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Oakland, CA
Mills College Children's School

Parents at this school would recommend this school to other parents.

Review this preschool

neighborhood: Maxwell Park / Millsmont ·  Telephone: (510) 430-2118  · Website: www.mills.edu/campus_life...

• Summary
• General Info
• School Philosophy
  & Day-in-the-Life
• Curriculum &
  Teaching Approach
• Quality of
  Teaching
• Home/School
  Connection
• Discipline,
  Health & Safety
• Ages, Schedule
  & Tuition
• Application &
  Admissions
• Kindergarten
  Placement&Tips

General Approach to Learning

	Play-based
	Play-based with some structure
	Predominantly teacher-led instruction
	Montessori
	Waldorf
	Co-op
	Reggio-Emilia

source:

Director's Comments

By providing a Reggio inspired setting, we believe we have found a near perfect balance of giving children the freedom to inquire and explore as well as providing focus on projects and in-depth learning.

Social Skills & Work Habits

OVERALL RATING (5.0)
This school has increased my child's:
Ability to listen and follow directions
Ability to sit still for longer periods of time
Ability to be a part of a group of children
Self-sufficiency and independence
Awareness of others’ feelings
Cooperation with other children

source:

Curriculum and Teaching Approach

	PLAY-BASED	PLAY-BASED WITH SOME STRUCTURE	MOSTLY TEACHER LED	NOT FORMALLY IN CURRICULUM	CONDUCIVE ENVIRONMENT
Language					Yes
Oral language	-		-	-	n/a
Nursery rhymes, poems, songs	-		-	-	n/a
Storybook reading	-		-	-	n/a
Emerging literacy skills		-	-	-	n/a
Cognitive Development					n/a
Math and number sense	-		-	-	Yes
Time & space	-		-	-	Yes
Sci. reasoning/physical world	-		-	-	Yes
Music	-		-	-	Yes
Visual arts	-		-	-	Yes
Physical activity	-		-	-	Yes
Other subjects taught	Our emphasis in creating curriculum is based on John Dewey's child-centered approach. There is a delicate balance between teacher-initiated and child-driven ideas and interests.				n/a

source:

Director's Comments

We offer a Reggio Emilia inspired approach where children often are found engaged in long-term projects. Children are encouraged to participate and contribute to a communal approach in order to share and build knowledge. There are daily group times as well with a more teacher-led format.

Parents' Comments

Parent #1
Some structure - structure is not apparent to an untrained eye, but it is definitely there.

Parent #2
The children are given the opportunity for free-play, but with specific areas set up with different activities on different days. The children then have the opportunity to pursue their interests, but with some teacher guidance and facilitation as needed. There is always room for exploration, and building upon concepts, but there is not a rigid focus on learning numbers, letters, math and so on.

Parent #3
Part of the Children's School Philosophy is to promote children's autonomy, follow their interests, and allow for learning through small and large group play. All of the classrooms are multi-aged, and children are encouraged to learn from each other. However, parts of the day are structured for teacher-directed learning, and older children are directed and assisted in more age-appropriate projects and tasks.