Golestan Kids

I have known about this school since the beginning when Yalda, the director used to come to the Persian Center to meet with a few other Iranian mothers.
After all these years, I’ve had the opportunity to visit the school several times. I’m always impressed by the improvements Yalda is making.
I also hear about the school all the time since a few of my Farsi students have enrolled their kids at Golestan. Their biggest motivation for learning Farsi is to be able to speak with their child who is making progress so fast at Golestan.
One of my students who just found out she is expecting, is already reserving a space for her daughter at Golestan!
I wished we had a school like Golestan when my own kids were young.
I look forward to my next visit to Golestan.

I learned of Golestan Kids, a Persian immersion preschool, through a friend while preparing to move back to northern California from the east coast. I was immediately intrigued, an Iranian preschool in Berkeley? I had heard of Persian classes for children and Saturday language schools, but a full time preschool seemed like such a remote possibility. I quickly looked it up on the web and emailed the Executive Director, Yalda Modabber, for an appointment on an upcoming trip to the Bay Area. First impressions are always the strongest and Golestan exceeded my highest expectations. What struck me most about Golestan were the warm and welcoming greetings from the teachers, the open and airy feel of its entry room, the Persian carpets on the hard wood floors, the tapestries on its walls and the large open windows framing the little garden where pomegranates are grown with the help of young eager hands. Spaces tell us a lot about the occupants and the mindset. This space projects a welcoming façade with a warm hospitality beckoning those who enter.
We visited the «Bolbol» class led by Mina joun to get an idea about how the classes are run. Joun is how every teacher and child is addressed infusing the school with courtesy and affection. The children followed Mina joun in a rendition of «Ey Ensanha» a Persian nursery tune set to Beethoven’s «Ode to Joy». I was hooked. I submitted an application the same day and nervously ran counts in my head of how many children were on the waiting list. Yalda has become used to this form of eagerness from parents handling inquiries with both graciousness and a smile.
Golestan creates nostalgia for a childhood school experience many of us never had in Iran or growing up as Iranian-​Americans in the US. In the past 30 years, I have never been so reminded of the best parts of my culture, focusing on music, poetry, hospitality and kindness. Yesterday my daughter looked outside and saw the rain and started singing «Baroun Barouneh», an Iranian folk song, popularized by Viguen. For Nowruz, my daughter grew her own sabzeh at school and created art for her Haftseen. She looked at the Haftseen daily during the 13 day celebration, admonishing anyone who came too close, to only look and not to touch. Her embrace of the traditions and culture reminds me of my own childhood excitement around Nowruz. Having the opportunity to integrate millennia-​old traditions both at home and at school is a rare treat for an immigrant family. A treat that I hope will be available to more and more Iranian-​American families as Golestan works to spread its mission by helping other communities develop sister schools around the country.
My daughter is now in the same Bolbol class we visited over two years ago. She speaks Farsi like any child growing up in Iran and really enjoys her time at Golestan. She regularly surprises me with her what she has learned which is a strong testament to Golestan’s superb educational system and leadership. Many days around pick up time, I have trouble extracting her to go home. She even once told me, «zood oomadi» (you came too early). Golestan has been everything I hoped for and far more. It is a wonderful place, filled with love, kindness AND grounded in Persian language and culture. What could possibly be better for an Iranian parent? I recommend Golestan with the highest possible enthusiasm.

Golestan Kids is a home away from home for my two year old. She has been enrolled for about 6 months and loves every day there. As a parent, I can tell she is thriving. My husband and I both have intense time consuming jobs that take a lot of time away from our daughter. I truly believe that the teachers and staff at Golestan love what they do and love the children there. It is such a beautiful and warm community.
I first learned about Golestan when my daughter was only 6 weeks old. During the first visit, my mom and I fell in love with the place and submitted an application right on the spot. Then I waited two years hoping that a spot would open up for her. With the smallest class size of any school I ever visited, I knew that we would be lucky to get in. There are no more than 7 children in my daughter’s class on any given day with two teachers in addition to a community or family volunteer on days when there is a big project that needs an extra pair of hands. The school has an in-​house chef that prepares home-​cooked local and organic food for the children every day of the week, often from vegetables or ingredients from the back yard.
The teachers care for the children with patience and attention to detail. The curriculum is thematically based and the children learn about themselves and the world around them through interactive projects, storytelling and music. And all of this is done in Persian to boot! My daughter is now truly bilingual, speaking Persian with ease (a language that my husband does not speak).
I would also like to commend the school’s director for being a leader in Persian language immersion programs. The work she does is a labor of love (in Persian we say, «ba del va joon kar mekoneh»). The school has become a model for other Persian immersion early education schools and has helped to start no less than a dozen similarly minded programs around the country. May her mission to promote multicultural and bilingual educational programs for younger children prosper!

This is our daughters’ 5^th year with Golestan. We have been with the school since it’s start at the Persian Center, to its present location in the beautiful 2 story building in Berkeley on 5^th street. We so admire the efforts of Yalda, who is the Director of the school. Without her drive and vision, GolestanKids would not be what it is today. I am not sure why the «1 star» reviewer does not give more specific examples; rather than make broad accusations. That is not fair nor creates a valid argument. Sounds more like a frustrated parent trying to portray her young child as a victim. I cannot imagine a 4 year old being able to conclude on her own «why doesn’t the lady want me go to this school?»… and in her next paragraph her same 4 year old doesn’t understand Adult issues…
For those of you considering GolestanKids, go see for yourself and make your own determination whether the school is a good fit. Not every child will «fit» into GolestanKids, and that can be said for ANY school. Use the comments and reviews of Unilocal as a guide, not a determining factor.
There is a reason that GolestanKids gets high praise and has a waiting list. We feel fortunate that our daughter has the opportunity to continue to learn Persian culture, the Farsi language, and the Love that she receives from the staff at GolestanKids.

As my daughter’s 3^rd year comes to a close at Golestan, we are incredibly thankful for the journey thus far. In the fall my daughter will go off to kindergarten, and then be a part of the after school program. I feel that she is adequately prepared for kindergarten, and she has been taught other very important things like kindness, & altruism.
We have had such a postive experience at Golestan we will be enrolling our 2 year old son in the pre-​school as well. My son already runs up to the teachers & hugs them. They are intelligent, nurturing, and great educators! Yalda joon, the director of this non-​profit, is truly a visionary. We are very lucky to have her, the teachers, & this beautiful place to send our kids.
We are excited and comforted to be a part of this school and the Golestan community.

I have two daughters (3 and 6 years old) who have been attending this amazing school in Berkeley since they were two. I never imagined that I would find a school that has all the elements I would hope for in a preschool (nurturing and loving teachers, teaching philosophy that fosters a love of learning, exposure to arts, sciences, music, dance, gardening, etc) AND is taught in Farsi, my native language.
As a result of the incredibly talented and devoted director, board, teachers and families, Golestan has grown from a small coop to an idyllic preschool & after-​school program in just four years. I feel so lucky that my family is a part of this community, and that my children are learning both Farsi and learning about Iranian culture and traditions. My husband is American, and though I was born in Iran, I left as a child and would never have been able to teach them my language on my own. Golestan has made me a firm believer that you can teach any child multiple languages at a young age through immersion. I have seen kids with no Persian language skills become fluent after just a few months.
It also doesn’t hurt that the school is located in a beautiful building, has a phenomenal backyard where our kids are growing great food, and is aesthetically very tasteful.
I can’t speak enough great things about this school. If you are any part Iranian and live in the Bay Area, this is a no-​brainer. I happen to live in Berkeley but would commute from far away to give my kids this experience. If you’re not Iranian but value teaching your child a second language, I would also recommend Golestan.

My 2-​year-​old daughter has been attending Golestan’s toddler program for 6 months now. She is super happy and loves going there, and her parents are overjoyed to have found such a great place for her! The teachers are warm and great at what they do, the environment is incredibly welcoming, and the community of parents is supportive and collaborative.
We’re so lucky to have a Persian-​language immersion school here in Berkeley, but even if it weren’t for the language, I would send my daughter there — it’s that good. The organic, creative meals, the copious outdoor time in their spacious backyard, the emphasis on natural toys, paints, etc… combined with the director’s and the teachers’ love of learning and fun — all this makes it the perfect place for us. Our daughter will continue at Golestan through preschool and most likely will attend the afterschool program into elementary school, as well.

Golestan Kids is home away from home.
My kids 2 ½ & 3 ½ are constantly getting complimented on their intellect, mannerism, physical ability, and talent. My only response to this is that they spend most of their time at Golestan. Kids pick up so much from their surrounding and I’m glad we made the right choice and signed them up at Golestan Kids. We couldn’t be happier.

My daughter is ½ Persian, ½ Chinese. She has been attending for 2 years now in their pre-​school program. I cannot tell you how pleased I was with this schools evolution over the past 4 years. With a very commited Director, board members, parents, and teaching staff, the curriculum this school offers is superior to many Pre-​K schools.
Being able to offer Instruction by a qualified teacher is certainly one aspect of how a child can learn, but more importantly, you have to look at the personalities of the teaching staff, as this is EQUALLY as important for a Child’s growth. Patience, understanding, and kindness are all attributes a Child can certainly benefit from, but not all Teachers/​Staff possess in a school.
Our daughter has benefitted not only from learning basic skills, but has done so under a very nuturing and understanding environment the Staff offers at GolestanKids. There is something to be said about having a child be comfortable in his/​her teaching environment, and certainly the teaching staff at Golestan Kids does allow the kids to go thru many «doors» and really explore what they can do. When a child is not comfortable, a child will not be willing to explore those doors of growth.
A Teacher can be certified, be a PhD, be a great Intellectual, but without a great personality, a child really cannot reach their full potential as quickly. You can compare this to a medical Doctor who might be brilliant, but without great «bedside manners,» you might not feel comfortable in the same room with him/​her. A good Teacher must have both attributes (knowledge to teach, AND a warm and loving personality to help the child grow and feel comforatble), which currently Golestan excels tremendously.
The school is well laid out, in a great neighborhood, and will surely expand thru its hard work and its great foundation they have established.