Peter Pan Academy

I always hate writing reviews for places that I have never truly experienced, but I went on a tour here that will give me nightmares. I went to tour the infant room and couldn’t believe what a mess the place was. There were only two teachers sitting outside with all of the «infants» (which includes up to 2). The infant room also seemed dirty. They microwave plastic cups to warm bottles in, which for some reason really bothered me – get a bottle warmer so it’s exact. At Kindercare, they have designated bottle warmers for breastmilk and formula so that the milk doesn’t get too warm. The teachers seemed nice enough but there didn’t seem to be enough of them. I didn’t count the number of kids, but I doubt they were meeting the ratio requirements. There were a good amount of kids upset and there were not enough people to soothe them. The classroom was not warm and cute like I imagine and baby room to be. Although you have to take off your shoes, it seemed really unclean. They did clean the changing pad, but they used a bleach spray to do it. I don’t really want my child laying down on a bleached surface, nor do I want my child regularly exposed to the chemical spray in the air. I cannot believe this place has a wait list of 10 months. You could not pay me to leave my daughter here. I would leave 1 star but I never enrolled my child here so I feel about about bringing down their rating without enrolling.

When I moved to Alameda, I didn’t think I could ever again love another preschool as much as I loved the one we left behind. Happily, I was wrong.
On the first day, my oldest daughter walked in insisting that she was not going to like it. When I picked her up that afternoon and asked her how her day went, she smiled and said, «Great!» She hasn’t changed her tone since.
Every day we are greeted warmly when we come in, and are sent home with evidence of how active and creative they have been all day. They are on track with learning their letters and numbers, learning Spanish and sign language, and making good friends. They have a wonderful playground, safely fenced off from a lagoon with ducks and geese that they can look out on. The school provides lunch and snacks. There’s an on-​site gymnastics/​sports enrichment program that my girls love.
I must confess that, as with the old preschool, this one didn’t blow my mind when I first toured it. But, as with the old preschool, it quickly became clear that this is a dedicated and caring group of people and I feel so lucky that they had spots for us.
And I decided it was time to write this review after my middle daughter’s teacher Brianne provided my daughter with a «Frozen» toy and activity book as a reward for all the hard work my daughter did in not having a tantrum for several days!
This is a lovely place.

Ms. Lucas passed on Wed., May 2^nd, and a service was held Thursday, May 10^th.
We are deeply grateful for Ms. Lucas’ work, saddened by the loss, and saddened further that our second child won’t get to benefit from her tutelage.

I write this with sadness and through tears because I just found out that the former director of Peter Pan Academy, Mrs Lucas, passed away today from cancer she has been battling for years. I felt like she was in a partnership with my wife and I to see that our child was the best she could be. She really recognized my daughter’s strengths and weaknesses, and brought out the best in her. I would sometimes come in to pick her up, and find the two of them in a room dancing to Elvis. She introduced the children to great art and artistry that most schools overlook. She will be missed.
My daughter attended Peter Pan Academy from Pre-​K through 1^st grade. They hold high standards of education. Very clean. Good food. Both kids and parents love this school. ALL the teachers were superb and caring!
Even after my daughter went to 2^nd grade in a public school, she insisted on visiting Peter Pan school often and keeping in touch with the teachers and other kids.

Ethical, educational and the best out there. I attended this school from Pre-​k to 5^th grade (1993 – 1998) and have benefited enormously from their methods of teaching and to the emphasis on ethics. When I had eventually attended public school in Alameda, I realized that the curriculum in middle school had almost entirely been taught to me before at Peter pan, public school was literally easy and ease became confidence to work harder to excel. Am I gifted? No. Where they tough on me? No. The answer lies on their stubbornness in not giving up and patiently spending ample time one on one with teachers helping me learn and excel on subjects that I had not grasped. You don’t get much of that in public schools. I still remember the feeling during the holiday seasons at Peter Pan, walking in the class smelling cookie treats and looking at the decorations hanging on the walls, (some bought and some made by my fellow students) a home outside of a home. Mr. Hallford would always be like a father to us, whether playing basketball or putting his foot down and making sure we were properly behaving– if we were bad, the whole class would go quiet once he stepped in. He was in no way mean, just very well respected and fun. Ms. Lucas, the Director/​Principal, was also a treat. What I remember most of her is her laugh, lively and heartfelt, she brought along with it a feeling of comfort and inspiration. Of course we used to dread the idea of being sent to her office, but it was never as bad as we thought. In the office, Ms. Lucas, among others, would find out all sides of the story and also take time to talk to us in a manner that would allow us to think about our actions and the more appropriate ways to handle them. Of course, then after, they would purposely directly or indirectly make us feel better. You would never feel behind in class either, because of the effort each teacher makes in getting to know us throughout a grade year and taking time to personally work with us in class, after class and during recess. I can go on, but you should go and see for yourselves. We were all enriched by a well rounded experience from the education to table manners, from performing on stage to physical fitness and wellness. They expected the best in each other as staff and brought out the best in all of us. I am thankful that my parents were able to give me that experience and thankful for everyone in Peter Pan and their great work. I am counting on them being around for when I have children of my own. They deserve the recognition, they receive all my appreciation.
Best Regards,
Jonathan Ng

f you are looking for a top-​rate pre-​school this is the place! My son (who is now 10) went to the bay Farm Island (Mecartney Rd) school from age 20 months to 5 years and we loved it so much that my daughter is now there (started at age 15 months). AND my daughter has the SAME teachers as my son had. This kind of staff consistency is one of the many pluses at this school. Many preschools change teachers constantly but some of these teachers have been there for 20 years. Next, the quallity of the care and education provided exceeds expectations. The Director and teachers provide loving care — there’s always a hug or cuddle available. The children have a varied and full day that includes plenty of outside/​running around time, art and music and academics. My 2 year old is learning colors, letters and her numbers right now. More importantly, the school really stresses good manners — please, thank you, good table manners, holding the door open for others are all part of the expectation for these children. The children eat a hot lunch together every day (prepared by the same wonderful cook that’s been there since my teen-​aged niece was there!). As you can see, I can’t say enough. There’s time every morning to paint. They celebrate all the holidays so diversity is taught to these children in the best way possible. Charity (I colorful collection jar for Japan, for instance) and citizenship are also valued here. We are lucky to have this resource in our community.

My son started at Peter Pan Academy in 1991. It was one of the better decisions I made. The school is small but has a very engaging program. The foundation for education was set at an early age. I never asked him about his homework since he was a member of the homework club in the second grade. His test scores were at least a grade or two above the national average and when he graduated from the 6^th grade some of his scores were in the high school level. They put a lot of attention to the students which I credit for the basis of his success. He has gone on to graduate from University of California Davis and is now attending the University of San Diego Law School.
Peter Pan Academy is a school that cares, I am reminded of that every time I see a member of the staff and they would asked how my son was doing at Davis and now in law school. We finished there in 1998, we feel they are a part of our family for life.

My child has been going to Peter Pan Schools since 15 months old. She is now 7 years old and still enjoys going to school at Peter Pan Academy. The teachers and care givers are professional, caring, and wonderful in everyway. The Peter Pan staff has provided my child with an excellent education. My child loves reading, homework, and just really enjoys learning … Peter Pan School is responsible for why my child is thriving in education. The hours are from 6:30 AM to 6:00 PM. The cost is very reasonable for what your child and you receive and lower than many other schools in the Bay Area. I highly recommend the school without reservations. L.P., Alameda, CA

My baby (age 2.75 years) recently started Peter Pan in their full time x5 days per week program! It’s a SUPER safe neighborhood, they have an AWESOME playground, serve hot lunches and 2 snacks a day, have a healthy attitude about treats and don’t have a «NO SUGAR» rule like a lot of other schools… They encourage the kids to eat their food instead of saying nothing and letting them starve, they also have a healthy attitude about TV and on occassion let the kids watch a little Disney, they are reasonable in cost, they don’t take a lot of holidays, are open long hours, and they don’t require Parent Volunteer Hours or split up Snack Duty amongst the parents like a lot of the other schools. Their Director Theresa Clement is the best too! She is totally hands on and involved — and in my opinion the reason this school rocks!

In 2007, I enrolled my son into The Academy’s program for Kindergarten. He stayed in the program through 2^nd grade. Although it is a very small program, The Academy offers an excellent educational program. Kindergarteners typically start spelling tests by their third month in school. They start learning math, science, reading, language arts/​grammar, and art. By the time my son left The Academy, he had started with the basics of multiplication and could add and subtract multiple digits (including borrowing). He could break down a sentence into its grammatical sections; was reading; and understood basic scientific concepts — just to mention a few things!
The teachers — Ms. Steenhard, Mr. Hallford and Ms. Lucas — all work with the children. It is easy to talk with the teachers if you have any concerns or issues and trust me — they will talk with you if they have concerns or issues.
It truly is a community unto itself and everyone — the children, the teachers and the parents work together to ensure that everyone’s expectations are met. This is why my daughter will be starting The Academy in July.

Peter Pan Academy has been on Bay Farm in Alameda for over 30 years. My daughter has been there since pre-​K. The director, Ms. Lucas, is the best out there. Not only did she teach her phonics, but she also taught her how to sing, dance and act on stage. My daughter’s teachers, Mr. Hallford and Ms. Steenhard, have taught her how to read, spell, and do math. She’s only in 1^st grade, but is already subtracting in double digits. She reads at the 2^nd grade level and loves her science and social studies classes as well. Peter Pan is not just a school, it’s family. All the teachers know every parent and watch the children closely. I know my daughter is well taken care of there.