Garden Day Montessori School, 1332 Parker St, Berkeley, CA 94702, US

Founded in 1990, the Pride and Joy Preschool serves children ranging from infants/toddlers to pre-K age in a relatively new building designed for the school by architect Edmund Berger and completed in 2008. One building inspector said it looks like "a little hotel for children," the school's director and founder, Moilan Manning, notes on the school website. The program adopts "developmentally appropriate practices" and "positive behavior intervention," Manning says. Activities include art, music, dramatic play, circle time, blocks, outdoor play and yoga. The school serves both special-needs and mainstream children and is licensed as a Child Care Center by the state Department of Social Services for up to 45 children.