Montessori School at Washington Avenue

Montessori School at Washington Avenue offers a Montessori preschool and kindergarten program where children take part in activities such as Music and Movements, Spanish, Composer of the Month, Artist of the Month, Penmanship, Art and Crafts, Creative Movement & Music, Cooking, and a daily Tea Party as a Grace and Courtesy activity. The program also includes reading and writing, mathematics, sensorial work, and practical life competency skills, along with studying plants, animals, geography, land and water forms, continents and oceans, and history. The school offers a summer preschool and daycare program with rotating themes on Invertebrate Animals, Human Anatomy, and the Solar System, using models, puzzles, books and projects, and arts and crafts.

• Ages: 2–6 years old
• Schedule: School hours Monday–Friday 7am–6pm, with Daycare Program 7am–6pm, Half Day Program 9am–12pm or 12:30pm–3:30pm, and Extended Day Program 9am–3pm or 12pm–6pm during the academic year from August 17, 2026 through May 20, 2027
• Price: Half Day Program $7,000 per academic year; Extended Day Program $10,600 per academic year; Daycare Program $13,500 per academic year, plus application, book and material, and other listed fees including optional hourly daycare and late pick-up fees

Montessori School at Washington Avenue has served the San Leandro, San Lorenzo, and surrounding communities since 1991 and is non-sectarian, with children from various ethnicities and religious beliefs. The school is affiliated with the American Montessori Society (AMS) and is licensed by the State of California through Community Care Licensing. All teachers have state-required units in Early Childhood Education, CPR and First Aid Training, Mandated Reporter Training, and criminal background checks, and most hold higher education degrees and Montessori credentials through accredited Montessori training programs or are currently in training, with lead teachers holding AMS credentials and all teachers actively working toward their Montessori credential. Every classroom includes a head teacher and two qualified assistants for a group as large as 36 students, and the teacher-to-child ratio follows the state requirement of one teacher visually observing and supervising at most 12 children in attendance.

The school states that its mission is to provide a nurturing and stimulating environment based on the principles of Maria Montessori, to recognize each child as a unique individual with limitless potential, and to cultivate lifelong learners who have a love for knowledge, strong character, and skills for an ever-changing world, with a curriculum that engages children’s natural curiosity and promotes independence in a safe, spacious, and nurturing environment where children feel valued, respected, and supported. The campus includes a touchless attendance system, motion-detecting hand sanitizers, daily sanitizing and janitorial service, external security cameras, access code entry, and an emergency disaster plan. The program uses multi-age or mixed-age grouping as a fundamental aspect of the Montessori method, and all parents are members of the Parent Association with a work commitment of ten hours per child per year or a set fee per child per year.

Parent testimonials describe the curriculum as well structured and balanced, and mention that it encourages creativity and critical thinking, with teachers described as caring, skilled, and dedicated to each child’s development. Families report that their children look forward to attending school, that teachers create a safe and clean learning environment and prioritize student well-being, and that specific teachers such as Ms. Alondra and Ms. Karina are patient, eager to teach, and provide structure and loving support. Several parents state that their children have grown socially and academically, become more social, outspoken, and independent, and felt well prepared for kindergarten and later grades after attending Montessori School at Washington Avenue.

Last updated August 16, 2026.