Berkeley Parents Network: Nia House

Berkeley Parents Network

Nia House

Berkeley Parents Network > Reviews > Preschools > Nia House

Feb 2006

I would love to hear about recent experiences with Nia House. The reviews on BPN are a few years old at this point, and it would be great to hear from some parents with kids currently enrolled there -- I'm especially interested in the toddler program, but any thoughts would be appreciated.

Nia House is fabulous! We had two older daughters go through their program 5-10 years ago, and our current 3 year old has been there for a year and a half. The staff is wonderful and the toddler room teachers have been there 20 and 15 tears each respectively, but they are not ''burnt out''- they love the kids and are completely attuned to their developmental needs! In fact many of the staff has been there 15+ years, and the new teachers are equally terrific. I am always amazed at how engaged, caring and genuinely happy all of the children are at Nia House. They love to be at school and learn so many skills that build there confidence and capabilities, it's exciting to watch. There is a wide variety af families there also- racially, economically, and family structures, which makes for a wonderful experience as well. The only difficult thing we have found is that since it's a Montessori School, the classroom is child-centered and parents are not invited to be in the classroom with the kids at all. You are welcome to observe anytime, and can also hang out outside with the kids, but sometimes it feels a little cold dropping your child at the door- but this is a parent issue- I think the kids are fine with it.
happy Nia House parent

I've had/have two boys at Nia House, one recently left for first grade, the other is still there. It is a full-time program geared toward working/schooling parents. There is a wonderful mix of all different kinds of families from all different backgrounds. My oldest was at Nia House from 18 months through Kindergarten and just started 1st grade this academic year. My youngest began in the toddler room at 18 months and just transitioned at the end of last year into the preschool program. I could make this email thousands of words long, but the bottom line is that Nia House is absolutely FANTASTIC. The directors, the teachers, the program, and the mix of ''work'' and play, everything. The wonderful new play structures and recent sprucing of the facility are an added bonus. The toddler program (what you specifically asked for information on) is spectacular, two wonderful loving teachers, both of whom have been there for many, many years. Both are so in tune with toddlers, it is amazing. They have different personalities which really complement each other; my sons connected well with both. I still ask the head toddler teacher for advice and she always comes up with 2-3 wonderful suggestions. The preschool teachers are also wonderful with children and great communicators with parents. I am constantly amazed at what my children have learned there, how well children respect each other and their teachers, how well the teachers really know my kids, and how caring the other families are. This is a truly special preschool and a place our family will always, always remember with great fondness.
Sharon A., Nia House mom

Our daughter is in her kindergarten year at Nia House and started there in the pre-school program at 2yrs., 9 mos. I cannot say enough good things about Nia House. The most important thing to me in choosing Nia House at the beginning was the diversity of the staff and the kids. It is diverse in every respect, ethnic, socio-economic and gay/lesbian parent families. Our daughter has thrived there. The things I like the best are the staff, the emphasis on good nutrition and the way they teach conflict resolution. It's also great academically. Daily, I'm impressed with what my daughter knows and understands. I wish it went through elementary school. We will miss it terribly.
Nia House parent

We don't just love Nia House. We LOVE LOVE Nia house. If you're looking for a nurturing, supportive, economically and racially diverse program, which will help you with all of your parenting challenges, then this is the place for your child. I have a 5 year old and a 2-1/2 year old in the program (both of whom started at 18 months), with very different personalities, and they both thrive here. (You could not, in your wildest imagination, dream up a better toddler room teacher). From an early age, they've learned to communicate their feelings, resolve social problems on their own, and learn ''daily living'' skills. The academics in the older ''explorer'' room are strong, and the teachers pay close attention to each child's development in all areas. You may not receive a daily report on your child, but at the drop of a hat you can schedule a one on one conference to speak with your child's teacher, or come to a classroom observation.

I have heard critiques that Montesorri programs can be tough, rigid and inflexible, but this is not one of them. This is a school with deeply experienced teachers (many have been there 15-20 years), almost no teacher turnover, and a friendly, inclusive community of parents and students. New developments in the last 3 months include a brand new play structure and new classroom finishes with a focus on green building materials. Come for a visit!
A happy preschool parent

Nia House is an extraordinary place. My son started there at 18 months in the Toddler program. He is now doing his kindergarten year there. The past 4 1/2 years at Nia House have been wonderful. It is a caring and nurturing environment. The teachers and staff are loving educators who focus on the whole child and whole family. Our son has looked forward to going to school every single day. I urge you to do a tour and observation there. If Nia House seems like a good fit for your child, you will look back on this decision (as I do) as one of the best you've made in your life.
Anna

2001

I've been a parent at Nia House for 6 years. My youngest will probably leave to start kindergarten in the fall & it will be very sad to say goodbye to such a wonderful preschool community. Whether it's the incredible, diverse, longterm staff, the great kids, the wonderful families, the play/social/emotional/academic skills the kids acquire or any other aspect of the school, it's been a rich, warm & most memorable experience. I'd be happy to talk to anyone who wants to know more. Bill and Rebecca

My younger son started Nia House at 2 1/2 in the "toddler" room and is now in his third year of preschool (preschool is separated into two age groups: approximately 34 1/2 and 4 1/2 to 6, after the 3rd year, kids are ready for 1st grade) and my older son (now a 5th grader) also went to Nia House. Nia House is a warm, loving environment with AMAZING staff. Lee, the Director has been with the school for over 20 years (originally as a parent), Lisa, the preschool head teacher is "new", about 6 years!!, and two of the assistant teachers have been there for 12 years and more (Jeannie, the toddler teacher is one of the founders of the school!). Lisa is just back from successful breast cancer treatment(had been out for several months) and while the school managed to do fine in her absence, her return made us all realize just how much she has become the center of our close knit community. The school is small (about 36 kids from 17 months to 6yrs old) and has to be the most ethnic and socioeconomically diverse preschool ever. Half the kids receive some type of scholarship while higher income families pay a "premium" to attend(and what's nice you don't usually know which kids are from which families) and families range from "traditional" same ethnicity/different sex couples with biological kids to single parents (including grandmas), lesbian couples, transracial adoption families, and more. The staff reflects this mix: Lee is an African American man, Lisa an African American woman, Tita and Pia (the two assistant teachers) are Cambodian, and Jeannie is a white woman. There is other staff as well,including a wonderful parttime teacher that does architecture and gardening with the kids. The school provides every child with the right academic challenge. My son is reading at 1st2nd grade level and is doing 2nd grade math. But as this is a Montessori school, the teachers "follow" the interest and developmental level of each child. The school also stresses individual responsibility and selfdiscipline (very Montessori). The school welcomes visitors call and make an appointment, the school often has a waiting list (ALWAYS for the toddler room) so call soon for the Fall. Feel free to call me for more: 8416153 (as are most Nia House parents I'm FANATICAL about the school). Karen

If you are looking for a high quality, diverse preschool (18mos.6yrs, with kids graduating ready for 1st grade) I highly suggest Nia House Learning Center (Montessori) in Berkeley. For Berkeley public school, I recommend Washington Elementary. I've written about both schools before, so check the archives, but I'll address the issue about diversity, especially for gay headed families.

At Nia House, there IS NO DIVERSITY COMMITTEE, because there is no need. The school is all about inclusivity, socioeconomic, gay/straight, single parent/grandparent headed, multi cultural/racial, "mixed" ethnic families (including by adoption). While I don't remember gay male headed families specifically, over the past 8 yrs. that I've had kids at Nia House, lesbian headed families have comprised anywhere from 10% to at least 20% of the student population (35 kids in the whole school). Nia House's strength to me is that inclusivity there is like breathing you really don't discuss what is integral to you that percentage is just based on families that my kids have socialized with, that I've met in parent meetings/school gatherings, or know from my kids that "Joey/Jane" has "2 Mommys".

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