I live in the area and drive by often and see such happy little kids come out and remember the…read moretimes my son used to come here. Such amazing memories and great education system. The director is a teacher herself and constantly emphasized workshops and trainings for the teachers after school. The teachers were all CPR certified and trained with the school and always getting more training to be better Montessori teachers. I ran into a new teacher or staff and she is so well mannered and kind. I also saw some old teachers that my son was in class with and brought my son back to say Hi! They miss him! Awwww! My son remembers them and has benefited and advanced so much faster and more than the public school kids. He loved it here! If I ever have another kid, I'll be back! Kids here learn to read and write and potty train way faster than other school kids. My pediatrician mom friend even still speaks highly of the time her kids came here. Great school! Check them out! For single moms, like myself, they have programs to accommodate incomes.

My son had an amazing experience at Montessori. He was there from six months until first grade…read more He's 10 now and at a different school but has been visiting and helping out during the summer in his old classroom!

Little Sunshine House is amazing. I cannot say enough wonderful things about all they have done…read moreover the last 5 years for both of my kiddos. We have been back and forth between both of their sites (Katella and 7th Street) because of work/life logistics, and both have been such a privilege to be a part of. I am a teacher, so I have a lot of opinions and a pretty good understanding of best practices for young kids -- and LSH is just so, so wonderful. Throughout our time there, I have watched them lovingly and patiently support so many different types of kids, meeting them where they are and helping them grow and blossom into wonderful big kids ready to head off to school. The early foundations of love, exploration, choice, and play that they have provided for my sons are something I know I will be thankful for all my life. Every time I walk in, there is an amazing setup waiting for the kids. It honestly looks like they are preparing for an open house every day because everything is so thoughtfully set up -- but it's not an open house they are preparing for, it's just another day of play with our kids. That says so much about the care and intention they put into every single day. I have also had the unique opportunity to be in and out of LSH multiple times throughout the day when I was picking up one of my kiddos for speech. No matter what time I walked in, I saw the same thing -- happy, engaged kids playing, exploring, creating, and being lovingly supported by their teachers. It truly is a picture of what early childhood education should look like, and I feel so incredibly lucky that both of my kids had the opportunity to spend these important early years there and build such a wonderful foundation for what comes next. I know when I was trying to make the difficult decision to send my little one off to daycare, I read SO many reviews. I didn't know what to do or who to trust with my babies -- but LSH was the place for us. I know I have already used the word "amazing" multiple times in this review, but honestly, that is the word that keeps popping into my head as I write this during our last week at LSH before my little one heads off to TK. The teachers are wonderful, the Reggio Emilia philosophy is amazing, and from my experience, your kiddos could not be in more loving or capable hands. And...if you are reading this in the next few years and you're that parent reading every review and trying to figure out where to send your little one, you can ask LSH for my number if you want to connect. I have 5 years of wonderful experiences to share with you about just how amazing they are!

We LOVE this preschool! Our little guy has been attending since August 2020 and he has grown so…read moremuch! The staff and teachers are amazing, super supportive and informative. We have had a couple of parent / teachers meeting, which I love! The feed back and advise we receive is wonderful. Being we can't go into the class rooms to help out or have visits due to the pandemic. It's nice to be kept up to speed on how our sons progress is going. I just can't say enough about what this preschool has done to assist in our sons growth and development. Even in these crazy days of Covid, they have always made us feel at ease by providing an safe and secure learning environment. Which we truly are grateful for. A child needs the social interaction at this stage in their development. The preschools method of learning is through play and exploring. This is such a natural & fun way of learning. The teachers are always supportive and encouraging to the children. This creates a safe space for your children to really blossom. If you are in the market for a preschool that really focuses on the development of a child's social skills; being kind, learning how to express feelings & different emotions while having fun & playing with friends. This is the place for your little one.

I have had both of my children go to Marina Montessori and have had the best experience possible…read more It's family run and the teachers love what they do. When my daughter went to TK at a public school they made a point to ask me where she went for preschool because she had learned so much there. Everyone genuinely cares about the kids, we are forever grateful for Marina!!!

Marina was the best decision for our little one. It was the first school that we looked at. We…read morechecked out a few other schools but this one felt right and my child instantly took to Ms. Candy who runs the school. Price: the price is competitive for private if not better than some schools for the type of flexibility & environment they provide. Schedule Options: I like the options offered. I appreciate their flexibility. I didn't see a lot of flexibility with the other places we looked at. This was important for our family. First Day: The first day of school can always be scary and nerve racking. My child is very nervous normally, but felt very welcomed here and ran right inside to participate in story time. Didn't even look back to say bye. I was surprised and happy to see that. It brought us immediate comfort. Class Structure/Communication: I like the type of structure they have. It's not rigid but still organized and routine. The teachers keep you in the loop and inform you of any issues or concerns during pick up or by the class dojo app. They will even give you updates and pictures of their playtime which I love! It's a decent class size. The kids learn a lot of fun things and interact with each other really well. You can tell most of the parents are very caring. There wasn't any drama or pretentious attitudes (that I was aware of) while we were there. We were even able to communicate with other parents on the app. So we made more connections outside of the school. Teachers: Ms. Brittney is great! Very patient and on top of everything. I really appreciate her communication and commitment to the kids. The other teachers we interacted with are also very kind and supportive. The teacher group is very diverse. They all have a calm vibe and I never worried about my child's well-being. They seem to pay attention and appreciate the kids differences which was nice to see. My child will forsure miss Ms. Samantha, Leann & Elizabeth. Activities/events: They offer extracurricular activities during school at reasonable prices which is nice if you want your child exposed but don't have time after school. They also have cute gatherings for the kids during the school day that parents can come participate in during holidays. Cons: My only real con is that my child was always full of sand by pick up lol. I got over it though. I had to remind myself that it's important for sensory play. My child talks non-stop about all the fun things they made while on the playground in the sand. I just decided to rotate the same few outfits to avoid messing up shoes & clothes. The obvious I know lol. Thank you Ms Candy & Brittney for the environment you provided! We are grateful for the experience. We are sad to go but I know my child enjoys learning and school because of Marina

I have taken my time to write this review until after my daughter left the school because of course…read moreI wanted to get a more bird eye view. With that in mind, I wanna say I am deeply grateful for this school. They have great systems in place with low ratio and really teach the little ones a lot while they're there. I can solidly say that at two years old my daughter can count from one to 20 and sing the whole alphabet along with about 15 different nursery, rhymes and stack blocks and has very advanced fine motor and motor skills because of the school. I'm a licensed OT and always felt safe with and confident in staff. Mrs. Nali, Mrs Dhammika, and Mrs Nayana are well educated in this age group, patient, and loving. All of the staff are truly wonderful. We went from infant, to wobbler, to toddler and transitioned very well. I don't know the frequency but every time my child which class they gave me a comprehensive developmental checklist to tell me what my child was doing or wasn't doing that was on track for proper development or not and that is huge. When you're a busy parent and don't always notice some of the things that Are typical or atypical to have some professional eyes to help you understand where your child is developmentally is huge. They are CPR trained and do a great job with making sure they're fed and changed consistently. My baby never came home hungry or never was crying when I picked her up and never got diaper rash there. If you choose to be part of the little app, you will get photos of your child. Once every couple weeks in the classroom is playing with the other children. They also send little videos and they do little Halloween parades and classroom parties. The Christmas parade is precious too! The focus of MONTESSORI is self-sufficiency which as an occupational therapist I really love. She would come home and if she spilled something, she would run right away to try to clean it up. She very much wanted to learn how to do things on her own and she knew how to threw away her own trash, which was not something I taught her at home necessarily lol It truly is adorable and prepares your baby for a successful road ahead with school and life beyond. My only thing I would change is having carpet or soft floor in the infant room vs hard floors. Other than that, everything really is done perfectly, and they have a lovely little outdoor space that they take them to a few times a day where they can ride bikes and do the slide and all of that. Learning how to operate in a group and look at what the rest of the group is doing and follow along is a critical life skill, and my baby has transitioned to preschool seamlessly because of her experience at this other school. In fact, one of her current teachers used to work at Wee care as well and has positive things to say.

We are eternally grateful to Wee Care's wonderful staff and teachers! Our son has learned so much…read morein such a short time and we are truly impressed with all the skills he has gained - social, language, art, motor, and more! A true reflection of Wee Care's dedication, and nourishing environment. Every single teacher our son had during his time at Wee Care truly helped prepare him for the future and have allowed him to have such a great head start. We leave this review with so much love and appreciation for Ms. Dhammika, Nali, Maria, Mary, Dima, Alondra, Derrika, Melanie and the rest of their teachers!

I started my son here when he was just six months old. I was understandably anxious about leaving…read morehim at such a young age, but Ms. Nisha and Ms. Jocie quickly put my mind at ease. They showed him so much love and care, and before long, he was excited to see his teachers and friends each day. During his time there, he grew so much both socially and academically. Sadly, after we moved, the drive became too far for our family, and leaving their care was incredibly difficult for all of us. I'm so grateful for the special role they played in my son's life during such an important stage of his early development. I highly recommend to all parents!

Really Good she had my baby since an infant and she's blossoming so great she learned how to use…read morethe potty and she's only 2

We are so disappointed that we had to pull our kiddos out when we moved away!! Oakwood Academy is…read moresuch a great school and I miss our kids going here dearly! The teachers are all great and very attentive and our kids learned SO much while they were there. Our barely 3YO was only able to spend about 6 months there before we left, but while we were there, she built so much confidence and learned so much from Ms. Tana, Ms. Jessie, and Ms. Noemi! Ms. Noemi, Ms. Jessie, and Ms. Rosa were my other kiddo's teachers and they're all so great! This school tries to get parents involved in various activities and our kids really enjoyed all the parties that the school threw. We have no complaints and would highly recommend this school to other families!

Our family recently disenrolled our 2.5-year-old toddler from Oakwood Academy. As an African…read moreAmerican parent, I want to share our experience because feeling welcomed, respected, and heard by our child's school is important to our family. Before making our decision to disenroll, I read all available reviews. Notably, multiple African American families described experiences that were strikingly similar to ours, including concerns regarding communication, behavioral responses, and feeling unwelcome. While I cannot independently verify the experiences of other families, the consistency of these accounts, including reviews spanning several years, raises serious concerns for me about an unresolved pattern of implicit and, in some instances, explicit bias. Our primary concerns involved safety, supervision, communication, and collaboration. Our toddler was given no grace as this was a new environment and had attended the school for less than one month. Our toddler exited the classroom, and we were told that two staff members were assigned to the classroom. There are two classrooms separated by a partition. Our toddler crossed the partition and entered another classroom. We understand that leaving the classroom is a safety concern. At the same time, we wanted to understand the circumstances surrounding the exit and the supervision in place at the time. The immediate decision to have our toddler removed from school was difficult for us to understand and, given his age, felt punitive rather than educational. Our toddler crossed a partition and was subsequently removed from school. Our concerns about the overall environment also came from our direct observations. My child would say hello to staff and was sometimes not acknowledged. I observed his teacher look at him when he arrived without speaking to him. On other occasions, staff either looked at me without speaking or did not make eye contact. When my hands were full, an elementary school student helped me open the toddler gate while staff members were only a few feet away and talking among themselves. We also had difficulty with some relatively simple requests. For example, we asked for adjustments to our individual access codes and requested that staff use our child's shortened name, which he was able to pronounce. We did not feel these requests were met with the level of flexibility or collaboration we were seeking. I am sharing our experience so prospective families can make an informed decision. I deeply regret entrusting our child to this school. Families should be able to expect respectful communication, appropriate supervision, and meaningful collaboration when concerns involving their child arise.

This review is for the west campus. My 2 year daughter went there for 5 months and never adjusted…read more She's a happy, loving, little girl, but she wasn't happy going there and became scared and fearful to go. In fact she never really wanted to go to that school in the morning. When I picked her up a few times, she's had scratches, cuts, one time a big deep scratch that left a scar on her face; which made me question if it was from an adult working there. What finally made me withdrew her almost immediately was she started telling us a kid was hitting her at that school, and when we asked the teacher aide, she lied to us. My daughter is currently at another school now and she loves it, she adjusted the first week and is happy to go and happy when we pick her up. I wish I took her someplace else sooner.

Please do not send your child here. My 4-year old daughter was bullied on at least 5 separate…read moreoccasions between September-October 2018. The director was not at all empathetic with our situation and indicated that we were either exaggerating or manufacturing the stories. My distraught daughter reported being: (1) pushed down to which the assistant teacher, Maria, affirmed; (2) spit at in the face to which the teacher placed the other child on timeout; (3) pushed to the asphalt ground and sustained abrasions on her knee/shin, of which the school denied happening; (4) slapped and clawed in the face with finger nails, of which the school again denied happening; and (5) pushed off of an outdoor slide and sustained a large bruise on her triceps. All these incidents were discussed with teacher and/or director. While the teacher showed some sympathy towards our daughter, the director had no empathy. Furthermore, she suggested that our child may have fallen elsewhere to sustained those injuries or that we may have asked manipulative questions to confirm our bullying suspicions. Such an accusation is a complete farce. We had a pediatrician and a retired forensic police officer look at some of the injuries that my daughter had. Both said these injuries were not self inflicted and could not have been the result of simple falls. More importantly, the injuries indicate an altercation with another person/child. The scratches on her face showed a two-finger nail marking and clearly indicated that my daughter was attacked by another. The bruises on her arm, given there location on the tricep and near her armpit, suggests that she was forcibly hit in the area. We took photographs of these injuries and presented them to the director. Her only response was that the incidents weren't reported by the teachers on duty so there was nothing the school could do. My daughter has been traumatized by the events at this school and their disregard for her personal safety. During these incidents, of which occured within a month of attendance, she has expressed a level of fear that no parent should have to see from their child. We moved to California from Washington D.C. before the 2018-2019 school year. While there we had our daughter enrolled in the Goddard School for the previous year. The Goddard School took great care of our daughter and instilled a positive impression of schools. She was so excited to returned to school after her summer remission. However, that excitment was shortlived due to the negligance and poor care she received at MCH. Once these bullying incidents started at MCH, my daughter would beg us to not take her to school. She would say, "I don't want to go to that school. I don't like Harper. Harper hurt me. Harper spit at my face." For a weeks, all I would hear is the name Harper and everything that was said indicated that Harper was the harrasser/bully. She spoke of other names but with only good repore, e.g. "I like Isabella. Isabella is my best friend." She would speak this way of many of the other kids, but Harper. Each time the name Harper came up, it was always followed by some form of abuse, physical harm, or emotional trauma. What's more disturbing is that the teacher or her assistant was instructing our duaghter to not report Harper to us as the bully. We know this only now. After withdrawing our child from this horrible institutuion for a few months now, she is only just telling us that a teacher told her to not speak foul of Harper... or in her words "Harper not hurt me. I fall myself. I hurt myself. Teacher tell me Harper not push me. I don't like Harper. She push me and I fall." Does that sound right to you? Why would a four year old child say that another child didn't hurt her and that she fell on her own or hurt herself. Then in the same sentence, say that the other child push her and she fell as a result of the push. It would appear to me that someone at the school was rehearsing with my daughter on what to say. Specifically, someone was telling her to tell me that she fell on her own, hurted herself, and the injuries she suffered were not from Harper. I'll tell you this school is full of deception and instructed my daughter to lie. Please do not send your child here. This place is a nightmare. Beyond the bullying, the only activity my child really did was draw parallel lines within the outline of a shape. She knew her alphabet, numbers, and shape prior to attending this school (Thank you Goddard School). The progress she made while in the school was little to none. If you are looking for a safe place for your child, this is not the school. There's no security and any person can just walk into the school grounds. Again, the director could care less if your child was being bullied or victimize in some way. If you are looking for a school that educates your child, challenges them, or keeps them safe - this is not that school.

We started researching early preschool for Maya late last year. We were so thrilled to find Newport…read moreAcademy, which is also right in our neighborhood. Maya started attending just before she turned 2 in January of this year and goes 2 days per week. We started with the Friday playgroup in December. Annie and the other teacher guides made Maya's transition as smooth as possible, although it was naturally tough for us to separate at first. It didn't take long for Maya to love her school and teachers! The Outside Space. Newport Academy is just the perfect sized place of learning that we were looking for - there are many teacher guides for the students, and the school has 15 kids. The overall set-up is so great: enclosed playground with the standards like playhouses, swings, a slide, vintage tricycles; plus things to stimulate imagination like a DIY mud kitchen, cardboard boxes, and a shaded reading nook. Daily, the teachers set up activities in this play yard for the kids, like water play, painting, play dough, and other sensory activities. The Inside Space. Annie has created a serene and beautiful environment. There is a cool playhouse, tree house, and numerous sensory and learning opportunities. The school is Montessori-style learning, so they have these trays of "work" activities, which they take and utilize, then put back. We are impressed by how the teachers help guide these toddlers, aged 18 months ~ 3 years, to engage, focus, learn, develop a routine, listen, and be creative in this wonderful space. How they keep 15 toddlers calm and orderly inside is amazing, as keeping just 1 calm is often challenging! Overall, you can feel the love and passion behind Newport Academy, that has been created and evolved over 20 years. It is a living space and constantly changes. We have seen so many positive developments in Maya since she started attending - from teaching us songs and dances, sitting and focusing on her "work, " interacting with other children, and her physical abilities like climbing and confidence in trying new things. We are happy to be part of this community.

My son was just diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder at 2-1/2 years old and I immediately…read moreregistered him at Phases for the morning program Monday to Thursday 8:30 - 11:30. Prior to Phases, he'd just been staying at home and the only socialization or structure he got was play dates and relatives. Since starting at Phases for the past month and a half, my son has been doing so well - it's like night and day. Before he could not sit still in his chair for over a minute and now, he sits at the table to eat and drink and watch some tv, and he even puts all the toys away in their respective spots even without being asked. He is als socializing so much more now whereas prior to Phases, the only socialization he did was with mommy and daddy. He didn't ask for kisses and hugs, and now, he gives kisses and hugs freely and enjoys it immensely. Phases is amazing when it comes children, whether they are on the spectrum or not. Annie, Stephanie and the gang and just a godsend and I'm so grateful every day.

Our family had an amazing experience at Discovery Preschool! Ms. Roxy and the entire teaching staff…read morecreate such a warm, safe, and nurturing environment where children can learn, grow, and thrive. Our daughter absolutely loved her teachers, Ms. Celia and Ms. Sara, and looked forward to going to school every single day. Seeing her so happy and excited each morning gave us so much confidence that she was in the best hands. We are going to miss Discovery Preschool so much, but we can't wait to be back when our youngest daughter is old enough to attend. We are incredibly grateful for the love, care, and wonderful memories our family has made here. We highly recommend Discovery Preschool to any family looking for a caring, supportive, and enriching preschool program!

Looking for a top preschool (rated top 3 preschools in LB!) in the lovely city of Long Beach,…read moreCalifornia? This is the place! Surrounded by the beautiful Whaley Park, this is inside of the UCC Church facility. The classrooms are perfect for the kids and the staff members are caring, careful, and committed to making preschool a wonderful experience for kids. Check it out! The end.

We love LVCC Preschool! My son spent two years here and my daughter is on her second year. We love…read morethe teachers, the curriculum and the families. Sending little ones to school for the first time can be scary for everyone but LVCC Preschool always met my kids (and us parents) where we were at. They quelled any fears, adjusted to any regressions, but most of all - made everything so fun! I will be sad when my littlest has moved on to big kid school but will always think of their preschool years so fondly because of the family at LVCC.

We have loved being a part of the LVCC Preschool community for the past 4 years. My son attended…read morefor 2 years, and my daughter is just finishing her first. The teachers are all very kind and loving and work with you to address your child's individual needs. Mrs. Luyben and the school leadership anre also excellent at communicating about special days, activities, school needs, and new experiences for the kids. The school offers fun after school activity days at least 2x each month, and they celebrate most holidays in creative ways. I have also been really impressed with the quality of the art projects, playtime, and learning of basic letters, numbers, and shapes. I also want to note that, even though it is a Christian preschool and associated with the LVCC church, and we are non-Christians (but people of faith), I never felt pressure nor excessive Christian messaging. There was always a nice respectful balance of lovely Bible quotes and prayers, while respecting that our family was not Christian. The faith-based preschool is really expressed in their love and honoring of the sacredness of childhood. Which I love! I am grateful that LVCC Preschool was my kids' first experience with school! Definitely worth checking out for anyone looking for a kind, warm, creative, play-based preschool experience for their little!