Albany Preschool

We love this preschool! My son is in his second year here, in the PM program (1-4:30) and absolutely LOVES it! I can't believe how much he's developed in one short year. They really are a play based school and the benefits of that are quickly rewarded with a confident young 3-4 year old that can sing the morning song in 6-10 languages, has an affinity for the flags of the world, can write his name before the age of 4, enjoys music, dancing, playing with friends, cleans up after himself, and the amount of art that comes home is mind blowing!

Teacher Susy just celebrated 25 years as the PM director and was awarded the Habitot Preschool Teacher of the year award in 2016. She's a natural with the children and their fondness towards her is evident. I highly recommend this preschool.

Love love LOVE APS!

My son has been attending Albany Preschool since the fall. He goes three days a week and he loves it! He started sobbing once when I told him he would be going to the library for storytime with his grandparents on one of his off days instead going to school. We'll be enrolling him five days a week next year. Heck, even my one year old looks forward to taking his big brother to school since he gets to poke around a bit and listen to some songs during the drop-off/pick-up circle time.

The kids get to pick what they want to do for the day. It's fun to see what the minds of 3 and 4 year olds will do with all they are provided at the school. They can do art, play games, dress up, read stories, dig in the sand, or play in one of the yards all day. There are certain activities that the teachers will specify but otherwise the kids will lead their own activities.

At first I wasn't sure about the co-op program when we were thinking about enrolling but now I think it's great system. There are full day and half day options that you can choose to enroll your child in. The tuition rates are lower than a regular preschool because it is a co-op system. Being able to participate in every other week in the morning lets me see first-hand what my child does in school. No more wondering if he is making friends, causing trouble, eating, etc.. Also there's no wondering how the teachers interact with the kids because you get to see it first-hand.

I'm lucky that my work schedule allows me to participate in the morning. It's fun to get to know the kids and see their little personalities develop. If you can't participate, the afternoon session does not require parent participation. A few families can also hire an approved substitute for their participation days.

I recommend you check out Albany Preschool! Maybe you too will wake up one morning to hear your children singing the Good Morning song from circle time in Japanese, Hebrew and Polish. I was fairly (but pleasantly) surprised especially since we speak none of these languages at home!

Albany Preschool is absolutely fantastic!! Both of my children have graduated from Albany Preschool after 4 years of play. The teachers are fantastic and genuinely care for all families and their needs. The community is supportive, helpful, and encouraging. We are going to miss APS so much!!

We love this school and most of all, we love the teachers! We are really happy with the variety of activities available. There is so much to do here. There is art, crafts, games, singing, dancing, learning new languages. They have two yards; the north yard with a standard play structure and the south yard with a huge sand box, swings, fountains, and play house. The kids have snacks every morning (no sweets, of course) and the kids help out with gathering everyone when it's time.

We were a little apprehensive of the co-op system at first and the level of involvement. Honestly, it became more of an investment into our community. We have more opportunities to interact with the other parents, families of whom we will probably join into elementary school, middle school, and high school. I volunteered in the maintenance program where we do clean-up and fix things around the classroom and yard. For a few hours each month, I had a valid excuse to leave my kids and lovely wife at home while I ate doughnuts and drank coffee with other adults. Not a bad deal!

We really appreciate the high level of respect and mutual understanding between teacher and student, and between students themselves. My son has gained so much confidence through learning how to communicate. Despite the free-form nature of play, there is a set schedule so the students learn the system very quickly. Seeing the transformation and growth in my son has been very rewarding!

Why, you might ask yourself, is a 65 year old woman writing a review about her preschool? Doesn't she have a life?

I graduated from the Albany Preschool in about 1950 as did many of my young Albany neighbors. Can't think of one of us who hasn't used those early years as a foundation for a colorful *educated* lifetime.

Miss Curran was our teacher. We learned to share, to pour milk from a pitcher, to make clay vases for Mother's Day. And (of course) to give the obligatory plaster of paris handprint to our father on his "special" day.
Although we came from a wide variety of religions, cultures and family groups, the kids at Albany Preschool circa 1950 all learned how to get along, and to contribute to society.

Albany Preschool still exists. It is still training today's children for the future. Kids who go to the school *do* learn to share, to work and to value all living creatures.

Kudos to a great place, which has done so much for so many people through the years! If you haven't been by it, check it out. Its still on the same site, half a block from Solano. And tell 'em Dorothy sent you.

Our son (4) has been attending for over a month now and he really loves it! There is a lot to do and play with so the kids never get bored. As parents we really liked that when we were looking for a preschool, the children here at Albany Preschool were very comfortable and having fun while not out of control. Other preschools we visited, we noticed that the kids were just going crazy, or bored, and at a couple of them scared of the teachers. I think the great atmosphere is created by the teachers Nancy, Suzy, & Nagat. They do a great job with the kids in all aspects. We have a daughter that when old enough will for sure attend here as well!

We also love Albany Preschool! My older son went to the afternoon program last year- he's now in kindergarten and doing great! I really appreciated how much the teachers cared for him and worked with him to make sure he was ready for school- all while maintaining a fun, creative, play-based curriculum!

This year my 3 year old twins have started the morning program and are having a great time. They grow and learn more every week, and I really enjoy getting a chance to participate in their school experience and meeting all the other kids. I'm also learning some new tricks from the amazing teachers, as well as the other parents!

Albany Preschool really is a wonderful community and a great place for kids to "grow their wings" as they get ready for school and life.

My daughter will be graduating from preschool at Albany Preschool in June after going through their two year afternoon program. The teachers at the school are warm, compassionate and positive. They have helped my daughter grow and become more independent.

I love the play-based philosophy, and my daughter has learned so much! The coop model enables us to get to know other families in the area better than we otherwise would. The diverse community of the school is celebrated every day as the children learn to sing songs in the languages represented by the students and their families.

I know my daughter will be sad to leave her teachers and friends at APS, but we will be back after about a year when her younger sister is old ready for preschool!

Both of my children attended APS for one year each and we love this preschool! There was a 5 year gap in between my kids attending here and when we came back with our 2nd child, the teacher's there were still the same vibrant, loving and fun teachers as they were before we moved. Albany Preschool's strengths are that they are loving (everyone is called "friend", teachers are affectionate), lots of singing, games, "public speaking" opportunities (or not!), comfort zones are respected, there is a focus on learning about different cultures, languages (and identifying flags of countries) and lots of creative play is encouraged. Nutritious and varied snacks are provided as part of the tuition, too. APS is simply, by and large, a great community to be a part of!

APS Rocks!

Our son is in his first year of the program. Our experience here has brought me a sense of community I haven't experienced since leaving a much smaller city. Most of the staff have been there for many years and are highly competent. This play-based program is of the highest caliber and has offered us everything we were looking for in a pre-school.