• Owner: Prima Offril
• Phone: (510) 525-1377
• Email: info@cedarcreekmontessorischool.com
• Neighborhood: Cedar at Sacramento, N. Berkeley
• Zip: 94702
• License #: 013418992
• Capacity: 40
• Website: http://cedarcreekmontessorischool.com/
• Bilingual:
• Ages: 2.9 - kindergarten

RE: friendly Montessori preschool
Cedar Creek Montessori, on Sacramento and Cedar. Many great reviews on BPN! My children loved it there and still maintain friendships from their preschool days. Prima, the owner, is one of the warmest, friendliest people you will ever meet. Cedar Creek fan

Re: Seeking "happy medium" between structured and play-based
I guess that my response is from yet another person telling you about how incredible their Montessori school is, but I wanted to address your particular concerns. My daughter has been at Cedar Creek Montessori School for the past year. We too toured a lot of schools with a variety of educational philosophies. We ultimately decided on Cedar Creek having found that it had the right combination of play and structure. As you have no doubt experienced, when you visit a Montessori classroom, it does tend to be on the quieter side. But you should not take that quiet to mean that the children are not having fun. The Montessori ''work'' projects are fun, despite their name. What I have seen is that there is not just one way of using each project. The children still have the ability, and are encouraged to, experiment with different ways of playing and manipulating the projects. This is evident when you watch a brand new 3 year old and a 5 year old play with the same ''work.'' They may use it in different ways and both take something away from it. What I have seen about rigidity in the Montessori classroom goes more to the rules about using one ''work'' project at a time and putting away the old one before starting a new one. For me, that self-control is something valuable for kids to learn.

The Cedar Creek students, however, do not spend all or even a majority of their day in ''formal'' Montessori mode. They have ample free time on the playground with plenty of opportunities to pretend, run around, climb, dig in the sandbox, etc. They also have an art teacher who supervises different art projects each day, with the children rotating in when they desire. There are also weekly music sessions and dance classes.

The teachers are Cedar Creek are the school's best asset. Many of them have worked at the school for a long, long time. To a person, they all understand preschoolers and what makes them tick. My daughter, who was initially shy in her new surroundings, is eager to go to school each morning. I see why since Cedar Creek is a warm, nurturing yet dynamic place. I know that you were looking for Richmond or El Cerrito. Cedar Creek is in North Berkeley, not too far away. It has the added advantage of being blocks from the North Berkeley Bart station. Happy Cedar Creek parent

Re: Looking for a Preschool with a Garden
Cedar Creek Montessori School on Sacramento and Cedar has a lovely little garden and a strong nature studies program. All around, it's a wonderful preschool! Check it out (even though I think you might get tired of the commute from Elmwood). They offer part-time and full-time. Tea ceremony, weekly bread-making, nature walks...we really love that school! Mom to 2 Cedar Creek grads

Re: intimate play-based preschool
Cedar Creek Montessori School meets all of your criteria. You don't specify your location, but the school is in N. Berkeley on Sacramento Street. I have two graduates of Cedar Creek who were very happy there! former Cedar Creek family

Re: Full day preschool that closes in the summer?
Cedar Creek Montessori's (http://cedarcreekmontessorischool.com/) summer program is week by week. You can participate (and pay for) as much or as little of the programing that works for your family. They also have early start time, which is great for a teaching schedule.

Re: Preschools for a 2 1/2 year old on special diet
I believe Cedar Creek Montessori in N. Berkeley meets all your criteria. My two children spent a total of three years there and we think it's a terrific preschool! Kids bring their own lunches, but the school provides snacks. However, I know there were some children who brought their own snacks, so the school is definitely open to that. Cedar Creek alum with fond memories

Hi there. I am trying to find a good quality preschool program that also has the option of extended care in West/North Berkeley. I am a public school teacher, and need to be able to drop my son off between 7:30 - 8:00 am, to be able to get to my school on time. I also prefer a little smaller program, but that's not absolute necessary. Also, am open and like montessori philosophy. Thanks! Sara

We are considering Cedar Creek Montessori school for our daughter next fall. I'm wondering if any currently enrolled or recent parents can share their experiences. What do you like or dislike about the school? How would you describe the environment? Are the activities creative and thoughtful? Do the teachers engage each child and understand and nourish strengths? Any other feedback most welcome. thanks! stephanie

The teachers were able to meet kids' varying abilities and help each kid learn. The staff fostered a sense of respect and caring among the children. Put downs and exclusion were not tolerated.

The learning environment is rich with classic montessori materials. Imaginitive play is also fostered. Outdoor time is great with a huge play area allowing for running (yes, running!), wheeled toys, sand box and garden. The art and science programs are well-loved by the kids.

Instead of Mother's Day and Father's Day there is Family Month, which is so much better for kids from single perent households or form households with parents of the same sex.

Many friendships made at Cedar Creek have lasted into elementary school even 'though kids are at different schools. Most of the teachers are long-term employees (and are very good). The staff gets good healthcare benefits (which is also very good fr the kids!).

It is also near North Berkeley BART which is very convenient for commutes to downtown Oakland or SF. former Cedar Creek Parent

Re: Centro Vida vs. Cedar Creek Montessori Pre-Schools
I don't have any experience with Centro Vida -- but I can speak to Cedar Creek. I think Cedar Creek is an amazing place. My first child ''graduated'' last year and now our second is there. I could go on and on -- but if I were to distill it -- what makes Cedar Creek so incredible is the teachers. They are warm, conscientious and have a great sense of humor. While their montessori program is serious -- I think they see themselves as ''montessori light'' in the sense that there is ample room for play throughout the day.

The other great thing about Cedar Creek is their ability to communicate. The school recently changed ownership -- amongst teachers within the school. The transfer was communicated incredibly well throughout the process.

And finally, the community is wonderful. We have made many wonderful friends -- as have our kids!

At first I was nervous about the size of the school -- but this has never been an issue. The teachers are really focused on nurturing friendships and helping children find other kids who they think will get along with each other.

Good luck with your decision. If you choose Cedar Creek you are in for a wonderful experience! Cedar Creek Fan!

Re: Looking for a small preschool in N. Berkeley
I think Cedar Creek Montessori would be perfect for your daughter. When our daughter started, she was very shy, intensely interested in a lot of things but needed to be in a place where she would be drawn out, or given enough quiet space to express herself. She has really thrived and blossomed at Cedar Creek, where kids like her do very well. In fact, it seems all kids do well there! Cedar Creek is bigger than what you're looking for, but I found it to be much calmer and more organized than other smaller schools we saw. Our daughter comes home every day with an art project (or three), and stories about what she learned in ''nature studies,'' which the older children participate in. The students also have music and dance classes weekly. The teachers are attentive, gentle, warm, and engaging, and they give hugs when the kids need them. Any time we've had a concern about our daughter, her teachers are responsive and helpful. Both the students and the teachers are fairly diverse. There is a lot of clear and organized communication between the school and the parents. It's just a great, safe, nuturing and stimulating environment. I had determined that our daughter would not go to a preschool with more than 10-15 children and I'm so glad we went to see Cedar Creek. The only complaint we have about Cedar Creek is that it will be too hard to leave! We feel spoiled now. We love Cedar Creek

Re: Preschool feedback

Cedar Creek Montessori has 2 very dedicated directors who started as teachers (there and elsewhere) and have owned the palce for a while now. There are several long-time staff members, and the employee benefits are very good...which is a good thing for the students and families. The administrator, Kerry, is one of the owners. She is absolutely fabulous and is so organized and communicative and thoughtfull. CCM is a very smooth-sailing ship. The teachng is ggreat for all levels and is not over the top montessori-wise. The afternoons include nature studies (for older kids) and art and tea time. The inside space is big enough and the outside space is fabulous. It is near to North Berkeley BART which means it works well for those who commute to SF. We loved it (and so did our kids). Our firends who have kids there now like it a bunch, too. See a post form earlier this month about CCM - a postive unsolicited blurb.
CCM Mom

This is an unsolicited positive review of the Cedar Creek Montessori School in Berkeley. One aspect of preschool selection which I hadn't initially given much thought to is how important a skillful preschool director can be. Their longtime director (and co-owner) Kerry is ideal in my opinion-- she is fair, enthusiastic, a great communicator, accessible, caring, and extremely well-organized. Over the course of our time at the school (this is our second year), it has become clear to me how much thought and experience has gone into every aspect of how the school functions (eg.celebrating all birthdays in a month on a particular day), which ensures apparently seamless operation. This makes it really easy to be a parent at Cedar Creek, which isn't something I had thought much about, since I was initially so focused on the best interests of my son. I am happy to say that not only he is thriving with wonderful and caring teachers, but our whole family is greatly enjoying our Cedar Creek experience! I just feel so grateful that we found it.
happy CCMS parent

We're considering Cedar Creek Montessori in Berkeley for our son who will be two years and nine months in September when he would start. He would be there relatively full-time. This is the only school we've applied to that's in walking distance of our home (a big plus). There are no recent posts on the school on the BPN, so thought I'd solicit some comments from parents with recent experience at Cedar Creek. In particular, any comments on the quality of the morning or afternoon teaching staff in either room? We're also still weighing the pros and cons of Cedar Creek-style Monessori v. an entirely play-based approach at a s chool like Step One. Our son is a bit of a Type A personality and we're wondering if play- based might be a bit less likely to reinforce some of his more perseverative tendencies. Any thoughts?
Pre-School Parent to Be

Re: Seeking smaller preschool for shy 3 1/2 year old
If you're open to a Montessori school, I'd recommend Cedar Creek Montessori at Cedar and Sacramento. My daughter attended the school when she was a shy 3.5-year-old, and that's probably the best thing ever happened to our family. We chose Cedar Creek because I saw a previous recommendation about a shy boy who thrived under the attentive care of the school. The teachers were quite relaxed about working with shy kids, giving them lots of warm attention and space, making them feel safe, and waiting for them to become ready for participation in activities. When we suggested a ''positive re-enforcement'' approach which some child psychologists had recommended for encouraging shy kids to engage with teachers (yes, parents rather than teachers are often the pushy ones), they gently turned it down, but in their explanation to us why they didn't think it's a good idea, they also showed experience and confidence that made us trust their judgement and decision.

It took almost 6 months for our shy daughter to warm up to the teachers and students, although she liked the school and everyone there since day one. During that time, we got small handwritten notes (progress reports!) from the teachers, telling us little bits of improvement our daughter had made in becoming more engaged and less shy. And then one day we got a call from a teacher, who told us that she, for the first time, had to tell our daughter to stop talking because it was time to listen! It was one of the best days in our lives.

Our daughter just started kindergarten at a K-8 school with more- than-expected confidence and maturity and a lot less shiness, thanks to a successful, blossoming 2nd year at Cedar Creek. Now she says good-bye and waves to all her teachers everyday when we pick her up, and she's already made some good friends at school. She is still shy in nature, but compared with the time when she was 3.5 years old, she is now a totally different person, and I credit most of it to Cedar Creek Montessori. Chris

2002

2001

My child attends Cedar Creek Montessori in Berkeley. One of her classmates has some allergies; I don't think a peanut allergy is one of them. The child with allergies has her own container for snacks and everyone has their own lunches from home. She knows to only eat out of her own lunch and her own snack container. Her snack container is put out on the snack table with its cover on. Other kids know that they don't open or eat out of her container. The kids also know that they are not to eat food from anyone else's lunch. As far as i know, this system works for the child with allergies, for the other children, and for the school. Good luck!

2000

For Cedar Creek, the child need not be potty trained. I know of more than one family whose pre-school placement feel through because their kid wasn't potty trained by the start date of school. It seems that most people are starting their pre-school search about a year before they expect their kids to start. Cedar Creek kids need to be 2 years, 9 months, which I believe is somewhat standard. Some schools do start at age 2. Since Cedar Creek is very popular, most children start in September after they've turned 2.9.

Cedar Creek is a Montessori based education, which I love, having gone through it myself as a pre-schooler. I know some people think this system is rigid. I believe that the choice and control kids get over their activities in this environment shows enormous respect for them as individuals and creates a lot more flexibility. The daily schedule is consistent, which offers a reassuring and predictable structure to the day. Meghan

May 2000

1998

I'm somewhat less enthusiastic about the afternoon teachers. (It's not an issue for us, because I pick up my son after nap-time.) Two of them are fine, but the other two seem to be totally stressed all the time, and not able to interact individually with the children. If you want to hear more about this, please email me directly. All of the Cedar Creek parents I've talked to are very happy with the program. Lee

I like Cedar Creek very much, and my children are very happy there. The school has two classrooms, each with about 20 kids. The kids stay in their classrooms for circle time, but play and work together during other times. I have found the teachers to be very gentle and patient with the children, and have sometimes taken my cues from them for guiding my own children's activities and behavior. I feel they are genuinely concerned about each child's needs, interests, and concerns. I especially like the art teacher, who is always coming up with new and inventive things for the kids to create, including "bread day" on Fridays when the kids make bread and then eat it at tea-time around 5:00 p.m. (I don't know if all Montessori schools have "bread day"). There is one teacher my husband and I agree that we don't care for, but one out of eight isn't bad.

For the first several weeks after a child first enrolls, the teachers make a special effort to communicate with the parents about how the child is adapting to the new environment, ups and downs the child has had during the day, and we frequently get notes in our kids' lunch boxes about what activities our children are showing a special interest in. My older daughter has been there for about 1 1/2 years; my younger just started this month. The younger just had her first "gymsters" day at Cedar Creek and we got a note back in the lunch box that she had a great time (of course, she throws herself into all activities with great gusto). Earlier this week they had a dental student in to talk to both classes about tooth care, and each child got a tube of kid toothpaste and a toothbrush -- the kids loved it. A few months ago the kids went on a field trip to visit a fire station -- and you can imagine how they felt about that! Kimberly

1997