Little Lion Preschool & Childcare is an early childhood education program located in Alameda. The center offers a safe and welcoming environment for students and offers programs for children ages 1 through 5 years of age. Some lessons and activities include games, blocks, puppets, reading, puzzles, arts and crafts, coloring, story time and more. Full time programs as well as one, two and three day programs are available. Check the main website for details on programs or for information on enrollment and tuition.
The Child Unique is located at two small and intimate schooling settings, with the Encinal site holding Preschool through 1st grade and the Pacifica site holding toddler through Kindergarten classes. With just under 40 students between the two locations, the Montessori-trained teachers enjoy a 6:1 student to teacher ratio providing exclusive and personal teaching in the areas of mathematics, language arts, cultural studies and sensory development. The Child Unique emphasizes the limitless world of knowledge available to children through the senses and concrete learning.
Inside the First Presbyterian Church on Santa Clara Avenue, ICRI Alameda provides quality, affordable child care for kids from three months until kindergarten age. Alameda's ICRI is one of six child care and early childhood development centers in the San Francisco Bay Area run by the International Child Resource Institute. The play-based center has room for more than 60 children and is open year-round. Children have a chance for free play, structured time, circle time, snacks and both indoor and outdoor activities.
This pre-school is housed in the Immanuel Luthern Church and serves children from 2 years and 9 months through pre-kindergarten. Children must be potty trained to attend and financial aid is available.
Little Seeds Children's Center on Santa Clara Avenue provides care for children ages 12 months to five years. Its sister center, Peter Pan Academy on Harbor Bay, serves children preschool-aged through second grade; the Peter Pan Preschool in Mariner Square serves infants through children five years of age. The Little Seeds program fully accepts every child, provides a safe and loving environment, and strives to teach children how to individually develop their fullest potential. The learning center offers a variety of programs, including music, art, story telling, puppets and more.
The Peter Pan Preschool serves infants through children five years of age. Peter Pan's sister school, Little Seeds Children's Center on Santa Clara Avenue, provides care for children ages 12 months to five years, and the Peter Pan Academy on Harbor Bay serves children preschool-aged through second grade. The Peter Pan program emphasizes both academic and social skills.
Opened in February 1998 and fostered during the intervening years since, Home Sweet Home Preschool offers childcare for working families with children ages 2 -5. It does so by providing "an intense, hands-on training experience" for underprivileged and/or at-risk adolescents interested in the field of childcare.
The emphasis of the school, which is based at the Woodstock Education Center, is on individualized growth and a community learning environment. This revolutionary education model has made waves and has been widely praised in the Bay Area primary education world.
Get on the waiting list a year early for this small, nonprofit preschool, serving ages 3-5.
Schedule options vary with the age of the child. Three-year-olds attend five mornings per week, from 9am - noon. Four-year-olds and five-year olds can attend the full day (9am - 2:30pm), or just afternoons (noon - 2:30pm). From 9am - 1pm, there is a maximum of 30 children, with 3 to 5 teachers. From 1pm - 2:30pm, there is a maximum of 20 children with 3 teachers.
The Seedling Child does not provide extended care.
Upon their 8:45am arrival, children have free time until 9:15am "Rug Time," which features phonics, singing, read-aloud and calendar. Then comes snack and outdoor play (or a special weekly program such as music or perceptual motor fitness) until 10:15am. An hour-long indoor play period follows, with "Rug Time" and Spanish from 11:30am until noon. Afternoons comprise a cognitive-based kindergarten-readiness program.
All teachers at The Seedling Child have a bachelor's degree; half have a teaching credential. The average teacher tenure is 8 years.
Children with special needs are enrolled on a case-by-case basis.
Adjacent to Mastick Senior Center, ABC Preschool provides child care with options for full- or half-day schedules. Director Karen Zimmerman, a former middle school special education teacher, has run ABC for 17 years. The center emphasizes language and social skills while also preparing students for kindergarten by teaching letters, shapes and other skills. Morning and afternoon snacks are provided.
Nestled in a largely residential area, Kiddie Kampus Co-Op Nursery is conveniently located close to the Posey and Webster Tubes, Encinal High School, College of Alameda and the Webster St. business district.
Kiddie Kampus' motto, "A Warm Place to Grow," is quite fitting. The educational structure is a "dynamic, hands-on early childhood program which is play based and arts-rich," inclusive to "all learning styles." Daily activities range from visual and performing arts, to basic life skills, to "interactive exploration of world cultures."
Applications are due in mid-February and are open to potty-trained children, two years, nine months and older. Decisions are announced in March and summer tours are available.
Super Scholars offers a variety of programs and private tutoring to prepare children for school and to foster progressive learning. Program director Carla Fedor has 14 years of professional experience as an elementary school teacher and private tutor. Carla and the staff at Super Scholars utilize their knowledge and professional experience to teach students with a wide range of academic, social and emotional needs.
The kindergarten readiness program is available for children ages 3, 4 and 5, to prepare young children to thrive in the social and academic environments of elementary school. Activities and group work focus on learning numbers, letters, colors, shapes and handwriting.
Additionally, private tutoring is available, as well as Homework Hangout, Kindergarten Club, and Mommy and Me. In all programs, class size is limited to maintain a standard of individual attention and instruction.
The Peter Pan Academy is a private institution which provides childcare and schooling for children between infancy and 2nd grade. It places emphasis on academic skills as well as social skills.
Peter Pan Preschool provides structured activities before, during and after school hours. Activities include art, music, social skills, muscle coordination, storytelling, puppet play, outside play and walking field trips. Additional services include professional evaluations and toilet training.
Since 2007, Small Size Big Mind has had new owners. This child care and preschool center is located on Alameda's East End near the base of the Bay Farm Bridge. Small Size Big Mind is for children from two years old to five years old. The center is open from 7am to 6pm five days a week and is a play-based center. Children have a balance of indoor and outdoor time as well as structured group activities.
Children's Cottage is Rising Star Montessori School's preschool. Activities are designed to prepare children for the Montessori curriculum, which instructs children in language arts, math, life and physical sciences, history, culture, geography, the arts and practical life skills. The school is located in Alameda's West End district, two blocks north of Washington Park.
With three locations in the area, The Child Unique Montessori School offers Montessori pre-school and elementary education to children ages 2-11. With low student-to-teacher ratios, students can enjoy personalized attention to best aid their academic, social and emotional development. The 6th Street location features a spacious facility with two play structures, four classroom with an average of 10 students in each, an outdoor picnic area, auditorium, office and stage.