We've been part of Rancho Santa Margarita KinderCare for about 3.5 years now, and we couldn't be…read morehappier with our experience! We actually moved to Irvine, but we simply couldn't bring ourselves to change daycare because of how much we love this place. The teachers are truly wonderful -- they show so much love, care, and attention to each child and are always responsive to their individual needs. Our daughter is almost 4, and KinderCare has been such a big part of her life and development. The level of learning and daily activities is amazing, and the Summer Camp program especially impresses us every year. They put so much effort into making it exciting for the kids -- horseback riding, train rides, petting zoos, bounce houses, and so many other special activities. Our daughter always has something new to tell us about! The facilities are great, the environment feels warm and welcoming, and most importantly, we feel confident that our daughter is genuinely cared for, loved, and happy here. We're incredibly grateful that we found Rancho Santa Margarita KinderCare and have been able to watch our daughter grow here over the years. A huge thank you to the director, and to all the wonderful teachers who have cared for and taught her throughout these 3.5 years.

KinderCare Rancho Santa Margarita has been such a gift to our family. When I drop off my children,…read moreI know they will be safe, listened to, and genuinely cared for. My kids love their teachers like grandmothers, and their teachers care for them with that same warmth. They have built such personal bonds, and it means everything to me that my children feel at home there. As a mom, I've also found myself turning to the teachers for parenting advice. They're always willing to listen, share their experience, and offer guidance when I need it. That kind of support goes far beyond what I ever expected from a child care center. Ms. Mojgan, the director, has gone above and beyond to make my kids feel at home. Ms. Ellie makes them feel so loved. Ms. Meenu has made a real effort to ensure my older daughter feels heard, and Ms. Sarah takes the time to truly listen to the children. I'm especially grateful to Ms. Kim for the kindness she showed my middle daughter when she had accidents. She helped her feel comfortable and reassured instead of embarrassed. The teachers in the younger classrooms are angels, too. My two-year-old is always on the move, and I couldn't even get her to sit on the toilet at home. Within a week in their classroom, she was potty trained! I still can't believe it. I'm so grateful for everyone at this campus. I hope the teachers know how much of a difference they make in our children's lives and how deeply we appreciate them as parents.

Our child has been attending the Children's Courtyard Lake Forest since he was 4 months old. The…read moreteachers take incredible care of him. He is excited at drop off and is still happy at pick up. They read, play, and make sure that all of his needs are met. The strict security standards provide us a lot of peace and comfort. The teachers are great at sending us updates throughout the day of what our child is up to and the fun events they are hosting on campus. We look forward to seeing our child continue to grow and develop at the Children's Courtyard.

My daughter enjoyed coming here. She had a great group of kids she loved to play with, and it was…read moreencouraging to see her make friends where we sent her. My son was miserable. He hated being dropped off and would show an urgency anytime I came to pick him up. This wasn't his first experience with daycare either. At his previous school, he never had an issue with being dropped off. A large part of my frustration with this school and our experience is that many of the staff don't seem well equipped to work with kids or know how to manage age-appropriate behaviors. The school's app allows you to see video footage of your kids throughout the day, and I saw one of the older teachers (Teacher Juielta) in my sons class yank a toddler by the arm. I witnessed that same teacher grab a kid by the face and yell at him. If I'm watching this happen to other kids, using the system they encourage parents to use, it was most likely happening to my son too. From what I gathered from parents who still take their kids there, that teacher is still working in that classroom. This kind of behavior towards toddlers is unacceptable. I couldn't keep my son in that classroom as I watched his peers get manhandled by an older teacher. There was also an very explicit tension between some of the staff that was unprofessional and inappropriate. It was common to hear and witness staff yelling at each other over their walkie-talkies, staff who would blatantly ignores questions or requests from other staff, and at one point an argument occurred in front of kids that forced me and some other parents to bring it up to leadership. We only attended the school for 3 months and we fortunately were able to take our kids somewhere else! I would give this a 1 out of 5 staffs but there were a couple of positive things about the school that I just couldn't ignore. Pros: the kids and families we met; Teachers Jo and JoJo were great to partner with when working with my kids. Cons: accountability for complaints of staff, immature interactions between staff in front of kids, and abusive behaviors towards toddlers.

It's such a bittersweet moment for me as we say goodbye to what has truly been the best preschool…read more Both of my children started their journey here--my daughter, who is now 7, and today was my son's very last day. Leaving is incredibly emotional because this place has always felt like family. From the amazing teachers to the wonderful management and the kindest owner, every single person here has been so caring, welcoming, understanding, and supportive. The love, attention, and education they provide are simply unmatched. If you're looking for a preschool where your children will be genuinely loved, nurtured, and cared for like family, this is the place. I will miss you all so much, but I know this isn't really goodbye. I've made lifelong friends here, and I had to get all the teachers' contact information because I couldn't imagine not staying in touch. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for loving my children, believing in them, and giving them the most beautiful start in life. We will always be grateful

They stole our deposit and refused to refund during Covid. We never started at the school. They…read moreshutdown a week after we paid the deposit.

This review comes a year after our experience. I hope parents who are currently considering this…read moreschool will take a few minutes to read about our child's journey and our family's experience here. If I had to summarize my message in one sentence, it would be：if your child is not a "perfect" student, this school may not be the right place for them. My child enrolled in this school at 3 years old. A few months later, it became clear that he had a speech delay. He struggled to express his thoughts and often could not follow classroom instructions the way teachers expected. Over time, the teachers appeared to lose patience with him. Without professional support to help him regulate his emotions, he eventually reacted in distress and once hit his head against a teacher. After receiving warnings and going through an observation period, we made the difficult decision to leave the school. When we first received warnings, we repeatedly apologized to the school. We believed our child was the "imperfect" one who was making the teachers' jobs more difficult and adding extra burden to their work. However, about two months after, we noticed he had developed a habit of biting his nails. I don't know exactly what he experienced during the school day, but our pediatrician later confirmed that his nail biting behavior like this is often a sign of stress and anxiety. After we signed an agreement with the school stating that another warning could result in him being required to stay home, I discovered one day that he had bitten his fingers until they bled while at school. The next day, we withdrew him immediately and began looking for another school. Thankfully, the teachers at his new school have been incredibly patient. With their support and our work at home, it took nearly a full year to help him overcome the nail-biting behavior. Three months of anxiety took us a year to repair. Several friends' children enrolled around the same time as mine. Over time, all of us chose to withdraw our children within a similar period. I won't go into detail about other families' experiences here, but it became clear to us that this school has very little patience for children who are not "perfect." This did not seem to be an issue with just any individual teacher, but rather something reflected in the school's overall philosophy and management. It also did not reflect the level of inclusion and respect for children's individual development that the Montessori philosophy emphasizes. Each classroom has a lead teacher and an assistant teacher. However, it often seemed that assistant teachers were discouraged from spending extra time supporting children who needed more help, I guess it might because that would indirectly increase the lead teacher's workload. At the same time, the school does not appear to have sufficient staffing to support a more inclusive learning environment. Over time, this can result in children who need extra patience receiving less support -- for example, parents being asked to pick up a child for something as minor as a runny nose, or receiving warnings for small moments of difficulty following instructions. In the end, I sincerely hope every child finds a school that truly fits them. And I hope this school will continue to grow and become a more supportive place for children in the future.

I had toured 5 Montessori's ... and none felt like home until I walked through the doors of…read moreMilestone. I was greeted by Miss. Maddie who answered all my questions and made me feel confident on sending my daughter to this daycare . Also Miss. Jamie is exactly the type of person you'd want to speak with for development and expectations . Miss. Tracy is wonderful and loving with all students .

Our oldest attended VMC from 2 years to leaving for kindergarten today at 5.5, and our youngest…read more(almost 11 months old) is now following in her footsteps there. I cannot sing their praise enough. To echo what others have said in their reviews, what sets this school apart is how much they truly care for the kids and families who attend. It doesn't hurt that they're also very competitively priced, even compared to in home options. Their care was especially highlighted when I recently went through an unexpected challenging medical issue, and the director and her son were so loving, caring and understanding. They provided flexibility for the kids schedules which was so appreciated, checked in on me, and are overall just incredible humans. It's a family run business (hence director and her son). The director, Ms. Nayna, has years of Montessori teaching experience so she's able to jump in wherever is needed. She's lovingly firm, which is something I aspire to be (ha!). We've had a wonderful experience with all of the teachers we've had, and look forward to many more years there with our second daughter. Truly, cannot recommend them enough.

My daughter attended Village Montessori Center from 15 months old until she left for kindergarten…read moreat 5, so this school was a huge part of our lives for almost four years. Leaving was incredibly bittersweet. What always stood out to me was how genuinely loved and cared for she was. It's a small, family-owned school with very little staff turnover, and over the years her teachers really knew her. She learned so much there, but as a parent, knowing she was with people who truly cared about her meant everything. I have to shout out some of the amazing teachers who loved her through each stage. Her infant room was full of love with Ms. Marieva, Ms. Estephanie, and Ms. Naghma. Ms. Monika and Ms. Maria were absolutely wonderful during the toddler years. Ms. Nina is an amazing preschool teacher and has such a gift with kids, especially during those big-emotion preschool years. She gets silly with them and somehow knows exactly how to reach them. At one point, I noticed my daughter was skipping a few numbers when counting out loud. I tried correcting it at home and failed miserably. I mentioned it to Ms. Nina one morning, and by the next day she had fixed it. Ms. Shirin is incredibly kind and patient. One day she gave my daughter a tiny stuffed animal as a reward for having a good day. Years later, my daughter still treasures that little stuffy. It was such a small gesture, but it says a lot about the relationships these teachers build with the kids. And Ms. Roshani is an absolute gem. I was constantly impressed by how much she taught the kids. They learned about different countries and the United States, and somehow she even taught an entire class of preschoolers six different songs for their promotion ceremony! Watching them perform and seeing how much they had learned was such a special way to end our time there. The community was another unexpected gift. We became close with several families, and some of the parents I met there have become lifelong friends. Between that and the Halloween carnivals, holiday shows, art shows, and other little events over the years, we came away with so many great memories. After almost four years, Village Montessori really did feel like our little village. I'm so grateful my daughter got to spend such an important part of her childhood there, and I would absolutely recommend it to families looking for a smaller, loving Montessori where the teachers truly know and care about your child.

We LOVE THIS PLACE! This daycare is wonderful. Ms. Debbie is…read moresoo helpful and our child just loves seeing her in the morning. We had a horrible experience with another daycare and this one is just miles ahead. We would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a great daycare. Very well priced and just all around great place.

My daughter has been able to go to this school in between her other school being closed for…read moreholidays and they always accommodate her and she always comes home raving about the school. That's enough for me to love this place. I picked her up today for the first time and having been to plenty of schools, the place was incredibly clean, beautifully organized, and the staff was super nice and told me how sweet my daughter was this week. My daughter even told me, "Dad, did you know the four astronauts are landing today?" I was so busy at work I didn't even know about this myself. A very cool moment thanks to Ms. Teri. People who work at schools like this have the absolute toughest job and for this place to be this clean, this organized, and the staff to be this kind is unbelievably rare. Thanks for accommodating my daughter and making her love coming here! It means so much.

Our child was enrolled into Ms Arti and Ms Hasseini's classroom when she was 5. She had moved from…read moreanother Montessori school traumatized by a teachers old school strictness. We had known 2 families from different Montessori's that had moved their older kids 6 years ago because of similar experiences and they thrived here. We had a similar transition, it was seamless and a big relief for us. Both teachers are very nurturing, caring and assertive. She was happy, peaceful,excelled and was excited to go back to school. We couldn't be happier for her. Ms Prerna and Richa ensure a nurturing environment here. Staff takes every feedback seriously with good follow up on issues brought. I loved that they offered - learning the basics of 3 languages as part of their weekly curriculum. (Spanish mandarin and Hindi) - the kinder room got them on working on creative projects and presentations. - they had field trips to the park - their summer program was fun too ! They made smoothies, learnt about bugs, had a carnival, movie day etc - food is offered at a reasonable price. A menu on the offerings are given every month, u can choose what days food could be bought. Most of the food is bought from Costco, rice is made onsite and pizza is ordered from the plaza they are located For extra fees they exposed them to classes that saved us time on car rides! - yoga, teacher is excellent fun and loving - Bollywood dance class! - sports teacher that exposes them to different sports. As an occupational therapist I love their program and their environment. They celebrate the silliness and fun with gentle structured care that fosters both academic and social emotional growth. Inspired by Ms Arti and Ms Hasseini my child wants to be a teacher! That in itself is the highest praise. Highly recommend this school! Grateful for businesses like this that have the heart and skill set! Thank you Scholarshine! We are forever grateful.

We love this school. But what matters most is that our daughter loves this school even more. She…read moreenjoyes coming in to play and learn. This place has been great for her development and growth. Thank you Miss. Geetha and everyone that consistently go out of your way to make this place great

My son attended this daycare for about three years, and we had an amazing experience. The teachers…read moretruly became like family, and I always felt confident knowing he was safe and well cared for. Fay, the owner, is wonderful and genuinely cares about the children and families. We only left because we moved, but I highly recommend this daycare to anyone looking for a loving and trustworthy place for their baby or toddler. Your little one will be in great hands!

We have been with Milestones for a few years and continue to send friends and family here because…read morethe staff are so amazing. The director and Mrs. A treat everyone like they are family. You can get a hold of them any time, day or night, and they are there for you. They use this awesome app that to let us keep track of diaper changes, meals, and daily activities. Safety and security for the kids are the top priority here. They don't let anyone pick up kids unless they are added to the check in app. We have to provide a picture of the person's ID beforehand and they verify the ID in person at the time of pickup. You know the kids are happy when they refuse to go home at the end of the day. Thank you Miss Fay and Mrs. A!!!