Angel Academy
Berkeley, CA
To see Department of Social Services records on this facility, click on its DSS Facility License # below.
- 5/6/21: BPN assumes this daycare has closed since the license number is no longer valid.
Angel Academy is a heart-centered preschool nestled in the Berkeley Hills of California. Angel Academy provides a loving and educational environment for children aged 2 years to 5 years.
Parent Q&A
Parent Reviews
Parents, please Sign in to post a review on this page.Our daughter went to Angel Academy from the time she was 2.5 until she graduated last August. The school director, Halimah Harden, is an amazing, nurturing, skillful teacher, and Adrianna, her co-teacher is masterful. They fill the day with cooking, singing, puppetry, art, music, play, and love. Every other day, they have adventure days, where they visit the fairies in neighborhood parks. On the days they stay in, they spend as much time as they can outside caring for the garden, playing imaginary role playing games, and having the best time. We met some of our best friends while our daughter attended Angel Academy, and our daughter grew and developed into her very best self. Importantly, Halimah and Adrianna's emotional development strategies helped our daughter adapt to kindergarten. We are so grateful to Angel Academy for the community it helped us build for our daughter and for their loving support even today.
Angel Academy has been an extraordinary preschool experience for my son. He landed in the hands of Halimah and Adriana when he turned 2 and in less than 3 years, he has transformed into a little boy who is unabashedly curious, kind, attuned to beauty of all kinds in the world most especially nature and the hearts of human beings, sensitive and yet unapologetic about who he is, and fierce. This school is beautiful and steady with an enormous amount of thought put into every detail of the day to day as well as the connection of the community. If you're interested, there is an upcoming tour on 4/27/19. Here is the note from the director:
Angel Academy Preschool has two full-time spots available for the 2019-2020 school year. Angel Academy is a heart-centered, waldorf-inspired preschool nestled in the Berkeley Hills. The director, Halimah, has a wealth of experience in early childhood development. Miss Adriana and Miss Carmina are treasures, exuding warmth, love and peace. Miss Adriana has over 20 years experience in early childhood education. Miss Carmina is a nature-based educator who brings song, stories, and Spanish into the classroom! If you are looking for a loving, high-quality preschool for your child, I encourage you to attend their upcoming school tour. Here are the details:
Date of tour: Saturday, April 27, 2019
Time: Starts at 10AM sharp. Please arrive 5-10 minutes earlier
Where: Angel Academy is located at 2215 Marin Avenue, Berkeley 94707
Parking: Please park on Oxford Street or San Benito Road, walking distance to the preschool
Who: Angel Academy is accepting children between the ages of 2 - 3.5 years old. The teachers would like to meet your child, please bring the whole family :)
Please Note: If you are unable to attend the tour on 4/27, please reach out to Halimah at angelacademy2215 [at] gmail.com (angelacademy2215[at]gmail[dot]com)
Some links about the preschool:
https://www.wonderschool.com/ca/berkeley/angel-academy-2
The first thing one notices about Halimah is her joy in her work and in the individuals she's teaching and caring for. She truly loves the kids and has the fine-tuned sense of when to be tender and when to offer firm, clear guidance. Her teaching focuses on creativity and collaboration, in art and especially in wild, magical storytelling.
The parents and teachers of our son's class, which Halimah shared for two years, have noted the strength of its community spirit and its distinctive classroom personality. Halimah didn't create or impose that identify for them, she helped the kids find it and fostered their voices so that they could speak it themselves. I'd be excited to see how she builds her own classroom and school.
Both of our children have benefitted from Halimah’s loving care over the three years she taught at Hearts Leap. Halimah’s warmth, playfulness, creativity, deep love for children, and ability to positively redirect wild child energies are just some of the qualities which make her an exceptional teacher. A master at bringing out the best in children, Halimah appreciates each child for their own unique personalities, interests, and abilities. When conflicts arise between children, she gently helps them navigate their way to a solution, empowering them to become problem solvers. She teaches compassion, empathy, and group participation/cooperation through her original creative and collaborative stories using colorful scarves, objects from nature, and spontaneous hand drawings. We feel so fortunate to have had Halimah as one of our children’s earliest teachers and friends and can’t recommend her higher. The new school Halimah has created is a truly special place where any child (human or fairy) could thrive happily.
Halimah has taught both of my children over the past three years. My son loved her soccer skills, energy and enthusiasm. My daughter, who was with her for two years, just adored her and still asks for “Halimah hair.” Halimah has an understanding of my children that goes way beyond what I had expected of anyone outside the family. She is playful and curious, engaged and fascinated, full of wonder and wondrous ideas, and an amazing story-teller. Her ability to get cheerful cooperation from a room full of headstrong preschoolers is impressive. She has made many observations and suggestions to us over the years that have made life at home with our children easier, too. Her patience and grace are beautiful to behold, and we feel so fortunate to have crossed paths with her.
We don’t have direct experience with Angel Academy, but we knew the director, Halimah Harden, when she was at Hearts Leap. She is an amazing teacher - very nurturing and creative. We were quite sad when she decided to leave Hearts Leap to start her own preschool (but happy for her, of course!)