I can’t believe how well Kids Connection has prepared me for middle school! I attended Kids Connection Elementary from Kindergarten to Fifth Grade. From extraordinary teachers to an excellent education, my six years at KC made me feel well prepared and comfortable entering Castilleja Middle School. I received a learning experience like no other while at KC. When I started middle school, I quickly felt confident and extremely prepared in all core subjects. As a matter of fact, I felt that I had already learned much of what I was studying in the beginning of Sixth Grade from Kids Connection. This made the transition to middle school feel more like a review, giving me time to focus on social adjustments and getting settled in. We did move on to harder topics, but I didn’t struggle at all, thanks to study habits I had also acquired from my earlier education at KC. Not only has KC prepared me for my future studies, but my six years there also prepared me for successfully handling testing and exams. I have always been an anxious tester, but my experience at KC taught me testing and studying techniques that put me at ease and still help me today. Apart from KC supporting me with my academic life, I feel that it has made me an all-around better person. From a young age, we were taught to have good character by our amazing principal, Mrs. Marcum. This included respect for our peers and teachers and always being honest. She was always there to guide us in making good choices and help us work through any difficulties we were having. I practice the character I was taught at KC every day. I am extremely grateful for the kind, loving support and education that I was given at KC. My six years at KC were without a doubt the most amazing experience, one I will never forget and always cherish. I will always be a KC kid at heart!
As for where I am now, I am still attending Castilleja School in Palo Alto. I am on my way to 8th grade and preparing to apply for honors math. Here, I receive an all-girls education and endless, amazing opportunities. Whether it’s mastering algebra, reading classic novels, creating robots in the engineering lab, or learning a whole new language, I felt well prepared for everything that came my way. Apart from academics, at Castilleja, we are fortunate to have many different sports, electives, and activities available to us. For instance, I’m not the sportiest person but I joined the Volleyball team and had a blast! Then, a sonnet I wrote received highest honors in a contest during Shakespeare’s birthday celebration. I’ve also had an incredible experience in computer science and computer programming classes, where I have coded several of my own websites. Currently, I’m collaborating with an overseas school in Australia to create an app that we hope to market someday. At KC, we were introduced to programming and early coding techniques during computer class which is where I found it is truly my passion. At Castilleja, I’m presented with many opportunities and challenges, but I was certainly ready to take on the rigorous academics and face the challenges head-on. I don’t know if I’d be where I am today if it wasn’t for my time at Kids Connection Elementary School. Their excellence helped me work to my full potential and become a well-rounded person.
– Kempton , Class of 2013
I attended Kids Connection for Preschool-5th grade and graduated from 5th grade in 2001. I know that Kids Connection provided me with a strong foundation that has helped me throughout my academic career. Currently I am a first year medical student at Temple University in Pennsylvania. Thank you.
-Anna
Kids Connection’s outstanding test rankings, consistently in the top 1% nationwide, and the challenging, accelerated-curriculum clearly illustrate the excellent academic standards the school has set. However, Kids Connection’s real exceptionalism lies with the staff, who has created the fertile, learning environment for students to achieve such noteworthy accomplishments. What I admire most about the Kids Connection staff is their tireless ability to care about each student and the quality education he/she is receiving. I appreciate the degree of attention the teachers take in presenting interesting and demanding, yet attainable lessons. The teachers also expect their students to be prepared and because of these expectations, my daughter is learning invaluable study skills such as organization, personal responsibility, and priority setting, which will only benefit her throughout her academic career.
– K. Moore
My daughter has been with Kids Connection for eight years, including the preschool and daycare. She enjoys going to school every day. The school’s caring staff is excellent in providing support, guidance, and attention to the students, given its small class size, in a safe environment. The academic program is well reputed and allows students to thrive in a challenging environment. While there are many academic options available for parents in the area, Kids Connection is our choice because of the co-education environment, caring staff, strong academic programs, which all help in laying a good foundation for my daughter’s future education. We will strongly recommend Kids Connection to our friends and family.
– N. Chung
My daughter has gone to Kids Connection school for last three years. This is a great school and we are very happy with the education it provides to our daughter. Teachers are very knowledgeable and very nice; the environment is very structured and friendly at the same time. Kids do a lot of art projects, do advanced math, learn social skills and at the same time it all looks like fun to them. They are happy to come back to school every day. We are very excited to continue our education at KC.
– N. Beilin
The school is a small and endearing environment with a stellar group of teachers, counselors and administrators who give the highest level of dedication to the education and wellbeing of the children. My daughter started in 2nd Grade after we moved to the area and has flourished beautifully at Kids Connection Elementary School. The school offers a diverse and well-rounded program of academics, practical experience, field trips, sports, extracurricular activities, and several fun events in a safe and healthy environment. The teachers are also very collaborative with parents in giving and taking feedback, working closely with the children (great teacher to student ratio!), and allowing parents to stay involved creatively in the academic progress of the children. Children graduate from Kids Connection and succeed in a multitude of private and public middle school environments fully ready, and with confidence and spirit. I would strongly recommend to any parent Kids Connection as an alternative!
– P. Koneti
My children have been at Kids Connection for the last few years and we are very happy with the school. Both of my children have attended Kids Connection since they were three years old (preschool). My older child is now in high school and attributes success in middle/upper school years to the strong academic and life skills foundation from her years at KC. My younger child is wrapping up 5th grade, and loves the teachers and going to school and learning. KC has an environment where our children are taught the same virtues/values that we teach at home and where they were challenged academically. Kids Connection has been a true blessing to our family!
– S. Anur
As someone who attended four Ivy League Universities, earned two degrees and an executive education certificate, education is important to me. While I could have sent my son to API 900+ scoring public schools, my wife and I elected to send him to Kids Connection. Why? Long tenured, high quality teaching delivered in a smaller than public school student-teacher ratios. The application process weeds out those who would inevitably take a disproportionate amount of attention, especially in the higher ratio public school classroom. The strong focus on academics is a plus and, in my opinion, what’s needed in a country with schools that continue to fail our children. The strong sense of school community has my son looking forward to going to school every day. While the extracurricular options are not as extensive as some larger private schools (though the school has made significant recent strides), my family prefers to augment such needs (sports, music, etc.) outside of the school environment, something that Kids Connection’s reasonable tuition more than allows.
– B. Wong
I greatly value the close attention that the teachers at Kids Connection give to individual growth and progress and not just in covering grade appropriate curriculum. The teachers, while demanding the best, are very understanding of varied needs of children. My children have greater confidence in their own potential and their abilities than before and I am delighted to see them flourish here.
– A. Aiyer
We are delighted that our son is attending such an excellent school so close to our residence. What makes Kids Connection unique is its small class size, its demanding but caring teachers, and the high quality of education that our son receives. He likes his school very much and enjoys every single day of it. We strongly recommend Kids Connection to any parents who are looking for top quality education.
– A. Taghizadeh
I am most impressed with the Kids Connection academic program and my son’s progress. He is in the 1st grade but academically he is at least one or two grades ahead of the first graders in local public schools. The best thing is that he can’t seem to get enough of school. He is very thirsty for knowledge and is given information, skills, good habits, and challenges to meet. There is some healthy competition between the kids in the class, and all of them benefit from it. They all advance greatly even though they move at their own pace. My son is never bored. He never complains about too much work. He is just having fun while learning so much. It is a wonderful program.
– K. Polonsky
Attending Kids Connection has been a great decision for our family. Their dedicated staff and a smaller, more intimate setting that features a more rigorous academic program than available at other schools speak for themselves, with three children graduating from Kids Connection with acceptances to their first choice middle schools. Our oldest, now two years into her middle school experience, credits Kids Connection with preparing her to succeed in the advanced academic environment of one of the Bay Area’s most prominent private middle schools. With our youngest child entering 2nd grade we look forward to four more years in the Kids Connection family. We recommend Kids Connection to all our friends without reservation. It is a wonderful place to learn.
– S. Flohr
Both my children attend Kids Connection and I cannot say enough good things about the school. Both my kids started off in the preschool and moved on to the elementary school. I loved that the preschool was very structured and there is a routine and discipline there that will surely help make a child’s transition to Kindergarten smooth. The elementary school has some wonderful teachers who have brought out the best in my child. The teachers cover everything in the school and I do not have to do much at home. My son learned the entire multiplication tables by heart in school and I did not even know when that happened! The principal Mrs. Marcum is wonderful and very receptive to the parents needs and she is doing a wonderful job. I have no hesitation in recommending Kids Connection and I promise you that it will offer a very strong foundation for your child to build on.
– S. Gundanna
Our two kids have been enrolled at Kids Connection in Foster City since preschool and we have been very happy with the quality of education and after-school care they have received. We used to live in Foster City five years ago and now have moved five miles away and still chose to continue with Kids Connection for our children’s education. The teachers and after-school staff are very smart and talented and pay special attention to each child. Kids Connection is a premier school providing a great future to all children enrolled. We highly recommend Kids Connection for a brighter future for kids.
– T. Pombra
Kids Connection is a wonderful school! Its teachers and staff are dedicated professionals that care deeply about students in the school. It offers a balanced curriculum, which has a well-placed emphasis on reading and mathematics and at the same time include art, computer, and physical education. My kids started going to Kids Connection at Kindergarten and are currently in 4th grade. They have loved the school and the teachers, and as a parent I am extremely satisfied with their academic progress.
– X. Nie
As parents our standards were high when it came to choosing the right school for our son. First, we wanted a place where my son could feel happy. Then we wanted a place where he would love to learn. Kids Connection has met these two requirements and even more. I have been sending my son since Kindergarten and he is now finishing 1st grade. He has thrived and grown immensely not only academically but emotionally since he started. The environment is loving, respectful and a perfect mix of fun and concentration. It is well organized; the materials are beautiful and complete. Even though it is still early to say, we are 100% sure that my son is not going to suffer when he transfers to middle school. I just hope his next school can pick up where he left off. Every staff member is incredibly warm and loving. They have come to feel like family. The principal, Mrs. Marcum, has always been available to discuss any concerns I had. She is a true professional, and holds the highest standards for the school. The teachers are great, strict but warm, and incredibly patient. Hugs are plentiful in this environment! As a parent I always feel like I know what’s going on with my son through quick chats with the teachers, e-mail notifications, Wednesday envelopes, weekly posts on what they are doing during the week, etc. Twice a year parent conferences allow for a formal time set aside to communicate about your child’s needs and developments. They allow you to come and volunteer in so many projects during school hours. Short and sweet, my son is thrilled! We can guarantee that your child will not be receiving a poor education, or any lack of love and respect.
– M. Mandich & A. Rousseau
I have three children, one that attended Kids Connection from Kindergarten through 5th grade and two who are in 1st and 3rd grades. Before choosing Kids Connection for any of my children, I attended open houses at several other private schools and many public schools including the magnet ones. My wife and I chose Kids Connection because of the balance between academics and creativity, and because of the school’s excellent administration and teachers. Through the years, my wife and I have gotten to know many teachers well. Their enthusiasm and skill sets are, of course, varied, but they are as motivated and competent as the best private-school teachers in the area. As a whole, they have always successfully engaged my children and fostered their passion for learning. I can truly say that my children want to succeed academically not because they are afraid of failing to gain approval, but because they think learning is fun. This fairly fine distinction is one of the reasons that I think Kids Connection is one of the best private elementary schools that parents can choose. Concerning Kids Connection’s emphasis on creativity, you can see the results on the classroom walls or on display in the hallways. Every teacher always has their students’ projects displayed, and many are complex ones that required teamwork. The projects range from art to models to poetry. To be clear, Kids Connection students are asked to work hard but only within their comfort zone. Many end up successfully applying to the best private junior high schools in the area, including Crystal Springs, Menlo School, St. Josephs, Harker, and Keys. My oldest child ended up going to Menlo School and he is thriving there. My wife and I believe that he was well-prepared for its curriculum because of the excellent, well-rounded education he received from Kids Connection.
– W. Kwong & K. Julian
I have one child in 4th grade and one that has graduated from Kids Connection. The school excels in academic education and has prepared my graduated son so well for 6th grade at Crystal Springs Uplands. He entered with superb academic preparation and study habits. Students learn excellent group study habits, public speaking, writing skills, etc. Students learn to be active participants in the classroom. My boys even raise their hands at the dinner table to be the first one to talk. For my 4th grader, the monthly projects, creating writing assignments, TFK paragraphs – with all of Ms. LaRochelle’s comments and editing – has made him an excellent writer. I also love the electricity and magnetism science study that my 4th grader is doing!
– S. Liu
As a parent and educator (I am a full professor at UC), I find it always challenging to choose any school for my daughter. It is a blessing that KC found us. I am thankful every day for the loving care and dedication of the KC faculty and staff. My only small regret is that I did not know about Kids Connection earlier as a Dad. Thank you Kids Connection!
– L. Ma
My son entered Kids Connection at 3rd grade. I truly believe that the decision to transfer our son to Kids Connection was the right one. First of all, he is blossoming academically. The Kids Connection’s academic program is wonderful and enriching. I do not see any “busy” homework. I also do not see any drilling. For example, kids have many different exercises that involved weekly spelling words that there is no need for simple memorization. The projects are so engaging that I myself enjoy participating in it. The building of a castle in 3rd grade is so much fun that I highly recommend to parents of upcoming 3rd graders to volunteer for this project. I learned a lot of new stuff about castle architecture. (By the way, my older son had a similar project at 7th grade at Bowditch Middle School.) Both of my son’s teachers are absolutely wonderful. They deeply care about academic and social success of the students. They always have time to talk to the parents and answer any question and concerns you may have. I would like to give one example how school and teacher care about student academic success. As my son started Kids Connection only in 3rd grade, he had some problem with writing. The 3rd grade teacher, arranged tutoring for him by the 4th grade teacher during the class “free time” to help him to get ready for the 4th grade. Last, but not least, the tuition of the school is half of what other private schools charge. At the end I would like to share with you the opinion of my son about our school: “Kids Connection is a really good school. It doesn’t kill you, but you learn a lot!”
– N. Boz
The technology curriculum at Kids Connection is amazing! My child was miles ahead of her peers in her understanding of computers by the time she got to middle school.
– a Kids Connection Parent