Our 10 month old son is relatively new to Brella and we've been so happy with it! They advised we ramp up to a full day, so for several weeks we've had him attend for increasing hours as he gets familiar with the new surroundings, other babies, and caretakers. This has been his first full-time week, and we've been so impressed with the staff, systems, and facilities. It's so abundantly clear that everyone who works there, from the front desk to the cleaning staff to the teachers, absolutely adore working with kids. It's not easy as a first time parent to leave your kid with new people, but the warmth and care shown by everyone at Brella has made it easier for me (only limited tears on my end in the parking lot after dropoff!). We also love the updates throughout the day on the app, seeing photos of our baby doing different activities. The dropoffs and pickups are wonderful -- the teachers are so thorough and get to know the kids so well, so quickly. We especially adore Marilyn in the infant room, she's so tuned in to our son, even noticing things like "he loves songs with hand motions, so I've been doing a lot of those with him." Also the flexibility of the scheduling (no three month+ contract) is a lifesaver for us. We're so lucky to have a location nearby. I wish more daycares had this model! read more

Our experience with Brella Pasadena is a warning to any family considering them. Because Brella's model requires prepaying to secure limited spots, we paid $3,296 when the booking window opened to transition our son from a nanny. He attended a single 2-hour trial visit on May 12. He was so distressed by the experience that when it came time to return, we could not get him out of the house. We requested a refund on May 14. What should have been a simple, humane response to a family whose child clearly could not tolerate the environment turned into a 10-week ordeal. Brella's stated policy is credit only, no refunds. When we asked them to look at our specific situation, they pointed us to a corporate Refund Exception Request process. We submitted it May 20. They acknowledged it June 2 and committed to a response within 30 days. They missed that deadline without so much as an update. When we followed up, we got a holding email. When we followed up again, we got another one. Their final answer, after two months, was a 50% refund as a 'goodwill gesture.' We got back $1,648. Brella kept $1,648 for care our child never received. Here is what should stick with anyone reading this: Brella made a choice. A full refund for a family that walked in once and left because the environment was wrong for their child would have cost them nothing but money they had not earned. They chose to keep half of it. In doing so, they chose to spend two months adding stress and frustration to a family already dealing with a difficult transition for their child. They chose to destroy any chance of us returning, and any chance of the many parents in our circles considering them. All to keep $1,648 they did not deserve. The local staff we interacted with were pleasant. That is not the story. The story is a company whose policies and corporate response are designed to protect their revenue at the direct expense of the families they claim to serve. If you are evaluating Brella for your child, know that a single unsuccessful trial visit can cost you thousands of dollars, and the corporate team will fight you every step of the way to keep as much of it as they can. read more

We love Brella! Love the staff and teachers. Our son has the best time every day with fun programming that is themed every month.

This has been the best school for our daughter. The staff and administrators are top of the line and have been such a great support to us. We have so much trust in them. Highly recommend this place for any families looking for short term and long term care. Added bonus is getting sweet photos and update throughout the day! read more

My son has been here since he was 1.5 and he's now 2.5. He's been in three different classrooms so far, and in each the teachers were wonderful. The facilities are beautiful and perfectly suited for each child's age. The activities my son gets to engage in are stimulating, fun, and I've seen how much they've helped him grow! Whenever I encounter an issue, the front desk team is also very kind and eager to assist. read more

We had a very disappointing experience with Brella Pasadena. Before our son started, we prepaid over $3k for enrollment. He attended one two-hour trial visit, and it quickly became clear that the environment wasn't the right fit for him at that time. As parents, we made the difficult decision not to bring him back and requested a refund just two days later for services he would never use. What was most frustrating wasn't that it didn't work out--it was how Brella handled the situation afterward. Rather than working with us, they strictly enforced a no-refund policy and directed us through their Refund Exception process. We were told we'd receive a decision within 30 days, but that deadline came and went without any communication. After multiple follow-ups over the course of nearly 10 weeks, Brella ultimately offered only a 50% refund, keeping over $1600 for care our son never received. Policies exist for a reason, but I believe companies should also exercise compassion and common sense. Our son attended one brief trial visit before we realized it wasn't the right setting for him. We weren't asking for reimbursement after weeks or months of care--we were asking for a refund for services that were never provided. What disappoints me most is that this could have ended very differently. A full refund would have shown empathy for a family navigating a difficult transition with their child and would have left us with a positive impression of Brella, even though the program wasn't the right fit. Instead, the lengthy process, lack of timely communication, and decision to retain half of our payment left us feeling undervalued as customers. If you're considering Brella, I encourage you to fully understand their refund policy and be comfortable with the financial risk before enrolling. I hope no other family has to go through the same experience we did. read more

Our experience at Brella was deeply disappointing, and I would not recommend this daycare based on what happened with my daughter. Over the course of five months, my daughter was bitten twice by another child. The second bite broke the skin. After I raised concerns about these incidents, the owner, Melanie Wolff, told us that we should take our daughter somewhere else and that we were no longer welcome. I found this response extremely disappointing, especially after trying to advocate for my child's safety. I was also very concerned to learn that my daughter's file did not include a completed Physician's Report (LIC 701) during the 18 months she attended. We did not receive any phone calls or emails informing us that this document was missing or that it was required before she could continue attending until July 20 of this year. Because of these experiences, I have decided to file a complaint with the appropriate California state agency so my concerns can be reviewed. If child safety and clear communication are important to you, I encourage you to carefully research your childcare options before choosing this daycare. read more

Brella is hands down the best day care center I've experienced with any of my three kiddos. While the app/platform is all business (i.e. giving parents a great deal of flexibility with bookings and care windows), the care is anything but corporate. Our 1-year-old adores his "teachers" (as we call them at home), and they always welcome him with huge smiles and open arms. Both the caregivers and the administrative team are top-notch... always radiating positivity (so beneficial for kiddos this age) and remarkably responsive. What we love the most is perhaps the adorable photos we receive throughout the day, giving us special insight into what our little guy is up to on any given day. We're so incredibly lucky to have found this gem. read more

They are amazing at taking care of toddler who are not used to daycare. The staff are welcoming and the location is secure. Definitely a great value as well. read more

We are the parents of a 2 year old. We love the teachers and the ability to drop in whenever we need childcare! The facilities are always kept up and the location is really central. read more

As a parent, entrusting someone else with the care of your six month old is never easy--but Brella Pasadena made that transition smoother than I could have imagined. We sent both of our daughters here starting when they were each just halfway to one, and the experience has been nothing short of exceptional. From day one, the staff was incredibly warm, attentive, and nurturing. They took the time to really get to know our girls--learning their personalities, preferences, and needs--which gave us a sense of comfort and trust that's hard to come by. The caregivers truly felt like partners in our parenting journey. What sets Brella apart is not just the quality of care, but the thoughtfulness of the entire environment. The space is beautiful, bright, and designed with curiosity and safety in mind. The daily activities are engaging and developmentally appropriate, encouraging exploration, creativity, and early social skills. Our girls came home happy, stimulated, and often singing songs we didn't even know they had learned! We also really appreciated Brella's flexible scheduling model. It gave us the ability to adapt to changing work and family needs without compromising on quality care. Communication with the team was always clear and responsive--we felt looped in and supported every step of the way. Now, as our daughters grow, we're continually grateful that their earliest experiences outside the home were filled with such love, learning, and joy. Brella Pasadena truly created a foundation that helped them feel secure, confident, and curious about the world around them. If you're considering early care for your little one, we can't recommend Brella Pasadena enough. read more

Brella Pasadena - Child Care & Day Care Near Me - Pasadena, California

We came on a tour thinking that we would sign up at the end until we were given the price. It is definitely not worth nearly $600 a day I have twins so the thought of having to pay upward $10,000-$11,600 a month (if we were to drop them off for 7-8 hours a day), is absurd even just half of that for a single child. It just doesn't make sense to me when there are other daycare's around the area that charges a fraction of that price and offers similar experiences I would note though, the staff was very friendly and I like how there was a person that sung live and played the guitar for the kids. read more

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Brella Pasadena truly embodies quality care for children. Among the many daycare centers we've evaluated, their curriculum stands out for its ability to challenge, inspire, and empower our child's curiosity and independent thinking. Their facility is one of the safest we've encountered, with well-practiced contingency plans for emergencies that all staff and teachers are clearly familiar with. While we recognize that as parents we are the primary people responsible for raising our child, the help and support provided by Brella Pasadena have been invaluable. We extend our heartfelt thanks to the staff and teachers for their efforts and, to some degree, the sacrifices they've made to achieve such excellence! read more

Brella Pasadena - Outside facade. - Child Care & Day Care Near Me - Pasadena, California

I really wanted to write a review. I was an employee for a bit and my experience was absolutely FANTASTIC. I want every parent to know what it's like after they leave their child. In all honesty, this was one of the best experiences I've ever had and definitely the best school I've ever worked at. Every single teacher Brella has gives the very best and I'm not being biased to some teachers. When I was a kid I really wish that they were my teachers. They have fun Hands-On activities. The upper management gives every teacher a safe space where they can communicate things to make the work environment as amazing as possible. This literally has been the very best school I've ever worked at. read more

My family absolutely loves Brella Pasadena. The staff, teachers, and space are so fantastic that writing this makes me want to cry! My daughter loves coming here. She's happy, obsessed and very enriched. read more

My daughter has been at brella since she was only 5 months old. As a first time mom, this was extremely hard! She is now 1.5 years old, and she is thriving. Brella has been amazing to us. Some of these 1 star reviews are harsh, and clearly written while very emotional. Each and every teacher is professional, kind, courteous.They teach the children to use a baby version of sign language to express their needs before they can talk. That has been immensely helpful for us at home! Live music time is also a huge plus. We have met friends through brella as well (kids and parents) who we adore. I highly recommend brella. It's not easy working in the industry of people, especially when it's with children (you're managing both the kids and the parents). They do this with professionalism and grace, and I am so thankful. read more

Staff is great... very qualified and caring. I highly appreciate the teacher's daily summary of my granddaughter's experience. And I feel certain she is in great hands while she is there, because she is thriving and very happy when she interacts with the other children and the staff!!! read more

I cannot fully express my happiness with everyone at Brella Pasadena! Rose has gone above and beyond with helping me and my son feel comfortable and safe! Tour: It was very easy to book online! The facility is very safe and the front doors to Brella are always locked (you have to be buzzed in from the coordinator at the front desk). Rose guided a small group of families through the facility, which is super clean and organized! She showed us all of the rooms, and I was very impressed with all of their resources. Rose took the time to answer all of our questions, and it truly made me feel so comfortable to start this experience! Daycare: My son had never been to a daycare/preschool before, so I was incredibly anxious. My son is very shy and nervous, and it's hard to find a place where the staff is so patient and kind consistently. On his first day, the teachers gently welcomed him in and showed him all of the exciting activities they had planned out for the day. He did cry a little bit, which is to be expected, and when I walked back into the lobby, my brave face melted and I started to tear up too. Rose hugged me, talked me through everything, shared her personal stories with me, and made me feel so much better! Rose even personally sat with my son and gave me a call 45 minutes later saying that he was having a blast! I really appreciated her taking the time to help both of us through this process! On the second day, he walked right in with a smile on his face! I was overfilled with joy! We have been going here now for 3 days a week for many months now, and my son has bonded with his teachers and gives everyone a big smile and wave! I am truly grateful for all of the staff here because I have seen how much they care and how they want the children here to grow and thrive! Resources: I am very impressed with the resources here. If we are rushing out the door, I know I can buy snacks or his lunch here, so he will always be taken care of. You get updates throughout the day through a secure app, so it's a massive relief to see my son having fun and learning in all of the pictures. Booking and paying for the hours/days that you need is incredibly easy through their app as well! Overall, I am so thrilled with our experience here! I was honestly dreading to start the daycare process, but I shouldn't have been! So if you are too, I would book a tour here and talk to Rose about it all! read more

Our daughter recently attended Pasadena Brella and we were excited because as a first time parent choosing a daycare is not a decision that's made lightly. Unfortunately, we were recently informed we were no longer welcome because our "partnership" was tainted. We had two instances with the Director Rose that we as parents were not happy with. The first instance was because our child was not on their schedule for nap time and the second was because my husband was late because he is a first responder and I was out of town working. They charged us which was expected, but the added reprimanding done in front of staff and other parents was unprofessional. This was our first time being late and both instances BTW, we were approached in front of staff and other parents. I then contacted the owner, Melanie who said she would reach out to us within a few days to let us know the outcome from her conversations with Rose, but in the meantime to please not use their services. We honored this as we thought it would be a day or two to hear back. Over a week later and scrambling to figure daycare out, I reached out asking if I could get a response. This was when I received a call from Rose with news that we were not welcome back with limited reasons why other than the typical corporate response of she didn't want to go into details. We deserved details. This was an extreme conclusion and handled extremely unprofessionally by Brella. We will now be attending Kids Klub who offers a better environment and supports working parents. Brella does not live up to their mission statement. On a positive note, it is very clean but it's also one of the most expensive. Therefore, the type of service should be a higher level and quality. My overall rating is low because of the lack of communication, long turn around time to resolve our concern, directors inability to speak to us as parents in a professional manner and in private, for comments made regarding their lack of resources to tend to our child who is almost 2 and did not always want to sleep and finally the owners disregard to communicating in a timely manner because they said they were too busy with a product launch. An update from the company's reply below,...they clearly do not communicate internally. We did try and communicate several times via phone and email. We requested a sit down in person meeting with the Director Rose and owner Melanie so both sides could be heard. Unfortunately that meeting never happened and we chased for over a week for a response. As stated above, my final attempt to reach out was via email and the director finally contacted us with zero reasons why we were no longer allowed to use Brella services. This decision was an extreme outcome to the incident. Our conclusion is we were not the cash cow customers and it was easier to get rid of the noise. read more

We've been at Brella for over a year now, and as a second-time parent, I can't tell you how wonderful it is to feel fully welcomed at a preschool! My son is thriving there, and I always feel so good dropping him off. Emily, Linette, and Joanna are amazing teachers Emily has been with him since before he could walk and treats him like family! She gets as excited as I do when he hits new milestones. We get teary-eyed together! Linette is so intuitive, she figured out that he was "hangry" and once I started doubling up on snacks, he would have day after positive day. Joanna is his newest teacher, and she so deeply understands his temperament that it was amazing to see her "click" with him (and he to her) right away. I get pictures all day, full reports at the end of the day, thoughtful tips and tricks of how we can tailor the preschool experience directly to my son. I love it so much... not to mention the front desk staff who greet us so kindly and warmly, and Lisa the director who just radiates confidence and someone you can trust, who has seen it all and knows you have a good kid no matter what! That's my parenting style, and I'm so glad it's their teaching style. And the on-demand pay structure is so great because as a freelancer, I don't have to pay for daycare when I'm not working. Highly recommended!!! read more

We just moved to the Pasadena area and Brella has been absolutely wonderful! It's been really great to have an option available (with no application fees or waitlists) when I didn't know when kids were getting off other daycare waitlists or where we were going to be living. The ability to sign up for care last minute or add hours has been awesome. Aside from the logistics, the facility is beautiful and the staff are just outstanding. My two sons were in the green room (preschool aged) and the teachers have been so so wonderful. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Brella to anyone! It's an especially great option for flexible needs but as the classes grow I think it would be a nice full time option as well! read more

Just opened up recently next to Erewhon. Staff is highly professional and care is structured. Get hourly updates through the app. Center is brand new and some construction is still going on outside. Overall, great experience so far. read more

I scheduled a tour with the facility because I liked what I read on the website and the sheer fact that the bookings were so flexible was almost a no brainer. I decided against for multiple reasons but mainly because the director Rose was not easy to communicate with and her answers were vague and slightly condescending like if she was talking to a child and not a parent. Communication is key when entrusting total strangers to care for your child. With their asking price, they better be prepared to speak to me thoroughy and respectfully at all times ESPECIALLY when it comes to my child. I'll go elsewhere and look for a spot that will be kind me and provide a loving and warm environment for my child and though they are running a business, not treat us like buisness. read more

My daughter Dottie has been going to brella for a while now. I love this place, it's flexible to suit our freelance schedule - amazing carers and staff. It seems like they really care and I've seen A LOT of daycares. Thank you Brella! read more