I had two kids at Mary Alice over the past 6 years…read more
Our oldest started during the pandemic, when you had to drop off your little one at the door and a staff member would take their little hand and toddle them off to class. The friendly woman who usually greeted us was Lily, the front desk person at the time.
We grew to really trust Lily and she has since become this center's director! Amanda, the director when we started, is now regional director. I cannot say enough good things about them. They orchestrate a complicated environment involving small children, teachers, and parents in a kind and professional way. Lily still takes a moment to say hi at morning dropoff.
Her right hand is Priscilla, who was a long time teacher at the school and is incredibly competent. She and Lily manage everything and plan adorable events like Pre-K graduation, Halloween parades, Mothers and Fathers day events, and Christmas recitals.
There's a core of amazing teachers here-dedicated folks who have been at the center for years and seem to have endless patience with the kids. As is typical in childcare, there is some turnover outside that core group.
There's a strong community at the school, and during our time we were lucky enough to have amazing parents who ran the Boosters organization. The MAOC Boosters is all volunteer and raises extra money for the school, buying new toys, enrichment classes, and equipment, as well as teacher appreciation. Most fun for my family were events like Easter parties, treasure hunts, St. Patrick's Day parties, movie theater rentals... the list goes on. They're great friendship building opportunities for the kids and adults. We've made many family friends at the school over the years. The Boosters is run by volunteers, so I really can't thank them enough.
There are five classrooms by age at MOAC and each has their own vibe. Our youngest went through every classroom starting from infants. They're all great. Discovery preschool was always my favorite-a magical time where their little personalities start to really shine, with especially great teachers. Preschool was always a little crazy for us, I think because of the stage of development. Then PreK was great and we had the same three teachers for both kids. I feel like the children started to really learn things in PreK like they're in school.
Ms. Emma ran Learning Adventures, an optional extra where she'd pull kids out in a small group to work on letters and words. I think it really made a difference and my kids loved Ms Emma!
Here are the cons: Everything everyone has ever told you is true... when you start daycare- anywhere- you and your kid are going to get sick. A LOT in the beginning. Lily and the team will send e-mails updating you on whatever hideous ailment is floating around your kid's classroom. Keep your own kid home when they're sick and trust other parents are doing the same. I promise it slowly gets better.
Second con: it's expensive. We spent an arm and a leg over these last six years, several of those years paying for two kids at the same time. The cost slowly decreases depending on the classroom, and starting in Discovery you can do fewer days per week, which are cheaper still. But you're going to want to put that lake house on hold. Also, you'll get a notice of tuition increase every year. Since we started, it's been anywhere from 3-4% per year so factor that in as well.
I want to address some negative reviews still floating around online from before we even started at the school. We've been on the waitlist ourselves. The reality is that demand for good daycare is high and outweighs supply. There is also sibling preference for admission (which I completely support).
I've seen more than one reviewer allude to the idea that the center is for big shot studio execs or something. I mean, it IS Burbank, CA so there are quite a few people in the entertainment industry but I was still freelance when we started here. One commentator even talked about all the nice cars at drop off (I guess they never saw my 2003 Subaru out there!) In reality, there's a mix of people from different backgrounds and professions. It's not just for the elite.
Friendly suggestion for the school: I wish there was a better way to meet new teachers before dropoff. On a couple occasions, an e-mail announced a new person in the classroom. But at dropoff, familiar staff might be busy, leading to an awkward moment introducing yourself while simultaneously peeling a clingy child off of you to give them to this new person you just met. I bet there's a smoother way to do this!
Lastly, I just want to thank Lily, Priscilla, Amanda, Emma, Naira, Yara, Marisa, Michele, Patty, Jasmine, Jailene, Jonde, Breanna, Shyan... there's too many people to name from over the years. Just, thank you to the staff. You have my eternal gratitude for helping us raise these children through such a busy, fun, hard, happy, difficult, but beautiful time in our lives.
