Vidyarambh Preschool & Childcare center Santa Clara - Santa Clara, California

Jagan A.

Vidyarambh is a great school if you are looking for some place that takes good care of kids.

Pros:
1. Food - As a first time parent who never had to pack lunch for school, Vidyarambh was great. They serve organic food, almost no sugars and decent tasting food. Most other preschools either ask parents to pack lunch or serve fast food(Pizza, nuggets etc) which is a big no for us.

2. Cultural: Vidyarambh celebrates all Indian and Americamn festivals so kids get to know and celebrate all festivals.

3. Learning: Preschool is too early for kids to learn anything meaningful but Vidyarambh did great. My kid learned Slokas, did some worksheets.

4. Hours - Vidyarambh starts at 8:45 and ends at 6:00PM, Parents have flexibility to drop off and kids anytime during this window, which is great.

Cons:
My kid started at Ganga class but was changed to Yamuna class within 3Months. It takes time for kids to get adjusted in one class, so frequent changing of classes took some time for little one to get adjusted.

Ganga class has Ms Jaya and Ms Myra who is great, but in yamuna and next class teachers was not so great. But again Nila teachers Ms Premala, Ms Sree were fantastic. Only advice I have for management is please make sure kids do not have to change classes frequently.

Manasa S.

Overall review for Vidyarambh is, if you are looking at a childcare facility that is centered around cultural immersion, healthy nutritious food, art focused, and of course academics then this is the right place to be. Would 100% recommend Vidyarambh.

Now, if you want to read further, it's a long, detailed review.

My son graduated from pre kindergarten at Vidyarambh Santa Clara this year (2023). It's just been a week, and my son already misses Vidyarambh. Not one day did we listen to such things throughout the course of 3 years at Vidyarambh. Now I know how much effort everyone put in to make Vidyarambh feel home.

Me being a mother, I am missing Vidyarambh too, as I have to pack so many meals and snacks to kindergarten. Of course, all credits to the chefs Ms Dhanam (during the pandemic), Ms Vineetha, Ms Shilpa, and Ms Niharika, who were making food feel like home. One more thing to add is that Vidyarambh's menu is packed with nutrition, which was not only healthy but also blended with lots of variety and love, which made me stressfree. Introducing nutrition conscious food at an early age makes the kids know the value of healthy food, which, for me, is the most important thing.

Cultural emersion is another aspect that is worth mentioning. My son knows and celebrates all the Indian and American festivals. With this, I am also worried as to how to keep up with all the shlokas that were being taught at Vidyarambh. There are so many shlokas that I have learned from my son.

Appreciate all the teachers from Ganga room to Kaveri room in shaping him from a toddler to a kindergartener. My son has had the privilege to be a part of every room at Vidyarambh. Starting off with Ms Kelly, Ms Brija, Ms Premala, Ms Sree, Ms Sumati, and Ms Jasmine. How can we forget our very own Ms Debora who made sure every inch of the campus was tidy, clean, and hygienic, especially during covid.

It's just not about food and cultural immersion, Vidyarambh focuses equally on art and academics. Many kids who graduated from Vidyarambh have easily cleared entrance tests in private schools and aced all the accessments in public schools.

Heartfelt, thank you and gratitude to everyone at Vidyarambh. They took care of my baby like their own child during the thick and thin of the covid pandemic, especially Ms Sujatha, Ms Ajantha, and Ms Latha. More strength to Vidyarambh's family to progress even further and reach greater heights.

I can't wait for December to put one more baby of mine to Vidyarambh's arms.

A big namaste and salute to everything Vidyarambh has done so far.

Pavithra R.

Vidyaarambh has been such a godsend for us. My daughter started when she was 3 years old. She started out as a shy little girl with lots of social anxiety but, the teachers have gone above and beyond to make her feel comfortable and content and generally enjoy her school day. Between structured activities and play based learning, interspersed with shlokas and age appropriate religious lessons, the entire time she spends there is full of learning opportunities. She is 4.5 years old now and loves every part of her preschool experience. The teachers, Sujatha, Sumathi and Swapna are very well trained in their jobs and are constantly updating themselves with the latest in childhood education techniques. They attend seminars and courses and are happy to share that knowledge with parents. With many Hindu festivals celebrated over the year and two yearly parties and skits, the students here really come out knowledgeable about Hinduism and enjoying the cultural immersion they are exposed to.
If you have a child who is 3 or older, please consider getting them enrolled here. It will be an amazing experience for your child and yourself!

Deepa R.

My 3-year-old daughter has been going to Vidyarambh in Cupertino for the last 4 months and I am going to base my review on our experience there so far.
Pros:
1. The student-teacher ratio. When I first spoke with Sujatha, she seemed particular about a good student-teacher ratio to ensure proper attention to each student. I believe in California, the law requires a ratio of 1:6 and she is careful to ensure this. I could see that my daughter adjusted fairly quickly and the additional one on one interaction really helped her confidence.
2. Food. I love that Sujatha puts in so much effort for the kids' nutrition. From what I have heard from my daughter, it is tasty and she loves it. They offer freshly cooked, balanced Indian food to the kids every day. They also emphasize good eating habits and nutrition. My daughter WANTS to eat vegetables and try new fruits. Every parent knows that this is nothing short of a miracle!
3. I love that they share pictures of all the activities that the kids do at the end of the day. When I ask my daughter what they did in school, she mostly shrugs and says nothing. I love that the teachers share pictures of all their activities for parents to see. I can see that all the kids are having a great time and enjoying school, just as they should be!
4. Heavy emphasis on Indian culture. My daughter sings a variety of Sanskrit shlokas perfectly with minimum errors. I think it is amazing! She does Suryanamaskaram and knows a lot about our traditions. Sujatha arranged for aksharabhyasam for navrathri last year. The kids wrote 'OM' on a plate of rice and prayed together. They had a gollu set up and the kids brought their favorite toys to add to the gollu. I love how she makes Indian traditions so accessible to the kids! When I (proudly) show school pictures to my friends and family in India, they say that no school in India would do so much! I am very impressed with Sujatha and her efforts. I will never forget the moment my daughter sang 'vaishnav janato' and showed me a picture of Mahatma Gandhi (it was a join the dots) that she drew in school! Recently, for makar sankranthi, they made 'pal pongal' in the school.
5. The teachers, Sumathi and Swapna are very friendly! They are patient with the kids and my daughter loves them both! She misses them a lot during school breaks.
6. Academics are given a lot of importance in the school. The kids are encouraged to read, write, do math etc. I also see pictures of the older kids telling time. But what impresses me most is that they also give importance to art, coloring, and playing outside! For Ganesh Chaturthi, the kids made clay Ganesha! Sujatha actually encourages process art. Children are encouraged to create art and enjoy the process. Process art makes kids confident problem-solvers. I see kids do this at least once every week.
7. Cleanliness: When we visit the school and classroom (where we are always welcomed), the place looks reasonably clean. My daughter mimics how the classroom is cleaned and I must say I am impressed! In fact, she tells me our house needs better cleaning as her classrooms are cleaner!

Cons:
1. I wish they had a bigger playground for the kids to play. I do hope that, with a bigger facility opening up, this will not be an issue.
2. It is a little disturbing to see that your child knows more shlokas than you! My daughter recites lingashtakam and sundarakandam and I had no idea till I did a google search!

Overall, this is a great place to send kids. For them, it is definitely a 'home away from home'!

Swetha K.

Very friendly teachers, very good vegetarian food and good curriculum. My child loves it there.

Sindhu E.

Vidyarambh is an Indian Cultural Immersion Preschool and Childcare center in the Bay Area of Santa Clara and Cupertino

Anup K.

Snehal S.