Berkeley Parents Network: Starlite School & East Bay Academy (Oakland, CA)

Berkeley Parents Network

Starlite School & East Bay Academy (Oakland, CA)

Berkeley Parents Network > Reviews > Preschools > Starlite School & East Bay Academy

http://www.starliteschool.org/

June 2009

Re: Full-time preschools for less than $1000/month?
We are very happy at the bilingual (English-Chinese) East Bay Academy in Oakland. A few caveats -- it's in a not-beautiful section of the Eastlake area, and the teachers speak in heavily accented English. But the good far outweighs the bad. Our son (almost 4) is very bright and verbal, and he's been absolutely thriving there. Meals are provided, which means you don't have to spend time fussing over his lunch every morning; and the teachers are very warm and supportive. About 75% of the families who go there are Chinese (we're not Chinese, by the way). Since he's over age 3, we pay $560 per month. Younger kids are slightly more expensive. This is fulltime, 5 days a week. Feel free to email me if you want more info. Lisa

Sept 2007

Has anyone had experience with the Chinese/English Starlite School near downtown Oakland and its affiliated East Bay Academy? We are considering sending our 2-year-old there. Lisa in Oakland

My daughter attended East Bay Academy and Starlite for about 14 mos. before she went to kindergarten. I would say her time there was generally positive. Here are the pros and cons about our experience there.

+

Safe, clean and bright facilities
Large enclosed play areas
Warm & caring teacher Jenny at East Bay
Entertaining Christmas and Graduation performances
Attention to academic preparation
Reasonable, affordable tuition
Chinese language instruction
Library days 2X/mo
Field trips in summer at Starlite
Breakfast, lunch and snack provided
Open more days than other preschools

-

Lack of communication between parents & teachers and parents &
parents, no formal conferences/feedback sessions
Rarely any parent involvement
Lack of playdate opportunities outside of school hours
Art supplies, manipulatives, toys, learning centers are greatly
lacking
If you're not Chinese/Chinese speaking, you may feel isolated
Pickup/dropoff can be tricky with amount of cars and limited
parking esp. @Starlite
Lunches do not vary-same 5 dishes from M-F/nutritious choices???
Would have liked to see more music, movement & art (beyond
cutting & pasting)

Good luck in your decision making! - Judy

March 2007

Does anyone have any experience with Starlite Child Development Center in downtown Oakland or its sister preschool, East Bay Academy? There was nothing in the archives except and unanswered question about Starlite. Carrie

Our daughter has attended East Bay Academy since June.We've been very pleased with the what our child has learned academically since attending East Bay Academy. She has not only learned to speak some Chinese, but also she has learned a lot of Chinese characters. Her teacher is very loving and attentive to her class. Our daughter has really gained so much in terms of confidence and social skills. The tuition is extremely reasonable and their schedule is very accomodating to working parents. The facility is relatively new, brigh, and clean. With that said, the areas which need improvement are parent-teacher communcation (most must be initiated by the parent with very focused questions), parent community (really none), lack of playdate opportunities (not for the lack of trying,which I think may be a cultural aspect), and lack of variety and nutrition in daily snacks and lunches. For example, if it's Monday, you know the kids will be having hot dogs. Also, if diversity is your priority, it will not be fulfilled at this preschool with the majority of the students being Chinese (including our child). Anon

The opinions and statements expressed on this website are those of parents who subscribe to the Berkeley Parents Network.
Please see Disclaimer & Usage for information about using content on this website.