CCLC Preschool in Los Altos

We recently relocated to the area from the Midwest. Finding appropriate child care for our son was a worry for both myself and my husband. Our little boy had the same nanny since he was 14 weeks; so we were worried about his transition to not only to a new area and home but school as well. I visited many preschools in the area and I feel so very fortunate that CCLS of Los Altos had an opening. I felt that the director, Claire, was professional and understanding. She provided clear and helpful information. They invited me to bring my son and allow him to engage with the kids. I instantly felt relief from his two main teachers; Miss Sharmela and Miss Wendy. The first few weeks were a bit tough (more so on me) but every teacher knew my son! They would engage in conversation and tell me how he was doing. They even inquired about my personal adjustment to the area. After almost 3 months, I have no regrets. My son sings all the time, he has learned so many new things. He talks about his new best friends. It’s just truly been an amazing journey thus far and we are excited for what is yet to come. I would highly encourage giving this school an opportunity to wow you!

My two daughters were at CCLC for about 16 months. The younger started at age 2 and the older started at age 3 ½. Between the 2 of them, our family got to know many of the teachers in several different classrooms.
We had a decidedly positive experience. CCLC has a common sense approach; in my opinion they are a blend of play-​based and traditional philosophies. This was a nice fit for our girls because they grew in their social and creative skills, while also learning some of the basics like their letters & numbers.
The director Ms. Joanna is amazing. She cares so much about the children and is very hands on in the classrooms. We were happy with all of the staff, and our girls really bonded with some particular teachers.
The school has a great community feeling with many (optional) events through the year that incorporate families and siblings. Although it may not look like much from the outside (situated in a shopping center) they make the most of their space and actually have a very nice outside area in back.
Definite thumbs up from us and our younger would still be there if we hadn’t moved.

The CCLC los altos campus is just average, not the worst in the area but not satisfactory either, so I rate it 3 star. I hope it can do better as CCLC is a great brand in general and we need more great preschool programs for our kids:
— I wonder if their air circulation system ever works or not? How often do they open the windows? I can not feel fresh air in the facility. When I pass by the 18-​month classroom, it smells badly… my daughter got sick a lot during the flu season. I hope they can improve their air circulation and regularly get the fresh air in for the kids, especially in the flu season.
— Almost no playground shade covers. If you check their daily schedule, the kids spend a lot of time outside (scheduled once in morning, once in afternoon, plus pick up time). Especially, it concerns the parents in summer. The sunscreen alone is not enough to protect their sensitive skin. I even found sunburn in my daughter’s arms.
— The facility space is limited. No indoor play room/​gym for kids. We like the indoor play room and we feel it is necessary for the hot summer days. Imagine to have your kids play under the August sun for more than 2 hours on a daily basis. How enjoyable can that be?
— Preschool curriculum. if you compare with other preschool’s in the area, you will see the difference. And I think you will have to pay extra for the afternoon music, dancing, language class while some other schools offer it without additional charge… I would recommend you to do check this especially if your kids go to K next year.
— Overall hygiene and cleanness. Kids got sick a lot during flu season, coughing, stomach discomfort, running nose, fever, etc. I almost bring my daughter to the doctor’s office every week. Every afternoon when I pick up my daughter, her cloth is very very dirty and hands with mud or sand mixed with water, shoes are sand boxes usually…
We do want to thank some great teachers we met at CCLC (some may have already left) — Ms. Sarah, Ms. Holly, and Ms Julia!

I have been meaning to write this review for a while. Our son entered CCLC in Los Altos in October of 2012 and we couldn’t be happier. The school — teachers and director Joanna — are genuinely interested in the well being and development of the children. Everyone is cheery and welcoming from the minute you step in and until the minute you leave in the evening. They are great at keeping us informed of all daily activities and the child’s progress physically, behaviorally and socially. They know how to welcome children, make them happy and make parents feel great about going to work. I love how they take lots of photos everyday and attach examples of your child working with their artwork and send out a weekly collage of photos and activities for the week.
I highly recommend CCLC in Los Altos. They are WONDERFUL!

From our initial visit, we were impressed with the overall feel of the facility and knew this was the right place for us. We immediately noticed the positive interaction between the teachers and the children. My daughter is 20M old and we’ve been here for two months now. Time has flown by quickly because we’ve felt at home here from the start. The entire staff has been incredibly gracious and welcoming, a stark contrast from our previous experience with a different daycare center. It was like night and day. We don’t dread dropoffs in the morning because my daughter initiates the kiss and goodbye as she scampers off to join the other children.
We absolutely love our teacher and we can tell my daughter does too because she shouts her teacher’s name with glee when we turn into the parking lot. Ms. Arzu has such a warm and nurturing nature with tons of energy. She is attentive and clearly engages the kids with many age-​appropriate activities, such as a variety of art projects, yet is mindful of not overstimulating them. I have to often restock backup clothing, but it is so worthwhile because at least I know my daughter is having fun and learning so much at the same time. These are all dedicated teachers who have fully invested their hearts and minds to their children with zealous compassion and are very cognizant of preparing the kids for Kindergarten. I spoke with a parent who had an older child and she felt CCLC did a great job preparing her child for Kindergarten. Unfortunately the center has gone through some changes and lost some notable teachers, but Joanna, the current director, is addressing the issues appropriately while keeping the parents informed with individual and group meetings. She has been working diligently to fill the teacher positions and I surmise that she is being thorough and simply not filling it with just anyone rather, ensuring that these new hires will be a good fit with the remaining teachers as well as the children.
The facilities are well kept, clean, and just underwent a makeover with new furnishings and paint job. Considering that the center is on the smaller side, which works wonderfully for us, the play yard is substantially sized, not too large or too small, with adequate shade and plenty of room for the kids to ride their tricycles and push carts.
I really encourage parents to tour the facilities. You’ll be greeted genuinely with warm smiles and friendly faces who do a wonderful job catering to the children’s needs. We have found our second home and are relieved that we don’t have to look for alternative care!

Our twins were lucky to have Ms. Sharmila and Camellia as their teachers in the junior preschool class, to help them adjust to the brand new life of schooling. Teaching two year olds is a tough job, demanding so much patience and passion. I would recommend CCLC to all the parents.

My daughter spent 3 years at CCLC Los Altos and my son is going there now. During the first 2 years my daughter was there, we had very good experiences. I really need to give credit to the teachers there for helping her become a very independent and well mannered child. However, we experienced quite a bit of teacher/​director turnover during the last year she was there. Also, the directors (new at that time and now left) were not very organized and the center was not well run/​maintained (mid 2007 to Spring 2008). Having said that, whenever I asked my daughter about CCLC, she only had good things to say and she still has fond memory of her time there.
When my son turned 2, I struggled a bit if I should keep him home or send him to another day care center or CCLC. Even though I was familiar with CCLC, I still requested a tour and I’m glad that I did. I really like the current director, Joanna, and I think she does a very good job running the center. I can see a big difference between the center now vs the last year my daughter was there, and I think Joanna deserves the credit for the positive change. My son is in the junior pre-​school class right now and his teachers, Ms Sharmila and Ms Camellia, are very loving and caring, and so are the other teachers in the center. Every day, my son is looking forward to going to school, and he comes home very happy.

After reading the only review there was for CCLC in Los Altos, I felt I had to write a review. I’m sorry it wasn’t a good experience for the other reviewer, but we have been there for 2 years and have experienced the teacher turnover, etc. And although we have expressed our concerns and talked with other parents, ultimately our twins have not suffered from it. We have been impressed with all the teachers and the directors, so even if there has been turnover, they have managed to make the transitions smoothly. Our kids love it there!

I had my daughter in this school for 2 months after being on a waitlist to get in for almost a year. Was not worth the wait…
Everytime I picked my daughter up, she was filthy — crumbs on her face, snot dried all over on her cheeks, fingers filthy, and her lunch was usually untouched and quickly packed back as if no one cared or even looked. All the other children in her 2 year old class were the same way (filthy and neglected).
There was another little girl that was always crying when I picked my own daughter up. The teachers would let her keep crying and told me ignoring her was the best solution. I found that hard and would pat her back a little as I picked up my own child — that little gesture always seemed to calm her down considerably so not sure why the teachers couldn’t do it.
Finally, I got tired of how neglected my kid and the others looked everyday and pulled my daughter out. I am so glad I did — whenever we drive by the school, my daughter still gets upset that we might drop her off there. This place is a working parent’s worst nightmare though maybe it’s not entirely the fault of the staff. They do advertise a high teacher/​student ratio, but it was usually only one teacher in the 2 year old room and then a «floater». There was one good teacher there who is wonderful (can’t recall her name but she teaches the 4 year old class and is African American). Otherise, the rest of the «teachers» seem undereducated and underpaid. There is a lot of teacher turnover as well. In the 10 weeks we were there, we went thru 2 teachers and one director. The folks there treat kids like they are animals and they really don’t care. Not a vaue for the price.
BTW, I did not have any fall-​outs or disagreements with anyone there. I just smiled, took mental notes and pulled my daughter out when I finally couldn’t stand it anymore and was able to get my alternate childcare arrangements completed.
It’s a shame because I think the other CCLCs in the area are very well-​run. This one should be audited for sanitation and teacher credentialing.

Hi
My daugther went to this school’s toddler program.
Here are the negative and positive points about school
(1) One of the main goal of the toddler program is potty trainging.
Unfortuately all class rooms have toilets outside the class which makes it really hard for kids… if toilet is inside the class kids can just run to restroom…
(2) The snacks that they provide are really heavy and more like lunch and dinner than something really light
(3) Teachers generally keep classes very untidy… and most of the time class room stinks…
(4) There is no structured art or music… it is all free play…
(5) even on rainy days /​wintery days they leave kids to play outside…
(6) There is one play are for toddlers and preschoolers… and which makes very hard for toddler kids to play… I have seen preschooler kids pushing toddlers away…
(7) no discipline teaching at all…
Positive points
… yet to think of…