To OP, attending a LAC is too much of financial strain on his family. I don’t see what the worry is. Cal-Berkeley’s philosophy dept is one of the top in the nation if not the best. The upper courses beyond the introductory tend to be more like seminars in terms of the number of students. For philosophy, the size of class doesn’t matter as much. OP has no problem in a huge environment, anyway.
People claiming Philosophy (esp. at Berkeley) is “easy” don’t have a clue. One of the smartest professors I know graduated with a BA in Philosophy and went on to pursue a PhD in EECS. I took Philos 12A and Discrete Math, and I would love to take Philos 140b (Intermediate logic) if I can convince myself that I’m capable of passing that class 
My kid is taking a Philosophy breath class CLASSICS 10A Greek Civilization and its a really intense class with tons of reading and abstract thinking. The class is taught by a renowned professor. Discussion sections which are no more than 25 people are led by younger TAs who are most likely grad students.
@ProfessorPlum168 I think your kid would do really well in Philosophy 12A (it fulfills the Philosophy requirement for Cog. Sci.)