Sprouts Pre-School

My daughter went to Sprouts and I strongly recommend it as a preschool. As a working mom, it is a tremendous relief to have reliable and loving caregivers, and a positive and enriching environment for my children. Sprouts provided this. Molly, the head teacher, is consistently warm and attentive. The other teachers are also kind and engaged with the children. I usually come late and find one teacher already reading stories to a small group while some others are doing crafts and others are engaged in their own play. The teacher-​child ratio is very good (1 to 6), with never more than 12 kids — which allows for a variety of personalities, but not overwhelming like some larger preschools. The space offers great variety and promotes independence (think bathroom, getting water, etc). My daughter made lasting friendships there and there were opportunities to get to know other parents. Overall, Sprouts is high quality and good value and I am thankful for all the teachers have done in caring and helping my daughter develop healthy and happy!

Molly is a thoughtful and giving caretaker and really helps every child to respect each other while having lots of fun. Her program is well thought out with lots of activities to keep the kids involved and a good range of ages so they always have someone to play with. Molly’s experience as a teacher over the years has made her a perfect candidate to take over the school as the owner and organizer and the school is really thriving under her care. I highly recommend Sprouts for the wonderful nurturing the teachers bring to the children and the responsible care they take with everything.

Sprouts Preschool has been such a positive place for our 4 year old son! This is his second year attending, and I’m in denial that we have to move on next year to pre-​K. Sprouts has provided such a rich experience for our son. From music and art, to gardening and cooking, as well as daily circle-​time, which allows for thoughtful discussions about sensitive topics like «friendship» and «differences» — Sprouts has given us the confidence that our son will thrive out there in pre-​K (and beyond).
Molly has poured her heart into Sprouts, and it really shows. The children truly love her– as well as teachers Vicki and Bonnie. They really are a second family to our son, and Sprouts is such a place of comfort for my whole family.
Give Molly a call for a tour, I know you’ll love it as much as we do.

Our son had a wonderful experience at Sprouts. Although we live in Albany and the school is in Berkeley, we were willing to deal with the different school year schedule because it was the preschool we felt most comfortable with in the area. Our son made art and played outside every day. He loved the music and movement enrichment, the teachers and the friends he made. We felt very comfortable leaving him with capable, caring teachers and miss them now that we’re gone. The only thing that could have made it better was a longer day or more aftercare, but it was a great experience.

My daughter attended Sprouts over the last two years, and I am happy that my son will begin there this fall. Sprouts is a great community and has wonderful teachers. My daughter is leaving Sprouts into kindergarten, with the skills she needs to succeed. Sprouts had a key role in her development.
Also, as a footnote, myself and another parent, commuted from Oakland for our daughters to attend Sprouts. We both visited many preschools, and found Sprouts to be the best.

Our twin girls did their first preschool year here and loved it – amazing how the first day your kids look so tiny. Now, they are finishing their second year at a co-​op preschool in San Francisco — and they look huge! Having seen two schools, I give Sprouts 5 stars.
Michelle’s program was well organized, encouraged amiable behavior amongst all kids, had a well disciplined lunch hour (within the first couple of months), and was just an overall joy for our kids. I mention the lunch hour as our current preschool seems to be a bit more chaotic at lunch hour. Sprouts is not discipline focused, but rather, the respect, attention, and sitting down to eat with the kids lends itself to the kids eating their meals and not wandering off (every parent wants lunch in their kids).
Michelle’s lifelong career with children is evident with all the happy Sprouts. Don’t hesitate, enroll your kid today! :)

My daughter, an only child, has attended Sprouts Preschool for the last 2 years and has had a blast, making some great friends. It’s a small (14 kid) place, with enough space for outdoor play as well as indoor activities. I like how the teachers forefront the children’s socialization skills and relationship building. Over the past summer, we were in Tahoe, where my daughter attended a traditional Montessori preschool. The contrast between the two approaches to child development were night and day. Though my daughter did learn to be a little more self-​directed via the Montessori program, it did not encourage her to make friends with the other Tahoe children, since the emphasis was so much on independent ”jobs”. There will be plenty of time for that later! She’s really going to miss Sprouts and her friends there, when it’s time to move on. 3 cheers for Sprouts!
Signed: lisa

My daughter will be entering her 2^nd year at Sprouts this fall,
and we are absolutely thrilled with the school! The teachers have lots of
experience and are extremely committed to the school and to the
children. The overall tone and style of the school is set by its
director, Michelle Straka, who has a mellow, child-​celebrating
style that is informed by many years of experience with children.
”Caring,” ”attentive,” and ”nurturing” are the strongest words I
would use to describe this school. My daughter is there 5 days a
week, in extended care 9:00 — 3:00 four days a week, so I wanted to
choose a school that really felt like a second family. I have
never felt that she’s exhausted or worn out at the end of the
day. I feel 100% taken care of by Sprouts. I also trust them
completely.
I’ve seen the teachers in some tough situations with children who
had a hard time separating from their parents. The teachers
were calm and handled everything in a loving, but
neutral, way.
This is a play-​based program — it’s not an academic program. I
could see it being a poor match for a child who is ready for a
more school-​like day with sit-​down lessons. The day at Sprouts
includes lots of supervised social time with other children,
playing and dress-​up, daily art projects, outdoor play, gardening,
looking at bugs and things like that, singing and
reading time, plus weekly special dance & yoga classes & visits
to the library.
Lastly, this school is year-​round, which was a BIG plus for us.
They recognize the needs of working parents, and take very few
holidays. (much fewer than the elementary school my son attends,
for example). Oh, another thing is that the expectation of
parent participation is only come-​as-​you-​wish. Parents are
welcome to participate in the classroom, but fundraising and
other volunteering is not expected. Which is great when you’re a
parent with lots of other commitments!
I feel hugely grateful and fortunate that we found Sprouts. My
advice is, if you were lucky enough to get a spot there, you
should jump on it. Sprouts is a gem!

I highly recommend Sprouts as a wonderful play-​based preschool.
It is staffed by enthusiastic and deeply caring people who have a
genuine love for children. The atmosphere is intimate and attends
to needs of individual personalities. Through various teaching
units, the teachers engage and excite the children to discover
the world around them. I’ve had two kids in Sprouts and when my
toddler is old enough, she’ll go there too. Michelle Straka is
the director: 510−559−9459
— Happy Sprouts Parent