Mountain View Parent Nursery School

MVPNS has been a big disappointment for our family. We expressed concerns with the way one of the teachers was interacting with the children and those concerns were not appropriately addressed. In fact, one of the school administrators asked us not to tell anyone about the issues we had reported until she could take the necessary internal steps to address the issue. We were fine with this approach but after waiting quite a long time, we approached the administrator again to inquire about the status of addressing our complaint and she informed us that she did not intend to share our feedback with the teacher. We pleaded with the administrator to address the teacher directly in the hopes that they could improve, but she stopped responding to us. There may be some great teachers at MVPNS, and maybe even the teacher who was struggling could have improved, but clearly, the administration of the school is not on-​board with addressing complaints directly. I would recommend observing at least one full class before committing to this school. If you are assigned to a teacher who is struggling to treat children in an appropriate manner, the school will not step in when necessary, in our experience. It is very disappointing for our family and we would not have posted a negative Unilocal review except for the fact that the school decided not to take our very real complaints seriously. As a result of their inappropriate conduct and failure to address our concerns in any meaningful way, we had to withdraw our son from the school. He misses it and it makes us very, very sad that he can no longer attend. We simply did not feel that he was physically or emotionally safe at the school.

I have been observing a child for the past two months at this school, and I can’t even tell you how great of a school this is. This is a play based/​parent involvement/​fantastic adult to child ratio (1:3 I believe) preschool, where the curriculum is based on the children’s interests. Not to mention, the classroom door is open, so children can choose to be indoors or outdoors throughout the day.
This school has moved to Oak Ave., right next door to Mountain View High School, where they are currently building up a brand new center which meets all standards for the ECERS (Early Childhood Environmental Rating Scale). Their new school should be open in a couple of weeks.
If you have young children, sign them up here! It’s a fantastic environment for everyone to be! The teachers are remarkable!

Yep, love this school as much as everyone else… maybe more. It is a truly magical place with amazing staff and a Director like no other. We’ve attended 4 parent participation preschool programs, and this is by far the best. It is so dynamic and creative, and greatly enriches the lives of both children and parents. My son is sensitive and slow to warm. Teachers Claire and Wilma, all the assistant teachers, and key parents were so loving and patient with him. I was finally able to drop him off at preschool after going for years. He’s even made great friendships. My one wish at the beginning of the year was that he would like school. Now he loves school and asks for his friends, play dates, and parks, and he never wants to leave school. I could not have imagined how much his outlook would change, all thanks to the wonderful people at MVPNS! I also found this school on Unilocal.Being relatively new to the area, I found almost all my favorite places on Unilocal

My son is in his 2^nd year at MVPNS and we couldn’t be happier. The teachers are nurturing, hands on, and loving. My son loves going to school and on the weekend he is bummed that there’s no school today! The curriculum is play based, kids are learning while they play, the best way for little ones to learn. Teacher Marie is his teacher this year, and the slightly more structured class is getting him ready for his transition into Kindergarten, which I am so thankful for. Teacher Rachel, Danielle, Wilma and Teacher Claire are all amazing and born to be preschool teachers! I highly recommend this school to anyone looking for a tight knit community of involved parents!

I LOVE this school! I am so grateful to be here and to have found this gem! My son and I began in the toddler parent participation class last year with Teacher Diane (formerly Parent Observation), and had such a great year. I was able to see my son grow, learn and share in his joy of school. And the play yard and toys are amazing– it took my son at least two months to move through all the things to do! With the merge w Mvpns, we are now in the 2s co-​op class, and he loves it. Today the teachers set up a mock car wash, and rolled balls down a chute filled w paint. How fun is that?! They also do music and stories every day. The co-​op model fits us well, as I love being part of this experience. I’ve already met great parents, and we all lend a hand to the kids to ensure they have a fun and safe day. The parents and teachers truly care about the kids and the school– they even help w potty training. I highly recommend starting w toddler parent participation classes and then moving up from there– the transition was a breeze!

We enjoyed this program. We participated in it the first time this school year, which just ended. Diane, who is very gregarious, is actually quite understated in all that she accomplishes in a short period of each class session. Each session contains a lot of great activities and are generally focused on a particular theme. I truly recognized this after attending her first field trip, which was very well orchestrated. My daughter really enjoyed the program. Aesthetically it is a very pleasant place to be, which goes a long way. And we expect the new campus to be even more wonderful. My daughter and I made some very nice friends as well.

We love this school! Funny enough, I found this school here on Unilocal.I was interested in the coop idea and thought it would be awesome to be a part of my kids early education experiences. I cannot even begin to tell you how much this school has done for us. Its been amazing being around other parents and kids and having the constant support through these young years of my kids lives.
And the teachers are no less than amazing! Teachers Claire & Wilma of the 3s class bring such love and kindness to school everyday! They take the time to give each child what they need, whether its making time for a quiet time with the class guinea pig, Buster, or playing soccer on the field with some kids who need to get some extra energy out. Teacher Rachel is such a wonderful creative force at school! She is constantly bringing new projects to the table for the kids to discover and learn. Teacher Marie provides the perfect gateway to kindergarten encouraging budding scientists to explore their environment around them. And Teacher Tim, who is retiring this year, will be missed greatly! He would always take the time to create, invent or bring to life anything the kiddos can dream up.
We have been there for the last 3 years, and I have one more year left with my youngest. This year, I did double duty, being in 2 classes at the same time (TTH am and MWF pm). I was nervous that it was going to be a lot being there everyday, but now that the year is almost over, I know there is no place I would rather have been with my kids. These early years of preschool are so important and I am so glad I chose to spend them at MVPNS! I would recommend it to anyone!

Nothing but love is offered at MVPNS… And that was the first thing that attracted me here!
I come from a totally different background where volunteering is not common. So, a coop was out of the question. But luckily it all happened by pure coincidence. I started to look for drop off preschools in April. Of course, all the «good ones» were full. So I added my daughter to a couple of preschools’ waiting list. In October, when we were still on waiting lists, someone mentioned MVPNS to me. I called, they had a spot in the afternoon. Well, I wasn’t looking for a coop, and the afternoon class coincides with my daughter’s nap. So I wasn’t really interested. The following day, I happened to be with my daughter in the MVPNS neighborhood during the afternoon class hours. We jumped into the class without previous notice… And that was it. What attracted me at first was the welcoming smiles, the parents seemed relaxed and enjoying it, the teachers were so much involved with the kids, the facility is beautiful and well maintained. My daughter got dressed up and we joined the story time.
Now that we’ve been here for five months, I can provide feedback. Here is what MVPNS offers:
— Individual attention: when we joined, teacher Claire met with me after class hours to learn about my daughter. Also, In January, we had a parent teacher conference. So, teacher Claire met with each and every parent to discuss their child progress.
— Amazing teachers: there are two teachers in each class. Both of them have degrees and experience. What differentiates MVPNS teachers from the ones I observed in other schools is the love for what they do. Most, if not all, of the teachers were MVPNS parents at one point. So they all have this sense of belonging.
— Not too many meetings at night compared to other coops: I have friends in other coops who are complaining as they have night meetings twice a month. Here at MVPNS the monthly class meetings to discuss school businesses and parenting issues are done during class hours. When we have a meeting, kids are at school and the teachers from the other class come to help out. So the only night meetings we are required to attend are 6 parenting lectures throughout the year in addition to the committee’s requirements, depending on which one you join.
Personally, I was worried about the commitment required from parents as I want to feel the joy of being part of my daughter’s early educational years. But I am so much enjoying it at MVPNS! We just signed up for next year:)

One of the best preschools around! All the teachers, especially Claire and Wilma are amazing at what they do. Great facilities — I am sure the new one will be even better. Very affordable to boot. If you have the time for the parent-​participation part, then it is truly an amazing investment in your child.

We love our preschool! The teachers are wonderful and caring. The kids learn social skills and get to do hands on art and projects.
My friend came here and exclaimed that she had never seen such a beautiful and wonderful preschool in all her years as a parent and a teacher.
This place is a gem and a wonderful place for your child to grow and explore.

MVPNS is awesome! Our son is now in his second year, and out of all the different programs he’s been in, this is his absolute favorite. Every morning he asks which school we’re going to, and when it’s his MVPNS day, he goes absolutely bonkers! If you’re looking for a school with a family-​feel, this is it. All the parents look out for each other. It’s not just a school, it’s a community. A happy boy makes happy parents, and our son is over the moon for MVPNS!

Parent co-​op is not for every parent, but if this is what you are considering, I have no doubt that regardless of your evaluation criteria, MVPNS will come out quite well, not the best, but definitely above average. I visited pretty much all the parent coops in the west valley including Los Altos Parent Nursery, Cupertino co-​op, and the highly acclaimed Los Gatos-​Saratoga Parent Observatory (where I even enrolled for a summer session), and after careful considerations, I enrolled my child with both LAPP and MVPNS at the same time, and having attended the two schools concurrently for 3 months, I went with LAPP.
However, I was generally satisfied with my MVPNS experience, although LAPP went the extra miles for me, which I will elaborate on further reviews. Before the school year starts, MVPNS organized four parent meetings throughout the summer to prepare the child for their first year at the school. The first meeting was a standard orientation powwow you’d expect at any preschool. First of all, I was surprised to find quite a few MVPNS alumni from years ago sending their children back to the school they’ve so fondly adored since childhood. That to me is a strong vote of confidence.
The second meeting was more personal. Teacher Claire took her own time to meet with each of the parent for 30 minutes to learn about her new students. She took very detailed and organized notes on the special qualities of the child, which was nice. But during the school year, I did not see these notes being put to use, probably because teacher Claire was overwhelmed with the impending big move of MVPNS, which is very stressful for the school.
The third meeting was actually a mock class held 2 weeks prior to the first school session. New students and their parents were invited to the campus to play and dine for 2 hours, during which the teachers lovingly introduced the thoughtfully laid out playground to the inquisitive children. We even had a story time at the end of the session. My daughter didn’t want to leave at the end of the mock class session.
The last meeting was held a week before the school started and parents of the same class gathered to discuss the class in excruciating details, from allergy-​free snack menu to fire drill.
One downside of MVPNS is, if you are looking for even a tiny bit of structure, you will be disappointed. It is pretty much free play for 2 and half hours straight, some of the kids could be doing swing throughout the entire time and the school can’t care less, not because the staff are careless, but because that is their philosophical belief. They believe that the child will eventually blend in. Some may, some may not. Some children need a bit more discipline and structure and some can deal with chaos better than others. I would like a middle ground and that is why I went with LAPP which is more Montessori, and the daily activities are more structured.
Another downside is particular to the year 2014 – 15 and 2015 – 16. The school is losing its site and it must move, amidst a merger with Parent Ops. But the move turned out to be extremely expensive — so expensive that the extra $ 200K raised proved to be not nearly enough. As a result, the move that was scheduled for 2014 – 15 has to be pushed out to the next year, adding even more uncertainty since the fund raising goal has yet to be met. It is a shame that MVPNS is caught up in such a construction boom in which every contractor quote comes in way higher than expectation. I hope they are going to resolve this soon.

I am now attending MVPNS with my third and final child and it is as magical as it was with my first child. Teacher Claire and Teacher Wilma are so nurturing, yet allow our children to gain independence through creativity and exploration. Teacher Rachel, Teacher Marie, and Teacher Tim provide unique learning opportunities for our children and allow them to explore their areas of interest through emergent curriculum. We have explored space, prepared stone soup, hatched chickens, grown pumpkins in the garden, and dug for pirate treasure in the sandbox.
What else can I say, but wonderful teachers, great community of parents, and thriving children!

I fell in love with this place the first time I saw it at their open house. Before the applications were due I visited 4 more parent participation schools but this was easily my favorite.
First, this place simply looks great. There’s an outside play area with a big variety of activities and ride-​on toys. Inside there’s a theme for each day («fish!» «camping!» «trains!») and the toys and activities reflect that. Some toys are always accessible (kitchen, blocks, dolls, ride-​on toys), but unlike another school my kids attended, they really take care to have different toys each time, to always have a sensory table, to always have an art project (or 3!), play doh, and when it’s warm, a water table. Also, everything is in excellent condition.
Beyond that, it’s really well organized and run well. For instance, we had a parent meeting before the kids started school. At a certain other preschool it was just a feel good session («your kids will be so different by summer»), at Mtn View Parent Ob there was an agenda and it even included a well-​articulated emergency plan. This is something the other preschool didn’t even address even though it was on the same campus as an adult education center and a high school — places that have the potential to go on lock down in an emergency.
Most importantly, the level of care from the teacher is through the roof.
At Mtn View Parent Ob there is a mommy meeting where the kids stay at the school while the parents walk to a nearby room and talk about parenting issues. Typically meetings begin after a month, but Teacher Mindy gauged our kids’ separation readiness through questionnaires and as a result delayed beginning the meetings an extra week. Each class there was maybe one child who was upset while their parent was gone (and they were of course comforted by an aide or another parent). At our other preschool (Bright Beginnings — there I said it, and now that I said it, DON’T go there), the meetings started on the second day of class and it showed, because we always had at least 4 criers each class (not just fussing or looking sad, I mean full on screaming).
(There is a long digression ahead but there’s a reason.)
At Bright Beginnings, which we attended at the same time as Mtn View Parent Ob, my twins were doing really well at separation, and then one day my daughter got upset when I was gone. They are supposed to get you if they’re crying for 5 minutes. They didn’t get me at all and I was gone for 20 minutes. Several moms took turns holding her, which was nice but um, THE AIDE SHOULD HAVE GOTTEN ME. There were several kids crying that day (per usual) and because my daughter’s a sobber not a screamer and was inside instead of by the gate where the parents leave, I think the aide didn’t notice her once the screaming ended (and the other parents were retrieved).
I mention all this in order to highlight how differently Mtn View Parent Ob and Bright Beginnings handled what happened next. I had a totally different child afterwards. My daughter didn’t want me to leave her side FOR ONE SECOND for months when in public, not even at snack time at school when the kids sit together. At Bright Beginnings the teacher and aide seemed sad that the incident happened but that was about it. Meanwhile when I explained the situation to Teacher Mindy, she immediately said, «Here’s what we’re going to do,» offered a plan to get my daughter more and more accustomed to separation again, and worked with us for several months to achieve results.
The mommy meeting at Bright Beginnings had a remedial parenting tone to it with topics like «playing is good for kids.» No, really? Meanwhile the meetings at Mtn View Parent Ob were very informative and great gab sessions with the other moms. I keep in touch with many of them still and have had many playdates with their kids. There was a sense of genuine sadness when the year ended.
The only downside to this school that I can think of is that it only meets once a week. That’s telling that the only bad thing is that my kids can’t go more often!
Here’s my list of parent participation preschools ranked based on my first visit (Bright Beginnings would now be at the bottom of the list. And yes, there was a place that looked worse!)
1) MOUNTAIN VIEW PARENT OBSERVATION, MOUNTAIN VIEW
2) Preschool Family, Palo Alto
3) Los Altos Parent Preschool, Los Altos
4) Bright Beginnings, Sunnyvale
5) Sunnyvale Parent Preschool, Sunnyvale
(Also, I later visited Mtn View Parent Nursery School which seems like an excellent parent participation school for older kids ready to be away from their parents for the morning. I have also visited 7 drop-​off schools and Mtn View Parent Ob would be at the top of a combined list along with the drop-​off school I chose, Milestones in Palo Alto. Hence, Mtn View Parent Ob is the best of the 13 schools I’ve visited.)

Our child just completed a second year at MVPNS, and it was worth every minute of our commute up from San Jose, as well as the time commitments of being involved in a Parent Participation school. We also kept him in the Summer program three days a week for the season between his two years there, and will be taking him there for that program again.
Our kid is a real outdoor oriented one, and MVPNS’s playground was what tipped us toward this preschool when we were making our original decision. Once we got to know the program and the teachers, that aspect of the school was just one of many strengths:
— High level of expertise from all the staff, balanced by a real personal touch.
— Many excellent field trips and other extracurricular activities, including several parent-​only activities.
— When inevitable conflicts arose between the kids, the teachers responded quickly and effectively to concerns.
— The way all the projects are structured the kids are eased into things that they aren’t necessarily comfortable with going in. Our son wasn’t interested in art projects initially, as well as was very uncomfortable speaking in front of groups. We watched the program here gradually make him comfortable with both of these things.
— Very physically safe environment in terms of gates and play structures.
— Over the two years we’ve been there a great community has developed among the parents.
Thanks to MVPNS our son is going into kindergarten thinking that school days are the best days of the week.

my son (2 yo) and i just finished the 18 month program with teacher diane. we really enjoyed this parent participation program and will be doing another year in the 2s program starting the fall. initially, i signed up so that we could get out of the house and just have another activity but now my son loves going to school and looks forward to every tuesday afternoon. we initially wanted the am class but even when granted the opportunity to move to the am, we decided to stay in the pm since we have made some friends.
the work parent requirement is about once every few months and is not that bad.
the campus is perfect for the little ones and clean. when i visited parent obs, i knew this was a great environment for my son and i. we have also made some good friends in our class and look forward to making new ones. both mindy and diane are organized and have been doing this for some time — you can tell they got their process down. looking forward to seeing the new campus in a few years (by foothill covenant church).

My child has aged out of this preschool but she still longs to go back to visit it. Both she and I have really enjoyed the time at Parent Observation, this past school year. I’ve seen my child blossom and grow from a shy child that had a hard time separating, to one that is more interactive with other children and is okay when I leave her with a babysitter or childcare at the gym. This school fosters a very village approach with other parents helping out where needed and supporting children that are not their own. My child also learned to be potty trained by observing her fellow classmates and wanted to try too.
I also enjoyed the times the parents got together to read articles and learn from the teacher and others. I received a few gems in knowing how to better parent my child too. Both my child and I wish we could spend another year at this school.

We are ending our 2^nd year at Parent Observation with Teacher Mindy and it was a wonderful experience. Teacher Mindy’s great advice and support has helped and is continuing to help me learn how to guide my spirited son! He enjoys going to school and there is always something new to do each week with the art project outdoors and the activities inside. I love that each week has a different theme with a lot of thought and care going into each one.
I also enjoy the other parents (mostly moms though there is a dad or two) that I have met through the program. It’s also a fun break for me to chat with the other parents or caregivers and bond.
I wish I did this program with my daughter. Don’t miss out on your chance!

I had a wonderful experience with the enrollment process, as well as the year my son and I spent in the class. I am new to the area and have met tons of wonderful moms and kids, as well as received guidance from the teacher and more experienced moms. The day is filled with art projects, outside/​indoor play, snack, song and story-​time.
The admit process is quite simple. Call the number online and leave a message. Someone got back to me quickly and sent me an enrollment package. I was put on the waiting list but got in after a few months. I believe there are open houses to attend before you commit, but not a 100% on that. Recently a mom viewed our class before she committed to the program. I went to an open house after committing but enrolled based on many recommendations from local mothers.
This is an especially wonderful program if you stay home with your children and you want them to learn some socialization skills before they being preschool.

The application process of Parent Observation is misleading, and the program’s contact is unresponsive. I attempted to contact them three times requesting information before I was mailed an «application». Apparently, this «application» commits you to a payment of $ 250, before you have any information about the teachers, the philosophy of the program, or knowing if you will be accepted.
This program does not have a website (I offered to help them with one but was ignored). Because of the trouble I’d encountered obtaining information, I decided to find an alternative school.
However, when I contacted the director to let her know (in early spring), I was told that the application deposit is non-​refundable. She did not seem to care that I never would have committed my daughter to a school without seeing it first or having some minimal amount of information about it. She said herself that I am not the first person to have this experience.
So proceed with caution when considering whether to «apply».