Berkeley Parents Network: Treehouse Preschool

Berkeley Parents Network

Treehouse Preschool

Berkeley Parents Network > Reviews > Preschools > Treehouse Preschool

March 2006

Does anyone have recent experience at Treehouse Preschool? We would be starting in the 2 yr old class. Any other recommendations for preschools close to Montclair or Diamond districts? Thanks. anon

We LOVE Treehouse. The Little Angels class is wonderful- the teachers are very sweet. The school is clean, great supplies. Dr. Jan is a wonderful, caring director. Treehouse is part of the First Covenant Church. We are not members of any church, but like that our children are exposed to make their own choice someday. Good luck! Hope you are lucky enough to become a Treehouse family!

April 2004

Does anyone have any thoughts, good or bad, about Treehouse Preschool on Redwood Road? anon

We have had our twin daughters at Treehouse for 2 years now and have been very happy. It is a fairly structured environment and though there is lots of time for play, they do concentrate on academics (my girls have been writing their names, letters, and numbers for months now). The teachers are caring and the seasonal projects are well thought out and fun. The only thing I would change is the class size (24-32 w/ 4 teachers depending on the day). It sometimes seems a bit crowded and I wonder how much individual attention my daughters get. That said, they have learned a great deal there and are very well prepared to start kindergarten this fall. Please feel free to email me if you have any additional questions.

We had a child at Treehouse for a little while. It is a bit too structured for my taste, and I saw a lot of worksheet like activity. Parents who are aiming for Corpus Christi or Bentley often like it a lot because it sets kids up to be successful in those schools interview process. There is a fairly strong evangelical Christian content to the materials, mostly focusing on God as a loving father, which I rather liked, but may be uncomfortable for others.

My son went to Treehouse Preschool for over a year and I liked the school and the teachers. Everyone seemed loving and caring and it was not too big where you feel your child will be overwhelmed. This was a couple of years ago but I loved the fact that sometimes I would pick my son up and one of the teachers would sometimes have him on their lap or would give him a hug. It is good to feel comfortable with that because in the times we live in sometimes we just do not feel safe with physical contact by an adult, but I never felt anything inappropriate about the school.

They had circle time and a good mix of educational instruction and free play time and also outdoor play time as well when the weather permits. The only negative was my son is a special needs child (which became more apparent as he became older) physically and mentally. I do not feel the school was equipped to handle his developmental delay although they did extremely well with his physical disability.

I believe it is a Christian-based school although it is separate from the Church on that property. Even though I am a Christian and rather liked that aspect of it, I do not think they overly push religion to the point that a parent or child with another belief system would feel uncomfortable. My son went there about three years ago, so you may want to visit to get a current feel for yourself. sharlene

Sept. 2002

Re: "Traditional" school 2-3 mornings a week
I believe Treehouse Preschool in Oakland has the sort of part- time program you requested. It is located near Holy Names College off of Highway 13 on Redwood Road. It is affiliated with a church (and actually located behind the church) there but I'm not sure if it is considered a Christian preschool or not. My son went there 2 years ago and loved it--the staff was very nice and friendly and they do have a teaching component to the preschool. There is also a Kindergarten onsite and I believe an option to have advanced preschoolers sit in with the afternoon Kindergarten session. At least this was an option when we were there. I know they also had many at-home moms who took their children there for the sort of part-time program you're looking for. Sharlene

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