L'Academy Language Immersion Preschool & Infant Daycare Kensington-Berkeley - Kensington, California

Samantha K.

We love being part of the community at L’Academy Kensington. Our 3.5-year-old daughter has attended since 18 months and has thrived under the care of Rachel (director) and her amazing teaching staff. When baby #2 came along it was an easy decision to enroll him in the infant program, where he has been extremely well cared for. Both kids adore their teachers and are happy to get dropped off each morning. There is a great balance of learning and play, and the kids spend plenty of time outside in the school’s impressive outdoor space. My daughter can’t stop talking about the pumpkins and watermelons she got to plant in the garden this spring! Family events, language immersion, limited closures and healthy meals/snacks are icing on the cake – I highly recommend this school.

Timothy L.

Had a great experience sending our oldest to L'Academy! He started in the 2-3 year old Mandarin class and the teachers were very helpful in preparing him for the 3+ preschool Mandarin class, including potty training, which was very difficult for us. He then moved into the 3+ preschool class and grew so much with that group. Ava, the Mandarin instructor, is super dedicated, really cares about the kids, and serious about the Mandarin instruction which was great because the kids already start to default to English communication at this age. Rachel is a great director and does a great job with programming. The extracurricular school events really bring together the parents and we felt like a community was formed. Highly recommend L'Academy Kensington-Berkeley!

Jenny Z.

My son started at L'Academy after he had just turned 2, and will be transitioning to TK in the fall, at which point he'll have spent 2.5 years of his life at L'Academy! Rachel, the director, is wonderful and he's had (and continues to have) really great and loving teachers. Love the team, location, updates via the app, and language immersion. He's learned so much there, and I'm so grateful that he has a safe, stimulating, and fun place to go everyday! As a bonus, we've also established a wonderful community with some of the families there. We've loved our time at L'Academy and it's bittersweet to know he'll be graduating soon.

Christine L. P.

L'Academy is a wonderful, nurturing place for young kids! Our two have learned a lot and made great friends over their years in preschool here. The director, Ms. Rachel, and the teachers are genuinely caring, and their community events are great for kids and parents. Their outdoor space is one of the larger areas among preschools, and the kids have lots of time to play. Plus, their practical set up has been so helpful for us as working parents: they have long hours, few closure days, and they provide good lunches and snacks.

Amy C.

My daughter has been attending L'Academy for over two years, and we couldn’t be more grateful for the incredible foundation this school has given her as she moves on to TK. From the moment we joined, we felt welcomed by the warm, attentive, and genuinely caring teachers and staff.

The Mandarin language program has been a standout part of our experience. It’s thoughtfully integrated into the daily curriculum, and it’s been amazing to see how much our daughter has picked up through songs, stories, and conversation. She talks about her Mandarin teacher with such affection and joy and loves to correct me on my terrible Mandarin prononciation.

What sets L’Academy apart is the heart the entire team brings to everything they do. Every teacher we’ve encountered has gone above and beyond to create a loving, engaging, and safe environment for the kids. The staff communicates regularly and thoughtfully with parents, and it's clear that they know and care deeply about each child as an individual.

We are so sad to say goodbye when our daughter graduates to TK in the fall, but we feel incredibly lucky to have been part of such a special place. Thank you to the entire L’Academy team—you've made a lasting impact on our family!

Tiffany L.

Our child was a part of L'Academy from age 18 months to 4 years old, entering their toddler class and eventually moving to their Mandarin class. We really cherished our experience with L'Academy. L'Academy has a great balance of play and learning. Their outdoor playground is really interactive, and I appreciated how dirty my kid would get at school. He would also surprise us with how much he learned. The hours are really great for working parents, and there aren't too many school closure days. They also are very accommodating of allergies.

Rachel was a really great director. She was easy to communicate with, and she was very involved in our child's care and education. I liked how she would send out newsletters and implemented new ways for us parents to get involved. They also take a lot of photos and videos that they share on a daily basis so we could get a peek at what our kid was doing. My kid loved reading, and Rachel would always make sure there were new books available in the subject he liked.

Ava Laoshi, the Mandarin teacher, was very caring and loving. My kid still talks about how much he misses her. My kid picked up a lot of Mandarin, even though we barely speak it at home. I was impressed at how my kid enjoyed learning Chinese. He would always sing the songs he learned there and he would try to engage us in conversation. It was really clear to us how much Ava Laoshi shared her heart with our kid.

L'Academy also was a great place for us to meet other parents. They often have parties or events for us to attend. From our experience at L'Academy, we ended up making a lot of friends and we now have a little parenting community together.

Jamie S.

We are incredibly grateful for our experience at L'Academy! Over the past 2.5 years, our child has flourished in ways we couldn't have imagined. He's built strong, meaningful relationships with all the teachers, made numerous friends, enhanced his social and communication skills, and even improved his Spanish. Ms. Rachel, the center director, is wonderful! She and the caring teachers--special shout out to Ms. Elizabeth and Ms. Tatiana--have created such a welcoming, warm, and engaging environment for the children. We really appreciate the frequent updates about meals, naps, events, special activities, and general school news. It keeps us in the loop and makes us feel connected. As our child transitions to TK, saying goodbye to L'Academy is bittersweet. However, we are confident that our child is well-prepared for the next steps given the nurturing foundation provided by L'Academy.

Sarah S.

We love L’Academy. Our daughter started there when she was 5 months old - we know she is being well cared for, that they are paying attention to helping her reach different developmental milestones for her age, and that they care about us as a family. We plan to stay until our daughter goes to kindergarten. Check out the school for your little one!