I had a list of the top preschool choices for Santa Barbara and visited BHY's campus first…read more Everything from security, cleanliness, staff education and credentials, to teaching philosophies, parent association participation and the general upbeat vibe got me filling out an application that day. I have two little ones attending and growing up with caring teachers and loving friends. It's a Jewish preschool, but the attendance is mixed Religon. If you're looking to tour preschools, you need to tour this one because this will be the one you compare all others too!

Our family loves BHY Preschool. My son cannot wait to go to school 3 days/week and sometimes even…read morebegs to stay when I arrive to pick him up. I have to say, that I toured many schools in town, but when I toured BHY, none of them could compare. We knew it was right for us. What sets BHY apart is the caring staff and teachers. I am constantly impressed at every teachers' interaction with my son. They even have 3 male teachers. I like my son having this wonderful example of gender equality. Having a healthy lunch and snack is important to me, their meal program is mostly organic and low sugar. When I ask my 3 year old what he wants for dinner, he responds "quinoa" (thanks BHY!). My son really likes outdoor activities, so the vegetable garden, shaded play areas and hiking are what he most enjoys. Another thing that continues to impress me is that there is a director and an assistant director that are not also teachers. This makes for a very organized school. All of this with a great teacher/student ratio...is my 2nd son 18 months yet?!

I have two children enrolled in school here and they have been so good to us as newbies to the…read moreneighborhood. They're great community builders as well hosting family get together so the parents can get to know each other as well as the children. The teachers are warm and welcoming and my children love it there. Montessori is such a wonderful way to help children learn and flourish. My boys are so much better behaved after learning the Montessori way and this school really helps with that.

A real gem in our community. From the moment you walk through the blue gate you are enveloped in a…read morewarm and nurturing environment where children can blossom into their true and confident selves. The teachers are caring, competent, and guide your child through their learning journey with a perfect balance of love, respect, and support. Our daughter attended this precious school for 3 years and has now started K. All the tools she was provided with at Sunrise have helped her ease into this transition. Sunrise is not just a preschool but truly a home. Thank you Felicia, Jennifer, Jean Marie, Margarita, Kimberley, Rosie, Nina and big Jason for all your love and wisdom.

We love Montessori school. Our son is been going there…read moresince 18th months old. Is been an amazing experience to see how he grow so happy and full of joy. Already have life skills as small as they are and learning the basic of Maria Montessori! Great teachers, great staff.

I can't say enough good things about MCS and the community it fosters. It was our lifeline during…read morethe covid pandemic. I can't work from home, so zoom school wasn't an option for us. We started with MCS for that reason (one of the few, if not only, schools offering in-person instruction and childcare). But we have stayed for elementary school because our experience was so wonderful. Not only are the teachers at MCS warm, caring, and nurturing, but they are incredibly communicative (as is the leadership/administration). If I have a question or concern, it is responded to almost immediately. Everything is very well organized and I can focus on work each day knowing that my son is happy, surrounded by friends, and growing in a nurturing environment. MCS has fostered my son's learning and confidence. He regularly works in class with children from other grades and has developed wonderful friendships across the ages. Assignments, homework, and projects are appropriately challenging. It's been awesome watching him grow and develop in this environment. I am not sure what we will do after sixth grade -- I just wish MCS continued through grade 12! - but this certainly is an incredible place for us now.

There are some good aspects to the school but the bad out way the good. There are better schools…read moreout there, even the public ones. Save your money and heartache.

CCA has the highest expectation for academic excellence. The teachers and leadership team are…read moreDEDICATED. Their love for Christ, for the students and passion for education & spiritual excellence, is the driving force each and every day. The small class size, individualized instructions and the variety of creative approach to attending the students' different abilities set up the best chances for the students to succeed. All my kids attend CCA and they LOVE going to school. CCA's tuition is one of the most affordable around Santa Barbara.

Our child spent some time here this summer during the closure of our home school. It was such a…read morewonderful experience! Even though Luca was here for a short time, the staff took the time to learn about him in advance so he was set up for success on day one. They went out of their way to accommodate his nutritional needs. He participated in a lot of fun activities and we got updates and pictures so we knew what he as up to which was both fun and reassuring. And he came home happy every day! If we lived in Santa Barbara we would feel lucky yo bring him here every day, and we cannot wait to come back. Thanks to Dominique, Diego, Dava, and Tamara!!!

Hope 4 Kids is an exceptional school and Teresa (program director) and Cherie (the head of school)…read morehave built something amazing in Santa Barbara. We had to spend three months in Santa Barbara in 2019 for family reasons, and wanted to take advantage of the time there to let our 19 month old get socialized in a pre-school. We live in LA, so naturally compared Hope 4 Kids to some of the places we've looked at in LA, like CEE, Christopher Robin, and numerous other really nice, 'fancy' pre-schools. Hope 4 Kids is nicer than them all, and provides an amazing foundation for kids to learn. The 'outdoor education project' approach of the school has led the school to build an incredible outdoor classroom, and the kids are always engaged and having fun while learning, mostly in the outdoors. Teresa's enthusiasm for this outdoor classroom initiative is contagious, and from the moment we were introduced to the school we were certain that it was a great choice for our son. The faculty/student ratio is really low, and every teacher and teacher's aide we met was highly engaged and held to a really high standard of care for the kids and professionalism. We love this school and were so sad to leave Santa Barbara and H4K. It's an amazing place. (please also note that we are not particularly religious - this school is affiliated with a church, but operates on basic human principles of a respect for others and the beautiful world around us)

I've been going to this school my whole life and i really like it. This school gives kids…read moreopportunities that no other school could offer. Theres something called CIMI that 6th graders go to every year if the district has money. Luckily i got to go. But over all the teachers are really good and yard duties are absolutely amazing. One thing i dont like is that theres only school dress codes for gurl and not for boys which i think is unfair. But i like it and if i have kids i would bring them here.

The school does not challenge kids enough, but has good counselors for special need kidsread more

Danielle Monroy is the owner and director of Creative Care for Children, and she does an amazing…read morejob! Both of my children attended Danielle's, and both my kids loved it. Danielle has a wonderful focus on art and outside play - in the summer it is not unusual to see a handful of kids laughing and playing in the sprinklers in her gorgeous back yard. Her facility is amazing - a HUGE backyard with a Victorian wooden playhouse, lovely grass area, children friendly vegetable patch and flower garden, multiple climbing structures, and a paved bike path. Though technically she's a childcare and not a preschool, she still takes the time to teach the older children their basics. My son attended Danielle's until kindergarten, and I felt that he was well prepared for his first day of real school. Do yourself a favor and go check her out - you'll and your child will be happy you did!

We searched and searched to find the perfect preschool for our 2-year-old. We toured all the…read morehighest rated schools in SB and weren't excited about any of them. And then we found Danielle. We couldn't be happier! She's caring, attentive and it's abundantly clear that she adores the kids. It's not a standard school - it's out of her home, in a residential area. But, she has a fully equipped, expansive backyard where the kids run free and explore. Danielle has a master's degree in early childhood education and believes in the importance of outdoor learning. There are numerous daily art projects and most are nature based. Inside, there are wooden Montessori and Waldorf toys as well. I've also noticed that she spends a lot of one-on-one time - teaching and reading to the kids. We are so glad to have found this affordable, small little school where our daughter has thrived.

Great school! Great teachers! This school has their stuff together. They do not let their kids slip…read morethrough the cracks. I love the way they use positive reinforcement while still enforcing the rules.

The students at this school seem to be so unmotivated to learn anything and some can be extremely…read morerude and disrespectful to teachers. Aside from that i had came to this school from a 3 year hiadus from this city (prior to 99 grew up in goleta and retuned in fall of 02) and didn't know anyone and there were some really nice kids who actually came up to and asked me what my name was and such and i got invited to several parties (and this was the 7th grade !). Due to so many rude people and distractions that interupted my learning i had to transfer my 8th grade year and go to Santa Barbara junior high school in order to get a proper education and i am so glad i did really prepared me high school. But i was sad to leave bc i would have had 3 of 7th grade teachers whom where awesome and i had a good relationship with but where treated like complete crap by there students. Oh and i had stayed there i might have been able to stay in algebra one instead of going to sbjhs where they had no more room left in any algebra so i was stuck learning the same thing all over again pre algebra boring. A beautiful school though despite all of its extreme faults and being in the newspaper every other week in threats of being closed down(but had to keep it open due to over crowding). I haven't been their in god knows how many years but i hope they have made improvements.