Sequoia Pre School & Kindergarten

This is our first year at this school and my daughter is having the time of her life. The classes are small, the teachers and staff know everyone by name, and it’s a warm and nurturing environment. My daughter usually experiences a high level of anxiety during drop offs and periodically through the day since she is very emotional. I’m happy to report that we didn’t have a single episode of tears from day one and she is excited to leave for school every morning often trying to rush me out to leave earlier.

This will be our family’s 3^rd year at SP&K and I cannot say enough wonderful things about the school, the loving teachers and the warm and nurturing environment. I couldn’t ask for a better fit! The teachers are so devoted and loving and there is a great blend of free play and structure to the day. We LOVE SP&K and highly recommend it to anyone searching for a wonderful preschool and small kindergarten environment.

My daughter has been at Sequoia for two years, and will be starting her third year next month in their Kindergarten program. Sequoia Preschool is special and unique in so many ways, but the most important factor has been witnessing my daughter blossom and thrive in its loving, encouraging environment. They have a nice blend of structured and free-​play activities, and the program has a rare, old-​fashioned quality, while guiding the children with encouraging, positive discipline methods. The class size is large (32), but there are small groups of 6 – 8 children, that remain for the entire year, so kids have the opportunity to experience large and small group settings. The kids sing for about 20 minutes each morning, to Mrs. Newman’s beautiful piano music, and throughout the day, will get opportunities to shine — as weather monitor, line leader, fish feeder, etc. Boy are the kiddos thrilled to get these chances, and they’ve helped the more hesitant, quiet children (my daughter) become more confident. I can go on and on about the creative craft opportunities, games, field trips, holiday shows, and visitors, but suffice to say, I’m planning to stay with Sequoia for the long haul (another 3 years for my second child!), and this is after trying three other local preschool programs (coop and drop off), and discovering that Sequoia has a wonderful, magic formula. One more thing I’ll note — as I was a little unsure about the religious component of Sequoia, as our family comes from a mixed faith background. I’ve found Sequoia very welcoming, accepting, and supportive of different faiths, and they do not preach or include religious instruction in their curriculum, aside from celebrating holidays and explaining their origin. My daughter has been missing Sequoia all summer!

I LOVE this school and my daughter would still be there if we hadn’t moved. She attended for a year when she was three years old. I loved many things about this school. The teachers are great and you can tell they really know your child. On multiple occasions when speaking to the teachers about my daughter, they were very familiar with her personality and could speak knowledgeably about her. The classroom itself is also great (in her class they had a main classroom and also did music and art in another room). My daughter did not get sick often here, so I’m guessing it has a lot to do with cleanliness (and they Purell everyone’s hands on the way in, love that). Most importantly, my daughter loved it here, always looked forward to going to school and made lots of friends. Overall, just a great school.

Great School! Tremendous credit to Danielle and Nancy for creating a wonderful learning environment for preschool and kindergarten students. My wife and I are very happy that we placed our son in this kindergarten. Teachers Kathy, Julie, and Rosie are awesome. I had read good things online about this school, and I heard good things from other parents. They have a great ratio, and a loving, caring atmosphere. I went to parent teacher night last night, and was very impressed with their presentation. I also think it is a great value! I am not a member of the top 1 percent, or 0.1 percent, so I can’t afford the «Stratford School», $ 16,000 a year for kindergarten, you’ve got to be kidding me. I am not a Facebook millionaire, or Apple millionaire, or Hedge Fund manager. I am a simple, hardworking parent who wants a good school for their child. I am a parent who knows the value and importance of early education. It is not just the school, but what the parents do at home as well. The book in the hands of the kindergarten student is so much more important than the SAT prep book in the hands of the high school student. This school is a model for other kindergartens. Thank you to the dedicated staff for all that you do.

My 5yo niece is a proud graduate of SP&K, my 3yo niece is a happy attendee now, and when she’s old enough, my 11 month old niece will be going there as well. I have never met such kind and patient people in my life! They are incredible with the kids, and the girls have a blast every day they go.
While I can point out the safe neighborhood, well-​equipped site, or great educational setting, it’s the people who work there that make this such an incredible place for little ones.

When my son started at SP&K, he had come from a difficult experience at a nursery school I had sent him to for a year. He had some profound trust issues with adults as well as having a late speech development problem. Suffice it to say, going to SP&K I was concerned about his well being. But after a few weeks, he began to bond with the teachers there. They gave him gentleness and attention in a way that helped him overcome his shyness and worry about adults.
He attended the Tuesday and Thursday program for three year olds and was eager to return for the Monday, Wednesday and Friday program for four year olds. The teachers are loving, welcoming and firm with helping the children find their paths. There is a family atmosphere at the school which encourages everyone to participate and work together. It was a very healing experience for us.
One of the things we really appreciated was that the school allows for a lot of play time which young kids need as well as instruction in the stuff kids need to know before beginning kindergarten. By the time my son was ready to head to public elementary school for kindergarten, he was amply prepared. He understood how to hold a pencil, cut with scissors, read his alphabet and write it, know his numbers. He was a very self assured little guy with his knowledge when he left SP&K.
Another thing I thought was really terrific about the school is that they encourage the kids to do conflict resolution with each other. Not an easy task with hair trigger emotions in preschoolers. But when the kids have a problem they try to get the kids to figure out how to find a middle ground in the situation. It’s something that I think most adults should learn still.
Even three years later, he still speaks warmly and fondly of his time at the school. I cannot recommend this school too strongly for parents who want a program where their children can be well looked after.

My son attended the T/​TH class last year and the MWF this year and just graduated and is heading to Kindergarten. My son is a better child for having gone there. My whole family is better for having known all of the people associated with SP&K. There are no words to describe how kind and dedicated each of the teachers are. We will forever be grateful for having had the pleasure to attend such a wonderful school.