They allow bullying. Whatever boys want to do to girls is allowed. Absolutely no oversight or protection for girls. Teachers are bias and play favorites. No instruction, no teaching. Very bad experience ! read more

Words cannot express how much we love this preschool! Our family was lucky enough to attend preschool here for 2 years and it was the most magical time! The kids get to experience and are exposed to a wide variety of activities and materials - weaving, working with clay, painting, woodworking, blockbuilding, water play, gardening, music, the list goes on and on! The director Kaitie has been really amazing in running the school and supporting the community and the commitment to progressive education. The teachers are top-notch, and so supportive of our families. Our daughter developed a deep bond with the teachers and even though she has moved onto kindergarten she talks about Evergreen almost everyday and how much she misses it and her friends. The other great thing about Evergreen is the community aspect of the school. Parents are required to serve on committees which allows you to really get to know the other families. We've developed some amazing friendships that we will always cherish. All in all, Evergreen has exceeded our expectations in every way. Our daughter really blossomed in her critical thinking, verbal skills, ability to work with others, and social-emotional work, and she was more than ready for the big world of kindergarten. If you are lucky enough to get a spot here, take it! You will not regret it. read more

Our daughter had a wonderful 3 years at Evergreen (2016-2019) and she is now in a very similar independent elementary school in LA. We had two years with Alise being the director and 1 year with the wonderful director Kaitie (she has shown great leadership and expertise in early development and is opened to parents ideas). I can see why some of the reviews have concerns over Alise's way of managing the school. She cares deeply about all the children and always put the children's benefits first. The parents' 2 committee requirement is one of her many approaches which reflect this. I have done research on countless of parenting books and ended up reading about 6 of them. Still everyday when I am dropping or picking her up, I still learn so much from her 3 teachers, the way they interact with the kids, so kind but yet so firm; the languages they use with the kids, and the deep connection they have built with the kids. It's has been 6 months since they left Evergreen (for a 6 year old, that is long :), her friends and she still talk about how much they miss their peers, their teachers, the classrooms, their many games and activities (with detailed stories and a lot of laughter in between their stories) and the yards. My child, now 6 years old, is a joyful confident curious and highly self motivated child with great conflict solving skills. Her teachers rave about how they love having Evergreen kids in their classroom. I can't thank this community enough, the teachers, the staffs and all the wonderful parents and kids, some of whom have become our good friends for life. read more

We have had such a positive experience at Evergreen. My daughter joined class two during her first year, so this class had already had a previous year together. Kaitie (the school director) went above and beyond to ensure that she was comfortable and had many ways to see the school and community beforehand; including - a teacher's home visit, a personal welcome letter from a family of a classmate, a half day of school with half of the class before the full day, an interview with parents to hear about our child... the list goes on and on. And that was only the beginning. The Evergreen teachers are continually engaging in the latest research for child education/development and it shows. We (as parents!) have learned from the teachers how to better solve conflicts, use language that is more effective etc. But, most importantly Evergreen models and teaches children to be kind, aware of others, thoughtful and curious. There have been countless times when I am out with my daughter and she confidently engages in a conversation with an adult - who is always surprised that someone her age feels so comfortable speaking to adults - I always credit Evergreen. Also, the community at Evergreen is incredible - all supportive, kind, down to earth families. read more

Evergreen Community School is a foundational school for the early years! Alise Shafer who is the director of the school has put forth tremendous effort, thought, and planning to establish a school that values social constructivism and community! My two daughters attended this school and are now in high school. Evergreen has has supported them from a very young age to become critical thinkers who are passionate about learning! I feel the success of the school is owed to Alise Shafer. As a director, she has done a wonderful job engaging parents at many levels so that they may share in the passion to construct knowledge and grow with the children. My personal experience as a parent has been very enriching. I learned so much about early childhood and the Reggio Philosophy in particular that I decided to become a preschool teacher myself. Often as parents, we may not understand the depth and layers of thought that go into planning for a rich and engaging environment and curriculum until we observe and reflect on the practices. It is only through our involvement and openness that we begin to build an understanding and engage in an ongoing dialogue with the school community. As an alumni parent who has experienced first hand the role Evergreen has played in our daughters' lives, I highly recommend the school to parents who value social constructivist approach and parental involvement. read more

Evergreen is a GREAT school, but it may be losing its credibility. If you want to attend this school or apply to it beware of the director, as she is not particularly friendly or warm to parents and some would describe her as mean. I have two children who attended Evergreen Community School. The school is highly competitive to get into and the criteria is strict regarding parent participation as well as where you work and where you live. Although, it seems some families get in based on what they do for a living, ie. if you are in tech support or gardner for example and the school does not have a parent who can garden or do tech support, then it doesn't matter where you live, because the director wants you for your specialized skill. The Director of the school Alise Shafer Ivey runs a very tight ship and knows what she wants. The problem however is that she has some major anti-social issues with parents and this problem has grown worse over the years. She has a inflated sense of self importance, due to the overwhelming popularity of the school. Alise is very passionate about what she does and how she wants things done; she's been developing and refining the school for many years. It's her way or the highway. All parents feel that she has a good list and bad list and if you don't do what she wants she will put you on her bad list. (That is until you do something good again). Parents are so worried that Alise won't write them a positive recommendation letter for elementary school that they will say or do anything to make Alise happy. She will write bad letters and will kick your kid out the school and tell them to see a special psychologist for help. 50/50 chance on that I believe. Also, parents trying to get into the school will say or do anything to make Alise happy. She has control over everybody and dominates with a bullying power towards some parents. Only apply here or attend (And I am serious about this) if you think you can handle a Director like this. Some people are better equipped to navigate and meld into this type of environment. Having had time to look back and reflect on my positive and questionable experiences at Evergreen, if I had to do over again, I would have chosen a preschool where my relationship with the director was as equals (as opposed to a subordinate she could push around.) The children had an amazing time and really blossomed there, so I would like to say this had no bearing on them, but tension builds up and eventually spills-over into the home. So it this must be factored into one's decision to apply/attend Evergreen. What's your personality type and how much are you willing to tolerate and navigate and at what cost? It's important that you "opt-in" with your eyes open. I hope this review helps families considering the school. read more

My son went to Evergreen for 3 years . He graduated in June . We had an amazing experience with Evergreen. Words can't describe how much we love this magical place. They really stay true to progressive education which we love. The faculty the projects and the community are all there to support the kids to reach their maximum potential. Everything has a purpose and a meaning. My son now is in kindergarten. He is a confident, critical thinker 6 year old with incredible social skills. We are planing to move and it will be very far for us to drive my daughter here once she is old enough to join, but we are so in love with this school that we would most likely commute. We can't imagine her going to any other school because we believe there is no place like Evergreen . We have been so fortunate and lucky to be part of this community and we will be forever thankful for this opportunity read more

The head of the school is an amazing educator and thinker of child-development and has built not just another pre-school but frankly a leading institution of early education. Evergreen is not a day-care facility and doesn't try to be a place where you can drop off your kid while you go to work or run your errands. Instead, Evergreen draws upon, in fact requires that, all parents to be active members of the Evergreen Community. Alise has truly built a community in doing this and really cares about the kids and the families. The more you put in, the more you get as well. There's a high-degree of commitment at Evergreen. Everyone needs to participate in a volunteer capacity. There's a strong social norm and everyone does this - so when someone doesn't fulfill their obligation, it's easy for them to feel ostracized and in conflict with both the administration and the community at large. But the results are amazing. Evergreen kids have ideas of their own - and good ones at that. Evergreen kids are truly thoughtful and creative and self-directed. Just like not every parent is cut out for this type of environment, it's clear that not every kid is either. I feel incredibly fortunate that we had the opportunity to send our kids to Evergreen, to have Alise and her teachers impact the earliest (and possibly most profound) time of their life and to be a part of a community with similarly minded parents. If you have the opportunity to send your kids to Evergreen, jump at it. It's an amazing place. Possibly the best and frankly, it wouldn't be what it is without Alise, its director and founder. read more

We have had two children go through Evergreen and we are more than satisfied customers! From the moment we were introduced to and toured the school, we were captivated by the passion and commitment of Evergreen's director, Alise Shafer. She is a true educator and is able to hire and keep on board the most incredible teachers. Alise and her teachers have a true respect for children and have real relationships with them. As a result, the children are thought-leaders, able to work in small groups or alone, and have a tremendous amount of confidence. The facility is top-notch and is adorned with high-quality and thought-provoking materials and everywhere you look you can see the important work of the children. For the parents, Alise has managed to create a community. Parents have opportunities to get to know each other and volunteer on committees of their choice with the knowledge that this makes a difference in the excellence of the school. In addition, there is an open-door policy with teachers and also the director which help to build the community and further the confidence in the school. Besides all the detailed and beautifully written documentation of the daily activities of the children, the teachers are never too busy to discuss in detail the specifics of your child. This could give any parent peace of mind. We are very lucky to have had the opportunity to give our children this rich and formative preschool experience and to have found such a great and caring community at Evergreen. read more

My husband and I have had much difficulty with the director, Alise. She is condescending, belittling, dismissive, haughty and rude. She only kept our daughter in the school because of our celebrity status. Had we not already paid in full, we would stop sending our child. The teachers are kind and seem genuinely caring. Two thumbs down. read more

I wanted to like this school, I really did. I agreed with a lot of points the director made. However, I disagree with the community "building" method. The director said at the tour today that every parent needs to be on 2 committees. That was fine by me and I was excited. But she then said that they currently have 5 families at the school that do not "pull their weight," and that you would not want to be one of those people. What a way to build a community! I would have actively wanted to participate to just help and be a part of the school, not out of fear that I was going to be labeled as not doing enough if I didn't. read more

During the tour we were sold quite a story on how this school was a wonderful place that centered around children. The director told stories about how the children inspired the course of learning and direction the classes took. Therefore we were utterly shocked when coming back with our child to observe a classroom in session. The children were told constantly which toys to play with, where to sit and how to act. We have toured almost every preschool in the Santa Monica/Venice area and never once at any other school did we witness such abject determination on the part of a school to take all individuality out of the children. At one point during the class meeting, the children sat around a large circle with several toys in the middle of the circle. My son (never having been in the environment before) reached for a toy in the center of the circle and was stopped by a little girl sitting next to him. "Oh no, you're not allowed to play with those" were her words. The teacher then confirmed this and asked my 2.5 year old son to put the toy back in to the center of the circle. He was surprised, as were we, but he did as he was asked. Unless you're trying to train a dog to be obedient and subservient, I'm not sure why you would use this tactic of placing toys under a child's nose and then not allowing them to be touched. After the meeting the children were allowed time to play and roam in the classroom. If a child stepped out of line in the slightest way, or decided to change games, or touched another child's toy, or made a sound louder than a speaking voice, or any number of things that a toddler might do - they were addressed by a teacher. No smiles, no gentle reminders, no tenderness or caring. Similar to a previous review, we also felt that the director was unfriendly, not warm at all, and sadly this is the way in which she rules the school. The teachers seemed nice enough but under the dictator like conditions in which Alise runs the school, it's no surprise that they are harsh with the children. During a private meeting with director immediately following our classroom observation, we were told that children should be allowed to have emotions and feelings (which we 100% agree with) and therefore when they are spoken to harshly or disciplined, they should be allowed to be upset without any sympathy from a parent/teacher. This is where our philosophies differ. As children learn at such a young age, it seems cruel not to offer any warmth to them. Personally we didn't want our little boy in an environment where he was always getting in trouble or even worse, being turned into a little sheep at such a young age. If you're sold on the tour, go in for your class observation and pay very close attention. We felt we were sold a bill of goods that definitely did not hold up under closer scrutiny. Several other parents I've spoken to have had similar experiences so I know it wasn't unique to us or the day we were there. read more

Terrible ! If you have money & are in the entertainment industry & have a boy then it's the place for you. They play favorites. They do not teach the children anything, they do not lead. They believe in survival of the fittest. Very true about the director - very cold, very unfriendly - except to her favorites. Children do need adult supervision & leadership, which they do not provide. They did absolutely nothing when day after day my charge had sand thrown in her eyes & hair. They just didn't care & never addressed the issue. Children do need to learn on their own, but when they are that young there does need to be care & leadership from the adults. read more