Our two kids have recently joined the Model School and we are enjoying the experience. Our 4-year-old son is thriving in the PK classroom. He dramatically improved his language and social skills after just a few weeks. It probably also helped that the teachers were running an amazing unit about the solar system that he enjoyed. I would have never expected that my shy son would become the chatty, lively 4-year-old after just a few months at the model school. Our daughter is currently enrolled in the school’s toddler program and she is thriving as well. The T2 staff goes out of their way to get kids out of the diapers: so my daughter was diaper-free eight months earlier than our older kid who was at a different school during at that age. We especially cherish the parent participation within the model school. It’s nice to be part of the community, in which our kids spend most of their days. While it is sometimes hard to find time to volunteer when you’re juggling a regular job and parenting we still find it rewarding: you can influence your child’s experience and meet other families. The teacher-to-student ratios at the model school are excellent and staff turn-over is low. Since the school goes all the way from infant to PreK many parents have a single drop-off and pick-up, which is very convenient. Other parent-friendly features are the ability to change the amount of time your kid spends at daycare and very few school holidays.

We love the Model School! We have had all three boys at the school (the older two are in Kindergarten and 2nd grade) and the youngest in the toddler 1 room. The teachers are so warm and nurturing and the Montessori inspired curriculum in preK is great for preparing the kids for school. The strongest aspects of the school beyond the deep care and experienced teachers, is the flexible schedule (you can pay for 20-50 hours a week and set your own schedule), rolling admission, 7:00am-6:00pm schedule, central Berkeley location, and very few days off. We also love that the kids can start as infants and move up through PreK. All three kids love/d being at the school and want to go back and visit all the time.

Our two daughters attend the Model School (8 months and 3 years). This is a loving childcare center, with excellent teachers and a great parent community. The kids (even babies) have weekly music and dance classes. Older toddlers and preschoolers go on summer field trips and excursions to the local park. I am always amazed when I visit at lunchtime and see my toddler (and 10+ of her friends) sitting down and actually eating lunch without any prompting. We get detailed reports from the teachers about feeding, naps, and diapering/potty through the toddler years. The Toddler 2 classroom teachers even helped potty train our older daughter before she transitioned to the Pre-K classroom. Now she's learning to sound out letters and playing with the "big kids."