Primrose School of Pleasanton

I hate to write these types of reviews but I think it’s necessary for other parents to know when they’re considering a school for their kids, the type of people the Primrose admin staff are.
My experience began when we asked to tour the school. My family and I are from the Bay Area so we know the surrounding cities/​areas well enough to know that Primrose’s location is prime for many in the Tri-​Valley/​inner East Bay area. We are not under any illusion that this school would be any less popular than the surrounding areas so we did our homework.
Upon our tour, we were promptly and warmly greeted by Diane Spangler, the school’s director. We felt safe and comfortable to consider Primrose would be a good place for our 2.5 year old son. Diane assisted us with placing our son on the waitlist with clear expectations that it’s a tight squeeze and we may not get in for fall 2016 although we placed him on the list in Jan/​Feb 2016. I felt this was fair that we were told upfront. After this, our experience has been less than stellar.
Diane told us we would get occasional updates as soon as the current students renew or leave by the end of March 2016. Since the school nor Diane called us back, we called back weekly to check our status starting April 2016 and we were given the same answer, «we’ll get back to you» or they simply did not follow up. It began to get frustrating as we left a deposit with the school and were wondering if it would be refunded (or not cashed) since Primrose did not have room for our son, as per Diane’s remarks. No word from her or the school.
Finally, my husband talked to Primrose directly. We were then told that Diane was leaving the school. Understandably, we were concerned that this change would mean that our son would continue to get zero updates from the school about his status, even though he’s 3^rd on the waitlist and Primrose had told us that they would follow up. We get that sometimes things get busy/​hectic but when you tell your potential clients that you’ll get back to them after not following-​up when you made the promise, it doesn’t sound very good.
It is now the end of May 2016 and we still do not have a definitive word about our son’s status from the school. We have zero faith that Primrose cares or wants our son to attend their school — which is totally fine if we were told why or that it was a simple case of no room. The lack of communication from this school is less than ideal.
I recommend to other parents to do your homework and find a school that has professional staff and the ability to support your family’s needs.

Could not be happier. The hours are great for working parents. My kid gets meals, snacks, and they are patient with her steadfast refusal to potty train. She does arts and crafts, songs, exercises outdoors. She randomly started reading the numbers off street signs the other day. I didn’t push her to learn numbers, they taught her at Primrose. She LOVES her teacher and hugs her best friend goodbye every day. It’s clean and well managed. They’ve had some staff turnover but they hire good people in general, and daycare is a tough biz to keep long term staff. I only wish this facility did kindergarten, I’d pay for private to provide her this level of education and day care at Primrose.
Let me add that my kid had a TERRIBLE transition to daycare from a nanny. I cried in the parking lot for days as I heard her screaming from inside the building. Without the teachers and Diane’s support and kindness I would have yanked her out and that would have been a mistake. She’s so happy there now. Believe them when they say it will be ok. It really will.

My daughter was happy everyday at school. I was happy. The parents receive detailed daily report of their kids through email, and learn how well the kids finish their snack and lunch, how long they nap, what they do/​learn during the day and even photos.
I can’t be happier with the school.

My son started attending Primrose at 10 months and he’s in transition to the toddler classroom. Like many first time parents we debated over a nanny or a school environment for him. But after weighing the pros and cons we decided we wanted him to learn something not just be taken care of. We can’t say enough great things about the school and the teachers there. Everyone truly cares for him and it shows which makes it so much easier for us to go back to work. We’re amazed how quickly he learns things such as sign language and fundamental skills like walking and talking in a group environment. A big plus for us is that for older infants they have outside time, some other places they’re indoors all day. If you can get your child in to the school I highly recommend it.

My daughter has been attending Primrose School of Pleasanton for a year now and we love it! Everything from the curriculum to the staff. Since she has started she has learned her whole alphabet, how to spell her name and the names of all. of her friends. The curriculum is very diverse and she is always coming home with artwork that she is very proud of. The environment of the school is very welcoming and friendly and most importantly you can tell they really truly care about my daughter and are quick to answer or address any needs or concerns you may have. I have to give a special mention to Ms Armstrong, she communicates with me on a daily basis about my daughters progress both socially and academically.

My son told me in the last few months that he liked going to school. He often said to me «It’s fun, Mommy!» with a big smile on his face. Also, he was very proud of his artworks and craft projects he did at school.
This is such a great transformation for my little one, who is very shy. He used to cry every morning when I dropped him off at school, making me feel so guilty. It took him almost five months to finally like school. Diane, the director, and his teachers were just wonderful in helping him adjusting to the new environment.
Before Primrose, I visited more than 10 preschools and/​or daycares but I didn’t really like any of them. We definitely made a right choice by putting my son in Primrose.
My son no longer attends Primrose because he’s having a summer break and will be in kindergarten this fall. However, I would recommend Primrose to every parent because we just love the school, its program and the environment.

My daughter has been going to Primrose for 6 months now and we couldn’t be happier. I’ve seen so much growth and change in her since we transferred to this school from another preschool. The teachers and staff are amazing, they know all the kids by name even if they aren’t in their class and you’ll always receive a friendly greeting coming and going. They seem to care about the community of parents and bringing the families together by hosting things such as a «trunk or treat», Thanksgiving dinner and various holiday shows where the kids sing and perform for the parents. I look forward to watching my daughter’s transformation over the next few years with the Primrose family.

My son has been attending Primrose since he was about 2 ½ years old (he’s now 3) and I love it! He had a bit of a tough time working through adjusting to a new environment and finding his happy place. Since Diane found the program that works for him, it’s been nothing but great! His teachers have been amazing and they communicate very well daily. My son is constantly learning and surprising me with his knowledge at such a young age. Weekly, he comes home with something new. The director Diane and her staff are really awesome. They listen to the families and their needs and always keep the child at the center of focus and find what’s best for them!

When my husband and I decided to have my 18 month old daughter no longer stay at home and that a «daycare» would be a better option it was a difficult decision. No one wants the child raised by «strangers». We looked at several facilities and although all fine just nothing felt right and all felt like a «daycare». My husband being the most skeptical that «daycare» was right for us went with me to check out Primrose and the clean, homey, educational, loving vibes that resonated from one visit had him asking how do we sign up at the end. We decided we didn’t need full time care but that 2 days a week worked and would be good for social interaction with children.
Id like to say my beautiful daughter took to her school, it is so much more than a daycare, but it was ROUGH. Two days a week In the morning my separation anxiety ridden child cried as she was warmly embraced by the always smiling, soothing teachers of Primrose and I’d get in my car and cry to work. When we realized that only going two days a week was not helping my daughter transition still a month out the teachers and director agreed to us enrolling her full time for two weeks to a month. This was the best decision we made and after seeing her blossom under the love, structure, education, fun we had her go full time.
Since attending Primrose my daughter who would not eat unless walking around the house and who didn’t always have good naps on her own has completely changed. She also being taught sign language at the school has less my downs as she’s able to verbalize many things. Her shyness around kids due to being an only child has almost gone away and 4 out of 5 days when driving into the parking lot she says «school!»
All the above is nothing to the love she got from her teachers. I can’t say enough for the beautiful, opened armed, soothing, Saints that took care of my baby so well. The only thing that comforted me when dropping my daughter off each morning when everything ached to stay home with my love is there was ALWAYS another loving set of arms to place my little crying baby in. No matter what they were doing when we walked in they greeted her, held her, loved her and the 6 months she went I would say there was even 6 or seven times there were no tears, a bye bye momma and kisses blown.
The only reason my daughter isn’t attending Primrose anymore is that we moved out of town. And let me tell you if I could just pick up the school, it’s teachers and staff and take them with me id do it no matter the cost. We have found a new place that is also good but nothing will ever compare to Primrose. I often explain it to people as feeling like a private school when so often other facilities have a «public» school feeling. Their standards, cleanliness, professionalism, love to the parents and the children surpassed my thoughts and expectations and we miss Primrose and their staff greatly.
Mrs Diane, Ms Salas, Ms Wright and Ms matais and every loving lady that know my baby by name and has held her when she cried, danced and laughed with her and celebrated her milestones and loved her I thank you from the bottom of my heart I could never repay you for being MOM when I’m at work.

We’ve been taking our daughter to Primrose in Pleasanton since she was about 6 months old (she’s now 1). She started in the infant room and is now in the older infant room. We couldn’t be happier with our daycare choice. We toured a number of facilities in the Dublin-​Pleasanton area, and none of them really compared to Primrose.
The staff is fantastic from the front office and on to every teacher I’ve encountered. Everyone there seems to really know and care about your child. Any time we have a special concern or need, they are more than happy to adjust their care plan to address the need. It is so comforting to know my daughter isn’t sitting in a room all day being «watched» — but rather, interacting with other kids, doing art projects, singing, dancing, reading, and learning baby sign language. On top of all this, they provide well balanced meals and snacks for kids old enough to eat table food. I just don’t think you can find a facility as clean, organized, and well-​run as this one. To pay a little extra and know that there is actual curriculum in each class, and the caregivers are also teachers with proper training and high standards for being hired here — that is a huge relief. I plan to keep our daughter here until she starts in the public school system for Kindergarten.
If you are looking in the area for kids from infant up thru private pre-​K, make sure to tour Primrose!

My daughter has been in the daycare/​preschool environment since she was 4 months. We spent tons of time doing research on daycare/​preschool eduction. We have tried Bright Horizons and Kidango, And Primrose is the BEST!
— My daughter transitioned within one week.
— My daughter got potty trained in one week.
— My daughter is so happy before and after school hours.
— We have seen so much improvement on her language development and social skills.
We are so impressed with their facility, well educated teachers and healthy food prepared onsite. Thank you Primrose for ALL!

5-​stars! I’d give them bonus starts if that was an option!
I searched the Tri-​Valley area for a Young Preschool education for my two-​year old daughter and newest family member whose arrival will be in the summer of 2014. I’m a born-​and-​raised Pleasanton-​native and wanted to find high-​quality, private education that I too experienced before transitioning into Pleasanton’s Public School System. After touring handfuls of Infant/​toddler/​preschool/​kindergarten facilities, our family made the decision to choose Primrose. I won’t lie, we were hesitant to move her from in-​home family care to an unknown brand new facility.
Our two-​year old has been enrolled at Primrose since March 2014 and I’ve purposely waited for approximately 3-​months before writing this review. I figure if people get a probationary period at a new job, a new school should have the same time to assess the staff, facility and curriculum.
Reasons why we love Primrose School of Pleasanton:
1. PASSION: As a family, we are passionate about Primrose as much as the staff is passionate about our daughter. She loves everything about Primrose! Our daughter talks non-​stop about her teachers, the staff, her friends and everything she is learning. (I could name each and every staff member and teachers and profess my gratitude, but that would be an overwhelmingly long Unilocal review. I’d prefer to show them my gratitude in person.)
2. VISION AND VALUES: While Primrose School of Pleasanton is new and the first Primrose location in the state of California, the Primrose brand, vision and values have been around since 1982. While many schools boast «all-​play and nothing-​but-​play» values, Primrose makes education the key component of their curriculum. While I ike the idea of play, I’m also keen for an education with an emphasis on structure.
3. FACILITY: The facility is beautiful and has a well laid out floor plan. The security system to access the facility adds reassurance and peace of mind that no one can just walk in. Guests must ring the doorbell and wait for entry.
4. COMMUNICATION IS KEY: The owners, manager, teachers and staff are all easily accessible to address any issues you may have or talk about your child’s success at Primrose. The detailed handwritten daily reports provided for each child are a great way to keep abreast of how their day went. It includes, but is not limited to: diapering schedule, potty training schedule, how much and what our child consumed during each of her meal/​snacks times, nap schedule, activities she enjoyed during the day and what her disposition was during the day.
5. DIGITALLY CONNECTED: Primrose is online and on app — including Android! At our fingertips, we have access to the following, but is not limited to:
a.) our child’s classroom weekly newsletter — this includes: A Note from our Classroom’s Teachers, Upcoming Birthdays, Special Announcements, Curriculum Highlights, Home Fun and Snackable Things to remember about the month. I particularly like:
— Curriculum Highlights and Home Fun: This provides a brief overview of what our daughter is learning for the week, but goes above and beyond and also suggests how we can engage with her based on the weekly curriculum at home. I believe this approach brings together what she’s learning in a cohesive well-​rounded manner.
— Special Announcements section: I enjoy reading about tidbits about my daughter and her classmates. It’s great to see other children’s interests and how the classmates are interacting with each.
b.) Weekly Meal Plan (see healthy food choices below for more information)
6. HEALTHY FOOD CHOICES AND FAMILY-​STYLE EATING ARRANGEMENT: At home we eat together as a family and Primrose’s healthy meal plans (included in the price of tuition) coupled with the family-​style eating arrangement made it even easier to make Primrose our #1 choice. Here’s a sampling of just the lunch menu (milk and water are served with meals):
— Day 1: Mixed Bean and Corn Chili with Fruit and Seasonal Veggies
— Day 2: Baked Chicken Breast, Roasted Red Potatoes, Seasonal Veggies and Fresh Fruit
— Day 3: Pasta, Bread Roll, Fresh Fruit and Seasonal Veggies
— Day 4: Teriyaki Chicken Breast with Rice, Mixed Seasonal Veggies and Fruit
— Day 5: Chicken Burrito, Rice, Beans and Seasonal Fruit
Kudos to Chef Marina who prepares all the meals in the on-​site kitchen!
7. FLEXIBLE SCHEDULE: Our daughter is enrolled for a full day (6:30 am — 6:30 pm). While she hasn’t been there until 6:30 pm, if our demanding work schedules didn’t allow us to pick her up in the afternoon, we have peace of mind knowing she is being taken care of.
Thank you for taking the time to read this review. I will revise my review to include the infant/​toddler care when we enroll our son in ²⁰¹⁴⁄₂₀₁₅.

I found quick improvements in my 4 year old son’s mental and social health. In just a few weeks…
— he is talking about all his friends, which he lists all their names.
— he talks about ocean animals
— he counts backwards
–he even seems to be talking clearer
–He brings home 5 pages of art work per day, that he is really proud of.
–he is excited to be the «ball manager»
–he isn’t addicted to the TV and Ipad, he is actually playing with legos right now (using his imagination. wahoo)
–speaking Spanish randomly.
I feel very comfortable leaving him at school.
It is a NEW, CLEAN, SAFE, ORGANIZED SCHOOL, full of ENERGETIC, PASSIONATE, SWEET, PERSONABLE TEACHERS.
worth every penny.

My wife and I toured and then spent at least half a day at quite a few local daycare facilities, including one in-​home daycare, to see how the staff would interact with our son (who was a whole 3 – 4 months at that point).
Primrose won out for several reasons, even though they were one of the most expensive:
— Btand new facility
— Well run and organized
— Generous operating hours (6:30−6:30), since my wife and I both have demanding careers and long commutes, we needed the flexability
— Only closed for major holidays
— Great staff! We loved Ms. Burns (one of the infant care providers) the first time we met her on a tour and during all subsequent visits she lived up to our expectations.
Our son (who is now about 6 months old) started a week ago and we have been extremely happy so far. Ms. Diane is wonderful and makes you feel like your child is the only one at daycare. All the staff genuinely care about the children and of course thus far our son loves it there. Each day we get a detailed report on his mood and any special activities, along with the usual diaper /​feeding schedule.
In short I would recommend Primrose to any other parents.

This is a wonderful preschool with truly caring director, teachers and owner. Our son has been going there now for about a month and we have been so pleased with how much fun he says he is having learning. We looked at a few other preschools when we were looking and this one had a great curriculum for the kids to learn. Ms. Diane and her staff have been wonderful and really understand the schedule of working parents. The food that they provide has been nutritious and our son eats almost anything that they put in front of him! This is great for a 3 ½ year old. We cannot wait to see how much our son learns under their guidance and support.

Excellent Preschool …
Excellent Loving Caring Teacher and Staff
Excellent Curriculum
Health Food Prepared onsite.
Never before seen preschool in Bay Area…

Thank you Mrs. Diane for all your help and attention.
Wife and I are very happy with the opening of Primrose in our neighborhood. We have a 4 and a 2 in attendance since their opening day. We couldn’t be any happier with our decision or the attention our children get. The facility is beautiful and the teachers very caring. The administrative staff is very communicative and always bright and cheerful.
The benefits as I see them comparing our previous daycare experiences (we tried two others prior)
* Very clean facility
* Food is prepared fresh on site
* Large private classrooms not an open floor plan with a cacophony of distractions
* Staff who earnestly love children, not just a paycheck
* Students are not shuffled around to different age groups because of staff issues
* Well laid out and implemented security check, the front door isn’t a «classroom»
* Well-​equipped playground with both grass and court areas, sun and real shade trees
* Multi lingual instruction as well as computer access (this is the next generation)
These are just a few, if you go tour the facility you will see what I am talking about
Of course we were concerned with the transition to a new school but our children handled it without concern. They immediately bonded with their teachers and new friends and look forward to going to school. It really is amazing when talking with my 4yr old how much more he likes Primrose and his teachers.

We are researching preschools for our 3yo son and so this will be one of a handful of reviews I’ll write based on our tours. This school is under construction so only possible to visit sales office across street and see pictures of other schools across the country. We were told layout is the same, so the pics we saw will be what this school will turn out to be. The curriculum is impressive. Spanish and sign language every day. They have cute names for all the disciplines; e.g. Spanish is «mucho mundo.» the lesson plans are already fleshed out… any teacher just has to read through and execute. so it’s pretty standardized across the country. lunch and a.m./p.m. snacks are included… and the menu looks amazing. super healthy, with minimal processed foods. My husband works in this business park so the location couldn’t be more convenient. Kids wear uniforms and are issued backpacks. Not thrilled about that, but not a dealbreaker (update — uniforms only for kindergarten… he doesn’t have to wear them as a preschooler). The only downside is the newness… teachers aren’t hired yet, so we’re not sure how they’ll adapt to new format, don’t know how many kids will be attending his age-​group class, and nobody can forsee potential delays as they finish up construction and get final permits to open. We’re going to keep our eye out on this place, but not sure if we’re diving in with the grand opening.
UPDATE — This is the preschool we chose, and we’re happy parents, as we’ve seen Diane and Nick go above and beyond the call of duty to answer questions and ensure our comfortability as everybody settles in. We ask our 3 ½ year old what was his favorite part of his day and his answer is always «my teachers». He shares art projects, movement, songs and more from the day’s activities and we get very detailed reports on his happiness, engagement and potty training, as well as funny stories. Happy to recommend Primrose to any Tri-​Valley family! Updated my rating from 3 to 4 stars.