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 pouring, buttoning, tying shoelaces, reading, handwriting, penmanship, art and crafts, cooking, and creative movement and music. The daily routine includes music and movements, Spanish, a composer of the month, an artist of the month, Aesop’s Fables, a Grace & Courtesy tea party, and a birthday celebration ceremony in which the child holds the earth-globe and circles around the symbol of the sun. Children use Montessori materials for practical life, sensorial development, language arts, mathematics, and cultural studies, including the study of plants, animals, land forms and continents, history, and themed summer studies of invertebrate animals (Summer 2026), human anatomy (Summer 2027), and the solar system (Summer 2028).

• Ages: 2–6 years old
• Schedule: School hours Monday–Friday, 7am–6pm, with Half Day (9am–12pm or 12:30pm–3:30pm), Extended Day (9am–3pm or 12pm–6pm), and Daycare (7am–6pm) options; academic years run August 18, 2025–May 21, 2026 and August 17, 2026–May 21, 2027
• Price: 2025–2026 tuition ranges from $6,900 per academic year for Half Day to $13,500 for Daycare, and 2026–2027 tuition ranges from $7,000 for Half Day to $13,500 for Daycare, with separate book and material fees, an application fee of $125, a $200 enrollment/re-enrollment deposit toward tuition, a $200 per-child annual work commitment or ten work hours, a 10% sibling discount on tuition, $12 per hour day care, and a late pick-up fee of $5 per five-minute increment after 6:00pm.

The school has served the San Leandro, San Lorenzo, and surrounding communities since 1991 and is non-sectarian, with children from various ethnicities and religious beliefs attending. It is affiliated with the American Montessori Society (AMS) and is licensed by the State of California through Community Care Licensing. Health and safety measures include a touchless attendance system, motion-detecting hand sanitizers, daily sanitizing and janitorial service, a safe enclosed campus with external security cameras, access code entry, and an emergency disaster plan, and all employees receive a full background check through the FBI and Department of Justice, with no person employed who has a criminal record.

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 Montessori accredited training programs or are currently in training. Lead teachers are AMS credentialed and all teachers are actively working toward their Montessori credential. Each 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 mission of Montessori School at Washington Avenue states that it is dedicated to providing a nurturing and stimulating environment for children to grow, learn, and thrive, that each child is viewed as a unique individual with limitless potential, and that the school is dedicated to cultivating lifelong learners who possess a love for knowledge, strong character, and the skills necessary to succeed in an ever-changing world. All parents are members of the Parent Association, and each family is responsible for ten hours of work commitment per year per child.

The summer preschool and daycare program alternates themes of invertebrate animals (2026), human anatomy (2027), and the solar system (2028), and includes models, puzzles, books and projects, and arts and crafts. The daily schedule includes inside time with day care materials, group time, Montessori class time with choice of materials and snack, outside play yard time, lunch, nap for younger children, math class and reading group for kindergarten, cultural group and demonstrations for older children, snack, supervised art and crafts, creative movement and music, cooking, a tea party Grace & Courtesy activity, and story time.

Parent testimonials describe the curriculum as well structured and balanced, mention that teachers are caring, skilled, and dedicated, and note that children have grown socially and academically and look forward to attending school. Individual teachers such as Ms. Alondra and Ms. Karina are mentioned by name in testimonials for their patience, eagerness to teach, and support, and several parents state that they highly recommend Montessori School at Washington Avenue.

Last updated May 17, 2026.