• Owner: Nancy Kelleher
• Phone: (510) 559-9479
• Email:
• Neighborhood: near Arlington Park
• Zip: 94530
• License #: 073401487
• Capacity: 14
• Website:
• Bilingual:
• Ages:

Re: Basic, Inexpensive (ha!) Preschool for Fall?
Try Hug A Bug Preschool in El Cerrito. We have had the most stupendous experience there! Small, exciting, flexible to individual needs, and all the teachers are great. The head teacher/owner is Nancy Kelleher and she is so focused on the children...she just really enjoys her job:) Mom to 2 Hug a Buggers

If you are looking for a small preschool program for your child our family would like to recommend Hug-A-Bug with a resounding ''YAWP''! Nancy Kelleher, the school's owner and head teacher is amazing! Each child is greeted and treated with genuine affection and honor every day. Nancy and her teaching assistants plan cool and creative activities for all of the children: art, music, yoga, gymnastics, cooking, field trips and fun, messy play. And Silly Day, a yearly event, is a sight to behold. We've watched our son grow at Hug-A-Bug and can't wait to see what happens in his third and final year there. There's no question that our daughter will some day be a Hug-A-Bugger as well. The parent group has been great. Everyone involved emulates the commmunity spirit that Teacher Nancy has helped to instill in our kids. Two major thumbs up!
Heidi

We are planning to send our child to Hug-a-Bug in El Cerrito next fall. ALthough this has probably been our first choice spot all along, we are still waiting to hear back from a few other schools, so I am just curious to know how familes currently there are feeling about the program (especially with a new teacher recently brought on.)

Re: Intimate, warm preschool with fewer than 20 kids
Hi there - I enrolled my 2 year old daughter this year into Hug A Bug in the El Cerrito Hills. I actually heard about it via this newsletter. Nancy who runs it has about 12 children. A few of them are graduating to Kindergarten this year so she will have some spaces I think. I have been to quite a few of the local preschools (montessori and play based) looking around and this was the only school I saw where I really felt there was a lot of love. All the kids were hugging on Nancy who clearly loves her job. Although my daughter is the youngest she LOVES it there and never wants to leave at the end of the day. It is a play based program which we prefer and they like to spend a lot of time outdoors. They go on field trips (Little Farm, Oakland Zoo) and also do cooking projects apart from the usual painting, playing, crafts, play dough etc etc. We have been very impressed with it. Nancy's number is 510-559-9314. Good Luck. Julie

regarding the search for a preschool in El Cerrito. We are absolutely thrilled with our daughters preschool in the El Cerrito hills. It is called Hug a Bug run by Nancy Kelleher who has many years of experience. She is so loving and nurturing and developmentally aware of children's needs. I can't say enough about it. There are several children graduating from this small program which is both a preschool program and an extended daycare program. I don't know if there will be openings when you are interested but I have tried many other situations with my older two children and this is my only really unqualified happy experience.. Hug a Bug is on Don Carroll drive just off the Arlington near Moeser and the Arlington Park. The phone number is either 559-9479 days during school or you can reach Nancy after hours at the house at 559-9314 Good luck in your search Jennifer