Modern Education Family Childcare - Portola -

Jason Glasser

We highly recommend Modern Education Family Childcare Portola. Our daughter was here from age 2 to 3 and our son spent a summer here when he was 4.5 years old. We had experience with several other daycares while we were finding the right fit for our son and Modern Education has been by far the best. Some of the things we love about Modern Education are:

• Pyrena and Oscar are great communicators, giving us run downs on what the kids are learning and fun things they did and the pictures they share a highlight of our days. When our daughter was having some trouble with hitting they let us know in a non-judgemental way and we felt like partners working with them to help her through that behavior.

• Our kids love it. They talk about how much they like Oscar, Pyrena, and teacher Bing-Bing all the time. It is clear they feel safe and happy at this school.

• The school organizes great activities like meeting chickens and ducks at the school or fieldtrips to the library for story time. They also have great lesson plans everyday with developmentally appropriate activities like mixing food coloring to learn about the colors.

Wei An

Modern Education Family Childcare (Portola) is exceptional in early education. The owners, Pyrena and Oscar, have created an educational environment that blends modern education with the warmth and comfort of a family-oriented environment. It resonates deeply with my family. They have profoundly impacted our son and, by extension, our entire family.

Our journey with Modern Education Family Childcare began in late 2021 when the challenges of COVID-19 still lingered. From our very first visit, Pyrena's depth of knowledge and innate warmth were immediately apparent. She possesses a remarkable ability to recognize and respect the individuality of each child, fostering trust and comfort. Our son, who had become increasingly withdrawn due to extended periods spent indoors during lockdowns, found himself in a relaxing and empowering environment.

Pyrena gave loving and detailed observations of our son at the end of each day, offering us invaluable insights into our son's progress and experiences. It was amazing to witness his evolution from a shy, introverted child to a confident, extroverted individual who thrived in social settings and excelled in group activities. Pyrena, Oscar, and their team are committed to helping every child bloom. We can see it clearly as day in how much our son and his friends have grown.

Beyond the exceptional educational framework, Pyrena and Oscar built a super cool, welcoming community that feels more like a big, happy family. They hold fun parties for most of the big holidays, both US and Chinese ones, making sure everyone feels included and celebrated. They show up at every child's birthday party, which is pretty sweet. It's like having this extended family where my son gets super excited to drop by now and then, just to hang out with his old buddies. It's the kind of place where everyone knows your name, and you're always glad you came.

Reflecting on our experience, I wholeheartedly endorse Modern Education Family Childcare (Portola) to any family seeking early education for their kid. Pyrena, Oscar, and their team's work offers children a solid foundation for their personal development and lifelong learning.

Vikram Aravamudhan

Being first-time parents, we struggled to understand which daycare to choose for our son. When we met Pyrena & Oscar, we felt an immediate connection and trust that they’d be able to take care of the kid. Pyrena is a very knowledgeable person, a patient teacher, and a wonderful human.

Our kid started going to Modern Education when he turned 10 months old. Since it was during the peak of COVID-19 in 2021, Pyrena and other teachers took extraordinary precautions to have a safe environment for the kids. The family daycare is clean, spacious, and a great outdoor space. The kids indeed feel they are home at daycare, too.

Pyrena would always carefully monitor kids’ growth milestones and share with us in minute detail. This was very helpful for us to feel safe as first-time parents. Each day was photographed and shared with us so as not to miss any beautiful moments.

Teacher Yiyi Grace is caring, and the kids connect with her pretty well. She nurtured and helped our kid get out of his comfort zone. Teacher Oscar is entertaining and keeps the kids engaged in a humorous way. Teacher Gina has a warm smile in welcoming families with a bright Good Morning and always has something to say about your kid that makes you smile at the end of the day.

Our kid would always come home and discuss the fun experiences that day. Pyrena taught our kid the art of sharing and taking turns for toys with other friends. They always found ways to engage the kids with various activities, including art, butterflies, picnic walks, yoga, grocery shopping, water activities, growing plants, and many more. Pyrena & Oscar never missed teaching the kids about culture and celebrating other cultural festivities. This was often accompanied by reading them books about the same and making some artwork accordingly.

Training the kids to be independent eaters, potty practice, and grow as responsible adults was always something that we got from Pyrena & Oscar. We highly recommend Portola Modern Education Family Childcare. Our kid will miss the love and warmth of all his dear teachers and friends <3

Coby Wilson

Our family had the privilege of sending our daughter to Modern Education Family Childcare, lovingly run by Pyrena and Oscar, for two wonderful years. What truly stands out about Modern Education Family Childcare is Pyrena's exceptional dedication and expertise in child development. Her passion for educating young minds is evident in every aspect of the daycare. She possesses a rare gift for connecting with children, helping them feel secure and valued, and fostering their growth and curiosity.

Over the course of those two years, we had the privilege of witnessing our daughter transform into a confident, eager learner who embraced her role as a contributing member of the daycare community. She was very shy and apprehensive about attending daycare for the first time (as were we!) but we saw that she was met with with true kindness and love. Pyrena's brilliance as an educator and communicator cannot be overstated. She consistently kept us informed about our daughter's progress and experiences, ensuring that we were always well-informed and connected to her daily adventures.

We are filled with gratitude for the profound impact Modern Education Family Childcare had on our daughter's life. Pyrena, Oscar, and their incredible team have set the bar exceptionally high for what a childcare facility can be. At home, our daughter would rave about the delicious (and healthy) food that was prepared at the school, and talk about how much she loved playing with Oscar, who our daughter proclaims to be her favorite person! Our daughter has given the best review and compliment in stating that when she grows up, "she wants to be a teacher and a mom, just like Pyrena!"

Stephanie Cheng

Sending our kids to Pyrena was one of the best decisions we made for our childcare needs. Both of my girls were happy to go everyday. Our eldest would speak constantly about how much fun she had with the staff and other children. We got regular updates on the mood, sleep/eat progress and any other big transitions/milestones. I had no problems trusting that Pyrena, YiYi Grace, Gina and Oscar had the best interests for our girls and would provide a nurturing and fun environment for all of the kids.

I highly recommend checking out this daycare! The main draws were the staff, individualized attention, play-based approach/outside time, great communication, hours of operation and how happy all of the children seem at both drop off and pickup!

Kimberly Kim

Pyrena and her team are simply the best. They've been taking care of our son since he was about 4.5 months old, and we couldn't be happier. We looked into several options before going back to work, and after our first meeting with Pyrena, we couldn't imagine going anywhere else. The space is safe, clean, and beautiful, with large indoor and outdoor areas, lots of thoughtful toys and books, and even a garden for the kids. Everyone on the team is so loving and caring; it's obvious that they love the kids like their own. We get updates throughout the day, including sweet photos of the well-planned daily activities. Pyrena is also happy to provide more details about the day and observations she's made at pick-up, and it really amazes me that she's able to remember so many details about our son and tune into his needs. He has flourished under her care, gaining lots of confidence and mobility, and we feel so lucky to be a part of this daycare. Thank you so much, Pyrena and team!

Jenny La

We were very lucky to get into this amazing daycare for my two sons (starting at 8months and 26months of age). Their transition into daycare was seamless and they adapted very quickly. Pyrena and her team provided a second warm, loving and nurturing home for my two sons whilst enriching their learning and development. I was amazed to see my older son put on his own socks and clothes after a couple of months at Modern Education! Covid precautions are taken seriously and it made me feel safe to drop my kids off every morning. Pyrena is very observant of my kids' personality and development. I loved hearing the insights and thoughtful updates she provides at the end of the day of how my kids approached different scenarios throughout the day. I also get lots of photos of my boys partaking in the thoughtfully planned fun activities! Pyrena is passionate about the children and her ongoing learning and development in early childhood education. I am very sad that we have moved away from SF and that my kids are no longer under her care.

John Tsai

I highly recommend Modern Education Family Daycare, Portola. Pyrena, who runs the daycare, is warm, friendly, and truly loves working with kids. They are meticulous about safety standards around COVID and the daycare has a large indoor and outdoor space. What stands out about the daycare is that the teachers really love the children and embrace them as whole human beings with a child-centered approach. They also organize and run many fun activities like celebrating birthdays and graduations, day trips to McLaren park, planting and harvesting vegetables, music, and doing a wide range of arts and crafts. Finding someone to trust your children with is not easy, but Pyrena allayed our concerns and made our child feel loved and welcomed. The school is also very communicative and very quick to respond to any questions and concerns. We wholeheartedly trust Pyrena, and we've sent our first son there since he was 8 months old and will be sending our second son there too when he's old enough. We are so happy to have Pyrena in our life and sad that our first child is graduating soon!