend this school to all of my friends who are looking for a place to send their kids. Take a tour and see for yourself how happy the kids are here.

This is an excellent pre-​school, pre-​K, young 5’s option.
I’m not a frequent poster on Unilocal,but when I saw the 2010 negative review, I felt like I had to add my family’s own very positive impressions of the school. We’ve had a child attending pre-​school at Playschool for two years and he’ll be returning in the fall, along with his little sister, who’d have it no other way.
The teachers are warm, engaging and enthusiastic. Each day involves free play (indoors and out), an art project, a sensory table, a 1 – 1 project called «second activity» for each child and circle time for the class. A music teacher comes to the classroom every week. There are plenty of celebrations and «performances» for families to participate in.
The classrooms (including the bathrooms) are kept extremely clean (concur with the post below that the 2010 «smell» was short-​lived). The children’s artwork and writings are proudly displayed on the walls for visiting parents to enjoy. The outdoor play area is great — climbing structures, slides, a sandbox, ride-​on toys and a «lemonade» stand for young entrepeneurs.
Kids are taught life skills: how to be respectful of each other and adults and how to become more independent. They also learn their ABCs, 1−2-3s and more, all through a creative curriculum involving units on everything from food to transportation to nature.
The children are kept safe indoors and out — in two years, my son has only had minor scratches.
Playschool is a great first school — set up a tour and see for yourself!

Playschool is located in Holbrook-​Palmer Park in Atherton. There are classes for mommy and me, preschool, pre-​K, and young fives. There is also a second location in Redwood City. It is a play based school with some structure that includes music and communication. They offer morning and afternoon programs.
My son is in his first year of preschool here and he really enjoys it. He is always excited to go and each day asks me to read the calendar to find out what the activity is for that day. Recently, he’s come home able to count to 10 in Spanish, say the colors in Spanish, and he’s even taught me several signs! They have been learning sign language while
singing songs.
What’s great is that my daughter will be able to attend in the fall because their preschool program begins at age 2 ½. Many days she has a hard time leaving after we drop her brother off. I know that she’ll be very happy to «officially» start school there.
The classrooms are lovely and the teachers are warm and caring. There is an outdoor play area, and the school resides in a beautiful, expansive park.

We have had two daughters here at this preschool and love the owner, the director, and teachers there. They have a great play-​based program and I have been thoroughly happy as have my daughters. It is hard to get into the program as there is a long waitlist and would suggest signing up as soon as you can for their «Mommy & Me» class which gives you priority into the regular preschool program.