The Roberts School

The Roberts School has been a very good fit for our family. The school’s teachers are warm, caring, engaged and purposeful. I appreciate their approach, which balances education with play and social skills. Our child enjoys it immensely and his friends at school all seem quite happy as well. We do not take schooling lightly. The decision to send our child to The Roberts School was well thought out and it has proven to be the right decision for us. We highly recommend their preschool program.

Our son has been at the Roberts School for over a year now, in two separate classes. We felt very fortunate that a slot opened up, just as we relocated to Menlo Park.
My first impressions were personal, because they related to our context. We had just left a situation with a nanny who was also taking care of her son. Our son’s experience was very heavy on play, but the situation was often difficult. We frequently had to establish professional boundaries for the nanny (which should be her job), the expectations on when we could pick up or drop off were completely unreasonable when both parents have demanding careers (like we do), and more than once I found myself wondering when we were going to teach life skills to our son, and if we had different values than the nanny, wondering how we would resolve issues that arose when those values didn’t match up very well.
Enter the Roberts School. The director gave us a personal tour of the school, all the while acting very professionally but very down to earth. And in any situation, the personalities of those in charge often set the tone for the entire school or business. This is no exception. The school (to me) seems to be a combination of a somewhat serious approach to pedagogy combined with the caring, nurturing energy of very experienced staff. It’s a fine line to walk every day, and I’m still not sure how they pull it off. But what a relief to bring our son into a structured (yet playful) environment that isn’t compromised by lack of professionalism! It was immediately clear we were dealing with professionals, even during our son’s introductory «play» visit a few days later. I could tell that our son was going to fit in well, but even more importantly, it was clear that if he had trouble adjusting at first, they knew how to deal with that and would help him. I felt confident our son was in multiple pairs of very capable hands.
I won’t go into all the detail about how the school operates. They have their act together, and it shows. Were there aspects of what they do that surprised me a bit at first? Sure! They actually identified what skills our son was behind on, developmentally, and at first it felt like pressure to get him «up to speed.» However, after the initial perception that «maybe they think we’re bad parents» (who hasn’t felt that?) it was clear they just have a lot of experience with childhood development.
They know what they are doing.
I’ll finish this review with two quick stories, but first I want to say that the school is very responsive to parents, in my experience. A recent review (which, it turns out, is somewhat inaccurate in its depiction about «advanced» vs. «remedial» classes) caused us to be a bit alarmed. We emailed the director with our concerns and she was quite responsive and professional. I very much appreciate their open, honest and *direct* approach to misunderstandings.
For example, for several days early in our son’s tenure there, it was very unclear when I picked up our son when «the parent» should step in, and «the teacher» backs off. On one occasion, our son was in the middle of a clean-​up task when I picked him up, and the teacher sort of «overrruled» me when I offered to help. It felt like my values were being disrespected. We always pick up together at home. And it just wasn’t clear what the routine was. I’m normally happy to let the teacher be in charge until a task is over. I was clearly a bit huffy, but the day was over and I left.
The very next day the teacher brought up what was an obvious conflict, apologized, validated my approach, mentioned that they also work on teamwork, and I felt much better. It’s just an example of a disagreement or misunderstanding (and the end of a bit of a bad day on my part) being handled in a direct, professional way. I very much appreciated the approach. I think all parents, when they have a conflict with teaching professionals, should 1) try to have some empathy for the teacher’s job and 2) try to be open and direct about resolving the conflict.
That same teacher, many months later, was there with our son (who was the last child there that day) and I walked up to find them both lying on the walkway, looking at the clouds. He had mentioned that it was impossible to see real clouds on a ceiling.
Now, would this be appropriate a half hour earlier, or in the middle of the day? Of course not, but I appreciate that the staff — when it’s appropriate — will enjoy those unique moments with the children and be casual. It just depends on the time of the day and the moment. To expect a staff charged with the daily operations of a very well-​run school to provide personalized attention, every day, as 5 or 6 sets of parents stream in to pick up their child as well, is quite unreasonable. Yet more often than not, we still get details about how his day went.
In short, I highly, highly recommend the Roberts School.

I would like to share our very positive experience for all three years that our daughter attended the of The Roberts School. We loved the academic focus because it felt like just the right blend of play time, arts & crafts, and learning some basic reading, writing and math concepts. We felt like our daughter got plenty of playtime, and exposure to cooking, music, gymnastics, putting on «broadway» plays for the parents, fun science projects, etc. And because of the extra emphasis on academics, our daughter was very well prepared for Kindergarten when she started last August.
There is a lot of structure to every day, but again, our daughter thrived in that environment. We also felt that the Roberts School spent a lot of time on teaching values, being kind to one another, sharing with one another and being a good friend.
We were there when they first implemented the split classrooms for the oldest group of kids (4 and 5 year olds). It was not based on kids being «advanced» or «remedial» (as indicated by another reviewer) — it was really based on age as many parents keep their kids back from kindergarten an extra year and so the Roberts School put the older kids in one class and the younger kids in another class, which made a lot of sense to us. And they also looked at it in terms of the mix of boys/​girls, personalities, and so on. While the Roberts School may not have articulated as well as they could have, I do believe their intentions are very good and they want what is the best learning environment for the children.
We also loved all the teachers at the Roberts School who were incredibly warm and welcoming to us from Day 1. Six months after having left The Roberts School to start Kindergarten, my daughter still says «I loved the Roberts School every day.»

Both of my children are in The Roberts School program and we couldn’t be more delighted.
Like most parents in the area, I did extensive research on the programs in my community before choosing where to place our first child. There are exceptional programs in the surrounding area for all types of schooling preferences, but The Roberts School is absolutely the right fit for us.
The teaching staff and school leadership has largely been in tact for numerous years, providing sustained experience and continuity for the children and families with multiple children who go through the program. While play is certainly the main stay of the experience, the school has formal time set aside for music, Spanish, gymnastics, and teaches the fundamentals of phonics and numerics. Also delightful is the change of syllabus during the summer where each week takes on a different theme like sports, art, authors, and dress up. This combination of free play as well as structure is imporant to my family and I see the children responding to it wonderfully.
In fact, I’ve decided to keep my children in The Roberts School for another year/​early 5’s program before going to kindergarten. I feel confident that the foundation and love for learning that they have established with my children will provide them with a great confidence when Kkndergarten comes.
My children are thriving and The Roberts School is just the right fit for us. I would strongly recommend this program to any family who is like minded and fortunate enough to get a spot on the enrollment list!

We love the Roberts School!
My son started 6 months ago, and the changes have been dramatic. He has learned so much and has really blossomed. Contrary to another reviewer, I think it’s a great mix of learning and play — I do not think it is too rigorous. Every time I see the kids, they are having fun.
The teachers are loving and supportive. They respect the kids’ individual personalities and styles. I think they have been very accomodating to my son’s needs, even noticing when he was having a hard time returning to school after the break and asking if there was anything they could do to help.
The school does teach independance i.e. helping kids be self-​sufficient. Within the first 2 months at school, my son was completely potty trained and could dress himself. It’s awesome! I can’t see how those skills could be bad.
They do a lot of activities throughout the week: music, gymnastics, Spanish, etc.
Prices are really reasonable — it’s a tremendous value considering the quality of the education and care they get, and it’s an all day program from 7:30am-6pm.
I’m really happy with our decision and look forward to sending our younger son there when he is old enough. I encourage you to send your kids here too — you won’t be sorry! There is a reason they have been in business forever.
As for the less positive review I saw here, I have a hard time understanding where they are coming from as I disagree on most points. But hey — everyone is entitled to their opinion…

Dear neighbors,
A few months ago, I pulled both of my children out of the Roberts School for a variety of reasons that I wanted to share with people who are currently at the school and anyone who is thinking of sending their children there.
I’ll start with the positive things about the school:
1. They are very academically focused so if you want your child to have a head start on reading, the school spends a lot of time having children sit and learn.
2. Most of the people who attend the school are local so your kids are going to be making friends with folks who live within 15 minutes of you.
3. They have long hours for people who work long hours. You can drop off at 7:30am (if you are full time) and pick up at 6pm.
4. They have a large outdoor area for the kids to play in.
5. They are safe.
Here are the reasons I pulled my kids out:
1. Their academic focus was a bit extreme for my taste. All of the children are in one class for their first 2 years but when they reach their 3^rd year, The Roberts School divides the children into 2 classes: an advanced class and a remedial class. The methods by which they choose who goes into which class was completely obscure to all of the parents I talked to; they claimed it was based on birthdate, maturity, etc but none of us could actually figure out the algorithm by which they divided the children. Although my daughter was in the «advanced» class, she was torn from some of her closest friends, making her 3^rd year at the school a struggle. She no longer wanted to go to school in the morning and was asking for playdates with her friends who she had been separated from. She also asked me several times why certain kids were in certain classes. For obvious reasons, I think it’s kind of ridiculous to already be labeling these small children based on nebulous criteria.
2. The Roberts School offers a part-​time program but are extremely unfriendly to parents who choose this option. Also, it’s unmentioned but for the 3^rd year, children are required to attend every day (although they can attend for just the morning). For the part time kids, they cannot be dropped off until 8:30 so they lose out on the morning free-​play time when all of the kids are together. We originally sent our older daughter full-​time and when we changed her to part-​time, the difference in the way we were treated was palpable. The amount of information we received about her day and how she was doing was significantly reduced because pick up for part time kids happens during a very busy time of day; clean up and nap preparation is going on so teachers are focused on that and not on telling parents how the day went. In contrast, full time kids get a much more thorough review of the day because pick up is in the more relaxed afternoon time.
3. The school is very focused on independence and for me, I felt my older daughter lost out on some of the freedom and playfulness that young children need to be happy. This is a big reason why I pulled my youngest out before she would be tainted as well. For example, my 2 ½ year old was not allowed to bring her bunny (her «lovey») to school. Her second week of school, the director told me that she couldn’t have her bunny and of course, when I took her source of comfort away, she cried. I found this heartbreaking as well as a bit extreme for such a young child. Additionally, the program is very structured so while it was nice that my daughter could sit still for an hour, it was also disturbing how serious she always was. I can clearly see the difference with my younger child and I attribute that to putting her in a more relaxed preschool.
4. In general, the school has very set policies which are not up for discussion or negotiation. Any concerns you may have about your child in particular or improving the environment are very difficult to address with the administration. Issues are often put back onto the parents and children themselves. The school is not good at handling special focus or individual needs but if your child fits the mold, things will go smoothly.
5. Children are forced to nap for 2 hours every day. If you have a napper, this isn’t a big deal but if you think that at some point, your child will not want to nap, just keep in mind that this is not an option. There is no alternative and the school is very strict about this. We, and others, tried to broach the topic about quiet play or even taking advantage of the detached school room to put non-​napping children. Because they were forcing my non-​napper to take these long naps, we ended up switching to part-​time, mornings only and having a nanny watch the kids in the afternoon.

My son just finished a wonderful year of fun and learning at The Roberts School. He is in elementary school now and I have to say proudly that The Roberts School had set an excellent foundation of social skill as well as academic skill for my son.
I meant to write this review soon after my son attending Robers because both me and my husband had noticed my son’s transformation. I waited more than a year to make sure I could give my 100% recommendation to those who in search for a wonderful preschool for their children.
I have visited many preschools in Menlo Park and Palo Alto. Like many of the parents, we applied to some of the hard-​to-​get-​ins as soon as our son was born. We found The Roberts School was the perfect place for our son. This charming preschool setting is just right for toddlers, not too big nor overwhelming. The teachers have lot of experience and know how to bring out the best quality of the kids and guide them through their unique challenge in a nurturing and playful way. I don’t know how the teachers did it — completely transformed my son from a self-​centered toddler to a sociable boy ready for his elementary school adventure! I highly recommend The Robers School.

OMG, what an experience we had at The Roberts School. The faculty brought out the best in our child. They helped her to build on her strengths and to overcome her weaknesses. The teachers lovingly shared their creativity and knowledge with our child and she learned many new concepts that she shared with us as well. Roberts has the perfect blend of free play with some structured curriculum. Besides playing with her pals, our girl learned music, science, art, letters, sharing, and much much more. I cannot recommend Roberts enough. Their three outdoor play areas include a garden area and many places for exploration. Our time at Roberts was absolutely delightful. I’m very sad that it is now over. Roberts opens at 7:30 in the morning during which the kids have free play together until 9:00 when they break up into their different classrooms. It was so nice to have the flexibility to drop off early or later so we could tailor or drop off time to how efficiently our girl got up and ready in the mornig. Slow morning? We just dropped off closer to nine. Early wake up? Then we were there closer to 7:30. Our daughter is definitely prepped to succeed at her new big school.

The Roberts’ School is a wonderful place for children. My husband and I sent all three of our children there — from pre-​school age (around 2 – 3 yrs old) thru their kindergarden class (5 yrs old). All my children were more than well-​prepared to start public school in Palo Alto. My kids left the school with a love of learning and reading as well as a sense of confidence, cooperation and compromise.
The school itself is warm and inviting. The teachers are dedicated to the kids and truly want to help them become the best people they can be. The teachers and staff take a genuine interest in each child’s academic development and emotional well-​being.
The school provides a wonderful balance of academics and fun. The basics of education (reading, math, science, social studies) are all covered. But there are also plenty of opportunities for the kids to enjoy outdoor play and go on field trips. Music and Spanish were also part of their weekly activities while at the school.
I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend the Roberts School to any family looking to send their child to pre-​school. The teachers and staff there were really like an extension of our family. My kids still talk about the school and the teachers there. It truly is a fabulous place to send your kids.

There’s nothing like the test of time to show true worth!
A long time ago, I went in search of a pre-​school for my son. I am embarrassed to say that my visit to The Roberts School was my first and only such visit.
I fell in love with the school immediately and truth be known, if I could have been enrolled myself I would have!
The school is housed in a small bungalow type house on Coleman avenue… just the right size for small children, but the enchantment only grew as we headed out the back door and I discovered first the sand yard with the wonderful equipment, then the grass yard with a play house to enchant any small child and then, beyond that a bark yard with swings, etc. and an old Morris Minor (sans wheels) sunk into the bark. What child wouldn’t love to spend their days in such a magical land???
Pat Roberts, the founder of the school, became a life-​long friend and her daughters were each in their own way, enchanting. The teachers at the time each brought special, age-​appropriate qualities to a curriculum designed to foster a life-​long love of learning.
Lucky for me and my son, he was accepted and began to attend just two weeks later. From there the enchantment grew. I still get a little misty when I remember the day that he came home that first month with bread that they had baked… this from a barely three year old!
Creativity, learning, mutual respect — all were taught in a loving manner in a very mixed and delightful cultural population.
And this is where the test of time comes in because now as a young adult, I get the pleasure of hearing how much he is respected by his employers, peers and people around town.
Thank you Roberts School for nurturing those wonderful qualities in my son, and being there for him during the hours that I worked to provide him a warm and loving home.