We sent both of our daughters to this wonderful school in Hillcrest. Well run, caring, and passionate staff who really care about the kids. We watched both of our children grow and thrive in this environment. Their teachers and staff are consistent and develop strong bonds during these important developmental years. Mrs. Battles deserves immense credit for putting this talented group of teachers together to help enrich the lives of children as they prepare in the years pre-Kindergarten. read more

I pulled my daughter out of this school about a year ago and the experience is still so unsettling to me, that I had to write a review on here. I was appalled at the conditions in this school. Every single time I dropped my daughter off I saw several children left by themselves crying - young children that were still in diapers. Oftentimes I would stay in the mornings for a bit and read to some of them or even hold them, as there was no one there who seemed very bothered by a 2-year old crying for his or her mother all by himself. My daughter cried every time I dropped her off, which she never did at her old preschool (we would have kept her there, but we moved too far out of the area). She would cling to me and beg me not to leave her there. When I asked the staff about it, the only response I received was, "Don't worry about it. She's fine." Well, it's actually not fine. All the other reviewers on here who say the director is rude (at best) are spot on. She was quite lovely during the tour and sign up process (and when she took my money), but any time I approached her after that she was cold as ice. The teachers in the preschool room are not teachers. They are aides and it's probably more fitting to call them babysitters. They max out the numbers in their classes, which is something like 12 to 15 2-year olds for one aide. They all seem completely checked out. I saw one little boy have a potty accident and the aide got upset with him. This is unacceptable. Please, do not send your child here. I know childcare is expensive and this place is actually quite affordable. Do not compromise. I ended up sending her to St. Vincent's Preschool in Mission Hills just down the way and we are in love with it. Just a side note: I had to call All Saint's last week to get record of my deposit and tuition for some court documents and after speaking to the director she said she would have to look them up and call me back. She never did. No surprise there. This is an awful school. I cannot stress it enough. read more

What the heck? I just read the bad reviews here and can't help but think they're of another school! We've had 2 of children attend and we've been very happy. In MY experience, the teachers are kind and attentive. I'll admit that it took me a while to feel warm, but that was on me. Once I took time to say hello and get to know the teachers I was super happy. My kids never resist going to school, and the older one was clearly prepared and even advanced when she went on to elementary school. Ms Battles takes a lot of heat in these other reviews. I can tell you that I feel lucky to have her there. Before I took the time to sit down with her, I too thought she was kind of a bad ass. But, now I know that really she's a focused, strong, intelligent leader that is fully dedicated to the school, students and parents. If you're not intimidated by that you'll be just fine. read more

The only reason I gave a 4 rating is because of the director Mrs. Battles. Overall we loved the school. The teachers were all great! They took great care of my son for three years, and taught him so much. He is well prepared for kindergarten. Mrs. Battles, on the other hand, is very difficult to deal with. The only times she was ever pleasant was when my wife would go out of her way to do something for her. I would recommend the school because of the teachers, just stay away from the director! read more

We researched all the schools in 92116, 92103 and 92108 area codes. Nothing came close to providing the quality of care, play facilities and a curriculum that was not centered around religion. The kids go to chapel weekly, but books used in story time and that the teachers read from are the books you'd expect to be read to kids such as Thomas Train and Winnie the Pooh...ones that are NOT centered on biblical stories. All the kids seem very happy at the school and I know that our son is very happy. Children are taught in English and Spanish which is a great age to introduce different languages to a child. I am extremely confident in the teachers ability to teach, nurture, and organize the children thus giving them a solid foundation in life to build on. My suggestions to other parents looking for the appropriate preschool environment for their children is to take a look at 3 schools, visit the facilities, take into consideration play areas, safety, cleanliness, organization, curriculum, what kind of stories are taught, etc. Getting answers to these things will help give you a picture of what environment your children will be in all day. For us, play facilities, cleanliness and curriculum were our top 3 considerations. With these in mind All Saints came out on top (and at a cost equal to the other schools...$570 a month for full time 7am-6pm, 5 days a week care.) If you don't have the time to go looking around at all the preschools, I would strongly suggest All Saints Preschool. read more

Awful school. they are racist and judgemental. If they don't like you as a parent they will treat your kids like crap and ignore them. I saw it first hand. The staff is just too young to hold down a professional environment. And, the Lead person- Mrs Battles is condisending and rude. Your NEVER right. Its not worth the little bit your save if you go to another school. Even if I were desperate; no way. I would never recommend nor put another one of my kids through that type of environment. Also too much of a 'daycare' then a preschool. I would must rather put my hard earned money towards a preschool then a daycare. read more

Frankly, I'm shocked to see some of the negative reviews of this school. It's almost as if some of them were written about the wrong school! For those of you not interested in reading a long review, I'll summarize by saying that in my experience All Saints is: diverse, loving, educationally focused, clean, affordable, safe and always striving for improvement. Although communication can be difficult when there are a lot of kids running around, we've always had good communication when we needed it. Our oldest daughter graduated from All Saints in 2013 and is now a 1st grader. Our youngest is currently in pre-K at All Saints. Both began attending All Saints when they were just over 2 years old (starting in 2010). In my experience, this school provides a warm and nurturing environment focused on education. In fact, I remember comparing notes with other moms who were surprised that my children were actually doing academic worksheets from age 2 on. There was a noticeable difference in my children's speaking ability and knowledge within months of starting All Saints. The true test came when my oldest started Kindergarten. She was one of the best prepared kids in her class at an elementary school with a GreatSchools rating of 10. One of the things I appreciate most about this school is that they are constantly striving for improvement. Since we started attending in 2010, we've experienced two playground renovations and several classroom renovations. But the improvements don't stop there; under the Director's guidance the school is often introducing new concepts and tools to keep parents and students engaged, like creating a newsletter or hosting family events. Not everything is perfect, but it's clear to me that the effort is there. The staff and students are very diverse and I feel that both my children have come away with a very broad cultural understanding. I've directly experienced the staff and Director of this school embracing children and parents across different ethnic backgrounds or country of origin and different sexual orientations or gender identification. I can't deny some of the things other reviewers have said - I've seen children crying on drop-off or pick-up. My own children have cried on drop-off or pick-up! But I've been around the school long enough to be confident that this has nothing to do with the staff or environment. Anyone who has experience with children ages 2-4 knows that crying is present, way more often than you might expect. All children are different and some may take longer to adjust to a new setting then others - I noticed a difference even between my own two. Regarding the comments made about the teachers and Director, I will say that with my older child we had a few bumps in the road in the beginning. We received some bad reports and initially felt that the teacher just didn't like our child or that the wasn't a good fit for our child. So much of the communication was in writing because not every teacher is present at drop-off or pick-up and we were relying on somebody else to pick up our child. We arranged for an in-person meeting with the teacher and the Director where we were able to discuss the problems, hear about the way they were being handled, and have a better understanding of where our child's behavior fell on the spectrum. From that point forward, we had a much better relationship with the teacher and Director and have felt comfortable talking with all the staff ever since. In summary, we've really appreciated our experience at All Saints. I'd have no reservations in recommending the school to friends. read more

I placed my son here at the age of 2, and kept him there up until he was ready for kindergarten. I honestly cannot say enough positive thngs about this place. I cried on his graduation day. They were my "second hand mom" and they all genuinely loved him, and all the children that go there. Ms. Battles is a phenomenal director. She is "hands on" and spends time with all of the children. The staff, the play area, the cleanliness are all wonderful. If you are looking for a great daycare/preschool, please consider All Saints. I have a 12 month little girl, and plan to place her there when she turns 2! read more

I had my two daughters attend this DAYCARE- not so much a school. They do not teach, they just babysit. Not ok. (we had other issues too, but I will not be sharing those stories) I did not feel the teachers were professional. So happy we switched to a better preschool, where our kids can learn, and grow, and be in a safe, clean, fun environment! read more

Our son started at All Saints when he was a little over two years old. It was a hard transition for him having been in his previous daycare for many months before. He cried every morning at drop off for a long time, but the staff would always hold him and assure me that things would be fine. Things were always fine too, and I know this because sometimes I would wait outside and listen to see if his cries had stopped (and they did). I would also call and check in to see how he was doing; the teachers were always empathetic to my concerns and reassuring that he did calm down shortly after I left. After a while he no longer cried at drop off and looked very much forward to going to preschool everyday. He developed great friendships with both his little classmates and the teachers there. My son attended All Saints for a total of 3 years, he was enrolled by Ms. Battles the Director and started out in Ms. Lafond's 2 year old class. Shortly after that he moved to Ms. Avalos, then Ms. R's and finally Ms. Walsh's pre-K. He was welcomed in the morning by Ms. Garcia and taken care of in the afternoon by Ms. Jeffires and Ms. Davis. Every step and teacher along the way provided him with wonderful support and age appropriate education. By the time he began kindergarten this year he was well prepared and even able to read small amounts. His Kindergarten teachers say that he is excelling and there is no doubt in my mind that All Saints played a very important role in his preparation. Now my daughter who is two is following in her brother's foot steps. She started at All Saints earlier this year and is doing well. She is emotional at drop off just as my son was, but I am not in any way worried about how she will transition. I trust the staff there and know that they are providing her with quality care and the emotional support she needs to get through this transition. I have also noticed some very positive changes in her since only starting a few months ago. She has not been a very verbal child, but since starting at All Saints is opening up much more. She is saying new words everyday, becoming more articulate in her speech and even singing nursery rhymes and ABC's to us. We are thrilled that she is starting to express herself verbally and know that her teachers are playing an important role in this development. I am very appreciative to have All Saints as an option for our children. I am more than pleased with the environment that the school provided and could not imagine better teachers. read more

This is a daycare not a preschool. The staff are unprofessional and the director is rude and cold. I never should have had my child go to this school. I always had an unsettling feeling when I left him there. There is a reason why there is no wait list and why it is soo cheap. I found an adorable little preschool in university heights that is an absolute gem! The teachers there are amazing and full of love and all the families are very warm and involved. The school is called Ices preschool at Birney. It is at Alice Birney Elementary school on Campus Ave. read more

My daughter has been a student at All Saints since she turned two. I am very satisfied with the school, though it does have a few quirks that I don't love.your child must be dropped off by 9:30, or they cannot attend school that day. This policy makes doctors appointments before school nearly impossible. They are also a bit excessive in their days off, but they take fewer holidays than her previous care giver. The staff is friendly and well qualified and truly care about the students. My daughter has loved all of her teachers here and she has learned a great deal. She is really thriving in the pre-k program with Miss Walsh and is able to report every day something new that she learned. I also appreciate the diversity of the school and its central location. I feel that the individuals that have posted negative reviews of All Saints have very unrealistic expectations of a pre-school, especially on at this price point. read more

We LOVE All Saints! The teachers are all fantastic and made our daughter feel very welcomed from the first day she stepped foot in the classroom. The Pre-K teacher, Ms. Walsh is fabulous and does an amazing job preparing students for kindergarten. Our daughter has learned so much from her and absolutely loves her. The preschool director is awesome - she is available to parents whenever you need to speak with her. She has gone above and beyond for our family. We could never thank her enough! We know that our daughter is being cared for in a safe and nurturing environment when she's at school. We can't wait for our 2nd child to attend! read more

This school was a godsend (literally) when I moved to San Diego with two young children. Both graduated from All Saints. My son placed out of high school after only 1 1/2 years. (He was bored. No, he is not a genius, just well educated 1-6th grade at All Saints.) My daughter hated the dress code, but survived. It is a safe and caring manerly environment with very small classes. BTW: do not fear-classes are not religious, but once a week mass is an option. Price very reasonable. read more

We moved here after spending our first year of preschool elsewhere and having a bad experience. Change can be hard, but I can't say enough about the wonderful staff at All Saints. The Director, Mrs. Battles is an angel. She is actively involved in what is going on in the school and sets an extremely positive and loving environment for the kids, staff and parents. We are now in Ms Walsh's pre k class and she is wonderful as well. We are so fortunate to have found this sweet little school. Yes, change can be hard but in this case we elated that we made the change! read more

One of our kids attended all-saints from 2-4, then went to Kindergarten. We now have a second child attending all-saints. The school and teachers are incredible!! Hands down the best pre-school in town. The is almost no teacher turnover! All the same very nice and supportive teachers have been with the kids for the past 4 years. I would recommend this school to anyone!! The whole program is awesome! read more

This school is just what our family needed, we toured different schools throughout the city and county. We had our first child attend this school 2005-2007 and our second child now attends. Just about all of the same staff members, all still as kind and nurturing with our children as before...including the director. Even with behavioral issues having to be addressed with my husband and I about our little ones, we still enjoy this school very much, it's hard for a parent to hear that their child has been less than perfect but it's reality and I'm thankful that the school cares enough to let us know. The teachers are often cleaning and are very attentive to the children, some parents require an equal amount of nurture and attention from a school but my husband and I are satisfied. As the saying goes you could pay more but why! read more

Finding all Saints' was a real blessing in disguise. My husband and I come from different cultures and worried about finding a school where our then, 2 year old, would feel accepted and not pressured into speaking one language over another. Luckily, many of the children at All Saints' come from diverse families and have the same mentality of acceptance. The children are loved, yet not controlled. They are given just enough structure throughout the day to learn as children should. We were worried during my son tantrums of the two's, and felt so much comfort in the fact that the children were all instructed on acceptable behavior and manners. He quickly learned how to put his toys away, be kind to others, share and advance when he was ready...something we all hope for our children. Beyond that, the school balances play time with focused learning in both English and Spanish, which is crucial for living on a major border. The children are also potty trained and introduced to faith. The great part of their approach to the latter- is that it is non-invasive and they honor all different faiths as celebrated on various holy days. Again, we come from very different religions, and we have never felt threatened by the ways of this church based school...only happiness for the relationship made. If you are a parent that is focused on competition, pretentious behavior and the newest findings in child psychology, this school is not for you. If you want to be realistic about the balance of life and integrating the necessary elements of growth and kindness, you should consider All Saints'. You won't regret it! read more

Two of my children are currently enrolled at this school and I like a lot of the recent reviewers have had nothing but a pleasant experience. My kids love going here and my youngest is in the toddler class. While I think that you have to pick a preschool that meets your family needs and I realize that this will be different for everyone, I must say that not one member of the staff from the director to the cleaning crew has ever been rude to me or my children. I have never witnessed any such interaction between the staff and any of the other parents or students. The staff is loving with all the children and the parents. It is truly a family environment.Even the other parents and the students are exceptionally friendly. If you are looking for a preschool for your child I would encourage you to take a tour, meet the staff, review the curriculum and speak with parents who currently have children enrolled at All Saints. read more

One word. Scary. A couple of weeks ago I visited All Saints for my 2 year old son from the recommendation of a friend. Apparently things have changed from when her son went here because I couldn't get out of there fast enough. The "Director" was unfriendly and very cold not only to me but to the children. Red Flag. It was 10:30am when I took the tour of the school so I'm not sure what is usually scheduled for that time because I was never provided with a sample schedule as promised. The preschooler's were out on the play ground and the teacher (baby-sitter) was staring into the sky but when she noticed myself and the Director walking over she all of sudden seemed interested in the children. Next we toured the toddler room that is in a little house across from the playground. Now this is when it gets scary. Very, Very, Scary. There were about 14 toddlers running around in this little room and the baby-sitter was SITTING DOWN!!! What? Sitting down while looking after 14 toddlers by yourself? No interaction what so ever in either of the groups. Anyway, after that the director showed me the nap room which has been giving me nightmares ever since. An extremely cold room with hardwood floors that smelled like urine. It kinda reminded me a of a secret room in a basement that a kidnapper would have with tiny mattresses all over. It was really scary and made total sense as to why their were no wait lists and why it was so cheap. It's really too bad because it is in a great area and has an easy drop off / pick up lot but it's really a day care and not a preschool. Don't take your children here, EVER. read more