Ranked among the top 10 childcare centers in Castro Valley. Fewer than half of all centers in the city reach this level across our full 11-dimension scoring.
Best for Safety
Earned the highest safety score in Castro Valley. Our safety dimension weighs inspection history, deficiency records, and parent-reported safety culture across reviews.
Best Arts & Music
Earned the highest arts & music score in Castro Valley. This dimension reflects the depth and consistency of creative programming — visual arts, music, movement, and imaginative play.
Full Ranking Detail
childcarepreschool
Achievers Preschool (formerly Growing Years Preschool) is a CCLD-licensed, play-based preschool in Castro Valley, CA serving children ages 2–5, operating since 1986. The center received the 2026 Quality Business Awards USA recognition as the Best Montessori School in Castro Valley, and maintains active parent engagement with 29 Yelp reviews and 4.3 stars across 11 Google reviews. Its curriculum emphasizes child-initiated learning through hands-on exploration in art, science, music, and language arts, with a philosophy that prioritizes the learning process over academic outcomes, supported by a teacher-child ratio of 1:10. Extended hours (7:00 AM–6:00 PM) support working families, though the center does not serve infants—enrollment is ages 2–5 only.
Safety6.0
Curriculum7.0
Art / Music6.0
Infant care4.0
Kindergarten readiness6.0
Teacher quality7.0
Compassion7.0
Management6.0
Culture6.0
Extracurriculars6.0
Programs & curriculum
Curriculum & approach: Play-based, hands-on learning with child-initiated themes and a balance of child- and teacher-directed activities. Emphasizes that the process is more important than the product and that play is the key tool for assessing a child's development, with classrooms set up to promote exploration based on children's interests.
Programs & activities: Offers opportunities to develop skills in art, science, music, movement, and language arts through hands-on experiences.
What sets it apart: Teacher-child ratio of 1:10 (sometimes 2:16). Preschool for ages 2-4 and Pre-K for ages 4-5; located in Castro Valley, CA and operating since 1986 (formerly Growing Years Preschool, now Achievers).
Recognition of Excellence — Website Badge
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Top 10 in Castro Valley
<!-- Recognition of Excellence: Achievers Preschool (formerly Growing Years Preschool) -->
<a href="https://creativemindsmontessori.com/US-wide-childcare-preschool-rankings/california/sf-bay-area/castro-valley/achievers-preschool-formerly-growing-years-preschool/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" style="display:flex;align-items:flex-start;gap:16px;padding:18px;background:#FFFBF0;border:1px solid #EDD97A;border-radius:10px;max-width:420px;text-decoration:none;color:inherit;font-family:-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,'Segoe UI',Roboto,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;">
<img src="https://creativemindsmontessori.com/US-wide-childcare-preschool-rankings/badges/rank-10-city.jpg" alt="Top 10 in Castro Valley - Achievers Preschool (formerly Growing Years Preschool) - Castro Valley, CA" width="80" height="80" style="border-radius:8px;flex-shrink:0;" loading="lazy">
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<strong style="display:block;font-size:15px;color:#1A1A18;margin-bottom:5px;">Top 10 in Castro Valley</strong>
<span style="font-size:13px;color:#4A4A46;line-height:1.5;">Ranked among the top 10 childcare centers in Castro Valley. Fewer than half of all centers in the city reach this level across our full 11-dimension scoring.</span>
</span>
</a>
Best for Safety
<!-- Recognition of Excellence: Achievers Preschool (formerly Growing Years Preschool) -->
<a href="https://creativemindsmontessori.com/US-wide-childcare-preschool-rankings/california/sf-bay-area/castro-valley/achievers-preschool-formerly-growing-years-preschool/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" style="display:flex;align-items:flex-start;gap:16px;padding:18px;background:#FFFBF0;border:1px solid #EDD97A;border-radius:10px;max-width:420px;text-decoration:none;color:inherit;font-family:-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,'Segoe UI',Roboto,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;">
<img src="https://creativemindsmontessori.com/US-wide-childcare-preschool-rankings/badges/dim-safety.jpg" alt="Best for Safety - Achievers Preschool (formerly Growing Years Preschool) - Castro Valley, CA" width="80" height="80" style="border-radius:8px;flex-shrink:0;" loading="lazy">
<span>
<strong style="display:block;font-size:15px;color:#1A1A18;margin-bottom:5px;">Best for Safety</strong>
<span style="font-size:13px;color:#4A4A46;line-height:1.5;">Earned the highest safety score in Castro Valley. Our safety dimension weighs inspection history, deficiency records, and parent-reported safety culture across reviews.</span>
</span>
</a>
Best Arts & Music
<!-- Recognition of Excellence: Achievers Preschool (formerly Growing Years Preschool) -->
<a href="https://creativemindsmontessori.com/US-wide-childcare-preschool-rankings/california/sf-bay-area/castro-valley/achievers-preschool-formerly-growing-years-preschool/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" style="display:flex;align-items:flex-start;gap:16px;padding:18px;background:#FFFBF0;border:1px solid #EDD97A;border-radius:10px;max-width:420px;text-decoration:none;color:inherit;font-family:-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,'Segoe UI',Roboto,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;">
<img src="https://creativemindsmontessori.com/US-wide-childcare-preschool-rankings/badges/dim-arts.jpg" alt="Best Arts & Music - Achievers Preschool (formerly Growing Years Preschool) - Castro Valley, CA" width="80" height="80" style="border-radius:8px;flex-shrink:0;" loading="lazy">
<span>
<strong style="display:block;font-size:15px;color:#1A1A18;margin-bottom:5px;">Best Arts & Music</strong>
<span style="font-size:13px;color:#4A4A46;line-height:1.5;">Earned the highest arts & music score in Castro Valley. This dimension reflects the depth and consistency of creative programming — visual arts, music, movement, and imaginative play.</span>
</span>
</a>
This recognition is awarded independently by Creative Minds Montessori based on publicly available parent reviews and public records. Centers do not pay for or request these rankings. Scores reflect editorial synthesis of verified parent experience — not center marketing materials. Rankings are updated periodically as new reviews are analyzed.
