• Owner: Dorena Osborn
• Phone: (510) 524-8285
• Email:
• Neighborhood: Albany
• Zip: 94707
• License #: 013420504
• Capacity: 14
• Website:
• Bilingual:
• Ages: Preschool through 1st grade

I strongly recommend 'A Child's Garden'. This preschool is Montessori-based. The owner, Dori (510-524-8285), is an kind and loving woman with an excellent staff. The school offers a highly active range of educational programs for ages 18 mo and up. The pricing is also very reasonable.

My son is a cautious boy who spent his prior preschool experience gravitating towards quiet corners. He has really opened up since he started attending 'A Child's Garden'. The school is small ~10-14 children and has a broad range of ages - which has given my son lots of opportunities to learn. Our son has also bonded well with the staff and the children, which wasn't true in our last school. I recommend it highly. Fred

Re: Need great preschool three days a week 7:30-5:00
I would encourage you to check out A Child's Garden, Christian Montessori school. They take children as young as 18 months, have a fun curriculum for toddlers through first grade. Both of my children attend, my youngest started when she was two. My eldest has completed kindergarten and is now almost done with first grade. Dorena has been very flexible with scheduling and works hard to meet the needs of working parents. Your scheduling needs seem to be be well within the realm of what she accommodates. A Child's Garden, in Albany (510) 524-8285 Tracy B.

A Child's Garden - Christian Montessori School (Albany/Berkeley)
My two daughters have attended this school since Fall 2008. They are a small school that takes pre-school (2 yrs) through first grade. I love it because both my three year-old and my first grader can attend together. They are both on special diets, and the school is very accommodating. They also are very flexible as my child care needs change every semester, and have taken the girls before 8 AM and let me pick them up after 5 PM. My children are learning lots of songs, good communication, reading, math, and science. They love learning at school! Contact: Dorena Osborn, (510) 524-8285

Re: doing research in Berkeley, live in Foster City
I would recommend A Child's Garden, a Christian Montessori School in Albany. My children have been going there for a year and a half, and they love it. It is a small school with lots of personal attention, and they are very flexible and accommodating as my schedule changes every semester and my children are on a special diet. They are only a short bus ride or 8-minute car ride away from the UCB campus. A Child's Garden (510) 524-8285 Grad School Mom