The proof is in the pudding! Upon graduating from preschool at Blue Oak, our 5 year old son is articulate, confident, competent, independent, self-aware and kind. Words like, "inspired, identity, collaboration, advocacy, equality, mentorship, hospitality, and community" are not only commonplace in his vocabulary, but they are part of who he is and how he understands himself and his world.  We moved our son to Blue Oak after having completed 1.5  years at another local preschool when we had serious concerns about how he was being treated and how he was learning to behave.  The contrast between these two schools could not have been more striking. When my son joined his Blue Oak class mid year, the teachers prepared the class to welcome and embrace him. A few weeks before he started, they placed photos of him and our family in the class room and spoke all about him at morning meetings. They asked the children what they wanted to learn about him and asked them how it might feel to be new to a group of already established friends (using the opportunity both to ensure our son was welcomed with so much warmth but also to teach the other children empathy). They scheduled a playdate for him and us to come meet a few of the children prior to his start date. On this play date, we were all welcomed with such warmth. All of the teachers and administrators greeted us by name (before we introduced ourselves) and you would have thought my son was  a celebrity based on the reception he received from the children. The children (not the adults) gave us a tour and showed our son their favorite things to do at school. Additionally, the administration had a family in his class reach out to us to welcome our family to the community and set up a play date outside of school so our son could build rapport with their son prior to starting school. How they handled this transition was a glimpse into how they do everything; with so much deliberate intention;  knowing that every action, every conversation, every word impacts others (and especially these precious young souls).  I was so worried about my son when he started at Blue Oak, not so much about the transition, as I immediately knew that Blue Oak had that handled, but concerned he'd continue the behaviors he learned at the other preschool - hitting, kicking, biting. I heard nothing from the teachers for the first few weeks, but immediately started to see pictures of my son on the blog looking content and focused, engaging with new friends, digging, wire cutting, climbing, reading quietly in cozy spaces, sitting in small storytelling groups "collaborating" with others and I couldn't help but compare it to the scenes I would witness at pickup at the other school we had just left - unsettled children, chaos, yelling, hitting, frenetic energy while the teachers were eating or gossiping with parents or each other, in short - dysregulated little nervous systems in desperate need of competent adults with both the will and skill to support and guide them. If only that other school could learn from the brilliant directors and teachers at Blue Oak!  .  When we had his first parent/teacher conference, I was in tears when the teachers shared that on his first day at Blue Oak, a friend took a toy from him and he hit that friend. The teachers said that they fully expected this behavior given the environment he had come from and that they were thrilled that they had this opportunity to work with him and teach him the norms and behavior expectations. They explained how they worked with our son and the other friend on conflict resolution (without shame or blame) and THAT WAS THE LAST TIME he ever hit at school.  I remember feeling so relieved, our son was going to be fine...and now after his 1.5 years at Blue Oak, I see that he is so so much more than "fine." He is thriving! I feel so beyond proud of the 5 year old he has become and see nothing but a bright future for him (based on this critical foundation of respect, social and emotional intelligence, empathy, self-regulation and love).  Send your child to Blue Oak if you believe your child is capable far beyond what conventional societal wisdom would assume and if you want your child to be seen and honored for exactly who they are. Your child will be treated consistently by all adults (admin teachers and aides) with nothing but respect, kindness and the healthy structure and boundaries that they need to explore their limits safely and to grow to be their "best self"...and DON'T TAKE IT FOR GRANTED! I think I might have had we not had the "other" experience at another school first. This school is the real deal. You will count yourselves among the luckiest (and blown away by the results)  if your child (and family) have this experience. read more

Going into this profession I was beyond excited to jump start a career surrounded by children and like minded adults who wanted to make a change in children's lives. While working with children was a nice experience, considering I have always been able to gain a child's trust since I was younger, I was excited for the connections I was building. Two months into my employment I started to realize how toxic the team is at the Sawtelle /Mar Vista location. I don't believe they have the best interest in the children who attend this location. They never came up to me to evaluate my performance but instead went straight to the director and told her a bunch of lies. If they are genuinely concerned about your child's well being don't you think they would speak to me immediately about my performance? That certainly did not happen. The director took their word and ultimately told me " you're not fit for this company." Seems to me like they just wanted me out but in the end they did me a huge favor! I wish blue oak the best but they should definitely re-think the people they are hiring. As of right now this location only seems to care about getting through the day and making sure they have someone to clean the classrooms, not a genuine authentic team building atmosphere. read more

This is my daughter's second year going to Blue Oak and she loooves it! She has really blossomed here. The growth in her vocabulary, thought process, thoughtfulness, desire to be self reliant, curiosity, and friendships has been astonishing. I looked at several different schools and was most impressed with Blue Oak. The school is broken into 2 classrooms - The Willows and The Maples. The student to teacher ratio is excellent. My daughter started off in the Willows classroom and loooved Patrick and Nalon. The teachers are very devoted to the children and to providing the best curriculum possible. Art, exploration, storytelling, and the general building blocks of education (numbers, letters, colors, etc) are covered as well as the importance of play. They are also giving them the social skills necessary to be "good citizens of the world." The hallways are lined with photos and descriptions of concepts and projects that the kids have worked on. There is also a blog which catalogs the daily life of the students as well covers various community events (resources/discussions for parents). These two things provide valuable insight into what our children are learning and how. The school fosters community by doing monthly school playdates, volunteer groups, and a few parent nights. I also enjoy the parent-teacher conferences that are held so that we get an opportunity to learn about our child's progress and ask questions. Blue Oak has an open door policy for any issues or concerns and tries their best to provide resources to parents. My daughter was not fully potty trained when we arrived and they told us to dive in head 1st. haha "Just bring 10 pairs of undies and some pull-ups for nap time..." I was hesitant but before we knew it, our daughter was completely potty trained!!! It's moments like these that make me grateful to have support for the parents as well as the children. read more

My daughter is in her second year at Blue Oak as of the writing of this review. This school is amazing. When we toured preschools, we made sure to tour many on the west side, and loved what we learned about this school and the Reggio philosophy which they integrate. We were so happy when we were accepted, and now, 2 years in, we love it even more. The teachers are amazing and care deeply about each child. The communication with parents is great - we often get emails about small groups that my daughter is participating in, we keep an eye on the blog for interesting tidbits about what the kids are learning and there are always photos of new activities they're doing in the hallway. We have monthly school playdates as well as other school functions which builds community among the great group of parents. LO loves her days here and comes home telling us some of the amazing things she learns. We'll be sad to leave Blue Oak when it's time for elementary school. For those reading reviews, I find it interesting that all 5 star reviews are from people who actually attend Blue Oak, while the ones with fewer stars are from those who never attended and possibly never toured. read more

My son is in his third year at Blue Oak and he absolutely loves it! The teachers and staff really take into consideration the needs and wants of each individual child. Since attending, my son has truly evolved into a great leader and communicator. He feels like he is an integral part of a community and that his ideas really matter. It always amazes me when he wants to go to school on the weekends! As a parent, I feel supported by the staff as well. If we are having problems at home, his teachers always find time to talk with me and help with solutions so we can have consistency at home and at school. We are so happy that we will definitely be sending our second child to Blue Oak! read more

My daughter has been attending Blue Oak for about a year and a half. She loves her teachers and friends and has blossomed into an independent, highly verbal, creative little girl. She is thriving in this atmosphere and we couldn't be happier. As for the one review that gave it poor marks. I looked at your profile to see more about you. It says you live in Burbank, no where near the school. So why were you even going there? You say that you yourself are a preschool teacher. It makes me wonder what your agenda was for the poor review. Did you interview there and were rejected? As I always say ... question the source before you give it any credibility to someones comments. I give you none. read more

My daughter is in her 3rd year at Blue Oak and I couldn't be happier with it. The teachers are amazing and so caring. Twice a year you attend a parent-teacher conference that is almost an hour long and incredible in the amount of depth that they go into about your child. They also develop small groups througout the year that really take your children's interests to heart. It's really pretty and modern inside. The parent community is also incredibly strong. As far as the comment on the parking by a commenter below - you're in Venice! It's crowded everywhere here. For pickup and dropoff it's actually quite easy...there's a large lot of metered parking right by the 99cents store. read more

Our daughter attended this school for three years and the small ratios, dedicated teachers, and caring administration sets this preschool apart from others. We love how the school continues to expand the curriculum based on the children's ability and interest. They set goals for each child and see them as individuals which is exactly what we wanted in a preschool. The parent community is remarkable! We were lucky to find such an environment for our little one! read more

Blue Oak is a really wonderful school. My son has been attending since Fall 2012 and in the Fall my daughter will be joining him.

Our daughter has attended Blue Oak since she was two years old, and she has loved every day of her experience there. She has developed greatly academically and socially. She has made deep connections with the other kids, teachers, and staff and we plan for these friendships to continue after Blue Oak. The teachers and staff are extremely professional and hard-working. They take their work very seriously and spend countless hours during school and after to make sure our kids are getting everything they need. The teachers make real connections with the kids and get to know each one as an individual - and are therefore able to address their needs as such. We have also been able to make good friends with the other parents in the community, which makes having playdates outside of school easy. As is probably the case with all small schools that care to keep up the school environment, intense parent involvement in the school is par for the course. We are all active members of the community. We plan to send our second child there when he is ready, and we know our daughter will love showing him "her" school...! read more

My second child is currently wrapping up his second year at Blue Oak. I also have a daughter who is currently in second grade who also spent two years here. This school is Reggio-based, and is such a nurturing environment. The teachers and staff are dedicated and caring, and really take the time to understand what makes each child tick and then to support them using that knowledge. We really feel like we are part of a tight-knit community. I feel that this school prepared my daughter well for kindergarten and elementary school, and that my son will be ready for K this fall also. read more

I toured this school and was at all impressed. They seem to have a contradictory curriculum. I thought the owner of the school was condescending. It's in an awful busy location.... There are so many great preschools on the west side and unfortunately this one was very disappointing. read more

It's very sad when you put your small child in the trust of others and you can tell that they absolutely do not see your child. We hoped for a beautiful experience. We only lasted 30 days. We were attracted to the Reggio approach and wanted a progressive school. Our concern was the lack of diversity. She (4yrs) was the only African-American child in the whole entire school and we were concerned that they would not see her or celebrate her culture and that she would feel excluded. That is exactly what happened. Every single day she did not want to go and cried. The teachers did not connect with her or bond with her. It seemed like routine movement. They never comforted her-- just rushed her into class. We decided to remove her from the school. And in that time (and only that time) the school Director, Lisa, decided to tell us first, "Your daughter doesn't see color" but then seconds later that our daughter approached her and said, "You're white and I am black. Then told me this long story about how she tried to show my daughter their similarities. Beyond crazy! If you ask my daughter what color she is, she thinks that she & I are yellow and that Daddy is brown. The director made it up. My daughter doesn't know race. And what was her point? Can we please talk about learning? The Director asked me where I wanted to send my daughter to kindergarten. I told her Center for Early Education (CEE) she abruptly said, "How are you going to be able to do that? I haven't been able to get a kid in there in 12 years. Huh? I wouldn't exactly admit that. Then she followed with, "Do you know somebody?" Why didn't she believe my daughter's could get in. It became about her. No encouragement. After a misunderstanding of thinking my husband picked up her belongings....our precious family photo album that were kept at the school, I went by to pick them up. The director was rude and said that she sent them home with another family. I called the family. That was not true. She lied. They sent me a very long rude email basically blaming me for not picking them up in a timely fashion and proceed to cut and paste a "Lost & Found" school policy. Who would throw a child's belongings in the trash? Mail was never an option? Not, "Oh no, we didn't realize you wanted her things. We're sorry, they were thrown away." Just more lying, defensiveness, and offensiveness. My daughter could feel how cold and uncomfortable the environment was, and ultimately so could we. We were able to find a I lovely Reggio school in the same area but also incorporates other approaches. The new school is loving, warm, and inclusive. She is now receiving a phenomenal early education! read more

I recently went on a tour of Blue Oak Creative Schoolhouse in West Los Angeles. I am so inspired by this school. As I was walking through, all I could think about was how beautiful and inviting the environment is. The teachers are warm and obviously knowledgeable. Blue Oak is definitely a must see for all families looking for a Transitional Kindergarten or Kindergarten program. read more

Blue Oak is indeed a special place. My son loves it and is making big strides there. The teachers are fantastic and there is a real sense of community among the parents, which is something we've not experienced elsewhere. The Reggio ideals strongly underpin the Blue Oak approach, and the kids do wonderful creative things. read more

My son started at Blue Oak before he turned 4 and just left after turning 6. I have become a huge fan of this pre-school over the last two years. It has a powerful sense of its identity and a clear-eyed vision of its purpose as an educational institution. Blue Oak is committed to seeing each child as an individual and to supporting the needs of each without generalization. Because it fosters such a warm familiarity within the community of its administration, faculty, students and their families, it is easy to forget the serious work that is done there on a daily and hourly basis. At Blue Oak, my son learned how to be good at being in school - to have confidence in his own ideas, but also to enjoy the company of his peers and to appreciate the power of collaborative investigation and creation. He internalized the idea that these skills are wholly transferable and he relies on them now as a kindergartener to navigate the more socially and emotionally robust world of elementary school. In a culture that places ever more value on permanence of changeability, it seems incredibly important to expose children early on to the tools they will need to thrive as well-grounded individuals within the framework of whatever society they encounter. Blue Oak Creative Schoolhouse is dynamic, with a good head and a warm heart, and it rides in the vanguard of 21st century thought on early childhood education. read more