My son started going to preschool here in January and they have been wonderful and helping my son…read moredevelop. The teachers truly care and have a great curriculum for children who are neuro typical or not. Thank you Miss Sharon and teacher Anna for being so kind to my son.

This school started out great, but eventually was not a very good place for our 4 yr old AUDHD son…read more He has expressive language delay, and we found the speech therapy offered here severely lacking. The ABA approach they took in the classroom with our son (instead of a language based approach0 focused really heavily on compliance, and it really backfired. He developed severe school refusal (holding the door jam, crying in the car the whole way to school) and we would get calls weekly about some behavior or son did (like knock over an art cart) with him crying in the room and 3 adults in the room with him. It just felt like a joke to me that this school with all of these different types of kids being supported STILL he was supposed to fit some kind of magical mold for them. My son is not severely disabled, but the language delay was significant and they should have seen how hard he was trying to communicate instead of acting like a regular gen ed school and punishing his "bad" behavior. They really ruined school for him and I do believe it was a traumatic experience. The other thing I really thought was odd- is they did not let you go into the classrooms AT ALL...ever. AND the parents never really got to meet each other because drop off is pulling up and they grab the kid out of the car... if you walk them in they got all prickly. When your child is slightly different, all you want to do is help with their social emotional development- you want to connect with other parents who get it. We threw a birthday party and asked if we could hand out invites and it was like weird to them....??? We ended up having a few kids come and it was very nice, but awkward. No community is built into this school, and felt very isolating.

Yelp criteria for five stars is "Woohoo! As good as it gets!" Our son has been attending for 8…read moremonths now, ever since he was eligible (at four months) and our experience with GP is very much "as good as it gets!" GP runs on the idea that kids are investigating the world and the teachers there are the ones that facilitate their interests. In practice, that translates into highly motivated teachers, kids who learn and grow, and an atmosphere that is more like a school rather than a place to plop your kid off for eight hours while you work. Nothing hectic, not a TV or battery-powered toy in sight, and plenty of time and space to explore their natural surroundings. Yes, appointments are difficult and the waiting pool is nerve-wracking for any parent. But that is the nature of the beast really, not GP itself. The administration is top-notch, the teachers are professionals in the truest sense, and the community is wonderful. GP really is "as good as it gets!"

My son has been at the Growing Place Marine Park campus for 4 years and it has been a wonderful…read moreexperience. The school is based on the Reggio Emilia philosophy and provides a very high level and thoughtful curriculum for infants, toddlers and preschoolers. The curriculum is focused on the interests of the children and they emphasize a lot of peer to peer learning and child-led learning, which allows children to learn collaboration, negotiation, and problem solving as well as building the foundation for them to be critical thinkers as opposed to passive learners. The teachers for the most part are trained in this philosophy and are extremely competent. They see themselves more as facilitators to encourage active learning rather than instructors that need to fill children with specific knowledge. The program is almost entirely play-based, recognizing the fact that children at this age learn best through play! My son has experienced everything from manipulating clay and watercolor as an infant, to cooking, gardening (they have a thriving vegetable garden in the preschool that the kids tend themselves), woodworking, sewing, story telling, painting and much much more. They emphasize natural materials and the children often build projects from "raw" materials rather than using a lot of ready-made or battery operated toys. There is a very active parent community as well and it feels more like a family than a school. It will be a hard place to leave!

This is an amazing school and we have had a fantastic 2 years at their discovery center. I feel…read morecompelled to write this review since I read a couple of negative ones and that got me thinking :). There is no way I or anyone else can synthesize how a kid would fare at a school in a short review. Having said that, I can only offer what I consider as my personal perspective and opinion! **It is a fantastic community of dedicated educators (not glorified babysitters). **There is an onsite nutritionist who cooks fresh (mostly organic) meals for the kids that the teachers and kids eat together. **Most teachers have been with this school for a long time and that says something about the overall culture. **I am very thankful that we found this gem of a school and my son still comes back from time to time to say hi to the teachers. **They _are_ very particular about parent involvement here and primarily look for parents that can provide the involvement whether they work or not. Is it a commitment ? Yes it is and if that deters you, by all means, please visit Bright Horizons across the street who are very geared towards working parents. **To the reviewer who could not do the transition week and the other parent who cannot make the school tour, its not Hill & Dale's commitment to provide you with alternatives, they are _very_ upfront about their policies and it's their expectation in return for providing an excellent community for the parents and children. Most parents and teachers work tirelessly after hours for events and fund-raisers and so can you. All I can say, just wait for public elementary school, you are in for a real treat ;) Hope this review helps someone who is trying to make a decision on preschools (on infant/toddler care) A happy parent !!

We have 2 children attending Hill and Dale, one at the Learning Center and one at the Discovery…read moreCenter. They have only been at H&D for a few months, but we have already noticed a drastic growth in their behavior and development. Before we even applied to H&D, the Admin team made us feel like a part of the community. Heather, Ashley, Zulma and Agatha are absolutely wonderful. The teachers are special and have made meaningful connections with our kids. We are grateful for the level of communication, and the teachers love to share stories about our kids when we pick them up. Some of the other ways H&D stands out is their extended hours (7:30am - 6:00pm) and the lunch program. This has been incredibly important for our family because we are working parents. I can't say enough about the lunch program. It's been a pleasant surprise to see our strong-willed children serving themselves and enjoying different kinds of food. We love to see how happy our kids are here and feel lucky to be part of the H&D community.

I can only try to write this review without crying bittersweet tears. My youngest child just…read moregraduated from YMLA, and I miss this place so much already. I feel so grateful that we found this preschool that gave us a home away from home. Where teachers quickly became family. Where my children's most formative years were filled with so much love and thoughtful guidance on how to grow and develop as little humans. The teachers and directors here are beyond exceptional. I really don't know how to describe their instructional approach in any other way than "love." The staff love what they do and they love the kids entrusted in their care. They treat each child as an individual with individual needs. They respect the kids' emotions and help guide the children to understand these emotions as they engage with their daily learning activities. From an operational standpoint, this place is everything I could have asked for. There's a wonderful balance of indoor and outdoor time (the kids get A LOT of outdoor play!). Every month you'll be sent a full calendar with all the different "special days", events, and enrichments. There's a weekly newsletter with group pictures, highlights, reminders, and the week's educational focus. Also weekly, you'll get a full, custom summary of YOUR child--highlighting how their week went, what they learned, what areas of growth they worked on and the best part. . . pictures! I truly felt like it was easy to communicate with staff whenever I needed to. The staff make every event so special, as well. From Friendsgiving, to the winter show performances, to "snow day" (they bring a snow machine to the school playground for a day!), to their epic annual "Art Show" (when my kids were 4-years-old, they painted BOB ROSS LANDSCAPES. . .and they look amazing!), to their leprechaun traps and pot of gold hunts, and . . . well, I could go on and on. Suffice to say, they go to lengths to make these special years for your child feel truly magical. As I watched my youngest child perform during her graduation ceremony, I realized. . . we've been going here for four years, and I've never had a single complaint. Not one. Every issue was handled with tact and grace. With superhuman patience and incredible communication. This school was our village. Our tribe. Our special place to laugh, play, smile, cry, and grow. I'm so grateful to have landed on this doorstep, and I will miss it dearly.

Our son attended YM preschool for two years, and we truly loved every minute of it. Honestly,…read morethere's not one thing we would change. The teachers are incredibly loving and care about every child. Our son built such special relationships with each of them, and it meant SO MUCH to us knowing he felt so loved while he was there. We also really appreciated the weekly updates- they made us feel connected to what he was learning and gave us such a great glimpse into his days. Another thing that really stood out was how the teachers handled conflict. They approached every situation with so much patience, kindness, and respect, helping the kiddos learn how to work through challenges in a positive way. This is such a special school, and it's easy to see why they have a waitlist. If you're thinking about enrolling, try to make your decision early- you'll be so glad you did.

We had both our daughters at FUMC, and the impact has been incredible. Our oldest daughter got into…read morean incredible West LA kindergarten program--we credit much of that to the foundation she built here. Even more meaningful is the community. Warm, supportive, and truly special--our families formed lifelong friendships. If you're considering preschools in the area, FUMC should be at the top of your list.

My child has been at FUMC since he was 2, and will be leaving for the public school district this…read morefall. We have had the most wonderful experience possible with this delightful preschool. The teachers are warm and deeply experienced; the admin team is professional and empathetic; and the physical spaces are clean, calm and welcoming. The outside play areas are well-curated, very spacious, and carefully monitored. There are before-and after-school options that are helpful for working families. Best of all is the program itself, the curriculum and activities that fill the day. The students are lead through a thoughtful and professionally-designed curriculum that includes lots of play, but also a strong emphasis on early learning skills, especially literacy. The children go to PE, art, music and chapel weekly, exposing them to a very well-rounded program that has something for everyone (including bugs!) We love that our kid comes home every day with little shoes full of play sand and a big adventure to share--a Dragon for Chinese New Year; a tea party for royalty; a field trip to the post office. Parents are included in every activity and are brought into the community often. We will miss our little second home when we graduate!

Westwood Hills Preschool is an absolutely amazing school. Two of my children attend and they have…read morebeen going for years. I toured a lot of preschools, including larger very well-known ones in the area, and am so thankful that I decided to send them here. The teachers are all wonderful, thoughtful, and caring to our children. They focus on the individual child to make sure they are providing the appropriate learning instruction for each student. What I love is that the children are constantly learning through play. I am impressed that my five year old is reading words and knows addition, subtraction, and multiplication. The teachers are extremely communicative, and always available to chat if you want extra time with them. The Director, Tracy Schatz, is truly amazing and is empathetic to the needs of each child and works very closely with the teachers and parents in the classrooms. A couple of extras: -They align with the Whole Brain Child - 12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child's Developing Mind - By: Daniel J. Siegel MD, Tina Payne Bryson PhD -Flexible hours - they have many options for flexible schedules. If we need to send our children early or late on a few specific days - we can add that time easily. Has been a game changer when I've had an early morning meeting! -True neighborhood feel with families becoming friends and planning get togethers outside of school -Yoga and and mindfulness practices - you can imagine my delight when my son sat in a meditation pose at home! Love that this school teaches this. -Healthy snacks - which the children help make -Teachers that have been there for years! Some teachers also rotate into different rooms, so there is a good chance your kiddo might already know one of the teachers when they "move up" to a new room -Music with Mr. Dale - he brings in unique instruments each week and performs songs for the children -Multiple outdoor play yards and areas for trike riding -Flexible with potty training and very helpful giving tips -Lots and lots of art, art, art creation -COVID Protocols - they were very strict and amazing with their COVID protocols for the children. I was very worried, but relieved at how this school handled COVID

Westwood Hills Preschool, led by Tracy and her great teachers, provides an incredibly rich,…read morestimulating, and engaging atmosphere for preschoolers. Our 2nd daughter started at WH after starting at another preschool which our 1st daughter went to as well for years. She (our 2nd) is now transitioning to TK. The growth we've seen in our daughter who attended WH is fantastic and we're 100% confident she's ready for TK. Her days are filled structured activities that help her develop academically, socially, physically, etc., but in a very age appropriate and fun way. The school also feels very secure/safe. Our daughter genuinely enjoys going to WH for school each day and is very close with the other students and teachers. We found WH through our close friends/neighbors whose 2 daughters also went there and had a great experience.

Our oldest just graduated from Piper, and we couldn't be more grateful for the time she's spent…read morethere! Every teacher and admin we've had/worked with has been so kind, encouraging, funny, and caring while still being clear in their expectations. Our daughter loved going to school, made great friends, and is such a wonderful kid - and definitely this is in part to the care and example-ship she received at Piper. Our younger still attends and is having the same, awesome experience.

We love Piper Preschool, the teachers are amazing, the campus is adorable, and all of my kids have…read morebeen happy going to school there we started in 2020 when many preschools were still closed due to COVID, and we were so happy that Piper opened its doors, small the classrooms smaller and created pod like groups. My 2 older kids who have graduated from Piper now and my youngest is still there now. In the last 5 years that we have been here as a family, I've noticed that the admins are very responsive to feed back, what the parent community needs, and most importantly what is best for the kiddos. They have very flexible hours (8-5 if you need, 9-2 is the base) which is a bonus. You can be a parent that volunteers a lot or a parent that shows up for the big moments, there are plenty of opportunities in either case.

Gahh where do I start?? MPS has been such an incredible gift to our family. We enrolled our first…read morechild in 2019, and now three of our children have been lucky enough to attend. We already can't wait for our one-year-old to be old enough to join too! What makes this school so special isn't just the incredible teachers or the wonderful curriculum -- it's the community. From the moment you walk through the doors, you can feel the love, warmth, and genuine care that the staff has for every child. After the Palisades fire, the school had to relocate campuses and what could have been such a difficult transition for the children, Laura and the staff handled with incredible grace. They created a seamless experience that preserved the routines, relationships, and sense of security our son so desperately needed during an incredibly uncertain time. That continuity and community meant more to our family than we can ever fully express. If we could keep our kids at MPS forever, we honestly would. We are endlessly grateful for the impact this school has had on our family over the past seven years. Thank you for loving our children so well and giving them such a joyful, nurturing foundation. We recommend MPS with our whole hearts!!!

The cutest and sweetest school. I'm an alumni so I knew my little one would be in good hands. All…read morestaff members and teachers are so sweet, patient, and supportive. My little one loved going to school because it was always so much fun. I highly recommend this school to everyone. Everyone is welcomed and loved