The Mountain School

The Mountain School has surpassed my expectations. My son is half way through his second year here and has one more year before moving on. The school is just so very special from the teachers to the facilities. I have to say I was curious and a little cautious when I first went to see a ‘Waldorf-​inspired’ school. All caution disappeared as I observed the teachers guide the children through their day — the independence, sense of self, the nurturing of their minds and preservation of their childhood are incredible to witness. Seeing my son grow into his own mind and body has been wonderful. And I certainly didn’t expect to learn so much about parenting from my son’s school — thank you Miss Kimi.

We’ve had two children attend this school and we love it! Both children will have attended the school for 3 years each, when all is said and done. Our oldest is in 1^st grade at a public school and our 2^nd child is in her 2^nd of three years here.
The quality of the staff and program are amazing. Not only has this school been a great place for our children, but also for us as parents. We have learned a lot from the parent evenings. The staff is fantastic in giving helpful advice about issues we may have at home.
I love that the children listen to the same story for three weeks. The first week, the children and the teacher sit in a circle and listen to the story. The second week, the teacher does a puppet show of the story. And the third week, the children participate in a play of the story. Not only does this expand the creativity of different ways to tell a story, being able to sit and listen and wait until you are called upon is a skill that is very important for future education and life.
There are too many great things to write about in this review. You just have to go visit the school as see for yourself.

I echo many of the statements other posters made. I’d also like to highlight a couple of things:
The Earlybird care was great for my oldest son (4yo), as he arrived early each day to warm up to the idea of pre-​school. Now, nearly two years into pre-​school, he wants to stay late! He’s made many friends and looks forward to going every day.
The Saturday school program for pre-​preschoolers is great for my youngest son (2yo) as he readies to go to the Mountain School this fall. If I weren’t there to witness it, I’d never believe that the teacher had six 2 and 3 year olds, attentively mixing and baking muffins at the start of class, to then eat at the end of class! Not one of the kids wanted to go off to play — they all wanted to help bake and take turns!
Additionally, through the Mountain School, we’ve learned that our kids don’t need or want many of the toys they have. Taking a page out of Simplicity Parenting, we’ve redirected money that would go to Toys R Us, and now spend it on experiences, such as trips to the zoo, the discovery museum, aquariums and parks.

No doubt, picking the right preschool is a very personal choice for your child and family.
That said, the Mountain School has been an instrumental part of helping shape the development of our son and our family.
The school provides children with a warm, structured environment where they are encouraged to explore their imagination while they discover and form a sense of self.
There’s a few things I would highlight:
1) There is a huge focus on creating a predictable flow to the day and week, that provides children with confidence and routine (i.e., Tuesday is soup day). This focus is something we have brought home with us and has really improved family life away from school.
2) The teachers are fantastic. All well educated, experienced, and kind — they really focus on your child’s personality and look to cultivate them as an individual. The education philosophy is intentionally aligned at teaching/​practicing age appropriate skills to prepare children for the next steps. I also really appreciate the fact that they are consistent in enforcing boundaries related to behavior, meaning that the kids are informed of the «rules of the road» and are held accountable to them.
3) Parents are interested and involved. A huge part of a school experience for the family is the community of other families that also attend. The Mountain School has a good group of families.
There’s a lot of other great things like the fact the children are involved in preparing their own snacks (oatmeal, veggie soup, pop corn) and the focus that’s put on creating special events (like the night time lantern walk in the fall).
Would recommend you keep/​add this school to your list of potentials.

Our daughter is in her third year at the mountain school and my son just started. This is such a nurturing sweet school where kids can be kids. They have the space and freedom to create and learn. There is a great deal of teaching and preparing the children for kindergarden. The teachers tell stories and 20 children sit quietly listening. As an Audiologist, I’ve see how hard it can be for children to be in an academic environment if they haven’t first developed good auditory processing skills. I also love that the kids go outside and play every day for an hour, rain or shine. Where they can play, jump, laugh and develop wonderful friendships. Both will go on to a non-​Waldorf private school in Marin.

Now in our fifth terrific year at The Mountain School, I can see without question the tremendously positive effect it has had not only on our two children, but on our family life as a whole. The school’s regular reminders to simplify, simplify, simplify (that less really is more), has been a great ally in navigating our way to a more peaceful, creative and definitely less hectic life. Our daughter moved seamlessly to kindergarten and then first grade at our local school, where she’s thriving. We feel SO lucky to have gotten our start at The Mountain School.