The Model School Comprehensive

The teachers connect with he children and really do care about them. All teachers and kids know each other. It’s more than a «day care». It’s truly a learning environment that is play based.
My daughter started in the Toddler 2 class room at age 2 years and 4 months. They supported her and us through potty training. The kids in Toddler 2 and PrK receive evaluations for parents to understand where their kids are from a development standpoint for things like gross motor skills, fine motor skills, emotional, self care. An example of self care is able to zip their jacket. Example of motor skills is hoping on one foot. The evaluation is by no means a rating type of thing. I found it helpful.
My daughter is now PreK classroom (ages 3 – 5). Although the school is Montessori inspired, it’s not a strictly Montesorri. The kids learn by exploring and doing. They have plenty of outdoor time. I’ve often seen the kids playing games together in the play yard that either the kids or teachers have organized and it’s so much fun. They are just playing on the play structure but also making up games with balls or riding their school tricycles. There is so much play space. My daughter does not want to leave when it’s time to go home. The school focuses on respect for each other, the community, the world and the earth. The community is very diverse both socially and economically and that includes the teachers. My child has many friends whom she sees for playdates and I have developed friendships with the parents.
From a logistical standpoint, the school hours, year round offering and cost are a huge plus for working parents. They also offer a monthly parents night out where kids do science project, dinner, dancing and movie night. We look forward to the Kids PJ party! They offer Spanish and music classes weekly. Organic snacks. Summer weekly walking field trips to the park, exploring the neighborhood and other summer field trips like Amtrak train ride, bus ride to the library, Crab Cove, Ferry to SF, The Little Farm, Steam Trains etc.
In the after care time for the PreK kids, you might see a teacher playing an Uno card game with 6 kids at a table. Another teacher reading books to kids on the sofa. Other kids playing with puzzles or blocks. The kids are not just sitting by themselves coloring paper or playing a game on the computer as I’ve seen at other school after hour care.
I encourage parents to meet the teachers and the director, Dr Mante. The school building is a bit old but the love the kids receive is worth it! My daughter is confident, wants to try things, loves to learn and loves going to The Model School.

My daughter attended this school from the age of 13 months to 5 years (T1 classroom through PK!), and my 2 year old is currently enrolled in the T2 classroom. We have loved the Model School and Dr. Mante’s mission for many years. We initially chose the school for their location, affordability, and very flexible hours (you buy a set of hours every month and then distribute them as necessary.) Since our schedules were so unpredictable, it was a relief to know that the teachers and school understood and always welcomed our children whenever pickup or drop off happened. We adore the teachers and caretakers – they are invested in the children as little developing humans and imbuing them with a sense of fun, imagination, community and social responsibility. The Model School family also extends beyond graduation from preschool: my daughter’s dearest friends are Model School alumni and we still hang out with many of the families we met there. It truly helped us find a community we love, support and depend on.

Hi,
My son has been attending Model School since December last year and I cannot imagine a place where he would be more deeply engaged. I had a friend who expressed surprise that a toddler under 2 could benefit from an educational curriculum, but he has flowered with the guidance, care and teaching from a group of professional, compassionate and highly skilled teachers and the heart, mind, spirit and vision of the wonderful Dr. Mante.
Love, love, love Model School.
Mia

My wife and I have been taking our kids to the Model School since 2006. Both started in the Infant room (one in 2006 and the other in 2010) and have moved through all the school’s classes. We have all loved the Model School. The philosophy of the school as articulated and implemented by the founder and director (Dr. Mante) is wonderful, and the teachers are truly special. In every classroom our children loved the teachers and always found at least one with whom they formed a special bond.
The Model School community is truly remarkable. My older daughter (now 8) still attends birthday parties of kids she went to the Model School with and we are good friends with many of the parents. When our younger daughter finishes next summer, we will be sorry that our time at the school will come to a close.
Simply put, sending our kids to the Model School is one of the best parenting decisions we’ve made.

We love the Model School!
Yes, its in the basement of a church. Yes, the facilities are not sparkling like some of the other day cares we looked at. But honestly, the staff at the school left us with such a positive impression that we were on wait lists for each of our kids to make sure they got into this school.
First, its not just a day care. Its a school — and the focus is education. The teachers are skilled at engaging even the littlest of kids in active, educational play. They learn their numbers and letters, colors and shapes, and they have the best time doing it.
The older kids are taught a Montessor-​hybrid — its Montessori in concept, but not in strictness. My older son was so well prepared for kindergarten, and I am sure he loves to read and learn so much because of his experience at the Model School. Our youngest is a current student and he wakes up on weekends asking when he is going to school, and cries when we tell him its not a school day. We often cant get him to leave. If that’s not a sign of an amazing institution, then I dont know what is.

My son has been here for a little under a year, starting in the 2 year old room (T2) and moving up to the 3 – 5 year old Pre-​K («Montessori-​inspired»). We are extremely happy with the care that he has received here. The teachers could not be any more loving and really respect the varied needs and personalities of the kids there. They are also open to babies and 1 year olds. We didn’t experience those rooms, but I’ve only heard glowing reviews from the other parents.
Though he’s barely 3, he knows all his letters and is making early signs of reading (letter sounds, etc), his numbers, the life cycle of a butterfly, and can build towers and towers of magnatiles. There is a large playground with a garden the kids care for, weekly music and spanish classes, and weekly field trips during the summer (local playground, Crab Cove, Whole Foods, library, visits by firefighters). Oh, and they potty trained my kid who can’t sit still for one second, a task that I seriously had no idea how to even begin.
The facilities are somewhat older, but the kids there are all super happy, so though it doesn’t look fancy, who really needs that at age 3? Logistically this place is a dream for working parents– flexible hours between 7:30AM-6PM, and unlike many schools in the area that take off 4 – 5 weeks throughout the year and every holiday ever heard of, the Model School only takes off 1 week from xmas-​new years and the «standard» holidays (labor day, memorial day, july 4^th, etc). This has been a huge stress relief for our family, to not have to take off work or find backup care for excessive time off.
Overall we are so happy there and can’t thank the loving staff enough.