Trinity Lutheran Preschool

Unfortunately I have to agree with Mariam’s review. When we came to this preschool initially 2 years ago we were very excited. The school seemed very nice and had so many materials for kids to learn! However my son had many negative experiences there, he went there for almost a year and he would hold on tight to me every time I dropped him to school (that should have been my first sign that he wasn’t happy there). I have met few great teachers there that resigned after working there for 1 – 3 months which was very sad for the kids especially when they get attached to a good teacher. Keep changing teachers is not good for a preschool enviroment. Kids don’t do well with constant change, they need consistency. I once stopped seeing one of my son’s favorite teacher there and gladly I had her phone number. Surprisingly she quit the school but directoy Jasmine never announced to the parents that she resigned. (when before she had announced when other 2 teachers left). The teacher said that Jasmine would take their task as a teacher, I felt that was very controlling and I was very sad one great teacher left. Also one time I went to pick my son up and he was playing with play doh and I saw one of the assistants who told the kids to not mix the colors of the play doh… come on, they are kids, they need to play and for them not to be able to «play» like kids was already a bad sign. I also was very mad when I found big scratches on my son’s back and I called the director and they had no idea how he got it. That was number one and I let it passed. Second time, my son was playing outside and supposedly he fell and hit his head in the concrete, he bled and I was not notified nor called by any teacher. They told me about the incident when I picked him up at the end of the day. For me that was unaceptable. I really wanted to like this school but things need to change before this school gets better. Now that I read another mom’s review about this school I am more than certain and glad I took my son out of there. I should have followed my instincts about taking my son out of this school sooner. Oh and to add, when we told teacher Jasmine that we wanted to take our son out of this school, firts thing she said is to let her know formally on the 1^st of the month (for 30 days notice) because she had a long waitlist of kids who wanted to come to this school. Glad we are out. Found another Montessori that my son is happy to go to, teachers are happy and most importantly kids look happy.

This is a phenomenal and supportive school run by a wonderful group of patient yet rigorous teachers. The director, Jasmine, combines the openness of a Montessouri approach with an emphasis on structured learning. She carefully keeps track of each student’s development and takes special effort to guide them individually. For example, many times when I’ve come for an early pickup, I see her working one-​on-​one with a particular child while the others work in a group with another teacher. While Jasmine runs a tight ship, she’s flexible when it counts (unlike a corporate daycare, which had so many rules primarily for reasons of legality).
While it’s connected to a Lutheran church, the religious component is given a light touch and in a manner that will only benefit your child. For example, the school is helped by many volunteers who keep the place beautifully maintained. And, for what it’s worth, the monthly tuition is the best you’ll find in this area because the church likely subsidizes the school.
Everyone loves this school (the only exception, alas, has written quite a negative review — the length and tone should be a red flag). If you can get a spot, this a great place.

This is an update that I’m sad to have to write but it’s a must. The school has greatly deteriorated since we started with it back in November 2012. The look & feel of it hasn’t changed so it is still clean, polished & filled with lots of useful tools to teach children well. However, the root cause of it going downhill moral wise for the children & parents is the Director Jasmine, that runs the school. Countless wonderful teachers have been hired to help teach & each one has quit because the Director is a controlling person who refuses to allow these teachers do what they’ve been hired to do. Teach the children. She consistently interrupts every process of theirs which in turn frustrates them & causes them to move on to another school. Her interactions with the parents are very selective as to whether she will portray her «Christian» behavior or not. I started out on her «good» side & became a problem parent when I simply asked that my 4 ½ year old be able to read in her cot instead of napping because the naps were causing her to stay awake until 11pm each night. She was immediately curt and completely unwilling to work with me on a solution & then from there on out, treated me in a passive aggressive manner every day I brought my child in. Some of her disciplinary actions include putting children in infant high chairs when they misbehave so as to show them that they are being treated like a baby. This greatly disturbed me as a parent when my 4 year old came home talking about this. The children aren’t allowed to bring anything to school that has to do with fantasy, I.e. princesses or the movie Frozen. It’s labeled Montessori but extremely ridged & structured due to the Directors influence. This is preschool for goodness sake. Not college prep! Also the Director chooses to teach songs and speaking in Chinese because the population at the school is primarily Chinese. This would be fine & wonderful to teach diversity but other cultures should be considered if this is the case. Not just Chinese & English. It’s a bit awkward that other languages aren’t included & it feels one sided & catered toward the Chinese families. When I told Jasmine that we would sadly need to change schools after having been with the school for almost 2 years because of the nap situation being so problematic for our family, Jasmine’s instant reply was «can you let me know next week because I have a wait list of kids.» Zero empathy or sadness that us leaving would come to this & as if I would be able to make such a big decision to uproot my child on a whim. I’m very disappointed that the board members & pastor would allow this Directors behavior to go on this way. I along with other parents went to city hall to fight for this school to stay open & supported it in every way we could. This is the thanks & treatment we get after they’re well on their way now & have clearly let their popularity get to their heads. Christians? I really beg to differ.

Director Jasmine is a great teacher. Not only does she have a master’s degree in education, she also has many years of experience teaching children from preschool age to elementary using the Montessori method. She has taught our older daughter to read chapter books when she was only in kindergarten and because she learned how to read at such a young age, reading has become something that my daughter really enjoys doing now. Jasmine has her method of helping little kids read. Our second daughter is currently attending Trinity Lutheran Preschool and Jasmine has started teaching her phonics and she is also starting to read. She knows her number from 0 to 100, learned how to do addition and subtraction. She has grown so much both academically and emotionally since. Jasmine is very gentle and loving to kids. She doesn’t use time-​outs or punishments to discipline kids but she can calmly get kids to behave.
Teacher Erica is also very kind and gentle with kids and she has a happy personality. The pastor of the church, Pastor Jeff, along with Jasmine have a passion to teach the kids about Christianity.
We also really like the facility itself where the rooms are so big and the materials are organized. Also the tuition is really low for such a great quality education that is provided here compared to others in the area.
Overall, we highly recommend Trinity Lutheran Preschool. The care, love, and patience shown by the staff really make a difference in the lives of the children.

We recently moved our daughter to Trinity Lutheran Preschool in Burlingame (West of El Camino Real, North of Broadway). It’s just been only one month! We cannot be happier!
If you want to your children to grow up with love, and learn hands-​on skills, effective academic training and good manners in a Christian and Montessori environment, this would be the perfect place! The school Director Jasmine has wealth of experience in education for various age groups. She’s genuinely devoted to and passionate about children’s education. Every morning when I dropped off my daughter and went to work, I felt great because I knew she would be taken care of by people we trust and people who really enjoy what they are doing (not just a routine job:-))!
I would highly recommend Trinity Lutheran Preschool!