Our daughter attended Kindergarden at the Manzanita campus and boy do I wish we could have packed…read moreup this delightful school and brought it with us when we moved to the east coast. Intimate and beautiful, the campus is a gem. Our daughter was instantly enchanted by all the stained glass, trees, flowers and chickens. Every classroom has its own outdoor space where home cooked family style lunches (often featuring food grown on Miss Anneliese's ranch) are served. The staff is equally nurturing and professional. The academics are solid: phonics based reading, Singapore math and handwriting without tears. My daughter started kindergarten not knowing how to read and tested into her new school one year above grade level. Weekly (or more) French, Spanish, German, American Sign Language, Music, Handcrafts and PE lessons are taught by specialty teachers. The school also hosts numerous social events throughout the year that help to foster a fun and active parent community. We remember our daughter's year at the Anneliese Manzanita campus with great fondness and wholeheartedly recommend it to any family looking for an enriching school experience.

We love Anneliese's Our boys learned different languages, practiced music and art and gardening…read more All of their teachers have been excellent. And they really love the food at school.

We love Mrs. Fitches and the community here. The church is so special, the moms group is too and my…read morelittle one loves his teacher here at preschool,

We've loved bring our sons here for three years now. It's as close to perfect as we could find…read morewhen researching the different options around Laguna. We've even had a couple conflicts or areas of concern, that we brought up to the teachers and staff. They handled both in a very professional way. I feel very very comfortable dropping my kids off at this preschool knowing they are in great care.

My daughter has blossomed in the last two weeks since she's started attending preschool here!…read more We chose this school purely based on how my daughter's face lit up during the tours. We toured a few schools and she did not like any of them until we visited this school. Ms. Pei and Ms. Betty from the bilingual classroom were both so warm and welcoming, and made my daughter so excited about starting school from the first time we toured their class! Before starting school, she was so shy and timid and would often avoid playgrounds with too many people. She would hide when people say hi to her, and run away from kids who tried to play with her. Ever since she started school here, she suddenly became a social butterfly! And she would wake up every morning excited to go to school and play with her friends! We seriously are so happy and thankful for all the teachers here for caring for our daughter and helping her overcome her social anxiety!

We started sending our precious baby, M, here when she was 9 months old. She is now 14 months old…read more We chose LNMC because without exception, the staff are so warm, welcoming and thoroughly trained in authentic Montessori education. (Any school can use the Montessori name, so just because a school says they are "Montessori" does not mean they implement it correctly or to a quality standard.) if you want the true Montessori experience, you will definitely want to tour this school. Baby M lights up every morning when she sees her teachers, and even though she misses us when we leave, I always have *complete* confidence and peace of mind leaving her there because I know she is loved, and her physical, cognitive and emotional needs are more than met. Teachers are flexible and understanding and communicative about the many particular and constantly changing needs (feeding schedule, switching from bottle to cup, encouraging solids and naps, etc) of Baby M. In the infant room, they support and follow whatever daily schedule your child follows at home. M did have trouble napping in a classroom at first (because she just wants to keep playing with everyone) but she is napping well now. The school feels like a community. Even the teachers of the older kids know Baby M and always say hello to her (we typically have to stop a couple times on the way to her classroom in the morning because she is a very social baby and wants to give the other teachers morning hugs). The school also hosts various celebrations, such as "Muffins with Mom" for Mothers Day and "Donuts with Dad" for Fathers Day. For Muffins with Mom, I got to hang out one morning after drop off to eat muffins and fruit with M and the other mothers. It was lovely. They even set up a back drop for Mother's Day for us to take a picture together and regularly send kids home with product art on holidays. I am not the biggest fan of product art (vs process art) as a learning tool, but I admit I LOVE these keepsakes and will keep them forever. We also had the opportunity to volunteer at the Scholastic book fair and to purchase books for M's classroom. Ms. Athana and Ms. Danielle (administration) keep the school very secure, the children safe, help support teachers on the daily and in their professional growth, and are always approachable. They are so kind and patient with our "new parents sending our baby to preschool for the first time" and other ongoing questions/concerns. (We had raised concerns about M not napping, which they completely understood and helped us resolve.) Other notes: the classrooms are very clean, well-organized, full of cognitively stimulating materials (but not cluttered) and have beautiful natural light. There is a kindergarten classroom if you want the option for your child to go the Montessori kindergarten too. The front door can only be opened with your own personal code (love the security), and check in and check out are done using the Procare app (easy, convenient). You will get daily updates via the app about when your child is eating, sleeping, and when they've had diaper changes. Teachers will also occasionally send photos of what your child does during the day. It is a nice connection to have to them throughout my workday. Clearly, we (and Baby M!) love this school. I highly recommend a tour if any of these positives resonate with you. If you do so soon, Baby M will likely greet you at the door of the infant room .

We are incredibly happy with our experience at Stratford. This is our first year at the Laguna…read moreNiguel campus, but our third year with Stratford overall. The school has a strong academic focus from an early age while truly supporting and nurturing my child's interests and growth. The curriculum is well-rounded and thoughtfully designed, covering a wide range of subjects and topics that keep children engaged and curious. It's clear that students are academically challenged in a positive way and are already working at least a school year ahead compared to public schools. The school leadership, teachers and staff team are all friendly, helpful, resourceful, and approachable in so many ways. It genuinely feels like a small family, and the community is incredibly supportive, with many fun activities and events throughout the year that bring everyone together. I could go on, but the best way to understand the environment is to take a tour and explore the website. We're very grateful to be part of the Stratford community and highly recommend it to families looking for a strong academic foundation in a nurturing setting.

We couldn't be happier with our experience at Stratford School in Laguna Niguel. With one child in…read morepreschool and another in elementary, we've had the opportunity to see the school's impact across multiple stages of early education--and it's been nothing short of outstanding. The staff and teachers are the best part of the school! They are incredibly warm, communicative, and genuinely invested in our children's growth. It's clear that they take the time to get to know each child as an individual, creating a supportive environment that feels both nurturing and academically enriching. The preschool program has provided a perfect foundation for our youngest--balancing social-emotional learning with hands-on academics in a way that keeps our child excited to go to school every day. Meanwhile, our elementary-aged child has truly flourished under Stratford's well-rounded curriculum. The emphasis on critical thinking, strong language and math skills, and character development has built a solid educational foundation that we know will serve them for years to come. What sets Stratford apart is the seamless integration of high academic standards with a strong sense of community. The families we go to school with have become lifelong friends. Our children aren't just thriving academically--they're happy, confident, and curious learners. We're so grateful to be part of the Stratford family and can already see how this experience is shaping their educational journey in the best possible way.

We love Christ Community Preschool (CCP). We transitioned to Laguna Hills from LA during a…read moresensitive time, and we weren't sure how our son would react to being in a new school environment after leaving his school in LA that he attended for 2 years. Under Ms. Cathi's leadership, you just feel the warmth, collaboration, and community vibe as soon as you engage with them. They have a wonderful team of teachers and aides that provide Christ like love, attention, care, support, and instruction to the children. They also have monthly opportunities where you can attend church/chapel with your child and many events throughout the year that allow parents to engage with their children, staff, and each other. I would highly recommend CCP for your preschool and pre-K needs.

What an incredible five years we have had at CCP! Between my two sons, we have had nearly every…read moreteacher, and can attest to the love and warmth each bring to their classrooms. Ms. Cathi, the director, truly cares for the families and students, and goes above and beyond to create a true sense of community. The teachers are kind and nurturing, and provide numerous updates to keep the parents feel involved. My sons have grown not only academically (they were MORE than prepared to enter Kindergarten), but socially and spiritually, as well. We are so grateful to have found this gem of a school. What a blessing CCP has been to our family!

Trabuco Presbyterian Preschool holds such a special place in our hearts. Our girls attended for…read morethree wonderful years, and we could not be more grateful for the love, care, and support our family received during that time. From the very beginning, the teachers and staff were incredibly caring, patient, loving, and genuinely invested in our girls. They consistently went above and beyond for our family, especially when it came to accommodating our scheduling needs. We always felt that they truly cared about not only our children, but about us as a family as well. The classrooms are beautiful, welcoming, and thoughtfully set up with wonderful spaces for the children to learn, play, explore, and grow. Most importantly, our girls always felt safe, loved, and happy there. It is very difficult to say goodbye after three years because Trabuco Presbyterian Preschool became such an important part of our girls' childhood. We will forever be thankful for the teachers, staff, memories, and the wonderful foundation they gave our daughters. We wholeheartedly recommend it.

TPC Preschool is exactly what we had hoped for when we signed our son up at the beginning of his 2…read more 1/2 years there.  It's small, friendly, safe, filled with kindness and love, and we know firsthand that the teachers have tons of experience because they taught at our older son's preschool before it closed down. Being so new, it's squeaky clean, and you can tell that the Director clearly put a lot of thought into the layout, furniture, playground, and technology. Our son was READING books to us the summer after he finished at TPC, knows how to add and subtract, and writes quite well.  He has such an advantage going into elementary school!  Plus, he is filled with confidence and silliness.  TPC is absolutely perfect in every way, and now that we've moved on, we deeply miss it.

As a family, we have been attending this school for over 6-years and we are so thankful we made the…read moredecision to send our girls here. The teachers and staff are such an amazing group of people that have cared for our children as if their were there own. This will be our final year at RHL as our youngest is aging out and we will miss everyone that have treated us like family for so many years.

I toured this preschool and before looking at it, it was my first choice due to the fact all the…read moreteachers are accredited. Walked through what I thought was the front and two week teachers introduced me and said nothing but great things about the school. After touring the school and going through all the different classes I loved it. My top question right now is the safety...the gates are not locked during the day because the pastor 'doesn't believe in locking them'. I'm sorry but that was a huge red flag especially because the room my son would be in is at the front. If a school is not locked down during the day I won't even consider it.

LPPP in Mission Viejo was recommended to us by a friend who had her 3 children attend and are now…read morealumni. We did a walk-through of the school and didn't need to look anywhere else. Our son started with the Parent & Me classes. It was a great way to ease kids and parents into the world of play-based preschool. The Parent & Me classes are led by Teacher Jackie (all the teachers are amazing, btw) and she not only prepares your child for preschool by focusing on the child's well-being and social emotional skills but the parents as well on managing expectations around this age and how to help reinforce the lessons learned at LPPP by implementing them into your home. I can honestly say that attending these classes made me more comfortable when it came time to start the 3-year-old classes and initiate drop offs. Our son now attends the 3-year-old class and is really thriving. We watched our only child learn how to engage with other children and follow direction better. He's now formed friendships with his classmates. He loves learning about different cultures, exploring the sciences, and listening to stories but his favorite is still playtime. Parents also continue to be educated at monthly meetings in order to support their children inside and outside the classroom. LPPP is special in that it gives the parents opportunities to engage and contribute to the school. It has been such a blessing being there to watch my son learn and grow at LPPP. We've already signed him up for next year!

When I say this school is an OC hidden gem, it's an understatement! My daughter had the privilege…read moreof attending Lppp for the last two years and I'm beyond grateful. I have never met a group of teachers that  cared so much about each individual child's needs. Our first year there, my daughter was struggling with transitions especially during pick up time. Teacher Jackie went out of her way to come up with a plan to help my daughter. She would also walk with us to our car to help minimize any additional behaviors. I don't know many schools where the director of the school will walk you to your car to help with your child's transitions. Any emotional or behavioral concerns the teachers will come up with a game plan and implement it to help your child grow. The support they offer is unmatched. Also, every month is educationally play themed and so much fun for the kids. My daughter was excited everyday for school. She loved lppp so much. Everyday I dropped her off, I knew she was in good hands. They also had monthly parent night where all the parents would get together and teacher Jackie would go over topics to help us parents implement support strategies for our kids. When I say this school cares, I mean it. It was truly a magical two years that I am forever grateful for.