Little Oak Preschool - Menlo Park

Little Oak Preschool - Menlo Park offers activities in art, music, science, cooking, nutrition, socialization, critical thinking, community, multicultural awareness, and language arts skills. Children in the 3’s and Pre-K classrooms have weekly visits to a Library and a STEAM classroom as part of the program. The program takes place in a classroom setting that is described as safe, comfortable, clean, and well-organized, with infant/toddler rooms, 2’s classrooms, 3’s classrooms, Pre-K classrooms, a Library, and a STEAM classroom.

• Ages: 0–5 years old
• Schedule: 8:00am to 5:30pm, Monday to Friday

Little Oak Preschool - Menlo Park was formerly Bright Angel Academy. The mission of the program is to cultivate wisdom and respect in children from an early age, such that the love of learning and value of self and others continue to grow all throughout life. The User Director is Ms. Linda Friedlin. Teachers are described as highly educated with deep expertise in early childhood education and preschool curriculum.

The program uses both Montessori and play-based learning. Ratios range from 1:4 in infant/toddler rooms, 1:6 in 2’s classrooms, and 1:8 in 3’s and Pre-K classrooms, and these ratios fall below the state-mandated requirement of 1:12 in a preschool classroom. Each classroom has a minimum of two teachers and an assistant. The curriculum is child-centered and includes weekly themes explored in multiple developmental areas, and the 3’s and Pre-K classrooms visit the Library and STEAM classroom each week. A Kindergarten Readiness Program is implemented in the Pre-Kindergarten classrooms. Teachers are described as attentive, warm, and nurturing, and they actively engage with children in child-directed play, caregiving, and teacher-inspired activities within a predictable and stable daily schedule. Parents are strongly encouraged to volunteer and participate in their child’s school experience.

One parent testimonial states that two children acclimated to the environment after a stressful move, that the children feel loved and accepted by the staff, and that the Montessori program was new to the family but the children seem to be flourishing with the freedom to learn and develop psychologically and socially, increasing their interest in learning new things. The same testimonial notes that the reviewer wrote in response to a negative review from someone who did not attend the school and describes the people at the school as a blessing to the family.

Last updated April 27, 2026.