About
The Lake School offers a play-based preschool program with three separate classrooms and large outdoor play spaces. Each classroom and the outdoor areas include pets, such as fluffy bunnies, curious chickens, a gentle tortoise, and playful lizards. The program enrolls 13–18 students in each of four age-defined classes, with class ratios ranging from 1:4 in the younger classes to 1:6 in the Transitional Kindergarten, and is licensed to provide care for 46 two to six-year-old students on campus at a time.
• Ages: 2–6 years old
• Schedule: The Lake School offers a 4 hour program two days a week for two-year-olds, three days a week for three-year-olds, four days a week for four-year-olds, and five days a week for five-year-olds, with a full five-day week program and the option to extend days for up to eight hours.
The Lake School was founded in 1981 as one of Oakland’s first play-based preschools and has served as a community preschool for Lake area families since that time. It was founded on the premise that children are capable and curious beings and is grounded in the philosophy that play is a natural and necessary part of childhood, with a strong emphasis on social-emotional learning and community. The school states a strong emphasis on social responsibility and values such as cooperation, teamwork, respect for others, and care for the environment. The Lake School uses positive discipline, where students are not punished or separated from others except when safety is an issue, and teachers use tactics of redirection and guide children to use feelings and needs language; students may be offered a “do-over,” an action to help friends feel better, or a co-created plan for what will work better next time. At The Lake School, 72% of staff have 3 or more years at the school, and the average teaching experience is 7 years. The program holds CA State License #010205449, and the current AQI is reported from PurpleAir.com by a sensor located nearby the school on Lester Ave.
Last updated March 24, 2026.
• Ages: 2–6 years old
• Schedule: The Lake School offers a 4 hour program two days a week for two-year-olds, three days a week for three-year-olds, four days a week for four-year-olds, and five days a week for five-year-olds, with a full five-day week program and the option to extend days for up to eight hours.
The Lake School was founded in 1981 as one of Oakland’s first play-based preschools and has served as a community preschool for Lake area families since that time. It was founded on the premise that children are capable and curious beings and is grounded in the philosophy that play is a natural and necessary part of childhood, with a strong emphasis on social-emotional learning and community. The school states a strong emphasis on social responsibility and values such as cooperation, teamwork, respect for others, and care for the environment. The Lake School uses positive discipline, where students are not punished or separated from others except when safety is an issue, and teachers use tactics of redirection and guide children to use feelings and needs language; students may be offered a “do-over,” an action to help friends feel better, or a co-created plan for what will work better next time. At The Lake School, 72% of staff have 3 or more years at the school, and the average teaching experience is 7 years. The program holds CA State License #010205449, and the current AQI is reported from PurpleAir.com by a sensor located nearby the school on Lester Ave.
Last updated March 24, 2026.
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