This school is incredible and one of a kind! My son absolutely loves it here. It took us a while to…read morefigure out as a family what would be the best choice for us and we are so glad we looked around the South Bay and we are so glad we found MBNS. There is such a wonderful sense of community with the families and staff here. Families from the area and greater Los Angeles come together at this magical place. At MBNS children are really free to lead their own play and their feelings and ideas are respected. It's so wonderful to see how the mixed age groups play together. MBNS campus is so beautiful and lush! Lots of plants and trees to offer shade. My son loves to play with dirt and water, which can be found anytime you need it here. There are also lots of fun toys, tricycles, homemade play dough, books to be read, and more. As a an educator myself, I feel qualified to say this is a paradise for kids and a wonderful place to learn!

We joined this school back in 2021 because we were drawn to it's free play, child-led "curriculum",…read moreand emotionally supportive staff. We enjoyed most of our time there, made great friendships, and grew as parents. However, as time went on and we began to get more involved (including serving on the Board for 2 years), it became clear that not all was well. The director, Carol Tatsumi, repeatedly dismissed community feedback unless it fit her vision of how school should operate. She failed to distribute the co-op bylaws to the Board or parents, such that no one knew they had voting rights as members or how the co-op should work. When this came to light, she denied wrongdoing and rejected suggestions from the Board to share the bylaws with members so they could be made aware of their rights and responsibilities in the organization. She even had Board Meeting minutes deleted that contained any bylaw discussion, even though they are supposed to be made available to members. Furthermore, the director failed to abide by California state laws and permitted 60% of the students enrolled to be unvaccinated and used the students records who WERE vaccinated to be the "cover" during state inspections. Once caught by the government agency, she abruptly unenrolled the students who were partially or fully unvaccinated rather than giving them the 10 days allowed by the government to either get up to date or at least say goodbye to the school and have a smooth transition. This was incredibly painful for those students and their families and negatively impacted the entire school community. Sadly, this "co-op" doesn't operate like one, and it's poorly operated at that. The building is in need of major repairs although the director dismissed multiple suggestions to improve its safety, function, and appearance. Furthermore, the school has been losing money due to low enrollment and hasn't recovered since COVID, so there is limited budget to address safety concerns let alone hire, develop, or retain talented staff. Finally, the "rules" families need to follow is laundry list long, from forbidding packaged foods to making kids turn their shirt inside out if it has a character or any brand on it. There might only be 3 kids at school one day, but all parents need to volunteer every single week such that there are often more adults on campus than children. And perhaps most disappointing, there isn't actual coaching of non-violent communication skills, just avoiding of setting limits and boundaries among kids such that exclusion and cliqueyness prevail. This school will probably be a fit for those looking for a very specific experience for their children, but do know that there are not enough families enrolled here to make this co-op run smoothly, so you will be required to do more than your fair share to try to keep it running and your feedback to how it could be more efficiently handled will probably be ignored. Good luck!

Best preschool! Kind and caring staff. You find a community here no matter how long or short your…read moretime is with the school.

We love Growing Garden! My daughter is in her second year in the school and she looks forward to it…read moreeach day. The teachers are all amazing, ensuring each child gets 1:1 attention while ensuring they are creating community. And the teachers push my daughter in the best way. At 3 1/2, she's writing her name, knows all her letters and counts to 40! As a Jewish family, we love that she is learning about holidays, traditions and values. But there are many non-Jewish kids as well, so everyone can feel comfortable. Sara Mintz, the school's Director, is involved, present and just a great woman. Her kids are in the school so it's especially personal to her and we love that. She looks at these kids like they are her own and that's obvious. We feel lucky to have found this school.

We've had such a wonderful experience here. The campus is amazing, with so much beautiful outdoor…read morespace for the kids to explore and play. They're also incredibly thoughtful about each child's needs, including accommodating nap adjustments as kids are weaning off naps. This helped us soooo much! Best of all, Hillary, the director, is absolutely amazing. She is warm, thoughtful, responsive, and clearly cares so much about the kids and families. We feel very lucky to have found this school for our son.

Agree with the more recent comments - don't let the older negative reviews deter you! The current…read moreadministration is top notch - the director Hillary is wonderful and so are all of the teachers and staff. Our two year old runs into her classroom with excitement every morning and doesn't want to leave when we pick her up at the end of the day! The curriculum is fantastic, as are the extracurricular activities and family events. You won't be disappointed.

Another year down!…read more My kids beg to stay. They ask us not to pick them up before closing, which probably tells you more than anything else I could write here. The teachers are funny, kind, and genuinely smart people. The chef cooks real food for the kids three times a day. The classrooms are always in the middle of some new learning project- and they listen to the kids' interests! (For example, there was an interest in dinosaurs, so they created a little "Dino hospital" for the stuffies where the kids played doctor...Adorable! While it is still play based, my son is learning to write and he's so proud! What sets Seaside apart, though, is that it feels like a family. I don't have a big village of my own. Seaside became my village, for both of my kids. I cannot thank them enough. I just can't. I have peace of mind daily that my kids are safe, they are loved, they are seen and celebrated for their own unique personalities. Best choice in the South Bay!

We've had such a wonderful experience at this daycare! The teachers and staff are incredibly…read morefriendly, kind, and truly love the children--you can feel it in the way they interact with every kid who walks through the door. They create a warm, safe, and happy environment that gives me complete peace of mind. I also appreciate that they provide snacks and lunch, which makes our busy mornings so much easier. Overall, an amazing place with people who genuinely care. Highly recommend!

My daughter attended Village Park for three years, and I'm so grateful we found this school. From…read morethe very first tour, we were impressed by how diverse the student community was and how genuinely happy the children seemed. That diversity was very important to us, and I truly believe it has helped shape my daughter into the open-minded girl she is today. Another big factor for us was tuition. Compared to schools in Redondo Beach or Manhattan Beach, Village Park offered a much more reasonable cost (sometimes nearly half the price). The director, Ms. Yeshenia, was always responsive and easy to reach, which made communication simple and reassuring. Most importantly, my daughter loved going to school every day. She loved all her teachers and friends. Thank you for making my daughter's first three years of school such a wonderful and memorable experience.

My daughter was at Village Park for almost three years, starting as an infant and continued through…read morepreschool class. Every member of staff is so kind, caring and patient, they truly take care of the kids as if they were their own. Our daughter thrived here - both developmentally and socially. She learned so much, but most of all had fun in a loving and safe environment. Shout out to everyone at Village Park - they work so hard day in and day out, and go above and beyond to make it a special place for the kiddos. They celebrate birthdays, holidays and do fun stuff for every season to keep the kids engaged. It truly is a wonderful place! We moved to a new city so sadly are no longer there, but will be forever grateful for everything they did to care for our daughter!

Yesterday was our last day at CJ after having 2 kids there over the past 4 years. We can't…read morerecommend them enough! The teachers and staff are caring, communicative, and consistent. We will miss you all! Thank you

The teachers and staff are very friendly and helpful. They played a vital role for my pre schooler…read moreto prepare her for kindergarten. They are very understanding when she had bad days. Ms. Linda is an angel, we love her! I love that their curriculum is centered around playing while learning.

Our family has been part of the Journey of Faith Preschool community since 2020, and after six…read morewonderful years, it's hard to put into words how grateful we are for this school. When I first applied, we were more than 100 spots down on the waitlist. I checked in regularly, hoping for an opening, and when the opportunity finally came during the pandemic, I felt incredibly fortunate. My oldest daughter was ready to start preschool, and from day one, we fell in love with Journey of Faith. Since then, both of our daughters have attended. Our youngest started at just five months old and will be heading to kindergarten next year, which feels incredibly bittersweet. Throughout every stage, the teachers and staff have created a nurturing, supportive, and joyful environment where our girls have truly thrived. The education they have received has been phenomenal, but what stands out even more is the genuine care, love, and dedication shown by everyone at the school from the teachers and administrators to the chef and support staff. Every person contributes to making Journey of Faith feel like a second home. We are so thankful for the friendships, memories, and strong foundation our daughters have gained here. Journey of Faith has played such an important role in our family's life, and we wholeheartedly recommend it to any family looking for a loving, high-quality preschool experience.

This school is a special place. We dropped off our first baby when he was six months old and, as…read moreany parent knows, that experience is so scary, stressful, and emotional. You are entrusting strangers with this tiny, precious human that's quite literally your heart walking (or crawling) out in the world. From day one, these teachers have slowly and delicately transformed from strangers to friends. It's been so clear and obvious how much these women love and adore our children. They care about their well-being and their overall development! There are lesson plans, extracurricular activities, classroom parties, so many fun events for both students and parents to participate in and enjoy. We just had our second child a few months ago and have so much peace of mind knowing that she will be in great hands when a spot opens up for her. Thank you JoF School! We are so grateful for you all.

We absolutely loved being part of the Michelle's Backyard community, and we were genuinely sad to…read moreleave when we moved away. If we hadn't moved out of state, we would still be there. What I loved most was the love and care that Michelle and her team have for the kids and their families. Michelle is really intentional about building community among the families, and that turned out to be a beautiful source of support as we all navigated the highs and lows of raising little ones together. Michelle is also thoughtful and brings a real wealth of expertise to creating learning experiences for a multi-age group. My daughter loved learning about the life cycles of butterflies and ladybugs -- they actually grew them and watched them take flight! When the kids studied different types of transportation, they painted a big refrigerator box yellow and turned it into a school bus. Beyond the hands-on learning, the kids build cooperation skills, learn how to care for their space, and develop real self-reliance and confidence. We can't recommend Michelle's Backyard highly enough. If you're looking for a warm, thoughtful, community-centered place for your child to learn and grow, this is it.

If you're looking for a daycare for your kids, look no further. We fell in love with Michelle's…read moreBackyard the moment we met Michelle and knew this place was something special. Michelle is the best at this. She has an incredible connection with both the kids and the parents, and she's built a real community around both. The program itself is amazing. If you're looking for something unique, different, outdoors, and fun-inspired, where your kid comes home completely exhausted every day because they just had the best time ever, this is the place. There's not a single bad thing we could say. If you're lucky enough to find a spot, take it.

Both of our daughters went to Ocean View Academy and we absolutely loved it. The teachers are so…read moregreat, everything is well organized and the kids are learning a lot! 5 plus stars all around.

We love this school and all of the staff and teachers. They are amazing with the children/students…read more Our first son attended school here and now we have our daughter enrolled. She is learning a lot at school (alphabets, numbers, how to write her name, etc..) in addition to having fun play time with all her classmates.

I had both my daughter & son at Leap & Bound. While the program claims to prepare kids for…read morekindergarten, my experience was awful. In a class of 4- to 5-year-olds, teachers insisted my son was the only one who didn't listen--the only one who had to be scolded every single day. They were punitive, relied on constant scolding, & used negative instead of positive reinforcement. I recall going on a tour through the school since my daughter had gone there during preschool & kindergarten & one of the teachers turned to my daughter, who was now 10 years old, and said, "I remember you. You were a bad kid." She said this during a tour! I should've known not to have my son go there. No, she wasn't joking. She was serious. My daughter is very well-behaved. So, when my 4-year-old son went there, the daily complaints created HUGE anxiety for us as parents. They made us feel like there was something wrong with our son. Nothing was wrong with him. After moving into a new house & to a new school, it was night & day. His new teacher calls him attentive, well-behaved, a great listener & is a great student. Clearly, the issue wasn't my son--it was the teachers. Teachers at Leap & Bound can be bullies to certain kids while playing favorites with others. I do not recommend this school. Not to mention, they continue to raise their price. Warning: If you send your child here, there is a high likelihood that you will receive daily complaints through their parent app portal, which can cause immense stress. It is VERY unhealthy for a child to be constantly rebuked when they're simply acting their age. A 4-year-old has lots of energy. They can squirm in their seat. Big deal. Yelling at them every day is NOT healthy education. It is ABUSE! If these teachers can't handle 4-year-olds, then they shouldn't be teaching children!

My son has been at this school for two years. They had some teachers move to their Torrance…read morelocation and things changed a lot at this location. When he joined the school I let Diana know who is the owner, that he has autism and we will be getting a behavioral therapist to work with him at school. She was completely okay with this. The first few months being there he was with a wonderful teacher, Ms. DeJahnae. She was great with teaching students on how to behave, he never had an incident in her class because all her students knew to behave. He the transferred to Ms. Mary's class and in the first week there was pushing and pinching. Ms. Diana reached out to say she doesn't know what the difference is but they will figure it out to help him transition better. They did figure it out. Ms. Mary was a lot nicer and all the kids tend to act out. By this time we had a part time ABA therapist with him and she let us know that the class was all boys and they all acted out which of course my son followed along. But if the therapist could not make it to the school Ms. Mary knew how to handle him and help him with whatever he needed. Fast forward to last summer. We were told he needed to be a full time student to move on to Ms. Sues class which we agreed to because he loves Ms. Sue. Well we find out through our therapist that Ms. Sue isn't his teacher. I should mention that our therapist became full time with him at this point. If he was there so was she, unless she was sick. Ms. Lilli turned out to be his new teacher and she never interacted with him. His ABA let us know that if she didn't work with him on class work that no one would. She also let us know that she was the only one helping him potty train. Which we pay for. I had to email the owners on this one. They responded and said their staff is suppose to help with this. The most they helped with after that email was changing him since his ABA is not allowed too. But when it came to actual potty training his ABA was doing it. He eventually got it down pretty well at school. Just recently if he came to school with out his ABA his teacher would turn us away quoting "they don't have enough help anymore" which is a problem for us because my husband and I both work full time. I sent an email to Charles the other owner to discuss this in November. He claimed we will have a meeting and we never did. Fast forward to Feb of this year it happened again. So we finally set a meeting time. That did not go well at all. One major thing is the school doesn't tolerate biting. My son is non verbal but in speech classes making progress. He has had incidents with biting. One he did out of no where and was sent home for the day. Another time they called to tell me a kid was constantly bothering him and no one stopped the other child who turns out to also be autistic but doesn't have a ABA at the school with him. My son bit this kid but they didn't send him home stating it was their own fault for not stopping the other child. The therapist he has at school was there and witness it. She didn't stop it in time because she was across the room letting him play on his own. The teacher wasn't watching. A lot of incidents would accrue because of the lack of teachers and their care. I can't tell you how many times I walked in to drop him off and the entire class is running around and the teacher is coloring with one student. Or how I have seen a kid push my son and wait for a reaction from him. This has happen multiple times. He is non verbal and cannot explain these things. But if he reacts by biting he is in trouble. I tried to address these issues with the school but the owner was extremely rude over the phone. He told us we need a full time shadow or he cannot be in the school. He said he didn't have time to argue or address any of our concerns. When I said no one has ever told us that he needed someone full time all the time, he basically said I was lying but couldn't provide who told us this. I also mentioned how he was at the school for maybe 5 months without a therapist and it wasn't an issue. He didn't want to discuss that. Just kept saying they have had too many incidents and didn't want to talk about my concerns. So we pulled him out of the school. When asked to wave the two weeks notice you must give he said no. I stated it isn't our fault that they are giving us this new rule and we cannot follow it. We don't have someone who can shadow if his ABA cannot make it. He got angry and said he will unenroll him and hung up. I have not received our deposit back. We paid this place over $15,000 last year and that's how he responds. I also found out that the school had an incident last year that they were told to report to every parent that has a child currently enrolled. A teacher was restraining students and covering their mouths to keep them from crying. I found this on the social services state site. We were never told this. This school has a major lack of communication problem!