St Paul Lutheran Child Development Center

My daughter has been in St Paul CDC for almost two years and we loved the school. I think I owe it a nice review so I will do it here.
First and most importantly, she is very happy to go to school everyday. She says goodbye to me delightfully in the morning and greets me happily when I pick her up in the afternoon. She loves the teachers and made quite a lot friends there. That says a lot about a school.
She has become a lot of independent and is able to take care of herself since she started school. She easily manages to dress herself, feed herself and clean up things. She learns good table manners too.
Miss Jill is a wonderful director and all the teachers are loving and caring. And the kids are friendly to each other too. I never heard she complaining about bullying at school.
She learned a lot in school. She doesn’t speak a word of English before she joined. Now she has a good amount of vocabulary and can read and write simple English. She also learned safety, outer space, water cycle and lot of of other science and life knowledge there. Their math class is quite advanced too. She already learned how to do addition and subtraction.
The school has fun activities that parents can participate all year round. The have trike-​a-​thon in April, tea party for mother’s day, another party for father’s day, harvest party for Halloween, Christmas party and so on.
Last but not least, hot lunch is provided by school so that saves the trouble of packing lunch.
As the other reviewer said, please visit the school and see for yourself if you’re looking for preschool. I personally highly recommend it.

St. Paul CDC is an incredible place. Our oldest daughter attended for 3 years and our youngest is now there also, starting her third year. The teachers are caring, loving and gentle. Miss Jill, the director, is amazing with kids; if you’re uncertain about this school make sure you make some time to talk with her before making up your mind.
I don’t know how much the Montessori philosophy had to do with it, but our oldest child learned a tremendous amount at St. Paul’s. She would come home singing about the 7 continents, exoskeletons and endoskeletons, Jupiter and Pluto, and this started at the age of 3! And it seemed to us that she loved every minute of her school.
The school has an annual trike-​a-​thon for fundraising, and some families come back to participate even after their children have left St. Paul’s; that’s how special this place is.
But please don’t take my word for it. Go by and visit, talk to the teachers, and decide for yourself.

When I tour any school, I check for 1. Teacher retention rate: A+ (kids need stable adult caregivers to feel safe & to thrive!), 2. Teacher-​student interaction (very hands-​on & alongside the kiddos!) 3. Curriculum (planned out & given to parents for the school year & with monthly updates!) 4. Peer-​interaction (my kids are making some wonderful friends there!) 5. Parent involvement (school plans lots of activities to involve parents) 6. Tuition rate (VERY REASONABLE compared to most places especially for the Silicon Valley!) 7. HEALTHY & YUMMY lunch provided if you are all day or ²⁄₃ day kids (and teachers make sure the kids are eating a balanced meal, including their veggies!) CDC has all I’m looking for in a great school!
I think the reason why there is not yet a waiting list for this school is because the lead teachers spend most of their time making sure the kids are being well taken care of and don’t have as much time to promote/​market outside of parent referrals… I am a credentialed teacher & have been in the regular & special ed setting for over 12 years, and I have 3 kids and have moved 3 times in the past 4 years… I have put my oldest through 3 different preschools and have toured at least two dozen preschools… currently, my two boys age 4.5 & almost 3 attend CDC and I must say, this school is a hidden gem & a rare find in the Peninsula area. I LOVE LOVE St. Paul CDC & think everyone should at least check it out!

This place is truly magical. When I first moved to this area I visited about 11 schools, and this one was my top pick. The teachers are not here just to clock in and out – they take their role in shaping these children very seriously, and give the kids loads of attention, nurturing, and love. Love is the basic element that permeates throughout this school, and you can see how it affects the childrens’ relationships with each other as well. All of the teachers are wonderful, from Miss Maria, to Miss Desola, to Miss Karla, and of course, the director Miss Jill. Their mantra is that all children develop at different rates, so they don’t try to fit the children into one mold. They work with the strengths and weaknesses of each child to help them flourish. My daughter emerged from this school learning how to read and write, made friends easily, and to this day is on a highly spiritual and moral path and I owe much of that to this school. My son is on the same path. I couldn’t wait for him to be potty trained so he could transfer out of his previous school to this one – the positive change in him was immediate. Because he was slow to speak he felt isolated at his previous school, but now at St. Paul he has so many friends and loves all the activities, from writing and music to Montessori jobs and gymnastics (they bring in a vendor called Tuff Tumblers to teach them gymnastics once a week for a nominal fee). He is even trying new foods because they eat a hot lunch every day together at school. A big plus for working parents, and this teaches the children about new foods and socialization skills at mealtime. I see him making amazing strides socially and academically. I can’t say enough about this wonderful school… they have become an extended family to us and we will be so sad when my son graduates out of the program!

My son attended St Paul CDC for 2.5 years since he was potty trained at 3 years old. By the time he entered kindergarten in Los Altos, he was more than ready. He was starting to read a little, tell the time, and do addition and subtraction. I believe «Mariana“‘s blaming St Paul CDC for her child being criticized at another school is unfair. Every child progresses at a different pace. If you want a loving and nurturing environment and your children to be cared for by dedicated teachers like Ms Maria, Ms Amanda, Ms Desola (whose own children went to St Paul AND Canterbury), Ms Carla, Ms Jill, and Ms Shelley, there are not many places that do a better job than St Paul CDC in the Mountain View /​Los Altos area. We are not religious folks but I appreciate the values St Paul nurture in the children through stories and songs every morning.

Not exactly sure why I was filtered… but ok…
My other son will be starting up at St. Pauls in January. We were pleased with how our daughter did while she was there. Now that she is in K, I really miss the individual attention that she was getting. There was also a good sense of community there. I can tell she misses her former classmates.
After reading that last review from Marianna S., I’m glad I didn’t send my daughter to Canterburry. The teachers there criticize children who don’t fit in!!! That’s really messed up. That sure doesn’t improve my perception of catholic schools.

My son really loves CDC St Paul. We visited more than 10 preschools in the area. CDC has the most stable and nurturing teachers .Miss Jill who is the director is a superb, captivating teacher. When you visit during Miss Jill’s reading time, you will be amazed at how much the kids will listen and learn.
The philosopy is Montessori inspired which we like very much.
— Location: away from pollution, behind a church
— Teachers: Nurturing, loving and caring. Good balance of discipline.
— Playground: sandbox, swing, bikes, small vegetable garden, place to run
— Meals: hot lunch included, snacks included
— Curriculum: music, reading time, own play time, fine motor, writing alphabets, writing journals, worship time
— Tuition: affordable
— Parking: plenty