A Truly Wonderful Montessori School -- Highly Recommended!…read more My daughter went to this Montessori school since she was an infant, progressing through the toddler and preschool classrooms, and we couldn't be more grateful for the experience she's had over the past three years. The growth we've seen in her socially, emotionally, and academically has been remarkable. The teachers, especially Ms. Shelby, Ms. Chloe, and Ms. Sal, have been nothing short of amazing. They create a warm, nurturing environment where the kids feel safe, encouraged, and excited to learn. My daughter absolutely adores them. One of the things we appreciate most is how the school follows a thoughtful Montessori curriculum that helps children learn independence, discipline, and responsibility through hands-on activities. They sing, explore new materials, and learn to manage things on their own all of which has supported our parenting at home, too. My daughter loves going to school every day and enjoys spending time with her friends and teachers. We truly miss this wonderful community created by Ms Richa and Ms Prerna and wholeheartedly recommend this Montessori school to any family with an infant or young child in Lake Forest. It has been such a positive and meaningful part of our daughter's early years.

Scholarshine Montessori is an exceptional school and we have absolutely loved our experience with…read morethe school. My son joined there for preschool and went through Pre K. Ms. Richa and Ms. Prerna are so caring, cool and accommodating, absolutely loved their vibe and patience. The teaching staff here is simply fabulous and truly dedicated to each child. During his preschool years, my son had the absolute best experience with Ms. Sal and Ms. Chloe. They provided such a warm, nurturing foundation that helped him love coming to school every day.When he moved up to Pre-K, Ms. Arti and Ms. Hasini were equally incredible. They worked so hard to ensure he excelled academically and socially, seamlessly blending genuine care with true Montessori-based activities. It is such a gift to drop your child off knowing they are in safe hands and coming home so happy.The facility is spotless, safe, and provides a wonderful, home-like atmosphere. I highly recommend Scholarshine to any parent looking for high-quality education paired with genuine emotional and social development.

We absolutely love Ms. Minoo -- and most importantly, our son loves her too…read more After a difficult experience with a previous daycare, we were incredibly nervous about trusting someone new, especially as first-time parents with a child who has an egg allergy. Ms. Minoo brought us immediate peace of mind. From the start, we felt like we were partnering together to care for our son. She helped him transition beautifully, and he quickly became happier, more social, and excited to go to daycare each day. Sometimes he'd run straight in to play with his friends at drop-off! We especially appreciated how caring, attentive, and thoughtful she was with his individual needs, including working with us during potty training and being mindful of his allergy. The kids do fun activities like arts & crafts and dancing, and we loved that she also sometimes made Persian food for them. Most importantly, you can tell she truly loves the children in her care and they love her, too. The environment feels warm, safe, and joyful. We're so grateful we found her when we did and we wish we could've kept our son with her longer!!

I'm a first-time mother that was very nervous about putting my daughter in daycare while going back…read moreto work, but I couldn't be more happy with choosing Little Tots. Manoo, her mother and sister are all so loving, sweet and patient with my daughter. I love that I get sent updates and pics of her throughout the day so I can see her interacting with the other children and enjoying her time. I've been taking my daughter here for over a year now and plan on her staying for many more.

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!!!

Both of my kids attended The Red Apple Preschool from age 2 through TK, and we could not have asked…read morefor a better early childhood experience or education. The teachers and owners are all loving, patient, and incredibly experienced. My kids came away confident, social, excited to learn, and very well prepared for school. Red Apple also made big milestones, like potty training and early reading, feel so much easier than I expected! The school is clean, cheerful, structured, and genuinely nurturing. It is a special place, and the value for the quality of care and education is truly hard to beat.

My daughter started at Red Apple when she was 2 1/2, and now at almost 5, we still have nothing but…read morewonderful things to say about this school. Maryam and Amir are outstanding owners--attentive, kind, and truly invested in every child's growth and happiness. Over the years, my daughter has had amazing teachers who cared for her like their own. She still talks about her favorite teachers and how much she loves them! The school offers fun traditions like Pizza Fridays, summer water days twice a week, and exciting field trips the kids absolutely adore. Red Apple has also been instrumental in preparing my daughter for TK--not just academically, but socially and emotionally. She's ahead of school readiness requirements, which gives me complete confidence in her transition to the next stage. We've now enrolled our 2-year-old son as well, and we're looking forward to many more great years with Red Apple!

Our son started at this daycare shortly after turning one, and the transition was much smoother…read morethan we ever expected. From the very beginning, he adapted quickly and happily. Every day when we pick him up, he's in a great mood, and it's clear that he genuinely enjoys his time there. In fact, after being away for a while, he actually misses his teachers, which says so much. The two teachers, Mandy and Danni are incredibly caring, attentive, and responsible. You can truly feel how closely they observe and care for each individual child. For parents, that level of attention and thoughtfulness makes a huge difference. The activities the school organizes are also wonderful -- engaging, age-appropriate, and thoughtfully designed. Our son is often fully focused and immersed, which is not easy for toddlers at this age. We highly recommend this daycare to other families. It gives us so much peace of mind knowing our child is happy, well cared for, and engaged, especially during the workday when we need to stay focused. We feel very grateful to have found this place.

My son has been to this school for about 4 years. He started when he was 2 years old. He had so…read moremuch fun and love from the teachers there. They have creative classes and fun activities designed for different age groups. The teachers are very patient and always keep parents up to date. Now, he is going to kindergarten but he still goes there after school hours and summer winter breaks.

My daughter went to this daycare for a span of about 2 years and she loved it here. She still…read moremisses this place, her care givers and her friends from this daycare. My son joined this when he was 6 months old and still goes here. We love Miss Suba and Miss Smol. Very homely environment, clean and safe. They give daily report about your kid. If you are sending your kid to a daycare for the first time, then this is the place. Because Miss Suba will take great care and will also share pictures and videos of your kid. Also not expensive like other daycare centers.

Suba is a very caring lady and works hard to care for the child. My kid started when he was just 1…read moreyear old and all his time at the daycare, he loved being there. You can see the difference when the child comes home happy and content and is eager to go back the next day. The daycare moved to a newer location a year ago and looks nice and new. I would recommend this daycare. Also the pricing is very reasonable on par with other daycares so its a good value.

Both my kids went here for almost 2 years each. I only have great things to say about Ms Pari and…read moreher family. This was kids' second home! Couldn't ask for better care for them! Home cooked food, clean, age appropriate enrichment activities, and very safe. I will always be thankful to them for everything!

The Butterfiles Childcare will always hold a very special place in me and my wife's hearts. When we…read moremoved down here our baby boy was only 9 months old so he cried quite a bit during the first few days as expected. Pari was so kind, loving, and patient though and helped our baby adjust and get comfortable in less than 2 weeks. He ended up loving it there and didn't even want to come home when I would go to pick him up! He ate, slept, played, and learned well and most importantly I could easily tell how much Pari truly loved my son. We plan to bring our newest baby there in a few months and look forward to seeing Pari and Amoo soon!

Goddard is a wonderful preschool for your littles, from when they are tiny tots until they are…read moreready for kindergarten. The admin staff are warm, kind and welcoming. Ms. Jennifer, Ms. Lana and Ms. Delmy know all the children's names and take the time to really interact with the kids as well as the parents. The teachers treat the children with such love and care, and they also give attention and communicate well with parents. Daily reports are shared along with photos so parents can stay in the know about their child's day to day. Parent teacher conferences are useful as teachers share the progression of work when it comes to academics. There are also tons of wonderful activities brought to Goddard like basketball camp, reptile day, water/foam day (for summer time) plus visits from professions that teach about music and the importance of brushing your teeth. I love the fact that everything is onsite so your children never need to leave the school (compared to public school/elementary school). The facility is clean and bright, and the seasonal decor on classroom doors are fun to look at (designed by teachers that sometimes include the children's faces). Kids come home with art projects, drawings and some academic work (letters and numbers for their appropriate ages). AM and PM snacks are now provided (lunch must be brought and labeled with names and dates). That was nice because we had to bring in our own snacks during Covid and for a long while after Covid. Goddard is a great preschool and I highly recommend it. As a note, they do have a mandatory rest period from 12:30pm - 3pm and most kids nap. They turn down the classroom lights, play calm music and have the kids lie down on cots with blankets. If you don't want your kids napping, this can be problematic. I've had conversations with the teachers and Ms. Parina (the owner) about securing more staff to allow non-napping kids to have other things to do (ie quiet activities like coloring) but no solution was ever reached during my 3 years there. I've heard pricing for babies is pretty high and babies are required to come in 5 days a week vs part time. I saw prices rise a few times during my time there as well. That said, you get what you pay for, and I believe Goddard has set the bar pretty high. I'm very pleased with the education my kids have received (heartfelt thank you to Ms. Vivian and Ms. Chetana) and I wish public school was as excellent when it came to the level of service and care we've seen at Goddard.

do not recommend this school based on our family's experience. Unfortunately, we experienced…read moreongoing stress due to the school's administration and management. Communication was often difficult, and we did not feel supported when concerns about our son were raised. One of the biggest issues was the constant turnover of teachers in my son's classroom. During our time at the school, his class had multiple teachers, making it difficult for the children to build stable relationships and adjust to a consistent learning environment. Several staff members expressed concerns about the work environment, which was disappointing to us. The administration/ specially director did not demonstrate the level of knowledge or expertise in child development and child psychology that I expected from a leadership team responsible for young children ( I even heard this from teachers). Rather than working with families to understand children's behaviors and support their growth, I often felt that the focus was on discipline instead of teaching and guiding children through age-appropriate challenges. Young children need patience, consistency, and positive guidance to learn appropriate behaviors. Unfortunately, I did not feel that the management took that approach, and I believe my kid would have benefited from more understanding and support. It was my impression that families who gave gifts or maintained a closer relationship with the administration received more favorable treatment. As a result, I felt our kids did not receive the same level of support!!!!! Last but not least Please consider that very serious Goddard director talks about "fairness " however she treat parents differently when they give her expensive gifts? I've heard this from several parents who warned us, but unfortunately we didn't listen.

Staff is very attentive to the children. My little one has learned so much while attending. The…read morestaff accommodates to the children's needs and provides wonderful service. Communication with parents is amazing.

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.

Antonia is the best! My son has been going for over a year and he is always excited to go to…read more"Tanya's house". When I drop him off, I know my son will have a nice hearty breakfast and delicious lunch! What I loved the most about Happy Faces Daycare was Antonias attention and love she showed my son. On a particular day, my sons demeanor had changed and she brought it up to me. I paid extra attention that evening and 2 days later, he was sick with a cold. This extra attention to detail is what I appreciate as a mother. She treats my son like her own and that is very hard to find. Hands down, best daycare, I recommend her to everyone, and her prices are very fair for the area.

Antonia and her staff are truly amazing!! We can't thank them enough for the phenomenal care they…read moreprovide for our now one year old son. Antonia is so well-trusted in the Lake Forest/Mission Viejo area and was recommended to me by two different people. She treats all of the kids like family and runs a well-organized in-home daycare. She makes home cooked meals and works with a dietitian to ensure nutritional standards are met. With no immediate family in the area, it gives us a great peace of mind that our son is being well-cared for while my husband and I are working full time. Our son started at Happy Faces when he was just 5 months old, so Antonia has played such an integral role in helping introduce him to solids, socializing, and walking!! Thank you Antonia and team for all that you do! - Tim and Taylor A