Grace Cooperative Pre-School

This is by far the best preschool around! I think its the great communication between the teachers and parents and everyone coming together to make a difference during the most important time in my childs life.
My daughter started Grace last year in the 3’s class, she was super excited to and returned again this year in the 4s class. Her favorite thing to do at grace is «Playing in the outside playyard on the tire swing»
My son also started this year in the 2’s class. His favorite thing at Grace is music class.

Still love this place. I asked my son what he likes about Grace. He says, «I like the play yard and superheroes!» Works for me!

Interesting how mine was the only review and now all of these positive «reviews» are pouring in. Same thing happened at
. Trust me when I tell you that this school is an abomination.

Grace Cooperative Preschool is not just a preschool, but a community where your child is free to grow and explore. We just returned to the Bay Area a year ago and I was searching for a place where we would feel welcome and my child would be happy. Grace does both. My daughter previously attended a Montessori school and while I was very happy with it, I didn’t have the sense of community I have with Grace. Many of our activities revolve around the school now (by choice) and I love that other parents look after my child even on days when I’m not working. The teachers are wonderful. My daughter seems to think that Ms. Marlene is her best friend and she is kind enough not to tell her otherwise.
I have worked as an early childhood teacher myself and play-​based learning is the absolute best way to lay a foundation for future learning. My daughter loves her school and we have found a second family here. Grace is exactly what I was hoping for in a cooperative preschool and more.

Our family has had a wonderful experience at Grace. I think one of the things we like most is the Co-​op part. We get to participate and «work» at our son’s school and watch him learn and interact with his friends and teachers. Because you have to work 2 – 3 days a month it is a VERY affordable school. I highly recommend this school to others. Especially if you have younger siblings that need care for while co-​oping. They have a nursery room for the younger siblings to get there first experience at «school». We are moving back to San Diego and are so sad to leave Grace. I have yet to find anything as excellent or affordable down there.

Grace is awesome. The teaching staff is amazing, professional and caring. The families there bond through working together to support the school. A co-​op is more work, but the rewards are ten-​fold. It makes me sad to see that Unilocal continues to move the positive reviews to the ‘filtered’ section, because what is left is not a fair or accurate representation of the majority of good experiences that families at Grace have had. Please read the ‘filtered’ comments — you will see that the folks whose reviews were unfairly moved had wonderful things to say about this amazing school.

If you are looking for a wonderful foundation to start your little ones on the road to «I love school!» you have found the preschool in Grace.
Two of my grandchildren have attended Grace and I am so impressed by their philosophy of learning through play. I have always believed that children are natural learners if given the correct environment, one that is «little hands on». The director is a true educator that understands and loves children and all the staff share her enthusiasm and drive.
My oldest grandson is now going into first grade and he absolutely loves school. My second grandson is going onto his second year at Grace and is so looking forward to the beginning of school this year. My granddaughter will start next year (only two now) and already wants to go to school!
I am very impressed by Grace Coop Preschool it’s teachers and parents that really care.

A friend of mine brought to my attention that Grace only had a few reviews and they were poor. I felt that I must set the record straight!
We will be starting our 4^th year at Grace in September and absolutely love the school. Our older daughter attended the T-​Th and MWF class. She entered public school this last year with the confidence she built at Grace. My younger daughter will begin her 3^rd year at Grace in the kinderprep program. She can’t wait for school again. This confidence and love of school is due to the wonderful teachers (Marlene, Meg, Joy, and Trish) and community environment that Grace provides.
Co-​ops do require more parent involvement, but the reward of being able to make lifelong friends while watching your child grow, is well worth your time!

my easy going, good natured daughter didn’t start crying and experiencing anxiety until going to this school. this is a great school if you are of the philosophy that children should be seen and not heard. disorder is not tolerated. not by the kids, not by the parents.
a few examples: one day after school my daughter saw one of the teachers walking ahead of her. my daugher kept calling her name out of excitement. there was no way this woman did not hear my kid. the teacher finally turned around and said, «i will not talk to you when you have a pacifier in your mouth!» and continued to storm off. my daughter was so crestfallen. one day i caught the «teachers» rolling their eyes at me. another day while co-​oping i was in charge of the outside painting and had to clothespin the papers to the fence. one teacher said i had to use 3 clips in a very specific position. another then approached me and told me to use only 2. i was told EXACTLY where to place the papers on the fence. you get treated like an idiot. it was like this every damn day. they didn’t acknowledge my daughter’s birthday despite me letting them know a few days before and the morning of. other kids got a birthday celebration. my older son went to a party the school threw for all the kids and their siblings. my son told me the teachers were mean. he was 6 and had the words to explain how he felt whereas my 2 ½ year old daughter did not.
i spoke with one of the other mothers about how the director/​teacher would scold the parents and she said she was used to it since she used to be in an abusive relationship! pretty soon, some of the other co-​oping parents and i would look at eachother and say, «oh no, we are in trouble again» when taken aside by the director/​teacher for a lecture. the only good thing i got about it was getting to know the other parents. for the most part they were cool and easy to get along with.
i have 3 years of experience at another play-​based co-​op with my older child so i know how a co-​op preschool should be. now that my daughter is at another school, i knew that i was right in taking her out of grace. 3 other families left around the same time i did. there is something wrong when 4 families leave after 2 and 3 months. the teachers are cold and weird. where my daughter goes now, she looks forward to going to school. she has never cried and asks every day if she gets to go. that’s the way it should be.