Old Firehouse School

My two daughters both attend Old Firehouse School. We absolutely love the school and the teachers. From the moment we walked in, we knew this was the school for our girls. I love the old fashioned/​homey feeling, including the kitchen where bread and muffins are cooked fresh daily, and the warm and inviting staff at the door. At our prior preschool, teacher turnover was a huge problem (50% of the teachers left during a one-​year period), so learning about the teacher retention program helped to give us the peace of mind we were looking for. I also appreciated that the teacher follows the same class as they progress, which helps to provide cohesiveness and a sense of security and attachment for the child. All of the teachers here are amazingly kind and compassionate despite the huge variety of children’s personalities and temperaments. I have learned so much from simply observing their interactions with the children. Many of the teachers have advanced degrees and are very passionate about teaching young children, and it shows. We absolutely adore our teacher. The co-​directors are fantastic — very kind and friendly, and they have been with the school for years. We also appreciate the low teacher/​student ratios. The communication between teachers and parents is very good, and includes daily verbal sign-​outs, weekly emails on classroom projects, and monthly summaries in the form of a newsletter with photos as well as updates on their website.
We especially like the fact that they promote the Reggio Emilia approach to learning — my children have developed a strong love of learning and see the world in such an amazing and unique way now, critically thinking about things around them, developing theories to explain things, and testing them to learn and discover more.
The students in each class engage in group projects every quarter whereby the students’ interests guide the topic of study, and then they participate in a variety of different activities to fully embrace the concept. Each of the activities is carefully chosen as to touch on various aspects of learning, including exploring ideas (discovering & hypothesizing), drawing (writing), researching (reading, math, & science), and carrying out the project (gross & fine motor activities as well as furthering the scientific experimental processes). For example, this quarter the children are working on stop motion films. How this came about is that the children were interested in telling stories — they started by telling stories as a group around lunch time, one child would start by saying one sentence, then the next child would say another sentence, and they would go around and around to tell a story. This helped the kids to work together as a team, and also tapped into their creativity and imagination. Next the teacher worked with each individual child as they came up with their own story plot. The communicated the story, and broke it down into 3 parts — intro, body and ending. They then drew pictures and wrote words to help illustrate their story and shared their stories with their classmates. After each child came up with a plot, they worked together as a group to tell a story about a stuffed animal kitty on film. They worked as a team to experiment with stop motion film — a lot of it was trial and error, seeing what happens if they worked too quickly, and learning the importance of patience and following a proper sequence of steps. They took a field trip to a museum to research more about stop motion, playing and experimenting with various displays to really help to grasp the subject. I loved seeing some of kids explaining to the others, including the parents, how it worked. They were becoming experts and were proud of the steps they had gone through to learn and master a topic. You could really see how they went from little understanding of the topic, to fulling grasping it. The last step of the project was for each child to collect items from their home and direct a group of their classmates to assist them in carrying out their vision in a stop motion film. The results were priceless! The kids were so proud of their accomplishments and it was a joy to observe them through the entire process. The students will then present their films at their quarterly performance for all of the parents to see. We will also get to watch a slideshow of photos of the experience as the teacher narrates the entire process. Its really rewarding for the kids to see their projects come into fruition and share them as a presentation with their parents.
We are so happy in our decision to join the OFS family and will really miss them as we move on to elementary school. From the pizza parties featuring homemade wine by the owner’s husband, to Halloween parades, quarterly project performances, pajama night, end of the year picnics, and many more events, we have developed friendships that will last a lifetime and really have loved becoming immersed into this wonderful community.

First: Full disclosure — I’m the program director at the OFS in Mill Valley. That means that yes, I’m biased. It also means that I’ve got the inside track and can see the inner workings first hand. Old Firehouse School is an exceptional place — for children, for families, and for teachers.
OFS is special for day-​to-​day reasons like the warm, home-​like atmosphere and the emphasis on relationships and closely attuned caregiving and the great home-​school communication. But OFS is also special among early childhood education geeks. When I was in graduate school, studying early childhood education in Massachusetts in 1997, I heard about OFS because of their innovative curriculum and commitment to continuity of care (one teacher looping with the same primary caregiving group of just 6 – 9 children from 2 years old until 5 years old). A couple of years later when I moved to the Bay Area, I continued to hear good things about OFS, always emphasizing the remarkable way that OFS teachers put theory into practice — for real, not just lip service. Years later, after working at The Little School in San Francisco, having a son of my own, and founding La Piccola Scuola Italiana di San Francisco, I heard that OFS was seeking a director in their Mill Valley campus, and I was curious. I can tell you, 8 years later, that it’s all it is cracked up to be. I could not be happier or more proud to be affiliated with OFS. It’s a wonderful place to be a child, a parent, a teacher, and a director.
The few negative reviews here shock me because — well, first they are peppered with assumptions and false or mistaken ideas but mainly because in 18 years of hearing about this school, and then in 8 years of working there, I have only heard these two people here, on Unilocal,voice this kind of complaint. The honest truth is that parents and children thrive at OFS precisely because Dorothy puts children and families and teachers at the center of everything about OFS. It is an exceptionally supportive and values-​driven preschool.
Come see for yourselves. OFS is extraordinary.

Our daughter has attended OFS for 2 years now and it has been a fantastic experience. The school environment is warm and enriching and the outdoor play area is hands down one of the best in the area! We love the child centered philosophy of the school and the teachers are wonderful. And we also love that the little kids bake and deliver fresh muffins to the rest of the school each day! Highly recommend this preschool. Yes, parking can be difficult but its worth it.

We have had two children go through the school (Walnut Creek campus), from ages 2 – 3 until kindergarten. We did our due diligence when researching schools and feel we found the perfect spot for our little ones. We had no problem traveling an hour round trip to get them to and from the school, we felt it was that special.
Our oldest had developmental delays and struggled at first. The school was very open to suggestions from our doctors and specialists and were able to make minor modifications to help him thrive. He went from an isolated, awkward toddler to a social, loving and caring child, due in part to the exceptional environment (teachers and staff included). He has made incredible strides and is doing very well in a private, competitive elementary school. My daughter went through OFS after my son and, as a typically developing child, she was given the same warm, supportive care and is also among the top in her kindergarten class. We loved that they practice the attachment philosophy, whereby the teachers stay with their same core group of students throughout the children’s years at the preschool. This meant, at least for our children and us as parents, such an invaluable feeling of security. These teachers knew our children so well, we never had a worry about them while they were at school.
The Walnut Creek campus is tucked away up a hill, with deer and wild turkeys that could be seen on the class walks. It was a safe environment and the teachers, staff and owners have always made us feel welcomed, cared for and loved. It really is a special school.
I am sorry to read on here that a few others have had negative experiences, but that will be the case in any situation. Turnover is very low — most teachers and staff stay for years — but like any job, there are going to be times when the fit is just not right and people move on. So if you are looking for a preschool I suggest you take a look at OFS. We didn’t want to love it (there are lots of places closer to our home) but once we saw OFS and compared it to other places our decision was an easy one.

We love Old Firehouse School. My son has just started his third year – he just turned 4, and my daughter began her first year this September – she is 2. When I was looking for schools for my son, I was pregnant with baby # two and I felt strongly about having a full day so that neither my son’s, nor my new baby’s nap schedules would be compromised by having to do an early pick up. Old Firehouse offers a longer day than most, and can offer a variety of day choices as well. This, of course, was not my primary reason for picking the school, but it helped.
Our primary reason for choosing OFS was the feeling I got walking through the doors. It is a warm, secure place that has a meaningful structure in its program. They promote learning through the Reggio Emilia approach which embodies some Montessori and some Waldorf components, but in a nutshell it allows children to be active participants in their learning and draws from their environment. To me, it means that the teachers and faculty really pay attention to what interests the children and focus their projects on those things so they remain engaged.
Other aspects that make this school deserving of five stars is the individual attention I feel both my kids receive, the warm bonds they form with the teachers, the wonderful sense of community we have with other families. The list goes on.
Yes, the school is a little pricier than many, but in the long run, I feel the experience my children are getting there is priceless!

Very claustrophobic place. Still we went because it was highly recommended… BUT I will say Dorothy Stewart cares more about the income than the safety or upbringing of your child. The best events they did were over 12 years ago (as you can see when you go to orientation, they still talk about events which happened over a decade ago).
Prices are higher than most places (about $ 1880/​month) full time for 2 year old from 8:30am-4pm and you can pay more for more hours, about 6 weeks vacation a year and $ 1600/​year per child for a teachers fund minimum. Also bring your own lunch /​drinks.
Finally the parking is a nightmare as is the constant «request» for more donations /​$$$. I wouldn’t recommend it, but I do know one mom that thinks its the best thing ever. So check it out, but make sure you check out 3 – 4 others also in the area so you have a good comparison.

Our son attended OFS in Walnut Creek for two years and we must commend the individual teachers; they are incredibly loving and engaged. Very sweet souls. This rating is for the overall experience with the directors of the school, who mistreat their employees, paying families, and disregard their pupils,
Dr Dorothy Stewart is the founder of OFS and unfortunately, she is the root of a decaying program at OFS. Ms Stewart runs what we found to be the most expensive pre-​school in Walnut Creek and Lafayette. For parents who like Reggio Emilia, this would be fine except that the more you interact with the founder, the less you feel like she is committed to the learning style, the children or families she admits, and much more by the money she collects.
In each of the two years our child attended, Ms Stewart alienated and/​or forced out the most giving teachers and some of the most wonderful children and families. Through it all, she refused to use good judgment or show any humility.
Our close friends left the school because Dr Stewart suggested their 2-​year old was a «problem child» who wasn’t welcome, but then refused to refund any of the remaining 4-​months of tuition. Our friend’s son is now thriving at a Montessori school down the street, for less money. At the annual children’s project presentation, Dr Stewart came in late and interrupted the school director to threaten any parents she saw walking through the courtyard without holding a child’s hand, that she was «obligated» to call the cops, or child services and report the «abuse». I can’t recall a single positive interaction the founders had with our children, or any other, at school functions.
Finally, Ms Stewart forced out some of the sweetest, most empathetic, giving teachers we met at OFS over our two years. Most, if not all, the good teachers are looking for positions elsewhere. The staff stability fund — used to incentivize teachers to stay — appears to be unsecured unless a teacher stays for five years (even thought it is paid annually by each family). We found that each teacher who found employment elsewhere was better paid, more free to engage families and children, and less threatened by their employers.
I would not send my child back to OFS, nor would I consider sending my second child. This place, because of Ms Stewart’s mistreatment and egotism, has to be seen with wary eyes by any parent looking for pre-​school care for their children.

Both my sons attended OFS. My first child in Lafayette before Walnut Creek was opened then my second child in Walnut Creek (closer to my workplace). We spent in total over 7 years in the «OFS family».
First — I just can’t say enough as a mother, working full time how much I appreciate OFS and their care of my children. The teachers are educated child development professionals who do what they do because of their love of children. The model Dorothy has instituted in the schools is best in class and most important — best for the child.
The OFS community of parents and children is very close and feels like — a community! If you are considering placing the most precious people in your life in the care of someone else — I would not go anywhere else than OFS

I am so glad we found this wonderful place for our 2 year old son (and future attendees 9mo Old twin boys). I had taken my son to another local childcare/​preschool and it was a nightmare. For 2 year olds the ratios were way above the state mandated 6 to 1 and on one day it was 13 to 1 in his class. On that day I pulled him out of there and began looking for a new place. Thank God we found OFS.
The whole process is just great. With the orientation parents meeting getting everyone to know what the school is all about. From that night I was sold on the concept of my child bonding with the same teacher (s) that he started with the the Toddler class and staying with them until he finishes the Pre-​Kindergarden class. This is the kind of bonding and consistency I was looking for.
They had us prepare to stay with him for the first few days in case he felt anxious but he never did. There was no crying for me not to leave. He felt at home there almost immediately and the teachers were just great with him. For toddlers they have a 4 to 1 ratio which makes such a huge difference. The teachers are always calm and in control. Gently encouraging the children to cooperate with each other and do as asked.
They have plenty of toys and art and fun activities to keep a toddler going all day. My son loves his teachers and he loves to go to school. Recently he graduated up to the 3 year old class and both of his same teachers moved up to that class too. So nothing changes accept now he has a bigger and better room and a bigger and better playground. The ratio is a little higher now 6 to 1 but that is fine and most of the kids are so well behaved it’s not a problem at all. We were just spoiled in the AWESOME Toddler room. He really loves the ‘Big Kids’ room as he calls it and is making a transition from going 3 part time days a week to to full time days a week very nicely thanks to the great teachers.
This place is great!!! Would not hesitate to send my two 9mo old boys there when they get a little older.

Love this preschool! Our youngest child is finishing up her last few weeks at Old Firehouse. She is our second child to graduate from their preschool program. We love their creativity, nurturing and their philosophy of child-​driven projects. This year some of the four year olds were pretending to sell ice cream to each other. This was the catalyst for «The Ice Cream Project.» For the next two months the kids explored ice cream. They built an ice cream store, made ice cream in art, made signs to sell ice cream, built an ice cream cart, etc. Then they made their own ice cream. They made graphs to chart the flavors that their families liked. They learned ice cream songs and had a performance for parents. They also took a class trip to Cold Stone Creamery.
Old Firehouse often brings in experts to teach children about subjects they show an interest in. Last year they did a theater project and took the kids to a theater in Lafayette. The kids got to tour the stage, the dressing rooms, the ticket booth and where the audience sits. They each got to ask the theater manager a question. Back at school they brought an actor in to talk about what he does. Then the kids wrote and acted in their own play, built the sets, etc. It was fabulous!
We also love their philosophy of having the same teacher stay with the child throughout the program, over several years. The kids develop very strong bonds with their teachers over the years and feel safe and loved. Before your child starts the program, the teacher comes to your home to meet your child and the rest of the family and just hang out with you. It’s awesome.
We love Maylis! Both of our children had her.
The only complaint we have is that parking is not great. The driveway can only fit three cars. There is metered parking across the street, so it’s not a big deal in nice weather, but a struggle with young kids when it’s raining.