Tree of Life Learning Center

Picking a preschool for your child is one of the most difficult things a parent has to do. Luckily, we picked the right one. Two years ago we enrolled our children in the Tree of Life Learning Center and it was the best decision we ever made. The school, and it’s amazing teachers, do a wonderful job of blending creative activities that encourage learning along with playful activities that grow social skills. This combination, along with so many other great things there are too many to mention, allowed our kids to excel and be more than ready for kindergarten. The director Kelley meticulously screens all teachers and makes sure they are extremely qualified before she allows them to become teachers. I highly recommend this school to everyone who asks me where I sent my kids, and that says a lot, because I don’t recommend anything to anyone unless I feel like it is the best.

Our daughter just graduated from the Tree of Life Learning Center. She loved it… as did the rest of us. The school was the perfect blend of learning, play, and emotional growth. The kids are cherished and supported and challenged. There is an abundance of creative activities, both indoors and out. We felt like we were giving our child little gift every morning when we dropped her off and she ran in… excited to start her day. Everything is well executed. The teachers love the kids and the kids love em back.
It is a Jewish school with a large number of non-​Jewish and blended families. We loved the diversity that was present. We learned about the Jewish holidays and traditions along with those from so many other cultures… Indian, Chinese, African-​American, etc.
The director and staff foster a family atmosphere with gatherings throughout the year. We have become good friends with several other families as a result of the community spirit fostered by the school and its professionals.
There are lots of choices out there, don’t pass this one up. Your kids will thank you.

I cannot recommend this school enough. After looking at about 10 preschools it was an easy decision to choose Tree of Life for our twin boys. That was 2 years ago. The director, Kelley, focuses on a low student to teacher ratio, hiring qualified teachers, and keeping learning fun. The classrooms are clean and the playground is new. The kids spend a lot of time outside which they love. The teachers are amazing. They are passionate about the kids and what they do. It is definitely a school and not just a daycare. I’m constantly amazed by what my kids are learning and capable of doing. But the most important part is that they keep it all fun. My boys love going to school here. After going to the kindergarten info night I have no doubt that the boys are more than ready, thanks to Tree of Life. Check this school out, you won’t be disappointed.

This is our second year at tree of life and we have been extremely happy there. The teachers are the best of the best. You can tell they have a passion for teaching. They are wonderful people and loving to our family and our 2 children. The director, Kelley is very supportive and caring. There is a good sense of community. We have made some great friendships with families that have continued after my son graduated. The pre k class prepared my son for kindergarten in a creative, natural and fun way. My daughter is currently attending and cries sometimes when I pick her up because she doesn’t want to leave. It was the only school I toured when we moved to the area and felt 100% it was the right place for our family and it continues to be.

Having just moved to the area I was looking for a new school for my 2 year old. I looked at pretty much every preschool in the area (I think I went on 10 tours) and loved this school from the moment I walked in. I just had a good feeling about it during the tour. We have now been at the school for about 2 months and my son loves it. The teachers are great! They spend a lot of time outside which I like and my son enjoys going every day!

We could not have asked for a better pre-​school for our twins! We enrolled our kids at age 3 and they adore the teachers and the other students. Our kids are truly excited and happy to go to school every day. When they are not at school, they «play» school at home!
All of the staff members are wonderful and loving. Since the first day of school, we noticed our kids becoming more independent, self-​sufficient, and learning critical social skills, as well as the normal pre-​school lessons (letters, numbers, weather, art, etc.).
My husband and I also greatly appreciate the social activities and celebrations planned for the parents. We enjoy meeting all the Tree of Life families. It is a great community!

I do not write reviews… EVER…I think this is actually my first time… but I feel compelled to share our experience at Tree of Life (TOL) because first I know how stressful it is to find good quality care for your child and second this facility and its staff are hands down the best educators our family has ever had the opportunity to work with and everyone should know it!
Let me start by sharing I have 3 kids (ages 9,7,4) and we’ve been to at least 6 different preschools over the years with the kids as we’ve relocated. We’ve seen the good the bad and the ugly and TOL is THE BEST! The teaching staff is dedicated, patient, passionate, educated and they are excellent communicators. The admin staff (Kelley) and her teachers (special shout out to Ms. Meghan who ROCKS) created an environment that is so welcoming and full of love that the kids literally race to get in the door (seriously my son raced me every morning). I love the core values they taught the kids (respect, kindness, patience, thoughtfulness, sharing, caring and more) that was interwoven with a phenomenal curriculum based in phonics. My son was excited to share what he learned each day. He loved the leadership opportunities provided to him too (leader of the day). The curriculum included math, language, science, arts, special visitors (from the community) throughout the year and more. My son was so incredibly stimulated every day — I’m actually worried that kindergarten might not be as challenging as what these amazing teachers have worked so hard to provide each day! Did I mention my 4-​year old is READING… yes reading early reader books and it’s because of all the time and care they spent working with him! They really inspired him to keep reaching higher and higher and as he excelled they would challenge him in new ways — asking for my input along the way — so he could continue to grow. Seriously they would come to me with new creative ideas on how to specialize his education; he thrived and loved it. He adores all of his teachers; it’s a really special bond; it’s obvious how much each teacher sincerely loves each child.
I’ve begged for an after kinder program but sadly those things take time and my little guy would likely be on to 1^st or 2^nd grade before that process would be complete. If you are fortunate enough to live/​work in the area I would strongly recommend sending your child to TOL; you’ll be so thrilled that you did.
Trust me folks preschool education does not get better then this; I know!

This school has had a major impact in our children’s lives. The school is run with love and caring by ownership, and the teachers are particularly bright and thoughtful people. The school is exactly what we were looking for when seaching for a school for our almost three year old twins.
If anyone needs any more information, I’d be happy to provide a glowing recommendation at
. Please email me and I will call or email you back. I can’t speak highly enough about our experience.
Matt Sosnick

Wow, we miss this school so much! We recently moved to El Dorado Hills and can’t find a school that holds a candle to Tree of Life. Our son Jackson loved and thrived at this school. Kelley the Director communicated so well with parents. I am in the education field too, so I am very choosey by nature of the trade. If we were to relocate back, we would re-​enroll both our children. In the mean time we recommend all our old east bay neighbors with small tots.
Miss you guys, big time. Tree of Life was and will always be an extension of our family history.
The Goldman family

Picking a pre-​school for your child can be one of the most difficult decisions a parent can make. It’s their first experience in school and away from us, and we want to make sure that our little ones are in good hands. The minute my husband and I walked into Tree of Life and met Kelly, the director, we knew that this was going to be a wonderful place for our twins. We had already put down a deposit at another pre-​school, but after one follow-​up visit went horribly, we were in a panic, convinced that we needed to find an alternative school with only a few weeks until our move to Danville. We were driving by our soon to be neighborhood and saw the school and took a chance and walked in. Kelly was incredibly warm, professional, and knowledgeable, and took us on a tour of the school. We met the teachers, saw how the kids were learning and interacting in the classroom and very quickly fell in love. Today, our kids have deeply connected with their teacher, making wonderful friends, and thriving in the classroom both socially and academically. Having previously been attending a Montessori school in Berkeley, I was at first a bit concerned about how challenged they would be in this school, but I have been impressed — at 4 years of age, they are learning letters, reading, writing, math, science, history and more. I can’t imagine a more nurturing and challenging environment and know that their transition to kindergarten next year is going to be flawless because of it!
By the way, we are not Jewish — we are Asian and appreciate the diverse, open and progressive community of parents and staff.

No words can describe how happy my family is that we found this school. I interviewed at least 12 schools before I found The Tree of Life LC.
Wonderful dedicated and loving teachers who actually enjoy what they do and care for the children. My son started going to this school 3 months ago and he absolutely loves it. He is happy and he is learning so much!

Tree of Life Learning Center is a brand new Jewish-​based preschool next to Sycamore Valley Park. We are Catholic and they are very inclusive of all faiths.
Since I am a teacher, I felt comforted by the fact that the ED is also an educator and only interviewed candidates with bachelors degrees or masters degrees (it irked me that other local preschools only had certificated teachers and charged a lot more). After interviewing and observing three other preschools, we were impressed with the balance of structured and unstructured time throughout the day and the thoughtfulness and purpose of both play time and more directed learning time.
At one school I observed, my child would have been with 20 other children for 4 hours a day doing free play, and they charged a lot more, whereas at TOL, the ratio is very small, and he gets lots of attention and interaction. I also like that the ED’s children attend which made me feel confident that she only hired the best teachers.
My son started shortly after his 2^nd birthday, and had a seamless transition from daily care with his mom, grandma and nana to the very energetic and loving «Miss Shaina.» The first day I picked him up, he didn’t want to go home. They even texted me pictures throughout the day to assure me he was doing well, playing with others, eating, napping and smiling.
He used to fight napping, and now naps for nearly two hours like clockwork every day. They serve healthy snacks and even make challah bread every Friday. All their play structures and toys are high quality and educational. They even learn some Hebrew. I also love their Montessori like philosophy without the Montessori price tag. He can do so much on his own now and has so much pride in it.
Feel free to contact me with questions about Tree of Life. I was frustrated with how little other preschools were reviewed. Good luck to all you parents and guardians out there! There are not a lot of preschool reviews to be found on Unilocal or Greatschools.