August 2006

We're considering the Gay Austin school for our daughter as it's close to our house and has a good reputation. Any recent reviews or experiences? We are looking for a morning program a couple days a week. thanks

If you are looking for a part time preschool, ie something that is truly a ''school'' program rather than all day child care, you can do no better than Gay Austin. And, as it was said by a previous writer, you CAN extend the day some using the extended day offering in the afternoon. But you can not beat the teachers, the program and its size --- SMALL. Your child will be KNOWN, as will you and your family. Tremendously happy parent. Just waiting for my second to be old enough! dh

I am looking for comments on Gay Austin preschool in N. Berkeley. I have read the comments on the website, but they are 2-5 years old and I would like to know if anyone has anything new (either positive or negative) to add - or even if you just want to second what has been said before. We are going to visit the school next week, and it sounds like I will need to make a nearly instantaneous decision because they fill up so quickly, so I would like to get some feedback from other parents.

Our situation is this: my daughter will be 2 1/2 in September and I am looking for a part-time (2 mornings per week) program for her. Gay Austin sounds great from what I have read, but we live in Rockridge, so one of my concerns is that the travel time will be about 20 minutes each way - which does not leave me a lot of time during the short morning. I realize that during her schooltime I can go shopping at Monterey Market, go for a run, or even sit back and read at a cafe... but I fear that I will feel a little trapped on that side of town (and certainly the last thing I want from gaining two mornings to myself is to feel trapped!). Is the school worth it?

For what it's worth, I just learned that the other preschools I was considering will not have space next fall, so I think it will either be Gay Austin or waiting another year. I am not absolutely dead-set on her going to school this year (she will be only 2 1/2, after all) but I mention this in the event it makes a difference in your recommendation of the school and whether it's worth making the trek across town.

Also, the neighborhood is great! You can take a yoga class, sit in a cafe, go to the park or library, get a massage (in the same block) or walk up to Solano Ave. with its myriad of businesses and activities. I can't see why you would feel ''stuck'' there. (Of course, I'm biased, I live in the area :-)

Finally, Gay Austin has an ''extended day'' program up till 3pm, so if you need extra time to yourself, you can sign up for this program. With a 2, you'll probably find that at first you're on the waiting list, but by the time summer rolls around, you'll have as many days as you want in extended day.

I would jump at the chance to have your kid there. happy parent

I sent my son to Gay Austin school for 2 years (3yr. and 4yr. program). It is a very warm, supportive program, with great teachers. However, you must have flexibility, as they have a very limited after school care program and don't cater much to working parents. I also found that they sometimes had trouble handling boys who are a bit rambunctious (I noticed this even though my own son is the opposite of rambunctious), perhaps, in part, because of their limited yard space and the fact that all of their teachers/admin. are women. They seemed better equiped to work with girls. I now have my son at Step One (not on your list) for their kindergarten program and am more than happy with it (as is my son). If you haven't heard of it, I would highly recommend checking it out too.

I would like to highly recommend Gay Austin Preschool on Hopkins St. in N. Berkeley. Our 2-year-old daughter has been going there for the past year and it's been an absolutely delightful experience.

It's a very small school, with one class of about 10 2-yr-olds, and slightly larger classes for 3-yr-olds and 4-yr-olds. All ages are separate.

Our daughter was very shy when she entered in the fall. However, we got her gradually used to the separation from us and she NEVER cried once when going to school. As a matter of fact if we ask her, she'll always say she wants to go to school. It seems like a different world from what we hear from our friends, whose young children cried for weeks when they started preschool. Over the school year, we've been able to watch our daughter really bloom and get much more comfortable in social situations.

The two teachers in the 2's program have something like 40 years combined experience teaching just 2-year-olds. They are wonderful! One thing I'm particularly impressed with is how much they actually have taught our daughter, in the context of "play". They have a different curriculum every week, everything is all planned out...yet it feels like the kids are just playing. And this includes academic subjects, art and music, and social skills. Our daughter has learned to read all 26 letters, knows a lot of vocabulary and counting, etc. Plus it's great to watch her (away from school) politely stand in line, ask for what she wants very clearly, or cover her mouth when she coughs. They've done a good job civilizing her as well as teaching her, and all this in a free environment where the children play whatever games they want to.

The only drawbacks are: they take long holidays (corresponding to the Berkeley school system vacations) and it's only part-time, offering no hours after 3pm daily. Makes it a little hard for working parents. We've really had to scramble to find a shared childcare situation to cover the remaining work hours at the end of the day and during their breaks. But we feel the quality of the school more than makes up for these drawbacks.

I think they're making their selections for next fall now, so if you're interested in enrolling, you might want to contact the school immediately. Gay Austin Preschool 526-2815. Cecilia