La Costa Valley Preschool & Kindergarten has truly been a second home for our family since my son…read morefirst started back in 2020, and as this is our last year here, I'm more emotional about it than I expected. Both of my kids have grown up at this school, and watching them thrive in such a warm, loving, and nurturing environment has meant the world to us. The teachers and staff aren't just educators -- they are genuinely caring people who know each child personally and make them feel seen, safe, and celebrated every single day. When I see my kids run up to their teachers and hug them because they've missed them, it warms my heart. Ms. Jackie has touched both of my kids' lives in such special ways. Ms. Julie prepared my son -- and is now preparing my daughter -- for kindergarten with so much patience, warmth, and dedication. My son is even coming back to read to his sister's class, and Ms. Julie couldn't be more excited to welcome him. Ms. Denise and Ms. Maize are both excellent, and my daughter still talks about them all the time! And then there's the joy of Ms. Mandy and her vibrant personality that lights up the room. All the ladies at the front desk (Janice, Erica, and Jeanne) greet us with the kindest smiles every morning -- they truly start our day off right. As I prepare myself for our last year here, I feel incredibly grateful. LCVPK has shaped my kids in the best possible ways, and it has shaped me as a parent, too. This school will always hold a very special place in our hearts. If you're looking for a preschool/kindergarten that feels like family, this is it. We were lucky to be part of this community, and we will miss it deeply.

We started at LCVPK in 2018 and have since sent all three of our kids, and we couldn't be happier!…read moreOf course, they've learned their colors, numbers, and how to be great listeners and students, but what truly sets this school apart is the incredible care and excellence of the teachers. Every classroom is filled with dedicated, nurturing educators, and Ms. Jackie has become like a second mom to my three boys. The peace of mind I feel each morning when I drop them off is absolutely priceless. All of my kids have loved going to school here and have been very well-prepared for Kindergarten. Jeanne in the front office is always kind and responsive to any questions I've had, which makes everything run so smoothly. LCVPK has been such a blessing to our family- warm, welcoming, and truly exceptional in every way!

I have to highly recommend Little Thinkers Preschool! I have had all three of my children go…read morethrough little thinkers and it's been a great foundation to their success in school. Mrs. Heather and her excellent team of teachers give love, care and great early education to all kiddos there. We were so lucky to be at Little Thinkers and can't imagine my kids starting their school journey anywhere else. Also the art work they bring home is the BEST!

We love Little Thinkers! Our oldest attended from 18 months-4 years and we now have our 2 younger…read morechildren there. Heather and the crew do an excellent job providing an entertaining program of arts and crafts and learning about a variety of topics, so the kiddos are always excited when they are dropped off and sad to leave. We have also appreciated the socialization aspect of getting our little ones together with other kids, and thankful that Little Thinkers provides a great environment for this at a very early age. This school has been an incredible blessing for us and we've happily referred them to all of our friends!

My daughter is in her second year at Native School and we cannot say enough good things about it!…read moreUnfortunately there has been some bad publicity because a former employee (trying to steal students away to a competing school she was opening) fed parents misinformation that scared them, including launching a really personal attack against the amazing director, Shannon, who is an incredibly transparent and thoughtful preschool director. She hosts regular meetings for parents to talk to her and will also always be happy to hop on a meeting any afternoon to discuss any questions and concerns. The program itself stood out to me immediately for being a really good supportive model for development. The students are not playing "Lord of the Flies" out in the woods, they are guided and supported by amazing teachers who spend their afternoons writing documentation of the learning in their classrooms and designing emergent curriculum. We could not be happier with the school we chose and our daughter loves school passionately. We have even decided to keep her in Native School another year instead of moving to the free public TK because of how much we love the program and the teachers.

***Warning to parents*** My experience with the teachers…read morewas generally good but you could tell there was a disconnect between them and upper management due to the high turnover rate and disruption in teacher continuity. The frequent and disruptive staff changes significantly effected my 4 year old son who was upset to see teachers come and go. At the end of our semester for 2024-2025 it became worse and substitutes/new faces were very common. We were told by some teachers that quit that safety regs/guidelines were not being followed(especially on rainy/stormy days). All that being said, we decided to pull our child out from the Fall 2025 semester. We had already paid for it but we figured we would be returned our reservation money due to the circumstances. Management refused our first attempt to reimburse us even after my child's spot was filled(Bad business etiquette). So here we are with our reviews and our next steps will be small claims. In the contract it states that they will maintain a consistent and properly staffed program...That was not our experience.

My daughter has been attending CPP since she was two. (Potty training was so easy with the…read moreteacher's help!) She is now in her last year and ready for kindergarten! The teachers are amazing and the director is so supportive and kind. I can't wait to send my little guy there next year!

I am so grateful to have found Christ Presbyterian Preschool. My daughter has been there over a…read moreyear now and I couldn't be happier. The Director (Barbara) is a truly wonderful person; the staff is equally fantastic. It is obvious that most (if not all) of the staff views their work as a calling, not just a paycheck. I am not religious but knew this was the preschool for my daughter the moment I walked in. It is a very loving and welcoming atmosphere - feels more like a home than a school. When my daughter first started there, I was pretty nervous, as she had been home with me her first 2.5 years and was extremely socially anxious (to the point that whenever I tried music classes or swim classes, she wailed at the top of her lungs the entire time). To my relief, there were very few tears, and in the year since, there hasn't been a single day when my daughter didn't want to go ...and often when I arrive to pick her up she begs to stay.

Our son attended for almost a year and our daughter for 5 months. The school is extremely clean and…read morevery organized. They also provide healthy food. My kids learned a lot, alphabet, numbers, phonetic.... Bala and Ala are very knowledgeable. They are very good with infants and very varying.

My two boys attended for almost 3 years. They were always well cared for clean and happy! The…read moredaycare taught them many skills including how to behave in a group setting, songs, letters, puzzles, etc.

They are taking deposits and completely ghosting people - have tried to email and call 5 times and…read morethey never get back to you. I am not the only person dealing with this as well from them.

Really great school. Our daughter was there two years and it really prepped her for Kinder and she…read morehas continued to thrive at double peak. She was there a year before Jen Brown took over and now everything has significantly improved beyond our expectations. The teachers and staff are wonderful and we are going to send our youngest there this year as well as our daughter for the summer camp. Wait list is growing thanks to Jen and the team so we highly suggest an early visit to check out the school years in advance! Ms Michele and Ms Mahdavi were her teachers and a special shout out to their influence on our daughters learning development. Thank you!!!

When I first saw this place, I was like oh it's just old school, California earthy. I liked earthy…read morewhen I was young this will be great. Mistake number one on my part. I am sure this was a great place and idea in the 70s. I don't know the exact history, but it was probably more of a small neighborhood school for the neighborhood when it began. But truth be told, it isn't what it used to be. I don't know maybe it was always like this and nobody expected anything better or thought that they would need to evolve. We have evolved as parents, teachers and guardians of how to raise a healthy secure child and how to really help them thrive and feel safe in a pre-school/school environment. There are too many incidents to mention and too many red flags to mention of what my child witnessed and I myself witnessed and other parents witness but I didn't know any better. Your young child will not be in a physically safe environment in the outside area, there are hiding spots for children of all ages to wreak havoc and harm each other. Despite what you're told, the bigger kids are definitely mixed together with the younger kids without proper supervision and it's basically a free for all. "It's a kids will be kids and boys will be boys environment". That said, they also have them watch tv if they aren't allowed to nap. Yes they can tell your child they can't nap, there is not room for everyone. The teachers feed them candy without asking your permission and your child will be totally filthy when you get them, unless it's raining, then they have to block the whole dirt/Sand back off because it will be totally muddy with pools of water. The bathrooms are also a free for all. If your child is potty training, this is not the place you want them. Although the 2 tiny little potties and sinks are cute, they have zero privacy. Children are allowed to open the doors and crawl under the doors while other children are going potty. I saw this more than once and nobody did a thing. Things such as big boys were slamming the doors back and forth bothering a little girl who was going to the bathroom. My kid who was learning said that he didn't want to go at school because the big kids bothered him, so he was terrified. Maybe they get to eat a proper lunch without being harassed. The children with emotional or behavioral issues are not helped properly and are left to do as they please to the other children if they are not constantly supervised. Even during lunch or snack time. My child literally begged me not to take him to school on several occasions and I just thought he was being a toddler but now I know better. I have also witnessed children climbing the fence begging parents not to leave them. Again, I thought this was normal. It is not. He and his friends were being bullied and tormented by other older children and he was emotionally stressed, time has passed and he STILL talks about it. When I had to address an issue and asked to discuss it, I was heavily dismissed and ignored. Security-They leave signs for delivery people on the front latch gate to leave packages in the outdoor hallway. Which means if your child is hanging around alone someone could easily snatch them. Granted it has probably never happened but it's not actually secure. Anyone can walk in through the two old iron school gates and harm the kids if they wanted to. This place in theory could be great if it were updated, cleaned up, painted, managed and staffed properly and not a total fire hazard. If you let your child go and he or she thrived, great for you, but if your child showed or shows signs of being abnormally stressed, hopefully they will be able to express that to you and hopefully you listen to them. My son was sad and stressed after only a short few months and my heart broke. I felt like the worst parent ever for not noticing it wasn't his age but the environment I placed him in. PROS-great art projects and Ms. Lara One teacher Ms. Lara was always kind and gentle and basically had to protect some of the children and she knew it, but even she was afraid to have a voice. I felt like she was pretty intelligent and should probably be in a better place herself; but Ms. Frankie, Ms. Cathy and the other teacher(s) were not that smart and I am not even sure if they have degrees in child development, If they do, I am shocked and I didn't ask and that is my fault. Cons-Everything else Please do your research, there are much much much better/safer options for your child and you only have to pay as much as this place costs or a few hundred more for a quality education in the area.

This is one of the best places to send your pre-school child. This family-run business has been in…read morebusiness for over 30 years with two other locations--Encinitas and Vista. Kathy is the head cheese and has guided many children in this space many well-ahead of the game when entering kindergarten. I can honestly say is that the children are really loved and looked after here. She has had the same employees for many years as they also truly love the experience. The emphasis is on supporting the children as they explore art, learning and playing. There is none or only limited time on computers and the kids can even play in their bare feet. My child attended this awesome school for 2.5 years and she still maintains friendships that she established there. Just a note, the location has never been renovated so be prepared.

We have thought a lot before writing this review which mostly reflects how we felt about…read moreAspirations at the end of our almost 5 years with the school. We ended up leaving because despite having had such a long time with the school, it became obvious to us at the end that we weren't valued as a family and that our little one wasn't truly seen as a whole person. We had one child start in the Bambini (baby) room just before COVID, went back after COVID and continued all the way through until starting Kindergarten. We had another child that spent a couple years here before just leaving this year. On a whole, Aspirations feels like a Instagram dreamspace - the Emilio Reggio style learning emphasizes the environment and it truly shows. As a parent, you know your child is surrounded by beauty. The art show feels special (although you eventually come to realize how much "teacher guidance" the final auction pieces actual reflect). The gala is also exciting and fun (when it happens). The playground is spacious and beautiful. Our years through Aspirations meant our kids have been in almost every room and in reflection there were great teachers and there were so-so ones and almost every year there was at least some unexpected teacher turn-over in the middle of the year. We ended up leaving because the first time we had any issues, we were surprised at the inflexibility of the administration and unwillingness to work with us. We requested that our little stay with friends in transitioning to a new class, shared the difficult family/life events that were affecting her and had the admin team tell us that they were not going allow her to change classes that despite the fact that the requested class was not yet being filled (they wanted to keep spots open for newer families/kids). Additionally, they weren't even willing to come up with a alternative plan (ie she could move to that class if someone transitioned out). The finality of "administrator knows best" was a slap in the face and made us finally look around and realize that this was one of the most expensive schools around, does not provide lunch, and its premium for the "extended care" (4-5pm where all extended care kids get placed with another teacher for that last hour, sometimes a different one daily) was not the standard everywhere.

I toured today with my 15 month old grandson and was in awe of the director, teachers & facility…read more Outdoor learning was as enriched as the classrooms with bridges, slides built into hills, riding toys, and of course art!

I'm a grandma to three kids who've attended here. I've never seen a better school in my life!…read moreClean, nice teachers, newer modern school. They even have healthy school lunches (unlike public school). My mother was a Special Ed teacher, so I grew up hearing about education. I'm soooo impressed! And grateful my grandkids had such a great head start!

When we relocated to the area, one of our biggest concerns was finding a high-quality preschool. We…read morespent hours reading reviews, touring schools, and agonizing over the decision. Ultimately, we were referred to Carlsbad Country Day School by an acquaintance--and we are so grateful we followed that recommendation. From the moment we toured the school, we were impressed. The staff is incredibly warm and welcoming, the campus is clean and beautiful, and the overall atmosphere is calm, joyful, and thoughtfully run. The curriculum is fantastic--our kids enjoy yoga, sports, reading class, and so much more. The school also provides healthy and delicious meals daily, which has been a huge relief for us as busy parents. Even better? The kids love the food! As for their teachers--Mrs. Gina and Ms. Stephanie are absolutely wonderful. You can tell they truly care about their students and pour so much effort into making each day special. Mrs. Gina creates such a positive and engaging learning environment for our older child, and Ms. Stephanie brings so much warmth, fun, and care to our younger child's classroom. We feel so lucky they have these amazing educators in their lives. Our kids are genuinely excited to go to school each day. One of them won't even say goodbye at drop-off, and at pickup, it's like pulling teeth to get them to leave--honestly, we take that as a great sign! The outdoor space is spacious and full of activities to keep them busy and happy. The school also hosts adorable events throughout the year--like a mother/son dance, a Christmas party, and more--which really make families feel connected. They also offer professional school photos twice a year, and the sibling pictures are to die for--some of the cutest we've ever had taken. We truly feel like we won the lottery finding Carlsbad Country Day School. Our only wish is that they went through elementary school too!

This is one of the best places to send your pre-school child. This family-run business has been in…read morebusiness for over 30 years with two other locations--Encinitas and Vista. Kathy is the head cheese and her daughter runs this location. All I can say is that the children are really loved here. The emphasis is on supporting the children as they explore art, learning and playing. There are no or only limited time on computers and the kids can even play in their bare feet. I sent my child to the other location and she still maintains friendships that she established there. At this location the school house is set on a couple of acres of land allowing the kids to really get a that dose of natural fresh air they thrive in.

This is an excellent preschool in Encinitas. All of the teachers are enthusiastic and caring, and…read morethe activities are engaging. We enrolled our daughter here after relocating to the area, and her transition was seamless! She loves the outdoor/natural school setting and all of the creative activities that they engage in. The children create an art project everyday, dance, and do theme-based play. In addition, the school also tends to the more traditional school curriculum (letters and numbers). I am sure that our daughter will one day look back on her time at this school with fondness.