Building Kidz School of San Jose

"We moved to San Jose in June 2023 and enrolled our oldest (5 yo) and youngest (3 yo) in the summer school session. Right away, the teachers were welcoming, encouraging, and supportive. In August 2023, our oldest moved on to public school Kindergarten, and our youngest stayed with Building Kidz. She has been in the Starfish (Ms. Nicole) and now Octopus class (Ms. Drea and Ms. Brenda), but has interactions with all of the teachers (Ms. Cara, Ms. Jordan, Ms. Teresa, Ms. Eowyn, Ms. Liz and Mr. Nick). Every teacher I have encountered has been kind, supportive, and incredibly nurturing to our girl, especially when she needed it after moving and leaving her friends. I have been most concerned about her socio-emotional development, and I feel that this school has been amazing for our daughter's ability to regulate, communicate her feelings, and most importantly to feel cared for. She also has had considerable improvement in her language, fine motor skills, and early learning of how to read and write. The school itself is very organized and communicative, the teachers and Ms. Manali know all the kids, but they also know the parents and their names. They let us know what they are doing in class, upload pictures and videos to the app, and Ms. Brenda and Ms. Drea will let us know if something is off with how they were eating and/or acting that day. They also have routine parent teachers' conferences, where they go over development and what we specifically would need to focus on to help at home, which I have not encountered at other preschools with my oldest daughter. I also like that they bring in "Scientist Al" and have the performing arts component to the school. Ms. Manali is incredibly organized and responsive, especially around COVID concerns, which is notable since we've had experiences with other preschools where this has not been the case. We've also known at least 2 other families that have gone to this school at different times, and they have only had good things to say. I also LOVE the location of the school, since it's behind key in code gates and next to a really great playground. The classrooms look like classrooms (versus a house with rooms), and they have an organized schedule and structure that they follow every day. The price of preschool/daycare is a lot, but I found that Building Kidz is comparable, if not less, than most other schools I researched in the area. The biggest take away for me, and what I communicate to anyone that asks is that the teachers are really amazing, and it's made all the difference for our family. All around, it's been such a great experience for our family to go to this Building Kidz, and we have been very grateful."

"Building Kidz is a fantastic school. Our daughter has been enrolled here for over a year now and we has seen tremendous growth and improvement in her skills. She is way more social now and enjoys doing the many activities which the school offers. The school is providing ample opportunities for students to not only excel at academics but also have an overall growth and development in arts and crafts, music and dance. Our daughter has been through 1 full school year and has had great teachers like Ms Teresa, Ms Lupita and now in her new class Ms Nicole and Ms Liz. The school really works with the parents in the overall development of the child. This is very helpful since first time parenting can be quite difficult. We also love the fact that Ms Manali takes the effort to celebrate many festivities at school- right from Easter to Christmas. The school also showcases 2 performances every year for kids which gives the kids an opportunity to get over their stage fear. They are very careful about nutrition to kids too and this is a nut free school. Overall as a parent I would highly recommend build kidz school."

"Building Kidz is an absolute gem of a preschool! From the moment we walked in, we knew we found a special place for our child. The caring and dedicated team create a warm, nurturing environment where children flourish. The curriculum is thoughtfully designed (including music & theater) striking a perfect balance between play-based learning and structured activities. Our son comes home every day so excited and eager to share the new things that he learned with his friends from his amazing teachers. The facilities are top-notch, offering a safe and stimulating space for kids to explore and grow. It's heartwarming to witness our son's social and academic development, all thanks to Manali and this wonderful school! A huge shoutout to his teachers Ms. Drea, Ms. Brenda, and Ms. Cara. You have made a world of difference in my son's life. We can't thank you enough."

"We enrolled our daughter at Building Kidz (kinder class) when we moved to the Cambrian Park neighborhood of San Jose in fall 2022. We have LOVED everything about the school! I have no complaints or areas for improvement; the major highlights include: (1) the kinder teachers Mr. Nick and Ms. Cara are superstars - our daughter has learned so much from them, from science to reading and writing (they follow the Cambrian District kinder curriculum), emotional intelligence skills, social skills, and much more. (2) progress, concerns, and feedback is effectively shared as needed/requested, as well as at formal parent/teacher conferences. (3) The teachers take the kids to Houge Park adjacent to the school to play outdoors (it is a beautiful, big, shaded, clean park). (4) Ms. Manali (Director) is a great leader and effective communicator; she organizes fun events for the families (e.g., school performances, Halloween parade, Mother’s Day party, etc) and visits from police officers, fire fighters, and others in the community for the children to learn from. (5) The curriculum includes regular theater/singing/dancing taught by performing arts professionals who visit the school - our daughter LOVES this aspect of the school and we have seen her confidence soar because of it). (6) Tuition is very reasonable based on the value the school provides. (7) The facilities are on a lovely shared property with a few other preschools - clean, secure, park setting. I’m hoping our newborn daughter can get into the infant room at Building Kidz (despite a commute as we get ready to move to Almaden Valley … a commute for a spot at BK is worth it!) . For now, we will miss Building Kidz and the amazing teachers and friends we made here as our daughter moves on to elementary school In the fall."

"BKSJ is a gem of a preschool! We’ve been blown away by our 4-year-old’s all-around progress this year. We’re particularly impressed by the academic foundation - though on the younger side, our son is already at a kindergarten level thanks to the curriculum. The kids do a fun variety of projects in the classroom, and the teachers do a great job communicating from week to week as to what the kids are learning. The school also does a nice job of building community - they had a sweet Mother’s Day celebration in May and are hosting an end of year carnival following graduation and the summer show. We’re glad to be a part of the BKSJ family and are excited to see how our son continues to grow in his last year with the program this fall."