Lily’s Garden

My both daughters are going to Lily’s Garden. One is in Kindergarten, another in pre-​school. Putting them in the Lily’s Garden was the best decision we’ve even made for our kids’ education.
My kids had been to a half dozen day care/​pre schools. They are mom-​and-​pop and national chain. None of them come even close to the quality of teaching and caring Lily’s Garden gave to my children.
1. The teaching quality is much higher than other pre-​schools. Other mom mentioned it in these Unilocal reviews.
2. Both my girls are taking Chinese classes for few months. My older daughter practicing writing Chinese words every day and the younger one can understand a lot of basic Chinese words and sentence. Before Lily’s Garden, they have no exposure to Chinese.
3. My older daughter takes art class here. Her paintings are amazing. My family members fight to get her paintings, so they can frame her art.
4. Lily’s Garden doesn’t let kids get away from bad behaviors. My kids get time-​out whenever they do something bad. Yet, they love their teachers. They go out of their way to hug all the teachers when they leave school every day. My husband and I chat with the teachers and owner routinely. You can tell that they love children. They never tell you that but you can feel from how they interact with children.
5. Lily’s Garden put two singing/​dancing shows at Christmas and Graduation. They are well planed and choreographed. Every kid is in the performance. My kids absolutely love that!
6. Parents are awesome! We met a lot of parents through our kids. All of them are kind, helpful and reasonable. Some of the parents are becoming our friends and we are planning frequent play dates with them.
One Monday morning, I was going to park on the street to drop off my kids. The owner came out to tell me not go because Monday morning is the street cleaning and cars parked on the street get parking ticket. He offered to take my daughters into school for me, so I don’t have to wait for the parking. This is one of many examples how caring the owners are.
If Lily’s Garden has 1^st grade, I’d let my older daughter to stay here.

I love this school! My two kids have been attending Lilys Garden since June 2014. The quality of the academics at Lilys Garden is well-​known throughout the area. My kids’ aptitude and confidence in reading, writing, vocabulary, math, and science is now far ahead of the average. More importantly, they have been infused with a love of learning. They wake up each day eager to go learn more. This is an attitude that will stay with them far after they graduate.
But the real reason I love and recommend this school is the staff. Every one of the teachers conveys a true love of learning and love of children. I can speak especially highly of my kids’ classrooms — Ms. Aileen, Ms, Debbie, Ms. Yolanda, and Ms. Mae. They successfully walk the fine line between discipline/​structure and individual care/​personal instruction. In addition, the school’s principal Christina (who is also the owner) makes it a priority to learn every child’s name and is available everyday to chat with parents.
You would be very pleased to send your kids to this school.

I felt compelled to update my review after reading a recent negative review about Lily’s Garden. I have been a parent at this school for the past 6 years and I would say that I am very familiar with the majority of the teachers as well as many of the families at this school. I would also say that our first child attended 3 other daycare/​preschools (we moved from the SF Bay Area), and Lily’s Garden is by far the best in terms of the quality of teachers and the teaching. There is a reason why this school has an unusually high number of children whose parents are very successful professionals and business owners. I have never had an experience where I felt any of the staff were being unprofessional or unkind to the children. I truly believe that the staff’s main priority are the children’s best interest and well being. I remember one time my daughter threw a massive tantrum and was flopping on the floor crying. I recalled that the teacher never yelled at her but brought her outside of the room to calmly explained to her that her behavior was inappropriate. The next time my daughter threw a tantrum, her teacher gave her a time out in another room. My daughter never threw another tantrum and she, to this day, loves that teacher even as she will be ten years old this year.
In my earlier years of motherhood, I have seen pre-​schools that are run like businesses. There are schools where the second you are late with the tuition, the school will hound you for payment. Some schools go as far as kicking the students out if the tuition is not paid. From my observations, I know for a fact that there are some families that ran into financial difficulties and either could not pay the tuition or were chronically late in paying the tuition. The owners could have easily kicked these children out of school and replaced them with new children, as there is never a shortage of families trying to get into this school. Instead, the owners were very sensitive and supportive to those families and never once threatened to kick their children out of school. The owners bent over backwards to make sure their kids were taken care of. I know of one moving situation where a young mother was diagnosed with cancer and could no longer work because she was undergoing chemotherapy. The mother told the owners that she could no longer afford to keep her child at the school. The owners responded by giving that child free tuition. I think one would be hard-​pressed to find a school with owners that are so kind. Of course, nobody would advertise these stories and you would only know about these acts of kindness if you spent a lot time with the families and staff here.

I love this school!!! Even before I had my son, I heard so many good reviews about this place from friends and family that I already knew that the day I have kids, they will go there for sure!
My son was not even 3 when he started there and will stay till the end of K.
The teachers are very professional and patient. This school is definitely excellent for academics. I am very impressed at how much my son is learning there. He was able to read at age 4. They also have a Chinese class and I am still amazed that he can recite a Confucius poem in Chinese.
I will definitely keep recommending this school to all my friends.

I had heard great things about Lily’s Garden through a friend. So when it was time for my daughter to start school I was sure it would be a wonderful experience. It would be unfair to say that Lily’s Garden is not a good school because I am sure there are a few (or at least one) very good teachers there. My friend had a wonderful teacher who was nurturing and kind. Unfortunately, we did not have the same experience. Our teacher was unprofessional, rude and always slightly defensive. I would have been forgiving if she was at least good. I was hoping for an engaging and nurturing environment that encourages the little ones to explore and learn. I was not looking for babysitting services. This school is run like a business. Some wouldn’t mind it, but it was not what I was expecting and was left very disappointed.

Lily’s Garden is one of the best investments of my money. The teachers are caring and patient with my children, two boys (ages 4 and 2). The very first time I walked in the door, I was given an extensive tour of the school and the curriculum. I was very impressed that there were separate classrooms for each group of children and that there was good structure for learning. My kids love their teachers, and this is the type of school where students routinely say good morning to each other and to their teachers. The school is clean, and the teachers are always making great effort to keep it that way. Kids learn how to read and write, and by the time my older child was 3 years old, he could already read level 1 and level 2 books with ease. Because this school is so top-​notch, remember to enroll early (~1 year in advance). I started both of my kids at age 2, and I signed them up when they turned 1. The tuition is reasonable, and additionally, there are many extra-​curriculars you can sign up for. For the tuition, you get excellent instruction in reading, writing, math, science (once a week, I think), and Spanish (also once a week). You can drop off your kids as early as 7 a.m. (although the 1^st 60 to 90 minutes is largely free-​play), and you can pick up your kids no later than 6 p.m. The school provides one mid-​morning snack, lunch, and one mid-​afternoon snack. The menu is posted on the office bulletin board so that parents can see what their kids are eating. There are usually two recess times. The kids do get a nap time, on cots, and parents must provide blankets. The school teaches dental hygiene and allots time for kids to brush their teeth. Your children will get 1 to 2 pages of homework on Tues & Thurs after the first 6 months (at least, this is the way it has worked for my kids); one can complete these worksheets in a reasonable amount of time at home.
The extra-​curricular offerings are phenomenal. For additional fees (for each extra-​curricular), the school offers daily Chinese class, art class, and hip hop/​dance class. My sons take the Chinese, which is ~1 hr every day (Mandarin is taught). In the first year, the curriculum involves a lot of songs and flash cards, to promote character recognition. In the years thereafter, the romanization is introduced, followed by characters (usually 1 or 2 new characters per week). There is always review of the old characters as well. By the end of the 2^nd year in Chinese class, students start to learn phrases and sentences. Simplified Chinese is taught here. Chinese homework is typically Mon/​Wed/​Fri. Art class is usually once a week, and the price is waaaayyyy more reasonable than any art class you will pay in the community. I took my son to a community art class for a try-​out, and at first they thought he was too young & wouldn’t take him. However, once they saw what he was capable of, they were very impressed that he was already so far along — and we owe it all to the fine instruction at Lily’s! I have not enrolled my kids in dance, but I have seen the dance class practice. It appears that they learn Chinese dance, and hip hop is apparently new this year. Additionally, the school puts on an annual Christmas program, and all of the kids in the school learn a dance routine in the Fall. Saturday school is offered for ages 5 and up. It appears that Chinese, math, piano, art, and kung fu are currently offered. I cannot comment on what Saturday school is like yet, but I intend on signing my kids up for that when they transition to public school.
Finally, the school also offers other services. For an additional fee, some of the teachers can help with toilet training. Math tutoring in mental math is offered for students who can concentrate well, again at an additional but very reasonable cost. I can’t say enough about how wonderful the teachers are here; they truly care about the kids and go the extra mile to teach.
Yes, the curriculum does sound intense, but there is plenty of time for fun. There are class parties for every major holiday and birthdays, down time in the late afternoon for story time, and Friday afternoon videos. If you are looking for a school that will catapult your kids to the head of the pack for kindergarten or 1^st grade, then Lily’s is the place. I have enjoyed getting to know the teachers here, as well as the other parents here. My kids feel safe, and they look forward to going to school. The teachers will give frequent updates on how my kids are doing. Whenever I have questions, the teachers spend a lot of time addressing my concerns. The customer service is definitely on par, and everyone always offers warm smiles. I cannot say anything but good things about Lily’s Garden; in my mind, there are no cons. I am very happy that I chose Lily’s Garden for my two boy, and I highly recommend this preschool to any parent looking for a caring environment with a solid academic curriculum. Thank you, Lily’s!

There is no doubt this school is excellent for academics. However, I want to thank all of my son’s teachers and faculty for their care, attention, and guidance they have provided to us through the years. With all the challenges that come with a child that might not respond to conventional teaching methods, it was reassuring to know that the faculty was open and capable of adjusting. It is this nurturing environment that prompted us to recommend Lily’s.
Thank you to Ms. Kelly, Ms. Lily, Ms. May, Ms. Jennifer, Ms. Ivy, Ms. Jean, Ms. Heidi, Ms. Yolanda, Ms. Debbie, and Ms. Ailene.
Thank you to Ms. Christina and Mr. Jerry setting the tone and high standards.
Most of all we want to thank Ms. Karen for making it her personal challenge to help my son transition from an unsure preschooler to a confident kindergartener. We know our son will be successful in the coming years because of her dedication. She went above and beyond the call of duty. We will always be grateful.

Initially I have some doubts about placing my daughter in Lily’s Garden. My daughter has grown up in a small family like daycare setting where she was always free to move around the room instead of staying at desks and there was no limit to how long she can work on something she has chosen. I was seriously apprehensive about making such a dramatic change for my preschooler, seriously!
My daughter’s little friend who attend Lily’s Garden had shared with her repeatedly during play dates about how fun this school is. Out of curiosity, we decided to pay Lily’s Garden a visit, and ended up staying.
I admit that Lily’s Garden can be very academic. During preschool, my daughter was learning kindergarten curriculum, during kindergarten, she is learning first grade curriculum. However, the teachers and the owners work very hard on every single student to make sure that learning is fun and that no child is left behind. My daughter receives very individual attention and help every part of the way. She loves school despite the dramatic change in her learning environment.
The teachers are very loving and fun to be with. The owners remember every single students and parents, and are always there to address our concerns and make sure that our issues are resolved. They provide very personal attention and always carry a great smile.

I am a local physician with two kids. My four year old daughter attends Lily’s Garden Preschool and Kindergarden, which I highly recommend to parents who want to offer their children a highly stimulating academic environment in a very supportive setting. The current owners purchased the school in 1992, and since then, the school has undergone major changes. The school’s curriculum is very academic, including classes in math, phonics, science, social studies and Spanish. There are additional elective classes in Mandarin, art and dance. The school is divided into three class levels: preschool, pre-​K and kindergarten. At the preschool level, the children begin a curriculum with introduction to the previously mentioned subject matter. Starting in the pre-​K level, the curriculum is more advanced and the children are tested every 3 – 4 weeks to ensure that the teachers are adhering to the curriculum and that the childrens are learning appropriately. At the pre-​K is also when the children are given simple homework assignments two days a week. At the kindergarten level, the children are tested weekly and given more homework. This may sound somewhat overwhelming, however, it is quite do-​able for motivated parents and kids. Some of the children graduating from this school have gone on to skip the first grade and many have done very well in the local public schools. The children have two 30 minute playground breaks. The playground is one of the few certified playgrounds in the area.
As a concerned parent, it find it comforting to know that the owners of the school are highly engaged with the teachers and the students and very responsive to parents. As with most good schools, there is a waiting list. I had to wait two years for my daughter to get into the preschool, but I am certainly glad I waited. Kids have to be potty trained to attend.