Both of my sons went to this amazing school. Teacher Melanie was an absolute Saint. As the father of kids with a lot of energy, she always worked with them to keep them on track and never discouraged their energy. Sending our boys there was the best decision we ever made. When they started kindergarten, they were so well prepared. I could not recommend this place enough. read more

Please don't take this risk with your child. Ms. Melanie should absolutely get a different job . Ms Melanie was unbelievable. The idea that my 2 year old boy would knock over a structure built with blocks by another kid was appalling to her . When I explained that we do that at home she accused me of bad parenting. I had many issues there. I called a meeting to see if we could get on the same page but unfortunately just provided me with more information leading to me and my husband pulling our son out and frankly I feel horrible that I didn't realize sooner how he was treated . You could just see the harmful effects that this place had on my son . I hope they close soon. The director (Joanna pimentel) and Melanie should move on. Maybe you can find someone good there but I didn't and you can't get those years back or try again . Please beware ! read more

I began my experience with this child care center in 2019 as a student. I first had Johanna as my professor, and was then lucky enough to become a student teacher. I completed my observation course with Teacher Cyndy and my practicum experience with Teacher Melanie. My experience with practicum is one that I will keep with me forever. Under the direct supervision and mentorship of Melanie, I was able to implement lesson plans, group times and activities that emphasized the children's current interests and valued their individual development. When I became stuck or struggled with my course work, I was able to go to Melanie and the other teachers for help and support. The teachers at this center deeply value and respect not only the children and families that attend, but form lifelong relationships with students and aim to create strong, capable and successful future early childhood educators to send out into the field. read more

We will miss the Moorpark College Child Development Center so much. My boy/girl twins have had the best care. This is not a typical preschool, in fact it's a lab school run by educators who are teaching your children and students at the community college. I did a lot of research, and visited numerous centers and there was always something that made me uncomfortable until I found The Moorpark College CDC, I knew right away this was the place for my twins! Our journey at the CDC began with Johanna, the Director. She was immediately warm and welcoming inviting us in to see this small, "family feel" preschool. She is always open for conversation, empathetic, real, transparent and kind. She employs a staff that also models those qualities. If we have ever had a concern about our twins they are all there to assist, work with us and ultimately foster love, patience, knowledge and kindness. Ms. Melanie is amazing with children. She welcomed our children every morning in a gentle, respectful, and caring manner. Ms. Melanie was obviously knowledgeable, and experienced in the field of early childhood and students with disabilities. She understands the importance of inclusion and made sure all students were welcome in the classroom. She supported my son, who has autism, in a positive way and helped to develop his social skills and communication skills. She also differentiated her support even though she had diverse ages in the program. My daughter was one of the oldest children but she found the time to support her cognitive development by having discussions, and encouraging questions, supporting classification skills and reasoning ability, understanding some basic concepts such as number, size, color, texture, and even developed her alphabet knowledge all through play based activities. We received end of the year reports that truly reflected our children and their growth. My son was learning how to use a communication device and Teacher Melanie wanted to get involved. She was truly interested in learning the about the device so that she could support him at preschool. She also posted communication visuals throughout the classroom to help my son learn his device and so that the other children could learn about it too. My husband and I felt very supported.. She always found the time to listen and strive to develop a positive relationship with us. The Moorpark College Child Development Center is truly something special and I feel very fortunate to have had my children in such a positive and wonderful environment! My twins are now moving onto kindergarten and we are sad that they are no longer in their care. I would highly recommend the Moorpark College CDC to anyone looking for quality preschool. read more

Began my career in early childhood education through the Moorpark CDC. Wouldn't be where I am today, a teacher in a high-quality preschool in the new city I live in, if it weren't for the mentoring I received through the professors and especially the teachers in the lab school. Specifically, Melanie & Tori. Melanie pushed me beyond my comfort zones and I am a better teacher today because of it. She helped me find my voice in a field where it can be difficult to be heard. I'm addition to that, she loved and cared for the children like her own. Because of this, her classroom was built on mutual respect among teachers and families. I'll never forget my time here! Thank you Melanie, Tori and the rest of the CDC community! read more

In August 2022, I took a tour with the director, Johanna. She was extremely knowledgeable and welcoming. She took the time to explain their philosophy and how the classes run. She made a point to explain that it is a lab school, and what that means. She made sure to answer all my questions and concerns as it was still the pandemic. I made the choice to move my daughter to this program due to their take on safety and focus on development. Now, a year later, my daughter is thriving. All the teachers here have been amazing, and I am so thankful for them! My daughter loves the program and never likes it when it's time to leave. I highly suggest this program to everyone! read more

I am a former student here at Moorpark College for the Early Childhood Education Program. I had the wonderful opportunity of working with Teacher Tori and Teacher Melanie in my last year before graduating in 2020. After my practicum course I applied to be a student worker and it has been one of the most meaningful and memorable experiences of my life. Melanie and Tori have taught me so much over the years that I have known them. They both taught me how to create developmentally appropriate lesson plans, do group times, and help me to find my voice as a teacher among many other things. One thing I benefited from in having Tori and Melanie as my mentors is the vast amount of knowledge of Early Childhood Education they've been able to share with me in order to navigate what being a preschool teacher is like. I was also given the opportunity as a new teacher to receive honest feedback in how I can improve from two extremely experienced, amazing teachers. This is priceless for a first time teacher, like me, and I know I wouldn't still be where I am today without the help of these amazing ladies and Miss Johanna. Over the years working here I've had the privilege of working with all of the teachers apart of this center. Each and every teacher here (Including Yoga Mama) works tirelessly to meet the learning needs and standards of all of their students. I couldn't recommend this center enough for anyone looking for a great center with wonderful teachers who focus whole heartedly on the children and how to make learning fun while meeting the developmental needs of your child. read more

I have so many wonderful things to say about the Moorpark CDC and I recommend this program any chance I get. My two children attended the CDC from the time they were 2 years old until they started public school. Initially, I was drawn to this program for their ratios and approach to child development (I believe it was Reggio) but what kept us there were the amazing teachers. During the time we were there, my children were taught by Teacher Kim, Teacher Melanie and Teacher Cyndy. While all teachers were wonderful, Teacher Melanie excelled at her job. The observations and perceptions she gave me with regard to my daughter were not only helpful, but incredibly insightful as many of the things she noted about my daughter proved true many years later (even when I refused to see them at the time). Those insights have guided me in parenting my kids and I am so grateful for her. (Sidenote: Teacher Melanie gives each student a laminated memory book at the end of the year, which admittedly, I STILL have not looked at because it makes me so emotional, it must have been a lot of work! She truly puts her heart and soul into her kids.) While there, we had some concerns with my son adjusting to preschool and Johanna and Teacher Cyndy were so helpful and accomodating, allowing me to meet with them, confide in them and utilize the observation room as many times as my husband and I needed. My husband and I are so grateful for the CDC program and for the fact that our children have very fond memories there. We truly wished we didn't have to leave and still keep in touch with some of the staff. Best decision we could have made for their early development and worth every penny! read more

Words cannot explain how much I ADORE the CDC and the incredible people who work here! It's a WONDERFUL program. Both of my children attended the CDC and we had the pleasure of being a part of this school for 7 years, and to be honest, I wish we could have stayed longer. I toured so many preschools before I toured the CDC. While on the tour, I immediately knew this was the place I would send my children. The staff and teachers are ALL amazing and treated my children like their own. My children thrived at this preschool - socially, emotionally and academically. I even kept my oldest son out of TK so he could stay at the CDC for another year and continue learning in a way that suited him best. I am especially fond of Teacher Melanie and her class. Melanie and Tori are a dynamic duo and the student teachers were incredible! The love they all had for my children was so evident, it moves me to tears even thinking about it today. Melanie is incredible, she is patient and kind. I wish there were more teachers like her. I cant recommend this school enough. I've recommended it to several families who have all had amazing experiences as well. My children STILL talk about preschool and how much they love and miss it. They make me drive by at least once a year so they can look at the playground and reminisce. This school holds a really special place in our hearts. There is nothing else like it. You and your family will be so happy here. read more

This is a terrible school. It fails at communication, organization and security. The head teacher, Melanie, does not greet the children at drop off. In fact, she does not get up from the table, where she's doing unspecified work, at all. Nothing. The student to teacher ratio is low but it's a misnomer bc the ratio is brought down by "student teachers," which are really just plain old students from the college that are frequently rotated. They are strangers to the children and are more jarring than helpful. The observation windows that parents are allowed to look through on the tours are a selling point not an actual resource- you aren't allowed to look through them during the school year. Again, they're for the student-teachers not the parents. Melanie is an awkward communicator. She's also more focused on her job of teaching the college students than she is on the preschool children. She's aware of both of these things and avoids communication with parents at all costs. [if you are touring, ask to speak with her in person and see for yourself.] She is insecurity personified. The fancy key card entry is false security. The college students working the front desk buzz anyone in at anytime, can't answer questions, and have no idea what is going on. The fact that children can be picked up at all different times means that Melanie basically has no idea who is coming and who is going and often doesn't even notice when you pick-up your child [thats partly bc she's stretched too thin by teaching the preschoolers, teaching the college students, and trying to raise her own three children-- this manifests itself in her being particularly rude to stay-at-home moms.] Melanie claims to send a weekly newsletter but half the time she doesn't have time to do it or its sent out weeks after the fact. I would also say it's more of a photo collage that tries to offer a pretty picture of what's happening there. It is Melanie doing PR for herself and it offers nothing. Melanie frequently tries to suggest more school days, even to the three-year-olds but this is because several families left her classroom during the school year and any parent who has been there before requests that their second child be placed in another classroom bc she's awful. So she's trying to justify her role there at the expense of your child's welfare. She's well-known in the parent circle for being dramatic and making stupid assertions. In our case, midway through the school year she decided that our daughter had "anxiety" bc she stopped playing with her friends for a week. We pressed further and then she walked it back and said that she "regressed" when she came back to school after the flu. Nevertheless, we paid for a pricey evaluation by a child psychologist who confirmed that our daughter "plays well, has a clear sense of what she wants to do, and seems to be flourishing in every way." Save yourself the time and the money. Contact Honey Tree in Thousand Oaks. Point for point they are better than this school in every category and they do it for less money. Despite the long-standing reputation this school has, it has been brought down by poor teacher selections and a nice but feckless director (Johanna Pimentel.) read more

I love this school. I am sad that my son starts kindergarten this year. He loves it there, the teachers are amazing as is Johanna the director. I was so surprised to read such a negative review. I talked to Melanie nearly every day. I was learning to parent and we worked together on keeping Gabriel's consequences the same at both home and school. I always say this place was the best thing that happened to us. I also love all the students in the classes. They love the kids and makes the adult/child ratio unbelievably low. I highly recommend this preschool if you are looking for a place for your child. read more

Well, our experience at this pre-school was awful. My son started attending when he was just over two years old and we only could bear keeping him there for around 3 months before we finally pulled him out. His teacher, Ms. Melanie, never had anything good to say about him. Everyday she had a new complaint about his behavior. And everything she complained about was perfectly normal stuff for a child his age. But to her, he was an issue. It's hard to understand how a preschool teacher could be so bothered by a 2 year old. My wife and I would feel so horrible after we talking to her. And my son hated it there. He started crying and suddenly got clingy when I would drop him off in the mornings, something he had never done before. He had been in daycare from the time he was 18 months old and attended 3 different daycares and he never had any issues with being dropped off. He would literally run in. Nor had we ever had any of his teachers/caregivers complain so much about him.. My wife and I had a meeting with Ms. Melanie and the director, Joahnna, to try and clear the air, which did nothing to change things. We finally just accepted that this was not a good situation and we removed him. When we notified Johanna that we were doing so, we were shocked to hear her tell us, "I hope you find a better fit for him". Really? A "better fit"? This place also serves as a lab for Moorpark College's child development academic program. And they believe that it's the child who needs to be able to "fit"? My wife and I were left baffled by just how bad of an experience we had at this preschool, and slightly traumatized that we subjected our boy to 3 months of this. read more

The CDC is an absolutely magical place for children and families. My daughter attended in 2017-2018 and we were fortunate to be placed in the Jacaranda room with Melanie & Tori. I have never met teachers who care so much about their students or their families, and love our little people as their own. They take the time to get to know and bond with all the children, as well as connect with families. My daughter still talks about her time there and often says she wishes she could go back! She loves to visit for drop off and Discovery Day. Luckily, we had another child and didn't have to say goodbye to our preschool home just yet. My son has been in the Jacaranda Room for the past year (which I specifically requested because of our previous amazing experience with Melanie & Tori), and has had the best preschool experience I could have hoped for. Neither of my children are "easy," and Melanie & Tori always made us feel safe and comfortable working with them to help our kids succeed and prepare them for elementary school. They are also teaching our kids to be kind and empathetic humans; there is no judgement and so much love. Johanna who runs the center is caring beyond belief, and is there each morning greeting us all by name. The projects they work on are always so creative, and give the children a sense of pride and accomplishments in themselves. We are going to miss this place so much, and I truly can't recommend them enough. read more

Hands down, the ONLY place I would send my children!!! My three children have all attended and it is absolutely amazing. Very low teacher/child ratio, enrichment classes including cooking and yoga, and extremely loving, high-quality teachers. read more