The Mulberry School

Our 3-​year old son loves this place. Like other reviewers have mentioned before– the staff (Barb & Kerri) are very caring and patient with the kids. We also love the facilities, especially the yard where the large Mulberry tree provides shade so the kids can play outside without worrying too much about sun exposure. There are lots of arts & crafts activities for the kids too keep them entertained, as well as music and dance sessions. The class size is fairly small, so we feel each child is able to get plenty of attention from the teachers. There are plenty of opportunities to meet and get acquainted with other parents, which we really enjoyed. We highly recommend the Mulberry School if you want a smaller, more intimate setting for your child’s first preschool experience!

This was the perfect pre-​school for our daughter. It is a very nurturing and safe environment for kids to grow at their own pace. There is plenty of indoor and outdoor space, and Vicki Carlton is an amazing director. We will always cherish our daughters time there!

The Mulberry School is an excellent preschool. We have now had both our boys go there and they have loved it as well. Our younger son is 4.5 and getting ready to start kindergarten next year and my wife and I will be sorry we have to leave the Mulberry School.
The teachers are amazing and so patient and kind to all the children. The grounds are beautiful and the space itself is open and welcoming. They have dance and music taught by outside teachers. There is also a large garden and lots of exposure to the outdoors. I highly suggest visiting it and seeing what a lovely place this is for your little one (s).

Very bad experience with this school. I went there to pick up the application form and ask questions regarding the availibility of the space, and their programs, and i got so disappointed. The lady in charge was very rude, and kept telling me that she had already talked to me, whereas it was my first time being there. Then she started looking for the application form and she couldnt find it, then she passed me the tuition fees for 2015, whereas i was asking for 2014. I asked her about the availibility, and she barely wanted to talk and was in rush to go, she got my phone number, which she never called me and then she asked me to come back tomorrow. I wonder if the principal of this school treats adult like this, how she treats kids in this school! i heard from other parents that kids in this school only do some coloring and then playin in the backyard. I am glad that we didnt send our kid there.

I would like to share our experience with The Mulberry School. Every family is different, but The Mulberry School was simply the perfect preschool for my two girls (now in 3^rd grade and K at Head Royce School).
Mulberry has a wonderful appropriately sized outdoor space that includes 2 areas of play equipment, a sand box, a garden, and chickens (!). The curriculum is child-​directed, which means they seize the day when the kids are interested in something (bugs! space! dinosaurs!) and incorporate it into their lessons. The kids are given the opportunity to be create and explore every day with water, sand, blocks, paint, make believe, costumes, books, the list goes on and on. With these raw materials, my kids learned how to play without «kits» and ready-​made projects.
My older daughter is often shy and very introverted. When she started Mulberry at age 3.3, she had barely spoken 2 words to any non-​family members or caregivers. Mulberry’s loving, nurturing environment was perfect for her. The teachers introduced the concept of child-​directed learning to me; it was very eye opening. My child absolutely thrived. Over time, she felt safe and secure, which allowed her to open up and find her voice. She had some other classmates who were more dominant and the teachers helped the girls navigate the potentially difficult dynamic, being fair to all sides and helping them take turns being the «leader». No child was labeled «shy» or «bossy». The safe environment helped my daughter learn to be brave and to stand up for herself — a life lesson that she will draw on for the rest of her life.
My younger daughter is strong-​willed, outspoken and an extrovert. When she started Mulberry at age 2.5, she had already been there at drop off and pick up for her whole life so she was very comfortable. She immediately gravitated to another strong willed girl and they spent the first year figuring out how to be friends, compromising, taking turns, and communicating. The teachers helped when needed, but also gave them space to figure things out on their own. Again, my daughter learned necessary social skills in a safe space.
The bottom line for me is that my girls learned how to read, write letters, and add at Mulberry, but most importantly, they learned that school is a safe, happy place to be with loving adults. They also learned invaluable social skills that laid the foundation for their interactions for the rest of their lives. Of course every school has their quirks and Mulberry has many, but I am so grateful for our 5 years there.

My daughter just started her second year at the Mulberry school. The teachers are patient and caring. I love the way they interact with the kids. They encourage independence but act as a strong source of support and comfort. Each day of the week there is something fun going on-​Music, movement, exposure to Spanish and French through songs and games. The space is the most warm and inviting of any school I visited while looking for a preschool. It is also a small school which I like and it is mixed age. The outdoor play area is magical. I noticed that feedback given last year had been incorporated well into this years curriculum. All of the children seem very happy and my daughter loves school.

This fall will be our third year at Mulberry school for our son and our two year old daughter will be starting in the fall as well. This school has been a truly enriching and welcoming place for our child. Our son is on the sensitive side and we were looking for a place that he would feel comfortable at and where the atmosphere would be supportive, educational, and playful at the same time. Mulberry hits all of those. My husband and I both work in graduate level academia and are quite stringent on our criteria for selecting schools, and looked at many preschools prior to selecting Mulberry. It is one of the best preschools around and the children are all very happy there.
One thing that stands out at Mulberry is how warm and loving the teachers are with the students. You frequently see a student sitting in a teacher’s lap while reading books together. The teachers are genuinely interested in the children’s perspectives, treat them like individuals, and respect them for who they are. This is preschool, and the children are therefore young; Mulberry provides a play based, fun, instructive environment that these young children feel safe in and enjoy. My son is a gentle, emotional boy who could easily be a push over, and he has thrived at this school with great confidence and desire to explore and learn, and I am grateful to the teachers and the school philosophy for that. I definitely recommend it.

This place is Lord of the Flies for the pre-​k set. Everyday my daughter was spat on, kicked, hit, pushed and called «garbage» by a pack of bullies. «It’s just typical boy behavior,» said one teacher. «We’re working on her learning to be assertive,» said another. «Every one of these kids is like my grandchild,» said the director, Vicky Carlton. «We’ll fix this. I promise.» Meanwhile, my daughter became withdrawn and anxious. She cried every morning and begged me to keep her home. «Trust your teachers,» I said.
«They can’t stop the mean friends. I don’t want anyone doing bad things to me anymore,» she said.
That was when I finally decided to trust her. Six months into the ordeal, I told Ms. Carlton my daughter would not be returning. «Sometimes children are curious about things they’re afraid of,» she said. «Those boys are leaving in a few months,» she added. When it became apparent her spin had stopped working, the mask came off. «Don’t think her not feeling safe is going to get you out of contract,» hissed Ms. Carlton and proceeded to sue me for three months’ tuition.