The Children's Workshop Oakland
The Children's Workshop Oakland, 1937 8th Avenue, Oakland, CA 94606
About
The Children's Workshop Oakland offers arts, maker, math, science, and sensory focused explorations, along with child-centered project work and immersive, self guided play. Children take part in collaborative project-based activities, indoor and outdoor project work, free-play and choice times, quiet rest or nap time, small and large group interaction, and meal times and snacks. The program includes self-guided learning areas such as indoor art studios, reading corners, writing centers, dramatic play spaces, project design, planning and building, as well as music, movement, read-aloud story times, and teacher-facilitated potty tries.
• Ages: 18 months–5 years old
• Schedule: Monday–Friday, 8:00am–5:30pm; full day toddler and preschool programs run year round
The Children's Workshop Oakland is a Reggio Emilia preschool with a Reggio-inspired, inquiry-driven and play-based toddler and preschool program that includes a full day play- and project-based, Reggio-inspired curriculum. The school has approximately twelve teachers and fifty students, with small class sizes and low child-teacher ratios in a small, highly creative and intensely collaborative program. The campus includes indoor and outdoor classrooms, an intimate four classroom campus, indoor art studios, reading corners, writing centers, and natural classroom areas that allow a significant portion of the school day to be spent working and playing outdoors. The program serves a diverse and inclusive school community with mixed ages and abilities, and follows anti-bias and antiracist pedagogies within a campus wide culture of child-centered learning and inquiry. Teachers function as hands-on co-learning partners, and children are not required to be toilet trained, with children required to remain seated while eating for safety.
The mission of The Children's Workshop Oakland is to create a joyful, equitable and language rich learning environment where toddler and preschool age children from diverse backgrounds and of mixed ages and abilities can freely explore their emerging interests and blossoming capabilities through participation in immersive, self guided play and collaborative project-based activities. The program is a Certified California Early Childhood Mentor Program teacher mentoring campus that focuses on credentialing, apprenticeship and training for seasoned toddler and preschool teachers and aspiring early childhood educators. It holds License No: 013423786 and License No: 013423058. Volunteer members of the larger community provide input into ongoing project work.
The Children's Workshop Oakland serves a well balanced, protein-rich lunch and wholesome morning and afternoon snacks family style, with fresh fruits and veggies grown without the use of pesticides when possible, and meat and dairy items free from growth hormones, antibiotics and other additives when possible. The toddler program enrolls children ages 18–23 months, and the preschool program enrolls children ages 24 months to 5 years. The Director is Jessica Spenchian.
Last updated June 21, 2026.
• Ages: 18 months–5 years old
• Schedule: Monday–Friday, 8:00am–5:30pm; full day toddler and preschool programs run year round
The Children's Workshop Oakland is a Reggio Emilia preschool with a Reggio-inspired, inquiry-driven and play-based toddler and preschool program that includes a full day play- and project-based, Reggio-inspired curriculum. The school has approximately twelve teachers and fifty students, with small class sizes and low child-teacher ratios in a small, highly creative and intensely collaborative program. The campus includes indoor and outdoor classrooms, an intimate four classroom campus, indoor art studios, reading corners, writing centers, and natural classroom areas that allow a significant portion of the school day to be spent working and playing outdoors. The program serves a diverse and inclusive school community with mixed ages and abilities, and follows anti-bias and antiracist pedagogies within a campus wide culture of child-centered learning and inquiry. Teachers function as hands-on co-learning partners, and children are not required to be toilet trained, with children required to remain seated while eating for safety.
The mission of The Children's Workshop Oakland is to create a joyful, equitable and language rich learning environment where toddler and preschool age children from diverse backgrounds and of mixed ages and abilities can freely explore their emerging interests and blossoming capabilities through participation in immersive, self guided play and collaborative project-based activities. The program is a Certified California Early Childhood Mentor Program teacher mentoring campus that focuses on credentialing, apprenticeship and training for seasoned toddler and preschool teachers and aspiring early childhood educators. It holds License No: 013423786 and License No: 013423058. Volunteer members of the larger community provide input into ongoing project work.
The Children's Workshop Oakland serves a well balanced, protein-rich lunch and wholesome morning and afternoon snacks family style, with fresh fruits and veggies grown without the use of pesticides when possible, and meat and dairy items free from growth hormones, antibiotics and other additives when possible. The toddler program enrolls children ages 18–23 months, and the preschool program enrolls children ages 24 months to 5 years. The Director is Jessica Spenchian.
Last updated June 21, 2026.
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