Preschool
UnclaimedBright Future Early Learning
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Amenities
Accessibility
Wheelchair accessible entranceWheelchair accessible parking lot
We have two children who have been coming to Bright Futures (BFELC) for a couple of years now (one child since 2.5 years, another child since 5 months infant) and they are both thriving at this school. We are really grateful to Miss Jenel and her amazing team for their thoughtfulness, care, and professionalism. This school really hit the sweet spot for us in terms of a small and intimate community (rather than a franchise place) that truly puts early childhood education at the center with play-based learning.
A few things that encapsulates my experience:
Do the staff genuinely care about the children? - YES!! I've had my children in a couple of different daycare/preschools, and they range from daycares where the staff are paid so little that they are literally just phoning it in to the daycares are super fancy and they have bells and whistles and matching t-shirts but little personal touch. BFELC hit the sweet spot for me in terms of being small enough so that it feels like teachers actually deeply know and understand our children as individuals, but also that the school is big and professionalized enough that there are appropriate controls and systems in place - and teachers who can sub for one another, as opposed to everything all falling onto a few people's shoulders. The other thing that contributes to a genuinely caring environment in my opinion is the fact that the teachers seem to really like it here and for the most part are also deeply passionate about early childhood education. It's a good sign to me when teachers are constantly investing in themselves to upskill themselves in certifications on childhood education over and above the professional development that's offered by the school, they see themselves as childhood educators and that makes a big difference. There was also a teacher who had particular gardening skills so she started a vegetable garden which grew and resulted in this beautiful bounty for the children to take home with them. This is the kind of thing that large institutions usually have rules against, but I like the BFELC is enough of a smaller community that it can allow this kind of personal touch and entrepreneurialism from teachers.
Is the school administratively okay to deal with - Yes, BFELC is pretty solid in this department. This was a painpoint for me in one of my previous daycares for my child, there was a constant stream of forms to fill out or processes to follow or the school was just super stickler on communicating ONLY in the app so you could not actually TALK to the teachers you had to only go through the app - not a very human experience. At BFELC, it's a much more human experience and the school administration totally understands that parents are juggling a million different things. They keep things systematic and organized (eg using the BrightWheel app for announcements) but also easy going and LOW ADMINISTRATIVE BURDEN especially on the number of asks to parents.
Are my kids happy and learning and growing? - Yes, they are! One thing I really appreciate about BFELC is how low-key the community of parents are. The student population is generally diverse and representative of the Oakland area (including teachers who speak multiple languages - one of them has been teaching the older kids a bit of french on the side) and the other parents are the kind that get to know my kids' names and bring group snacks at pick-up for everyone when they can. Parent participation is always welcome but never mandatory or looked down upon if you're not able to be more involved, and the other parents are welcoming. I've noticed my children grow meaningful friendships through the school, and grow in leaps and bounds in their social and communication skills as a result.
My two children both love Bright Future! My 4-yr-old son has attended for over 3 years, and my 1-yr-old daughter for 6 months. The center is divided into a preschool classroom (2.5 yrs+) and an infant and toddler room (infants have their own separate play and sleep area). My kids have thrived in each!
Each classroom has a separate outdoor area with age-appropriate play equipment. I like that much of the outdoor area is covered, so the kids can play outside even when the weather isn't great. The center provides lunch and snacks (which makes my life way easier).
The staff are caring, attentive, and thoughtful. And communicative! We receive regular emails from the director (Jenel) and more frequent updates via a smartphone app from her and teachers. For infants, teachers communicate tons of details each day (naps, diapers, milk/food). They are also careful about hygiene -- wearing gloves and regularly cleaning.
Importantly, the staff are educators focused on learning and healthy development (and offer parent-teacher conferences to check in about that). The kids enjoy lots of enrichment activities: my preschooler loves weekly yoga and my toddler enjoys music (both taught by outside instructors). My son tells me all about his school science projects and even had a simple math lesson via baking. Both classes make regular visits to the local farmers market and occasional other field trips (the zoo!).
The center welcomes parents for seasonal parties/holiday celebrations, and I've visited the classroom for "playdates" as well. It's a community if you're open to it! There's a parent-involvement committee you can join.
Bright Future is also a non-profit. I value that. Child care is undoubtedly expensive, but no one is trying to rip you off at Bright Future! The board of directors is made up of current and former parents, who work with the director to make decisions (about finances/tuition, health/safety, etc.).
