Mustard Seed Preschool

Our kid is thriving here. Mustard Seed has earned its reputation as a fabulous, beloved neighborhood gem. We were thrilled to get in off the waiting list. Amazing school director, wonderful caring staff in each classroom, lovely parent community. Lots of outdoor time for the kids—and the other reviews probably also talked about the hot fresh meals provided every day? Thank you Mustard Seed for being such an amazing part of our kids’ childhood!

Raising kids in the Bay with childcare and demanding jobs is hard. It's not like other areas where its typical to have one parent stay home. It doesn't feel great to leave your young kids with someone else. So it's amazing when you find childcare that is trustworthy, caring, professional and reasonably priced in the Bay. We have 3 girls, 18 months apart. All of them have attended Mustard Seed. I truly don't have the space here to describe how much we love this school, the staff, and the environment. The staff is friendly, communicative and caring. There's a good teacher to student ratio. There is an onsite chef with good variety of meals and snacks. They promote healthy play, exploratory learning, and social/emotional adaptation that has been great to see. My extroverted and emotional older child learned how to regulate ans understand big feelings. My shy middle child learned to socialize and vocalize her needs. And my playful youngest is soaking in all the benefits that her sisters had. My girls are now in Elementary school and I can see the benefits of their time at MS. I would not hesistate to consider this a school for your little ones. Candace is a phenomenal director, Linda is extremely kind and knowledgeable (and the best hair braider in the Bay!). I won't name everybody here (we've had so many different teachers), but literally every teacher we've had has been pleasant. My kids still love going back to say hi to all their teachers. Highly recommend!

We're in love with Mustard Seed! We can't overstate how grateful we are for this incredible team and community. It really feels like there's a village helping to raise our family. Our eldest transferred to MSP from another daycare / preschool center during the summer term when she was 2 1/2. It was a difficult decision because there were things we loved about her first school (where she'd spent almost a year), but the switch felt right. We liked that MSP's physical space, level of enrollment, and staffing strategy provided more structure: with same-age classrooms, age-sensitive schedules, age-sensitive teaching approaches, and opportunities for mixed age play outdoors several times a day. We liked that our daughter would always have a primary teacher team focused on her, as well as opportunities throughout the day and week to build relationships with other teachers. We liked that she'd have a dozen peers close to her age, for a nice variety of personalities to befriend and grow with. And we liked that the outdoor space supports a variety of play types under a beautiful leafy canopy. It's all turned out beautifully. Judging by our daughter's energy at drop off and pick up, her transition to MSP was immediately easier than her previous transitions. Even in her first weeks there, it was clear that the structure made it easier for her to get through the day than at her previous school. In the past year and a half it's only gotten better. The vibe is relaxed and confident; they really know what they're doing and everything about the program feels intentional. The teachers are very thoughtful about helping our daughter navigate socio-emotional development and challenging social dynamics, and are happy to discuss strategies with us when we ask how we can support at home. Although her classroom teachers are primary, she has great relationships with all of the teachers in the play yard and they all know her well. She is developing strong social skills and has made wonderful friends. The community of families has been warm and fun for all of us: we regularly meet classmates at King School Park after school, the staff organizes incredibly fun family parties for holidays and more throughout the year--usually featuring Music Man Chano and his band, total celebrities for all ages!--and there's a meal train organized every time a new baby arrives. Lunches by Chef Miguel are expanding our daughter's palette and simplifying our mornings at home. We can't wait to start it all again with our newborn when she turns 18 months old!

My daughter has attended here for a little over two years. The staff are lovely. The kids are happy. They provide fresh cooked lunch and snacks everyday - which is a real time saver for our family and encourages our daughter to try new foods. They have optional extra curricular activities like yoga, cooking, science, and soccer. I have seen very little staff turnover, and one staff member has been there so long that she taught one of the parents! I also appreciate all the evening events and additional information for the parents - for example, they organized an information night on transition to TK, including inviting some local TK and K teachers to speak. It feels like a warm community. Candace and Linda are responsive, friendly, and caring. Highly recommended.

Mustard seed preschool is a true gem! Our 3 year old has been attending for over a year now and he is thriving. His vocabulary exploded when he started at 2.5 years old. He was coming home singing new songs and sharing tid-bits he learned at school. The teachers are so warm and loving, it was an easy transition from a small daycare. I choose Mustard seed for its play based approach, focus on social emotional development, and generous lunch program. However my son is also learning letters and numbers as he is ready for them. It’s just the right amount of structure. The teachers and staff are very communicative and thorough. They also endeavor to build community for parents as well, which I really appreciate. They really think of everything! I highly recommend Mustard Seed to all my friends!