Sheffield Preschool Program

Many years ago, June Sheffield began her school and my son was an early student. She was always gentle, caring and respectful with him and the other children, and provided the perfect mix of teaching and free play. I had a recent opportunity to meet with her (looking for a program for my grand-​niece) and her program has only gotten better! She is a natural teacher and truly loves children.

We needed to quickly switch schools and were so blessed to find a spot at Sheffield. It is a warm, fun, welcoming environment for the kids and parents. The small number of kids is a benefit to our shy child. The outdoor shaded space has a giant tree and lots of fun ride on toys as well as a big play structure. I especially appreciate the monthly parents night out where kids can stay late. Our child is very bright with special emotional needs and the school was very accommodating to creating a positive and enriching environment. They also helped us select and get into a private kindergarten that is the best fit for our child. (Our child was so shy at the interview that the school relied almost entirely on the preschool’s recommendation).
If you want a stuffy uptight highly academic preschool go elsewhere. If you want to always be welcomed with a smile and feel good hugging your child goodbye each day knowing how fun it will be, Sheffield is a great choice.

Really terrific preschool and June the director is amazing! This is an enchanting place. I feel so lucky that I stumbled upon this school a few years ago. My daughter attended sheffield for 2 years and had a truly tremendous experience there which prepared her so well for Kindegarten. Small school with only 12 students a time (which is really great for such little ones to get more attention). Lots of outdoor play, crafts, fieldtrips, and scholastically it was top notch — they really learn a lot here… my daughter was teaching me things (that i didn’t know) about the solar system when she was 4!!!

I wanted to recommend the preschool both of my sons have attended for their last year before K at Peralta: Sheffield Preschool.
Sheffield is a wonderful, play-​based, community preschool — the director has been running this small (12 kids a day) program for 25 years, and she has a sweet and knowledgeable staff of teachers she collaborates with. The preschool is located just past Whole Foods, on Stuart Street (next to Berkeley Rose Garden Inn). Two floors of this home are the preschool, with an amazing backyard with huge cedar play structure and bike loop. She also has the most incredibly well-​stocked library of books that she rotates on a monthly basis. There are half-​day and full-​day options available (or a combo).
As an educator myself, I have been so impressed with the thoughtful, research-​based, heart-​centered approach that Sheffield teachers lead with. My sons have loved the explorations of topics such as Egypt, pirates, and insects; skill-​building in regular drumming and dancing lessons, and the sweet building of their self-​reliance and interdependence in this little community. My older son did great as he transitioned to K thanks in large part to the year he spent at Sheffield! My younger son will begin K this Fall, and it looks like a similar success story
is coming along…

I am in a professional group with the Director, June. I find her so inspiring and have learned so much from her. In addition to directing the school, June serves as a teacher/​mentor to professionals who are entering the Early Childhood field. She gives great care to even the smallest details. She is highly respected in the field of Early Childhood Education and her school is what many of us aspire to. (I’m not sure who «Colin» is, but I assure you there is nothing Disney/​commercial in the school and no signs of mental illness — perhaps you are mixing it up with another school?).
Parents clearly love the school as evidenced by their adoring reviews on the Berkeley parents network and here.

My son graduated from Sheffield preschool this summer after being there for 2 years. He is doing very well in kindergarten, and his teacher keeps remarking on how tolerant and yet able to assert himself he is. My husband and I both credit much of this to his experience at Sheffield.
My son is a boy who likes to wrestle and rough house, and he can also be quite sensitive. When we were looking for a preschool, I wanted to make sure that he would get a lot of help negotiating conflicts and learning how to control his body. At every school we visited, I asked the same question. «How do you deal with conflict among the kids?» June Sheffield was the only one who had a well thought out, clear answer to this question (several other schools claimed that they didn’t have any conflict, even though they had 20 3 – 4 year olds in the same class!!). June told me that they really work with the children to talk about and work through their conflicts. She gave me several examples and talked with me about how she works with her teachers to do this. This, combined with the fact that from the first moment, my son wanted to stay at the school, sold us on the school.
I have to say that June was true to her word, and I can think of many instances where I saw this in action. The teachers really help the children find their words to work through things. They value the children’s ideas and individual voices. And they really teach the children respect and the importance of listening to their friends. I will never forget when I was dropping my son off for school (he was 3 ½) one morning, and there were 5 – 6 very active 3 – 4 year old boys sitting around a table building with Legos. It was so civilized! They asked each other very politely if they could use pieces and did an amazing job working together. This characterized our experience throughout Sheffield. I was consistently impressed at how much the children learned about how to negotiate their social world. This is not to say that there weren’t any behavioral issues. There were, but the teachers were very consistent, firm, fair, and patient in setting limits and in helping the children learn self-​control.
In addition to all of this, the curriculum is amazing, rich, and varied. June goes to great lengths to create a sense of community among the parents and children, There are great field trips and an amazing backyard for the kids to play in. The toys change with each monthly curriculum, and they really spark the children’s learning and imagination.
While all the teachers are truly amazing, I have to give a special shout out to Greg, who is an especially gifted teacher. I have sat through Greg’s circle times and been thoroughly impressed. Greg really engages the children’s attention, and the children become quite enthusiastic. At the same time, he manages to keep them contained and in control of their bodies. It is quite amazing to watch. In addition to all of this, he does an afternoon pre-​K program for the children who no longer nap that is very enriched while being quite age appropriate in its expectations.
And the children accomplish things (like a circus, a renaissance fair, a play) that you didn’t know they were capable of. After 2 years, Sheffield was like a second home to my son. He continues to go back for parent’s night out, which is a wonderful way for him to stay connected to the Sheffield community. And a great opportunity for my husband and I to go out for some much needed adult time!

I am really happy with the preschool program here at Sheffield. My daughter has been there now for two years and she has learned so much from the wonderful and caring teachers. The other parents and children are wonderful as well and create a nourishing environment where I know that my daughters needs as well as my own are being met.
In addition, fantastic back yard play area with lots of plants and flowers, they perform plays, and emphasize lots of song and dance in addition to their standard curriculum.

I couldn’t be happier with this school for my daughter. Thrilled.
We attended another school for a couple months last year, and so I have that experience as a contrast to Sheffield.
Here’s a sampling of what I love:
The teachers are extraordinary. All with their own distinct personalities and backgrounds, and all beloved by my daughter and her parents. They’re smart, attentive, creative, intuitive, and interesting people. And warm and fun. They welcome me and my daughter when we arrive and give me lots of great tidbits about my daughter’s day when I pick her up. They seem to genuinely like each other, the kids, and their work. Very talented people.
The director’s commitment to kids and to the school is so strong. She has been doing this nearly 30 years but is flexible enough to still adjust this and that based on what she learns, what the teachers suggest, or what parents give her feedback on. And she goes above and beyond what’s expected. As an example, she hosts optional parent meetings in the evenings once a month to discuss whatever parenting/​child topic is of interest to the parents. She opens her home, brings in speakers or organizes a book for us to read, offers her expertise, and puts in tremendous effort that I really appreciate. As another example, since my daughter started at an unusual time of the year, she offered to come to my house during her vacation and spend a couple hours just playing with my daughter and helping her feel comfortable with her. It was a generous gesture and was also practically very helpful for our family in making the adjustment.
The curriculum is awesome. I wish I went there! Monthly calendars list by week what they’ll focus on, which helps stimulate discussions with my daughter about what she’s learning and the fun she’s having. There are frequent field trips and, though I’m invited to attend, I’m not obligated to (and of course often have to work!). It’s play based and relaxed, and my daughter is learning a lot in a no-​pressure environment.
The facility is a home and is lovely. Very intimate. But rich: SO MANY toys and games and books and supplies which get rotated often. Way more than the last place, which was a more traditional facility. The backyard is stellar, with a large play structure and a neat mesh cover over part of the yard that protects yet lets light in. They spend a LOT of time outside.
In the morning, I sometimes just drop my daughter off and sometimes stay to play a game with her and the other kids. Other parents do this too, though not all are able, and that’s fine too. I like that there’s not a rigid «No Parents Allowed» policy and I was surprised to discover that this does not seem to result in kids having traumatic or confused separation problems. Instead, it’s created a nice community where I get to know the other kids and some of the parents. And the teachers and the program. I feel as involved as I want to be.
Another perk: Parents’ Night Out. Once a month, my daughter attends a pajama party there (very affordable). A Friday night, from 6pm to 11pm. She LOVES it. And Mommy and Daddy have fun too.
I could go on and on. Maybe I did.

After searching many preschools, I’m very glad we landed at Sheffield for my 3-​year-​old, daughter. So many preschools in the Bay Area seem so intense and uptight – Sheffield’s atmosphere, on the other hand, is very low-​key, relaxed and fun. June, the primary teacher, is a warm and friendly presence, and one of those people who just seem to get kids. After my daughter’s first day, a teacher mentioned how impressed they were that she could tie her own shoes. *I* was impressed that they knew that she could – this meant that somebody actually had the patience to sit there and wait for her to tie up both her hightop sneakers – which she can do, but very slowly. An excellent mixed-​age, play-​based, very down-​to-​earth, relaxed and fun school and school community.