Kids Connection School

I can’t say enough positive things about Kids connection Elementary School. This is our first year at the school and we couldn’t be happier about the staff (including a wonderful class teacher Mrs Basu), the curriculum, the values taught and the wonderful community of families we have met. Our child has developed a love of learning thanks to the inspiring teachers. We feel fortunate that physical education, computers, music and art are integrated into the curriculum at every grade level. We are thrilled that our child is receiving such a well-​rounded education. It is a wonderful school that develops the student as a whole person – with its excellent academic program, as well as social awareness and sports initiatives The one thing that also stands out is the parent involvement. I couldn’t be happier that I made the decision to put my child at Kids connection. My son continues to excel in all areas and has recently grown to love reading and writing using new vocabulary words in conversation at home and in class. and we will give all credit to his teacher Mrs Basu and great school program. We highly value KC’s excellent curriculum, easy access to teachers and principals, the opportunities for parental involvement and most of all, their ability to instill the love of learning.

The school focuses too much on test scores and not much else. The children are stressed most of the time as teachers assign work but don’t teach the subjects. I had to spend hours doing lesson work every day just so my child could do the homework assignments. Many of the teachers lack experience — some never having taught before they come to this school to teach. Classes are often out of control — again, due to lack of experience. Bullying is tolerated. The after school program is not much better. My child suffered multiple injuries in their after school program because their counsellors are merely children themselves and don’t know how to supervise. The school also has a serious lice problem that they don’t seem to get a handle of year after year. Their principle is not a leader and sets no example for the children, who simply fear her. Make this your school of last resort.

Both of my kids attended KC Preschool for one year (plus summer school) before we moved. Out of the dozen preschools we have visited /​attended on the peninsula, this was our best experience for both kids. KC offers an unparalleled combination of nurturing care and classroom learning. My kids felt loved, had a sense of belonging, and were inspired to learn. From their acquired love-of-«reading» to daily hugs-​with-​friends, I could see their genuine enjoyment and attachment. Everyday, dropping the kids off felt like leaving them in the care of a good friend. I have also gotten to know the teachers through various fun events. What an incredible group of women who share a strong passion and expertise! Under Mary DeLong’s leadership, the school is always striving for greatness. KC Preschool raises the bar on early childhood education. We feel fortunate to have attended this school.

Great School! My son loves it here and is learning so much! Kids Connection is a very positive environment and the teachers are very involved and open! I highly recommend this school.

I will reach out to you to straighten out what you think is inconsistent. I can tell you, it’s not.

My son had his first week at the preschool and so far he and I love it there! I was between two preschools in Foster City before I decided on Kids Connection and I am so glad I did! I looked at past Unilocal reviews for both schools and noticed they both had good and bad reviews but I noticed for Kids Connection most of the bad reviews were for an old employee that no longer works there. I took two tours of Kids Connection and both times everyone was friendly and they were always available if I had any questions or concerns. My son is in Ms. Tina’s & Ms. Rose’s class and they are so nice and always give me updates on how my son is doing. I will be starting the potty training program next week and the teachers and staff have given me great tips on how to start during the weekend to prep him. They also have a reading program which I think is great for the kids. Each week they get three books to take home and then you bring the bag with books back and get a new set of books to take home. They are in the process of building a new and improved playground so I’m looking forward to seeing that! As my son continues at the school I plan on updating my review but I thought it was worth while to give a review now since my son and I love this school so much!

We are at Kids Connection preschool since january and we, and mostly our daughter, loved that place. She had a hard time in her previous preschool (see other comments about foster city preschool) and based on feedbacks from parents and from Parents Place, we chose Kids Connection. Why is this place goods for our kid:
— there is space ! Inside and outside. You have light, it is clean: it is a place where you feel confident to let you in.
— the director Cindy is very kind. You can discuss with with her, explain her who is your kid and she, in consultation with the teacher, will find the right classroom for your kid.
— communication flows easily between parents and teachers. You have daily updates of what happened during the day, for the good or the bad things. Kids are rewarded for positive behavior and the teacher are really creative.
— but most of all, our daughter is really happy there and her behavior, at the drop off, during or at the end of the day, drastically improved in this new preschool: no more cries, tantrums have been managed and disappeared. She is just back to normal in this sane environment.
In conclusion, we found the right place now for our daughter. Even if she can be difficult, teachers were willing to spend time to listen to us and take recommendation from external advisors: there is always room for improvement, this preschool understood that and i strongly recommend it.

My daughter has attended Kids Connection preschool since 2012. She is currently in the pre-​K class and we love the school. Her teachers have been wonderful and she has learned a lot since we switched to Kids Connection. Her vocabulary has really grown, she is reading short words, and she does simple addition/​subtraction. I think that’s great for recently turning four years old! They also do many crafts projects, go on field trips, and have special occasion events like an upcoming class Valentine’s Day snack party. I take my daughter to school most days and her teachers are completely approachable and amenable to helping with any type of reinforcement that is needed. The staff is equally accommodating and everyone seems very happy at the school — teachers, staff, students, and parents!
Another quality that I value in Kids Connection is how completely transparent and honest the staff is — in both the preschool and elementary schools. I’ve toured other schools which seem to withhold information about their teachers, have a very specific tour schedule when everyone is at their best, and they don’t want you to drop-​in unannounced. At Kids Connection I have observed classes, emailed with questions, randomly shown up for something, and the staff has always been totally open and helpful. It makes me feel good to know that my child is in this type of environment.
My daughter will attend the elementary school in September and we look forward to continuing her excellent education in Kindergarten.

The Preschool is great! The place is under new ownership so a lot of the reviews are of the old Director who is no longer there. I have nothing bad to say about this place. My son loves it there, teachers are great and the staff always happy. Definitely a great choice in the Foster City area. I highly recommend it.

My daughter attended the preschool and LOVED it here. I felt her teachers really had a genuine interest in her well being and worked with her as an individual and all of her needs were met.
I will say– since the change in the Director it has felt more cohesive and warm.
Many good changes this past year.
Just an example of dedication… My daughter loves Miss Caroline who went to teach at the elementary but was her teacher and favorite teacher. We left because we were moving out of the area and she came across from the other school on my kids last day to spend some time with her because of the connection they had. As a parent, I can’t tell you how much that meant to me. I’m sure she had to get her class covered to so that. Super impressed with her AND all the staff at KC.

This review is for the Pre-​School.
We attend this school, and despite the reviews, it has been a great place for my child. He still has some separation anxiety, but he just has such a great time when he is there. He adores his teachers (Miss Tina, Ms. Kavita, Miss Tiffany)! We get daily reports about his day, and have had several teacher-​parent conferences to talk about his progress. This is his first time at a structured nursery school, having spent time at a small, in-​home daycare. He had some trouble adjusting at first, but is very excited to go to pre-​k and play with friends. This school is also a very culturally diverse school (both teachers and students), and I like that the teachers aren’t afraid to share their cultures with the kids.
They have done significant improvements on security (required to be buzzed in or you can purchase a key fob), and they seem to do more ‘community’ things, like organized lunch picnics, story time, weekend movie nights, a march for charity, and a holiday gift drive. They also contracted the Lionheart Fitness Kids to come into the school and teach the kids various sports in the afternoons once a week (optional participation for an additional fee).
The school also has a new director, under which some of these changes (e.g. security improvements) have happened. She is more open with communication (also via email), and is very friendly.
I know not every pre-​school/​teacher is the right fit for every child, and sometimes you just have to try it out. I personally have seen some children leave, then come back because the other school didn’t work out. Whatever you decide is best for your child is up to you… Good luck with your search for the right pre-​school for your child!
PS — I would also click and read the 31 «filtered» reviews at the bottom of this page, even if Unilocal filtered them out…

My son has recently started attending the summer school program at Kids Connection. I have been very happy with the instruction he has been receiving and the feedback the teachers have been providing. They are open and honest about areas he can improve upon and give simple easy things that I can do as a parent to help him in these areas. I feel like they have my son’s best interest in mind when I talk to the teachers. Not only have I been happy with the summer instruction, but my son is excited to go to school in the morning. He has often been one to not want to go to school. Now he is excited to attend every morning and is excited about starting here in the Fall. If you are looking for a quality education that is going to motivate your children to learn, Kids Connection is the place.

All of my kids have attended the elementary school (the preschool and elementary school are separate). My oldest kid had a great experience and was accepted into a prestigious middle school a few years ago along with many of his classmates. At around that time, ownership changed because of a nasty lawsuit. Then we started noticing a precipitous decline in quality as our next kid moved into 5^th grade. Of the two 5^th grade teachers, one left. She was replaced by a good teacher, but the other one was allowed to stay despite many complaints (e.g. too many rote assignments, ineffective teaching, VERY FREQUENT absences, making the kids write his thank-​you cards for gifts that had been given to him by their parents). Numerous other negative things started to happen: (1) sports equipment was busted and not replaced (kids are often forced to play «imaginary» tee-​ball), (2) teenage playground attendants texting throughout recess, (3) poor music and foreign language offerings, (4) stale curriculum, (5) the banning of the use of certain playground equipment, etc. Very few kids from my 5^th grader were admitted into the prestigious middle schools in the area. Furthermore, some of the textbooks are very outdated. For example, one of them used a racial caricature to present a farm-​worker problem (Language Arts Today, McGraw Hill, revised 1998). Another taught about VCRs as if the technology was state of the art. I also think that a major part of the problem is that horrible kids are allowed to remain enrolled, causing teachers to devote unreasonable amounts of energy and attention to them (the 3^rd grade had someone who thinks it’s funny to pour water into their classmates’ backpacks, and the 5^th grade had a child run off campus). To be clear, this school has a few fantastic teachers, but not enough to make it worth the money IMO. If you decide to enroll, ask about the ownership change and what’s been done to improve the school since then. Insist on speaking to a few parents, and seeing GRADED worksheets and writing samples so that you may see the actual curriculum. Also, watch a recess (from the parking lot) to see what the teenage attendants (they’re called «counselors») are doing and what equipment in the small playground is allowed to be used. Also insist on having them help you contact parents of recent graduates (to different schools) so that you may speak to them directly. Then ask those parents for other parents’ contact information so that you’re not stuck with the people that the school referred.

I have had nothing but good experiences with KC pre-​school and Sona, the director. She is professional and has gone out of her way to help with anything I have asked of the school. The teachers are very good, and most importantly, the kids are ready for kindergarten when they leave their pre-​k program. I have put both my kids though KC preschool and when my oldest was going into kindergarten, she able to focus on the social aspects of kindergarten because academically, she was ready.
With every scenario in life, not everyone will be happy with everything all the time. Please take it upon yourself to check out KC if you’re interested — I have had a great experience the and my kids have truly benefited from attending this school.

I totally disagree with the negative review of the school. My daughter started here when she was three. Since she had been home full time up till then, she cried every morning for two months. The teachers, staff and the director were all very supportive. Now, six months later, she tells me school is fun!!! And she constantly tells me she loves her teachers. I believe this is a true indication that the school is doing a great job providing a fun environment, especially when she is there full time. She loves the daily school projects and the activities. I would definitely recommend this school to any parents

Kids Connection is a small, but effective school. All the teachers are as good as they come are very smart and dedicated to their job. All the kids have a lot fun and love coming to school everyday! The principal is top notch, the best principal I have ever encountered. She loves the school and she loves the kids, and she’s one of the nicest people i have ever come into contact with. Everyone from the principal to the teachers and all the way down to the counselors love the children and they make for a great learning atmosphere. Anytime you have a question about something, there is always someone there to answer it. All in all, Kids Connection is the perfect place to send your kids. They’ll learn a lot and after they’ll be ready for whatever life sends their way. Kids Connection is the way to go!

yesterday when i picked up my child from kids connection I heard Sona the director, asking parents to write a good review on Unilocal about the school. I have read the reviews being posted and i have to agree with some, and disagree on many. I am throughly impressed with my child’s teachers and I am happy on how much my child is learning. On the other hand, the director, sona, is Rude, Unprofessional, and very Unfriendly. She does not greet parents, does not smile, also on several occasions i have seen her talk very rudely to parents and children. I dread walking past her (and her frown) every morning and i am contemplating on wether or not to take my child out of this school for these reasons. Also i have chatted with other parents about Sona, and they feel the same. more then once I have seen my child’s teacher all alone with about 15 children, this does not make me or my husband feel safe, I would never recommend this school to anyone. Please save your time, and money as i wish someone had warned me before i made this expensive mistake. i hope this school is nothing like next door, you have same name, i do hope its getting ran better.

As someone who attended four Ivy League Universities, earned two degrees and an executive education certificate, education is important to me. While I could have sent my son to API 900+ scoring public schools, my wife and I elected to send him to Kids Connection. Why? Long tenured, high quality teaching delivered in a smaller than public school student-​teacher ratios. The application process weeds out those who would inevitably take a disproportionate amount of attention, especially in the higher ratio public school classroom. The strong focus on academics is a plus and, in my opinion, what’s needed in a country with schools that continue to fail our children. The strong sense of school community has my son looking forward to going to school every day. While the extracurricular options are not as extensive as some larger private schools (though the school has made significant recent strides), my family prefers to augment such needs (sports, music, etc.) outside of the school environment, something that Kids Connection’s reasonable tuition more than allows.

There are definitely better schools than Kids Connection if you are willing to drive outside of Foster City. If you are fine with a workbook-​driven and drill ‘n kill mentality, then look into it. If you want a more well-​rounded education that not ony emphasizes academics but values nurturing and caring teachers and a fair and wise principal, then search elsewhere. For such a small school there is too much favoritism and political nonsense. Small asphalt-​only playground with no grass and trees, too much DVD watching on rainy/​field trip days, and no open communication between parents and administration (you would need to constantly grill your child for anything that happened at school, otherwise the principal/​teacher will not take the initiative to reach out to you if your child got in trouble, etc.).

Kids Connection is the best school in Foster City. I loved being there. The community is very small, which allows everybody to know each other. Of course, it is just the best school in Foster City, not the whole world, so I could not rate it so high after experiencing other schools from a different district. But overall, if you are lazy to move and enjoy Foster City, this school is your place.