Seeking a Daycare or Preschool near the UCB Campus
Archived Q&A and Reviews
Suggestions for part-time preschool near campus
Oct 2015
Can anyone advise on a good preschool near campus, reasonable in cost, and does Part time? Preferable Spanish. I do not live in the area. Thank you A Nea
You might want to check out Mi Mundo preschool, located on Alcatraz in South Berkeley (not super close to campus, but not too far either). It's a small, sweet Spanish play-based preschool. Feels like a family. So many incredible art projects each week and my son is learning great social-emotional skills as well. It's also affordable and has part time options. mi mundo rocks
If you are looking for a part-time affordable PM program (12:30-3:30), try http://www.berkeleyschools.net/schools/early-childhood-education/. (secretary: 510-644-6358) This program is amazing, the teacher and her two assistants are using the creative curriculum and second step in the classroom. My son loves his school as much as our family do and his brother cannot wait to start next year. a mother of King CDC
Which public elementary schools are close to the UCB campus?
September 2002
I plan to attend UCB in Fall '03 and my daughter will start kindergarten at the same time. I would like to know which public elem. schools are close to the Berkeley campus, which are the best, how/when do I go about enrollment. I am also interested in advice about the campus-run preschool programs for my other daughter who will be 3. One last question: I was told my chances for Univ. Village housing are pretty good and would like to hear experiences of other families living there. Bridget
For a private school you may want to look at Berkeley Montessori School. Presently at LeRoy (on the Northside of campus) they will be moving to a new location on University Avenue (on the way from the Village). Good, attentive teachers and a strong sense of community. But if you are living in the Village your kids have the option to going to the highly sought after Albany public schools. GF
If you live in Berkeley, the city is divided into three geographic ''zones'' and you can choose any one of three or four elementary schools within your zone. For more information about Berkeley schools (including preschools), try their website: http://www.berkeley.k12.ca.us
If you live at the UC Village, you will be in the city of Albany and will want to look at elementary schools there. A Berkeley parent
Bridget - Rent-wise and Elementary-school-wise, your very best bet is to get into UC Village. Rents on the new townhouses, which are huge, are below market rent (which still doesn't make them affordable for student parents), but Section B, the older ('60s) section, are very affordable and perfectly fine for the years you're living close to the bone. Section B apartments are built around a courtyard, not facing the street, and so kids run around within a safe area, watched by parents who all know each other. It's a fantastic, multi-cultural/ethnic community. Another bonus: UC Village is next door to Oceanview, a new elementary school in the much-vaunted Albany School District. My husband walks our daughter to school each morning then catches the '52 bus to Cal. It's really an ideal situation. I wish we could live here until our kids are raised. Alas...we'll be gone when you get here. Good luck! Village mom
I would like to give advice, because we had the same questions the last two years.We lived in walking distance to the campus. The next public school for our 5 years old daughter was Emerson School,one of the best Elementary Schools in Berkeley. We applied twice and the Unified School District took us for Kindergarten and First Grade to the second choice, John Muir School.There is also a waiting list after the first decision, but we could4nt rich a space.In our situation, for Kindergarten, we took our daughter in the catholic St. Joseph School, which was in Jefferson Street near by the University Street.Which was a really strong education time and after this year our daughter started reading. This year our family decided to move to Albany, because of money reasons.We tried to come in the University Village, but our status was not the right one. So we found a different appartment in Albany. In Albany you have the choice between three Elementary Schools,who are all highly recommended in the news(''Marin'', ''Cornell'' and ''Ocean View''-next to the Village). The school district took our daughter to Cornell,who is in walking distance to our home.Our daughter likes her new school and we enjoy the very flat area with our two girls. We can walk to the playgrounds and ride the bycicles.This is much more convenient with small kids(Also for parking reasons!)in contrast to the ''beautiful hill university area''... In my opinion, I think the childcare situation around the campus in Berkeley is quite bad, so we found a good privat preschool in the Hopkins Street for our two year old daughter. Katrin
If you live in University Village your child would attend Albany Schools. Oceanview School is walking distance from the Village. If you are looking for a downtown elementary school you may want to consider the Washington School. Its a big school with its share of urban school problems -- but it has many great teachers, and involved parents, is close to the University, and is located in a truly diverse neighborhood, unlike many Berkeley schools. My son had a wonderful time there in K-3. Heather