Montclair Community Play Center

My son is now 5 and in the Bridge K program and I cannot say enough good things about it! He has a fall birthday and was eligible for OUSD transitional kindergarten, but after visiting several, I couldn’t imagine him anywhere else but MCPC. In the Bridge K program, he is learning his letters, can write his own name and is learning patterning and other pre-​math skills, and all in a gentle, nurturing and developmentally appropriate way. He loves to learn and explore and I believe it is the bridge K approach that keeps his interest and curiosity going. He is learning great kindergarten readiness skills at MCPC, like opening his own lunch containers, putting on his own jacket and shoes, raising his hand and keeping quiet during rug time. All of this is done with incredible patience and kindness from the Bridge K teachers, Anthea and Jaime. He still has plenty of time at school to work on his social and emotional skills, run around under the redwoods, feed the chickens, build legos and create art masterpieces. It’s his 3^rd year at MCPC and it has all been wonderful!

Director and teachers are excellent. This is my son’s second year of preschool, and he loves going to school! He is disappointed on the weekend because he would rather be at school playing with his friends! I am always amazed and thrilled with the creative curriculum and hands-​on activities the kids experience every day. There is now an added bonus of some Spanish during the day, and my son is really absorbing it. MCPC is a co-​op, which requires parent involvement. If you can be a part of this early child development with your child, I highly recommend MCPC. This preschool offers a great community of parents, kids and a support network I will always appreciate.

M.C.P.C. has been wonderful for our family. When we first found it we fell in love with the place, It has everything a child can desire, from play structure, messy art, toys, chickens, snack, books, sandbox, costumes, puzzles, etc… It has everything that, if I was a child I would love to be there every day!, and not to mention the teachers. We started going when my daughter was maybe 2 years old at the time in a cooking class that they were offering for Toddler time in the afternoons. My daughter loved the place and teachers (Jolie). When it was time to look for Preschools We knew were we wanted our child to be, so I went to the open house Orientation, love the philosophy of the school, teachers, and involvement that the parents have with in the whole school community. Right away we knew that this was the place for our child. I, as a parent have learned so much from the teachers, and guest speakers we have every month. My daughter learned how be social, share, found her passion for art, how to be vocal of her space, how she feels about things and was ready for Kindergarten. Now our 2^nd child is attending M.C.P.C. he loves it, he gets really proud of his art work he brings home, he sings songs he learns from circle time and speaks some Spanish that he learns from teacher Susana. M.C.P.C. is the best thing that could have ever happened to our children. Thank you so much for all you do for our children!!!

I’ve had all 3 of my children attend MCPC. My oldest also attended the Toddler Program. My kids are now thriving in Oakland public schools. I love that mcpc is play based; they learn valuable life lessons that stay with them throughout their childhoods. They learn about compassion, sharing, friendships, empathy, using their imagination and motor skills. They were absolutely ready and prepared for Kindergarten after graduation. The high teacher/​parent to child ratio is invaluable and the long time teachers are incredible loving and caring. It’s an extremely well run co-​op, with great systems in place. Highly recommend!

Toddler, Bridge K and now Preschool! My family has been involved in all 3 programs and just love this school.
Each program is simply amazing. The newest program, the Bridge K program has the most grounded, thoughtful, funny, loving, understanding teacher you could hope for. She just «gets» kids. She is like the rainbow that brings these kids from preschool to kindergarten. The «bridge» that I think SO many kids really honestly need and thrive. Many philosophies agree that until 6, academics, sitting in desks for long periods of time etc. is not the best idea. Playing, learning, socializing, discovering, exploring is for 5 year olds! This is not for children that are «behind», or «shy» or «too young». This program is for everyone.

I am so happy to have found MCPC. My 4 year old son started the Bridge K last fall, and he absolutely loves it. He had never been to daycare or preschool, and I wanted him to get some school structure and socialization before he can start kinder. My son has a birthday in February, but the director can meet with a child to see if the bridge k program will be a good fit for them. I was a bit worried on the first day since my son can be a little shy and weary of a new environment, but he ran in and didn’t look back on his first day and did not want to come home at pick up time. Their playground is amazing – so much fun! Teacher Anthea is great with the kids and has such fun projects everyday. There is structure in the day, but she totally keeps the fun in it.
She does a home visit before the school year starts, to meet with each kid, which is awesome and helped my son feel more comfortable with her at school when he started. Field trips are great fun too. Bike day, pumpkin patch, Lawrence Hall of Science are a few. I really can’t say enough great things about MCPC’s Bridge K program. I am so glad to have found it and have my son go there. I know he will be ready for kindergarten. I highly recommend it.

My son is in the Bridge-​K program here at MCPC. I cannot say enough about how wonderful this program is and how happy my son is here. He did go to the preschool and honestly I was not ready to send him into the big, scary world of kindergarten. I have not regretted my decision for one second. He has gotten another year of being a kid. Teacher Anthea is amazing. The activities that she comes up with for them to do continue to amaze me. This past week was planets and while having fun doing art projects and going to the Lawrence Hall of Science, the kids were learning. They learn through art, music, discussion, dance and play. Anthea does an incredible job of preparing for kindergarten, but not taking away any of the fun. She does the calender everyday, there is a letter for each week and centers that are very similar to what they will be doing in K. I feel like after this year in MCPC’s Bridge-​K program, my son is going to be more then ready for kindergarten. I honestly cannot say enough how happy we are here as a family. My son cannot wait to go to school everyday and he begs me to stay when I pick him up.

I’d like to make a plug for the pre-​school my son attends. He attended two other pre-​schools prior to Montclair Community Play Center and it’s wasn’t until MCPC that I realized just how dissatisfying the other two schools were.
MCPC has been a wonderful school for our son (who is in the Bridge-​K program), and a great community of people. The two Bridge-​K teachers are terrific. They are knowledgeable about the developmental milestones of preschool children and are continually developing that knowledge further. Before our son even began at MCPC, one of the teachers came to our house and spent an hour with him, focusing completely on him and what he wanted to do. That attentiveness has continued throughout his time in the Bridge-​K program.
At his previous pre-​schools, our son cried nearly every day at drop off and when asked at the end of the time there about how the day went, he’d respond, «fine» in a heartbreakingly apathetic way. At MCPC, however, he has come out of his shell so much. Drop-​off is no longer a traumatic experience. He has friendships that he talks about and projects/​themes that he is enthusiastic about. When asked about his day, a common response is that it was «super great.»
Hard to beat that. Check it out.

I enrolled my 4.5 year old in the Bridge-​K program. While he was the youngest in the class, I do not regret it at all. All of the teachers at the facility are fantastic — but I have a special place in my heart for the Bridge-​K teachers.
They truly make a connection, including making an effort to get to know your child before the school session even starts. It’s a fantastic teacher to student ratio, and the activities offered have enchanted my child. From everything from discovering his true love of art, to learning that Pluto is no longer a planet I have been thrilled with this play based bridge to Kindergarten.
I give a big thank you to the teachers for making this transition in his life so happy, and for helping him prepare for the big move to Kindergarten. I would recommend this school — and especially the Bridge-​K program to anyone.

I found the Toddler program through a neighbor, and almost three years later I am still thanking her! My son will graduate from the Preschool program in June. We never want to leave! My son has flourished at MCPC. The teachers are thoughtful,
supportive and patient. Their knowledge and advice have really helped us become better parents. It is a co-​op of 25 families, all working together for the benefit of the children. It is the «village» everyone tells you it takes to raise a child!

I have two sons that have been through the toddler program and have found the school a lifeline. MCPC is an exceptional early education experience for little ones to learn through play. We jokingly called it «Pre-​Pre-​school» due to it’s structured play with creative art projects, gross motor and fine motor activities, sensory stations and sing-​a-​long. It was their first experience with «circle time» and a teacher that wasn’t there to «entertain».The teachers offer educated guidance and support (and not just for the kids!) As a new mom I gained so much from the experience and found a social outlet as well.
I highly recommend this gem of a school.

My son loves loves loves going to «school» like his older brother when I take him to the Toddler program at MCPC. He becomes extremely cooperative the moment I say let’s get ready to go to MCPC… it’s funny to see, and makes me feel good. Once there, he gets to play with what seems to be 6 or more set-​up stations of activities, and play areas with all sorts of toys and activities imaginable. He goes home with at least an art project, a full stomach from snack time, having paralleled played with friends, done a circle time, and I feel like I’ve been a great mom which is priceless!

My 3 year old daughter loves MCPC! Five days week she goes to bed excited because I tell her tomorrow is a school day. My only regret is not finding them sooner, to take advantage of the toddler program. Highly recommend.

I absolutely loved MCPC’s Toddler Playtime program. It was a lifesaver when my active 2-​year-​old boy needed to expand his horizons, and I needed an afternoon activity to keep myself sane as a stay-​at-​home mom. The teachers were warm and loving, and the activities were perfectly designed for the age group. We both ended up really looking forward to it every week!

I had heard great things about MCPC so I enrolled and got 3 of my friends to enroll too. None of us like it. The play area is NOT safe for kids under 2.5. The outside area has steep hills and the playground is elevated a few feet off the ground. So there is a steep drop-​off onto concrete. The parents are required to clean-​up after class. This includes vacuuming, taking out the trash, sweeping, spraying down the tables, putting away the toys etc… While I was distracted cleaning my 19 month old son was playing at one of the tables close to the edge of the elevated playground. He fell and face-​planted onto the cement. He now has a scar on his nose and his upper lip. My friends’ kids have fallen too. Whenever we are there I’m worried about my son falling, getting a splinter on all the wood or choking on all the small objects they have out for the kids to play with. They have marbles and the other day had popcorn kernels. The entire class is free play. There are plenty of other play spaces in the area like Studio Grow or Habitot and you don’t have to worry about your kid falling or choking and you don’t have to clean!!! Stay away if you have a kid under 2.5.

My 2 year old and I are enrolled in their current toddler session and having a good time. Lots of great toys, activities, songs and learning. Good spot to meet other moms/​families in the area and connect for play dates. Gabriella ran our session and she was friendly, attentive and in tune with the kids. They even have three chickens in the back.