Welcome

Family focused, inclusive, play based, individualized preschool & childcare for children from 3 months to 5 yrs,  at St. John’s Presbyterian Church in the Elmwood neighborhood of Berkeley.

As of  Aug 15, 2023, all of our classrooms are full, except for a Wed/Thurs/Fri Preschool space for a child who is 3-4 years old, or will be by Dec 2023. 

  • Starting Sept 5, 2023 we will be open 7:45-5:30, we will not return to a 6pm close this school year
  • Our core day is 9-4, families can choose to add time in 30 min increments, up to a 9.5 hour day, scheduled to a specific daily schedule

You can still add your family to our interest list, but we are not doing tours unless we contact you to offer you a space.  We understand your desire to tour, but tours are disruptive to the children who are here, and we receive far more requests to tour than we can accommodate. 

If you would like to be added to our interest list, please see here

Archived information about our responses to COVID-19 can be found here.

Play based, Developmentally focused

St. John’s Childcare strives to provide the highest quality childcare in a unique setting where parents and teachers are partners together.    We specialize in the care of infants, toddlers, and preschoolers from the age of three months to five years.  Our educated, caring teachers provide individualized care within a group setting.

We believe in providing a variety of experiences that encourage the young learner to explore and develop skills at their own pace, in a nurturing environment.  Our daily activities are developmentally appropriate and play-based and include fostering knowledge and high self-esteem, independence, and respect for others. We are an inclusive center & work with parents to ensure that all children are meeting their developmental milestones.

Kaia and Owen 2017Twice a year we have parent-teacher conferences where we use the Ages & Stages Developmental Questionnaire to take a closer look at each child’s strengths & needs in each developmental domain. When additional supports are needed we use consultative support from a team of developmental specialists, which may include an early interventionist, a speech therapist, an occupational therapist and/or a physical therapist – and when appropriate refer families on to their Regional Center or School District for more formal assessment & support.