Nitty Gritty Preschool

My daughter attended this preschool as a 2 year old and thrived. Before attending, she had issues with being left with anyone outside of our immediate family. Marlene (the director) helped our daughter overcome her fear in a short amount of time and really instilled confidence in her. The program really opened up my daughter’s eyes making her more curious and developing her social skills. I’m so glad that we sent her here!

My family is a huge fan of this preschool! I have a graduate from here and a current preschooler. My oldest and I decided on Nitty Gritty together. I really really liked the nurturing and cozy environment. I think it provides a very safe and comfortable place for the kids to explore and learn. I like the teacher to child ratio. I believe this has helped my kids learn and develop at their own level and still have their needs met. I have on many occasions consulted both teachers on issues involving my kids that I don’t think would have been noticed had they gone to another school with more children. Without their encouragement, my older daughter would not have started speech therapy when she did (I was taking the advice of the pediatrician and waiting.) What made my decision ultimately was the teaching style and philosophy. I believe this is a play based school, yet the children are both socially and academically kindergarten ready. Their style is natural and organic. Although they are playing, there is a focus and agenda (whether it be community or animals or seasons etc.) My kindergartner often refers back to activities and concepts she had learned from this school. The teachers at this preschool (Ms. Marlene and Ms. Jen) have offered my children support, comfort and consistency that is so invaluable in children!

Marlene Coe is the director of this wonderful preschool in Redwood City. Marlene and Teacher Jen run an exceptional program which focuses on social/​emotional development of preschool age children. The program offers plenty of consistency as and routine along with an academic curriculum which has helped our little boy grow and become Kindergarten ready.
There are many aspects to Nitty Gritty’s program that I love: the first thing is the focus on play based learning. Every month the classroom is set up to represent a different theme. As the children play, Marlene and Jen encourage the use of kind words and respect amongst the children. The strength of their program lies in the strong focus on their social skills curriculum. I see my son using these skills at home, as well as on the playground with other friends.
Another aspect to the program which has really helped our son is a wonderful balance between structured time and non-​structured time. This offers the children another taste of things to come in Kindergarten, while continuing to provide time for imaginative play.
The children have many opportunities to engage in arts and crafts and are encouraged to participate. Our son is not very interested in art; however, he always comes home with beautiful projects to display.
The school is located in Marlene’s home, the size of the classes allow for the teacher’s to see each child as an individual, and meet them on their own terms. There is a warm homey feeling to the program and the children make strong connections with their teachers.
I know it is hard to find information about this school on the web, but please give Marlene a call and go see the school for yourself!