Top 3 things I love about Oakdale: 1. Play based school with focus on emotional intelligence development. For instance, they work on developing kid's emotional vocabulary (ie. "considerate vs inconsiderate", "team work", "friendship", etc), conflict resolution skills ("I don't like this" instead of just crying), etc. In my opinion this is the most important foundation skill set in getting kids ready for elementary school. 2. Teachers are spectacular and they have also helped me be a better mom. They know my son as well as I know him and care for his growth and development like a family member would. The force is definitely with them. 3. I feel like tuition is reasonably priced. Oakdale's student-teacher ratio is probably about 5 or 6:1 - superb! Frankly, what we get at Oakdale is priceless. Please schedule a tour and meet Jeanine, the school's academic director. Can't recommend it enough. read more

So happy we found Oakdale! I love how skilled the teachers are in nurturing self-confidence and social skills. I love the focus learning through play, and learning to play! The director of the school is a resource like no other. Forever grateful! read more

Over 7 years ago, when I was a first time mom and didn't know where to send my 3-year-old to preschool, I started to do my research and ask around to find the best preschool in town. I took this mission so seriously because it is imperative for me to find an excellent preschool for my child as a preschool plays such a vital role in early childhood development. I toured so many top preschools from my list and made my comparison-spread sheet, but I couldn't find one that made me feel comfortable enough to leave my child there until I visited Oakdale. I immediately fell in love with this charming school. Nancy and Jeannine were so welcoming and down to earth. They let my 3-year-old boy freely playing with other kids in the yard, which is also part of their classroom, where kids learn through playing. I was encouraged to observe how the teachers interact with the kids. I was very impressed by how the teachers talked to the kids. The teachers acknowledged kids' feelings, helped them to set good boundaries, and facilitated kids to solve problems on their own. I saw how the teachers helped the kids build confidence in themselves. Oakdale emphasizes social emotional skills and helps kids to identify and express their own emotions and learn how to effectively communicate with their friends with words. Oakdale is a play based school, but also provides structured learning with monthly curriculum. My 3-year-old had such a great time playing at Oakdale; he didn't want to go home. I knew this was the right place! It was very nerve-racking not only for the child to have separate from their parents being away from home, but also for first time parents to have to separate from their child and leave him at preschool. However, Nancy and Jeannine totally understood the separation anxiety both parent and child could have. They were so incredibly supportive to help us for the transition. We, parents, were always welcome to stop by school or even stay to observe our kids at school at any time. Another important value about Oakdale, they provided great parenting support. They invited various childhood development specialists or psychologists as their guest speaker from time to time; all Oakdale parents were welcome to join the meeting at NO charge. Jeannine is a superstar! Being the director of Oakdale School, herself is a well-knowledge childhood development guru. She is my go-to person for any parenting questions. Jeannine is always a great listener, patient, empathic, and always so generous with her time to give me very helpful parenting advice, even after my son graduated from Oakdale and to attend elementary school. She has helped me to navigate the parenthood and made me to be a better and more confident parent. Moving forward, when I had my 2nd child almost 5 years ago, my husband and I had no doubt in our minds where to send our 2nd child for his most significant, meaningful, and influential years of his childhood, Oakdale. My little boy is currently at Oakdale and his experience with Oakdale is as great as his big brother. Oakdale has been consistently providing a supportive, loving, positive, and nurturing environment and safe haven for our children to grow, learn, and thrive. They helped to foster our children's confidence. We have watched our 2 boys blossom at Oakdale. Under Jeannine's leadership, Oakdale has a strong team of teachers who are all hard workers and also genuinely loving, giving, and caring towards the kids. And, kudos to Nancy who does an outstanding job keeping Oakdale running smoothly. Even with the hurdles of Covid-19, Nancy, Jeannine, and the entire Oakdale staff do their absolute best to keep our kids safe. Oakdale School is not just a preschool, it's a place to develop strong bonds and socialization skills for both our kids and parents. It's a support system for when you have no idea if your kid is the only one that does this or that. It's a safe place that puts all of your kids' well being as number one priority. Oakdale has never been a money-driven or business oriented school. They don't do fund raising like a lot of schools do. Oakdale treats everyone equally regardless of his/her ethnicities, cultural backgrounds and/or financial status. And, Oakdale respects everyone's privacy. They don't gossip and belittle. Oakdale has become our family's extended family. The loving care, support, and understanding that Nancy and Jeannine have shown us all these years, is beyond amazing. We truly feel so lucky, grateful, and proud to be part of the Oakdale family. When you walk into Oakdale, you will see kids running around carefree in their charming yards, painting on the easel, doing art projects with recycled bottles and papers, experimenting in science projects, playing in the sandboxes; you will hear much laughter and see every cute smiley faces. You know this is the happiest place on earth for the kids. What a gem! It makes me want to stay at Oakdale, too! read more

This preschool is an absolute gem. There is a warm and fuzzy feeling immediately when you walk in. The school's priority is the children. For us, it has everything we were looking for in a nursery school: play based, outdoor spaces, and a focus on social emotional development. I have watched my son blossom since starting here. He is a socialized and adorable little guy and they have fostered his love for information seeking with much patience. I also want to express the added value of the director. She is authentically interested in the well being of each child. She is fair and balanced. She is an incredible resource for child development and parenting. I have never once felt rushed off the phone by her; she is a great listener. And above all else she has the most empathy of anyone I have ever met, which is the perfect quality for running a preschool. Oakdale is one of a kind. read more

We've been an Oakdale family for over 4 years and are grateful every day for the school and each caring, special person who is part of it. My daughter graduated Oakdale pre-k not long after the pandemic began. She had started there when she had just turned 2, and we watched her blossom from our quiet, cautious and tentative baby who was scared to detach, into a confident person with her own voice, full of stories to tell and a sense of pride in her school and teachers and friends. When we had to say "goodbye" on the last day over Zoom, she cried and hugged the screen. And I, too, cried, realizing I wasn't ready to leave this one of a kind place. Thankfully, our younger one still has more time at magical Oakdale. This is the kind of place where everyone we have known there -- Andi, Joanna, Angie, Christina, Tilsia, Nancy, Jeannine and everyone else -- truly LOVES the kids and puts them first, is incredibly dedicated and knowledgeable, knows each of the kids as individuals, takes time to know the parents and to partner with them, goes above and beyond in every way, checks in on people when they're not feeling well, and where the kids have fun, learn respect, learn boundaries, play, blossom and begin to navigate the world in a healthy way. With two kids now having been there since 2017, I cannot think of a better place to have started off my sweet treasures on their school journey. For their sake and for mine. We have loved every minute of being part of the Oakdale family. read more

i wish zero was a rating . it would fit this overrated preschool . this school was cited in 2019 and report is available on the dept . of social services . it reads : facility was cited for type b which if not corrected may become an immidiate risk to the health ,safety or personal rights of clients . examples include faulty medical record keeping and lack of adequate staff training . jeannine pignotti the school director was present for this inspection . read more

We love it here! We toured several schools in the area and this one we liked the most. The teachers actually play/interact with the kids in the yard, rather than just monitor them, they also do lots of crafts and paintings and just lots of tactile play..which is great. We tried first to sign up for their Transitional preK but we were too late, so we ended up enrolling in their mommy and me class first ( led by Susie North ) which worked out great for us. I learned ALOT from Susie, who is a mediator / parenting coach, the teachers play with your little ones while you sit there and talk about your concerns and questions with Susie and other parents.. This past month we finally started preschool here, and my toddler loves her teachers and her school..all the staff are very patient and kind and always very attentive. It's also true that your child will be a mess when you pick them up, most of the time covered in paint and mud and all kinds of stuff...but i love that i get to see my childs face light up w pride everytime she shows me something she made or painted that day..and is full of stories of what she did w her teachers and her friends on our ride home. so..yes! do enroll your kids here if you don't mind a little mess and want them to make lots of fun memories of preschool! read more

My Daughter just graduated from pre-k here in June. She was here 2 years and had an absolutely magnificent experience here, as did I. The staff is warm, friendly and genuinely cares about the children and their growth as an individual. Don't enroll your kids here if you want a purely academic program; this school is play-based ( as preschools should be), and the children are happy. My Daughter always wanted to go to school. Most of the time, I'd pick her up covered in paint or mud and that was great by me! read more

My son has attended Oakdale for a year and a half now and I plan to send my second son there too. There is nothing bad I can say about Oakdale. The teachers are warm, experienced, intelligent, and caring, and make sure each child there thrives, no matter what type of personality. My son is quite shy but the staff at Oakdale has been sensitive to that and as a result he has really come out of his shell and absolutely loves it there. I don't feel he'd have the same experience at just any preschool. Curriculum is developmentally-based and encourages your child to explore what his/her strengths are. Lots of great learning experiences disguised as play, which is how children learn best at this age. So glad we found Oakdale! read more

We're still fairly new but so far, our experience has been wonderful! The teachers are so sweet and kind. My daughter talks about her teachers constantly! The entire staff is patient and understanding towards any questions or concerns you as a parent may have. I highly recommend this school! read more

Caring, involved, professional teachers and a thoughtful curriculum make this school a treasure. Our experience here has been truly rewarding. Our youngest son (who occasionally comes with me to pick up his brother) cannot wait to start in the Fall. If our K-12 experience is half as good we'll be thrilled. read more

Oakdale is a place my kids want to be every day. The teachers care, the kids love to be there, and the community of families participate actively. The education environment is play-based, but not unstructured. The school has a long history in the area and is known to local elementary schools both public and private. For those looking for extremely clean and academically oriented pre-schools, you should look elsewhere (and maybe reconsider your priorities). The growth I have seen in my children directly because of Oakdale is truly remarkable and I am thankful for it. If it takes a village to raise a child, then I can't envision a better village square. read more

Oakdale School - Elementary Schools Near Me - Valley Village, California

I love how this school is play based for my little one who is 2 years old. I went to visit the school on a tour and it was a pretty hot summer day around 90 degress, about 10 min in wanted to leave because their AC was awful! I felt bad for all those kids who had to work in the rooms. Next the school seemed to let the kids around anywhere they wanted to all the kids had been running around with no clothes on woth exception of their underwear and getting wet. Dont get me wrong it swemed like a lot of fun for the kids but i wprried for structure as i walked inside the school rooms. Seemed unorganized, cluttered woth stuff, very old, clastrophobic and stuffy. Some parents might now mind this bug i think i would just prefer a tad bit more structure for my daughter. read more

We have two children attending Oakdale now and we couldn't be happier. We feel so lucky to have found a play based school with experienced teachers who have become like a second family. Nancy and Patty are amazing directors who see the very best in all of the kids. The learning is child directed and the emphasis is on socialization. The kids who attend Oakdale are articulate, curious, and excited about learning. You MUST go visit the school in person because once you set foot in the yard you will realize how special it is. read more

I have no idea what the other reviewer was talking about. The school is play based, so yes, there is lots of dirt, sand and mud, but lots of fun. creativity and learning too. If you are expecting a classroom with neat rows of chairs, this is not the school for you. But I feel it is a fantastic environment for young minds to be creative and have fun while starting to learn. There is plenty of time for sterile classrooms later on. As for lice, i have not heard of any in my experience, but it can happen anywhere you have children in close proximity. It has nothing to do with being dirty. read more

This school is the most amazing preschool if you want an independent creative friendly child. The teachers and staff treat every child as their own and treat the parents as friends. I have a child enrolled now and an older son that graduated 5 years ago. I credit this school with helping me shape my sons into free thinkers and individuals who love to learn. It's muddy and painty and glittery and fun....just how preschool should be. read more

Oakdale is one of the happiest spots in LA. We looked at many preschools when we were choosing somewhere for our son and we certainly saw shinier, newer, and closer schools; but none were happier. Oakdale is all about the kids. Dont be fooled by the less sophisticated appearance. The wonderful owners have created and sustained a world completely for and by the children. My child feels safe, joyful, adventurous, challenged, loved, heard and respected. The teachers( most have been there for many years) are outstanding. I love the way they speak to the children- always with love, respect , and clarity. As a first time parent, the teachers also actually taught me how to talk to my child in certain circumstances. . Even though Oakdale is further away than any of the schools we saw, we chose Oakdale and we wouldn't have it any other way. The half hour drive home with my son covered in paint, gack, goop, shaving cream and sometimes in tears over the fact that we had to leave the place ( after already staying after for numerous potlucks in the tree house with other great families) is all the testament we need. My son is one of my favorite people to be around and I owe much of who he is and will be to this magical and wonderful school. read more