My daughter loves coming here. She's been coming here since she is 4 years old. 4 years now . It's been a really great place for Before & After school program. They will take my daughter to school and pick up also. And even during the summer camp, they have Kids Activities. Coordinated, well and kids enjoy it. Even on my days off, my daughter loves coming here. I highly recommend parents to bring their kids here. It's a great place to socialize, and they are really good at helping kids with homework and reading. Huge school, outdoor and indoor base. Its nice and green like a park . Director and teachers are super nice like Mrs Sylvia , Ms Megan, mr Gilbert, and current director Ms Evette. Previously we had Ms Veronica as director, whom was amazing! Miss her !! Kids are fed healthy foods made in kitchen by mr Jeff. read more

Pacific Friends School - Front - Child Care & Day Care Near Me - Temple City, California

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My daughter's have been coming here for almost 2 years. My youngest was in their caterpillars program and busy bees program. I can honestly say the way they teach has prepared them for school. I just received my youngest report card and the teachers think she is about a year ahead academically. I truly think that they daughter amazingly. It has been a positive experience for us. There has been a change in directors and while we loved the previous one, Ms. Evette has excelled in her position. Ms. Sylvia, Mr. Gilbert, Ms. Megan are amazing with my older daughter and are amazing at teaching them responsibility, my daughter would much rather be here than at her elementary school lol. Ms. Valerie, Ms. Giselle, Ms. Tiff, and Ms. Amy have been in charge of my youngest and they have been truly amazing. So patient, so caring and you can tell that they love what they are doing. Also my kids constantly mention the Turtles teachers Ms. Michelle and Ms. Blanca and how nice they are to them. My kids go to before and after school care. And they attend the breaks all day with them. You can tell these teachers truly care not only foe the kids and teaching but about each other. They go above and beyond constantly. read more

Amazing !! Where do I start? I absolutely love this school, my kids both attended at one point and loved the teachers, the director Ms Laurene! also the Amazing smaller class teachers, such as Ms Stephanie and Ms Amy. In the Older class there's Ms Sylvia and Mr Gilbert. They're the best sets of teachers I've seen in a very long time. They've made my daughter feel safe and my son. I am always happy to help in anyway, because they are so great with the kids. read more

Pacific Friends School - Child Care & Day Care Near Me - Temple City, California

This is a great school! My daughter came her for kindergarden and I have nothing but great things to say about this school. She had Ms. Sylvia and Mr. Gilbert as teachers and they were great to her. I will always be grateful to them. I also appreciated the parent engagement by then Director Ms. Laurene and the current Director Ms. Veronica; they've been amazing. Even though my daughter has moved on to elementary school, I will always support this school. read more

Our family absolutely adores this school! The campus is beautiful and the staff is great. My son's pre k teacher Ms. Veronica is going to be the new director of the school and we are so happy for her! My son adores her! All of our concerns have always been addressed right away, and they use the hi mama app for daily constant communications about what your child is doing that day. You can tell that the teachers truly love their kids!. There a a lot of old reviews, but after Covid a new director took over (Mrs. Laurene) and really did an amazing job with it. She hired an amazing staff and is leaving the school in very capable and loving hands. After a year and a half, we are off to kindergarten and are sad to say goodbye to our friends at pacific friends school. If you are looking for a place for your child to learn, grow and have fun...I highly recommend giving pacific friends a try!! read more

Pacific Friends School - pre-k graduation! - Child Care & Day Care Near Me - Temple City, California

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Mrs. Sylvia and Mr. Gilbert do a fabulous job. they are both professional and understanding. They have been with 3 of my children now 2 (older one is in middle school) but she still ask to stop by and see them!! that speaks to a persons impact they had in that persons life. great school I would definitely recommend to others read more

The Pacific friends staff is very warm and loving. We love the campus and playground as it is spacious with a lot of trees. The school director, Ms. Laurene, is excellent with the children and staff. read more

New director, new teachers, new cook means an all-star staff. Love love love this school. It got a bad reputation pre-pandemic because of the previous office manager but she's now gone. I am still so happy with the school. My heart is warm when I see my daughter continue to develop into an outgoing and intelligent little person. Check video of the kids and director having fun together playing tug of war. This was a candid shot while walking up to pick up my daughter. P.s. the phone number on Yelp is not accurate. Try using Google. They cannot get a hold of Yelp to change the old phone number. read more

Pacific Friends School - Director Ms Laurene and the kids playing tug of war - Child Care & Day Care Near Me - Temple City, California

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I am so thrilled I found this school, had seen it before in fact I passed it daily. I needed a new summer- daycare for my daughter. They even have before and after school care. Ms Lorraine, Ms Linda all the teachers are special and you can tell they love what they do. Not like my daughters school these teachers are interacting with the kids in the play yard not sitting and watching. Oh the play yards are so spacious! Even though it is summer- still learning, practice her writing getting ready for kindergarten. Lunch , morning and afternoon snacks . My daughter was a little nervous starting a new school but have been so happy no tears always eager to go to school. This school- summer camp or daycare which ever you need it is wonderful- disappointed I didn't look into it much sooner. read more

The other reviews about the annoyed greetings is true. I called Wednesday, Nov 13 to ask about getting my 2 year old a daycare. The person who picks up the phone sounded annoyed. Her voice wasn't welcoming at all. She doesn't say much and doesn't offer any questions. I had to ask each question and she only answer shortly for each of those questions asked. She doesn't seem to want or care to have any more clients. I managed to ask for a tour the following Monday at 10 am. I dismissed her attitude because I was hopeful that the teachers will be better than the receptionist. Cost is $870 per month regardless of diaper trained or not. snacks twice a day am/pm. bring own lunch. open 7-6pm I don't know about any other registration fee because I forgot to ask and she wasn't planning on telling me anyway. Monday came. I dropped off my daughter at school, but I didn't want to drive home and come back because "Pacific friends" is just 5 minutes from her school. So, I took my son to Ralphs and 99 cents store to pass time. After about an hour, he got really bored and started to fuss, so I decided to drive to "Pacific Friends". I thought 20 minutes early should be okay. otherwise, I can wait in front for couple minutes. I entered the office. Me: Hi, I have appointment at 10 am? I'm a bit early. (with a smile) Caucasian lady at the desk: I know. It's 9:38. I don't give tour until 10. ( all of this with an annoyed face) Me: sorry, I went to stores to pass time, but we run out of things to do, so I came early. Same lady: You're too early, I don't give tour until 10. (very annoyed at this point) Me: (puzzled) ok. and? Same lady: No tour until 10. (raise her voice a bit now) Me: never mind then (then I left) Same lady: ok (she seemed to calm down and goes back to her monitor) To be fair, there will always be people who got treated well and those who don't. I was positive, friendly, apologetic, but none of that help to ease her annoyed attitude towards me, so I don't think it's me. She may reply to my message by telling you to scroll down to see all those other positive comments from past and present parents and she may say that yelp ignore those who don't write many reviews. I don't write many reviews because I tend to give reviews only when the service is very good or very bad. The "very good" services deserve their praises and those "very bad" deserve their complaints. Those in between need their 2nd and 3rd chances. As for this school, I would not send my child here. Daycare is expensive, I don't need to be giving my money and dealing with bad staff at the same time. I want my peace of mind when I send my child to a daycare. read more

Great and kind staffs. Sadly there seems to be a high turn over rate. Price is reasonable and the director is easily accessible.

My son is currently enrolled in this summer camp for a month now. Ms Laurene, Mr Gilbert and Ms Sylvia provides a lot of fun and educational activities for the kids in a clean and in a safe environment. They have HiMama app which shows the food intake and pictures of your kids on a daily basis so you have a peace of mind. They have cooking classes, mud play, water fun day just to name a few. Me and my husband are happy that our son is enjoying his summer with new friends and teachers. read more

I have been looking for summer camp for few weeks, and happy to join the school this summer. Ms. Laurene was really nice to answer our questions. So I enroll the class without any hesitate. I can feel my little boy is so happy. And also surprised school keep photos, video update for his activities in school. Highly recommend. read more

My daughter recently started preschool here. I reviewed and visited many schools before choosing a school. Staff and teachers have been very warm and understanding with the transition to start school. It has been a couple weeks now and she's having fun and has gotten into the groove with school. The director Laurene has been great with discussing questions. read more

This is a magical place that both my kids have attended. Miss Laurene, the new director, has specifically made some great changes with parents in mind. They patiently assist with potty training and apply sunscreen and mosquito repellent (with a signed permission slip). The staff has kids wash hands and the teachers wipe their faces right before they go home each day. Miss Laurene also uses an app to add updates and photos throughout the day. In addition to these amazing steps they take that really go the extra mile, the campus is stunning. The largest preschool campus I've ever seen in the LA area. Huge grass field for field games and water play (including inflatable water bounce houses during the summer), very large shaded play area with a play structure, treehouse, tire swing, digging station, and everything you can imagine. The classrooms are large and have recently been upgraded. There's a huge padded dome room for tumble play as well. Can't speak highly enough of this school and will happily send my youngest as long as I can! read more

This is a long overdue review that I should've done it way sooner. My child just graduated from PFS this summer. I didn't realize how awesome they are until I toured SO many other schools for my younger child( because we moved.) I can't find one that is similar to them. First of all, they are play based which is very hard to find in SGV now. Yet, they teach a lot of things that I think they are very important: respect, care and be kind. Second, their play yard is huge! Not one school that I toured had such big yard. Ducks, cats, birds tree house. I mean if you like nature you have to go there. There is no TV no matter how late they stay, teachers always are so nice to them. Ms Lisa taught so many songs that were written by herself. Ms Lupe is absolutely the best teacher! always so cheerful, energetic and caring. My child had wonderful three years there! I know a lot parents worry about like, are they learning? Can they write? But to us, it's never about that. It's about let the kid have a great childhood and experience different things. It's about let them know that they are not center of universe and we should care about each other. Thanks PFS, to guide my kid to be a better person, a caring person. Well, to be honest. The only thing I didn't like was the sand. but now. We just miss the time when she came back with sand in her shoes. Please keep up the good work! read more

I have been a Temple City resident since 2002. I have 3 kids who have attended 4 different preschools. I did my homework on preschools and visited the campuses of almost EVERY preschool in our area. When researching preschools, I looked for many things (as each parent has different prerequisites). I wanted a nice, fairly clean, beautiful campus with ample room to play; a nice, caring, attentive staff; an ethnic mix of staff and students; a teacher that had vested interest in my child; and more importantly, a place my child wanted to be at. My first child went to a nearby preschool, but as the years went on, the preschool and upkeep of the grounds deteriorated, and my favorite teachers left. So by the time my 2nd child went there, we had to move him out to a different school all the way up in Pasadena. The Pasadena preschool was SUPER clean - too clean! All the colors were the same, there was a very small play area, no swings, kids looked bored - on the playground?!! So when I had my 3rd/last child, I had to start all over again looking for just the right preschool. We started at a very high profile, widely recommended school in Rosemead - there were 300 students! and seemed like even more staff! Way too impersonal for me but very clean and very structured. The problem was - my daughter hated EVERY DAY she was there. They changed rooms frequently throughout the day, she had 5 different teachers in 1 year so she couldn't remember anyone's names, and they told me I couldn't stay and see her - that it wasn't a "mommy and me" school! :( So we had to move her... Thank goodness we were called on Pacific Friends waiting list (both my sons were on the waiting list at their preschool time but when they were called we were already enrolled somewhere else)!! My daughter has been at Pacific Friends School (PFS) in Temple City for almost 2 years now and has LOVED it ever since day 1!! And I can see why - from the private, gate-enclosed campus, conveniently located right off of Temple City Blvd with its own private parking lot and street parking... to its "enchanted" campus of beautifully landscaped trees and vegetable gardens... to being a marked Wildlife Habitat with all of its animals around - cute little bunnies and tame big ones too!, chickens and roosters in the coop, ducks and ducklings, and where was that peacock we used to see? :) My daughter LOVES animals and these animals are so used to the kids being around. It's such a wonderful experience to have animals and kids at one with nature... I wish my preschool was like that! What an enchanted place! My daughter has developed a better understanding of how to care for baby animals and respect animals. PFS is a VERY large, beautiful campus with many different buildings but is structured into a main building with B&A (before and after) care that partners with the highly acclaimed Longden Elementary School so that your children can be walked to and from the elementary school to the PFS B&A program, something my daughter will be starting in the coming year. The B&A program has many FUN activities as well as homework help and Lisa, the teacher, is AWESOME!! The other classes at PFS are organized into age groups: Teddy Bears 2-3s, Rubber Duckies 3-4s, and Hippity Hoppers 4-5s. Each class has 1 well-qualified, caring teacher and 1 assistant. The staff stays for the majority of the day and then more staff come and help watch in the afternoon. They serve morning and afternoon snack and lunches may be purchased. Kellie McKinley, the director, is almost always available and you can find her out amongst the kids or feeding the animals - she's very accessible. There are scheduled (optional) field trips by bus to the museum and beach as well as walking field trips to the local library and fire station. Overall, a very fun-filled, enriched, well-rounded learning experience. PFS is a play-learning school - they teach through interaction at each child's own pace. After going through the system with 3 kids, I've found this to be the most enriching learning method. I've visited preschools where kids are doing math pages at 4:00pm and look bored out of their minds - at such a young age! They should be out playing, laughing, and socializing. These are the foundation skills they need to learn first. They have many many years to learn math, reading, and writing. PFS does make sure your child knows the basics before they start kindergarten - including letters, numbers, writing, shapes, basic words, etc. I've found the teaching staff to be very professional and attentive, and the afternoon staff that look after the kids while they're playing are very caring and interested in the children. There are no cell phones here! (And, I should add, no yelling or man-handling either - which I've seen at other schools!) I would recommend PFS to ANY parent looking for a one-of-a-kind preschool learning experience... there is really no other preschool like it!! read more

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My daughter has been in daycare since she was 3 months old at a different facility. At about age 2 her previous daycare closed down and I went in search of another one. I stumbled upon Pacific Friends and called to inquire. I was given a time to come and tour the facility then on another day to leave my daughter for a few hours to see if she liked it. I have never seen such a wonderful way of running a business. My daughter has been there since 2 yrs old and now she is 8 yrs old. The staff and directors have become like 2nd family to us and they always take excellent care of all the kids. I also love that they have live animals (rabbits, ducks, etc) on campus and they even do gardening. This teaches the kids things that could not be taught either at home or at any other facility near our house. read more

I have nothing but good words for Pacific Friends. We enrolled our son here to tag along with his cousins, but now in hindsight that didn't seem to be necessary. His teachers have been nothing but amazing in his development. He's not just receiving a school education, but he's learned etiquette and empathy. We've been amazed how much he's learned since he first started. The campus is found near the heart of Temple City, so the local library and schools (Longden and Temple City High) are well within walking distance. Their hours are extremely flexible with about a 12 hour window, which is helpful for me when I'm commuting over from the west side of LA. Not just a preschool, they also offer after school care and summer camps. Pacific Friends is always teeming with activities. There's two playgrounds, a garden, and a pen for the ducks. There's also a large quad that rabbits roam around that they use for water fun (i.e., water slide jumpers), etc. Last but not least is the staff. Yes, some have come and gone but they've all left a positive, lasting impression to our family. Even though we don't live so close to the area anymore, we're dedicated in keeping our son (and eventually our daughter) at Pacific Friends. read more

Beautiful nature filled campus and playground- awesome amount of space, shade, trees ect. Wonderful atmosphere and great staff! Just seeing a smiling face from front office and each staff member really means a lot. We know how challenging it can be to take care of so many little ones...we appreciate your kindness, it means the world to us parents. I read some of these older reviews below in regards to previous front office person. She did have a rough personality before you got to know her. I felt like she could care less if we attended the school or not. I thought she was in charge because she is the person you see when entering the office- the "face" of the school. I later found out she was not and was relieved. The school director at that time was very warm and the teachers were just fine. With this new opening now in 2022 I must say the staff is soooo friendly and patient. These are our little kids, and we love nothing more than a friendly happy faces and welcoming, safe environment. read more

My daughter has been going to PFS since August 2020, and she loves her teachers Ms. Veronica and Ms. Ashley. Every morning when we arrive, she is eager to get to the playground to play with friends and they are eager to play with her. Every evening I ask what she has done at school, and she tells me about her adventures with new and old friends. I needed help with potty-training and so far we are making progress. I loved the Mother's day brunch they offer for the parents and children, and this week Dad's will experience the same for Father's day. Menu's are offered weekly, so you are aware of what your child is eating. The school works with an app that you can use on your phone or on the computer to access daily postings of the kids doing different activities and their respective development phases. The teachers can post messages or post progress reports on daily eating, napping, pottying, etc. It's a good school, and our daughter loves attending. I feel the children are safe in their learning environment and the staff really cares about their well being. I highly recommend. read more

I am a parent with 2 kids going to this school for a year. I didn't think the previous reviews were fair because you just want to vent and nailed a school over some imaginary issues. Don't we all know that the teachers are not PhDs and the teachers are not paid like doctors? To be honest I just want my kids to play and learn. At such young age, I want them to expose to the great land with ducks, goose, bunnies that they have with such big land that no other school could even come close to. And I don't want my kids to be doing GMATs which is what all the NAEYC things are gearing towards. They just need experience experience experience. What better to do that than nature. They get to be out on slides, swings, playing sand, playing trucks, getting up the cubby house 1-2 hours a day, and not some concrete playground that others have. The teachers are fine. They are more loving than most. My older daughter has gone thru 3 schools so I know what different schools offer. I have no complains, it's a great school and alot of parents know that. read more

When I first toured this facility 4 years ago I couldn't believe how open and beautiful it was especially compared to the others we had seen that were within my price range. Think trees, grass, bunnies, ducks, lots of room to run and garden. Both my children have attended over the past 4 years. We love it! It's reasonably priced and I feel completely comfortable leaving my babies there. They learn and thrive. I love the fact they have a nature reserve so they can be more well rounded. I highly recommend them. read more

Pacific Friends School is a great first school for kids. I love how neat and clean they maintain the school. It's small and intimate, so everyone knows everyone. The teachers spend a lot of their time getting to know your kids and assessing them. Everyone is always super friendly and helpful when you go there. My daughter is 5 now and has loved the preschool class with Ms. Nesereen. The way they give parent teacher conferences is pretty awesome too. They give you a full packet that assesses your child's progress and learning styles. I definitely would recommend this school to first time parents with toddlers. read more

I've done my internship here for college. This is a Preschool that has 3 classrooms, with kids 2 years thru 5 years old with another class for Aftercare. This school has a big playground with plenty of space to play. Although the Teachers are attentive with the children, I do not like how they watch the kids sipping their coffee or whatever drink they have in hand. God forbid, what if they have spill it on the children?? And I do not like how they watch the children up and close in small groups. There is about 40 children in that yard with children as young as 2 years old, and there is 5 Teachers in the yard. They need to spread out and watch the children from a distance, giving them space to play and explore not hovering over them. The school has a nice size yard but there are plenty of other schools that are better, where the Teachers are in the yard watching them not enjoying a latte in the yard. Or eating. Or hovering over them not letting them be children and play. read more

My daughter was enrolled here from when she was 2 1/2 to 5 years old. Her first two classrooms for 2-3 and 3-4 year olds had wonderful and caring teachers - Arletha and Robin. My daughter was very fond of both of them and you could tell that each had a special rapport with the children. It wasn't until she moved up into the last classroom for the 4-5 year olds that we began to have issues with the school. The teacher in that last classroom didn't ever appear competent to be managing the classroom but rather more of just a motherly presence. We also began to notice that the administrative office was very lax and not very on top of keeping the center hazard free. When my husband complained to the office about certain inappropriate incidents concerning our daughter, we got an extremely cold shoulder from the director and office staff. Also, we felt our daughter was very unprepared for kindergarten and I believe now the school is no longer NAEYC accredited. The school does have very nice grounds which is rare for most daycares in the area. read more

My 2 boys attended this school over 10 years ago, and we had a good experience. So, when I was ready to look for a preschool for my daughter, I decided to give them a call. The director remembered me and was so happy to hear from me- she said that they would put me at the top of the waiting list when there was an opening! I was very pleased and excited. However, as soon as the lady in charge of this process called me, she seemed annoyed (maybe because I got special treatment???). She asked me to come in and get the paperwork. I couldn't go on the day she requested, so I showed up the next morning, but I guess it was too early, so they told me to come back later. During this time, my car had broke down and I was dealing with a few things, so about a week passed... I hadn't heard from them again, and so I called to see when I could come in. The director (who was so happy & sweet the first time I called) said that it is too late, and that they called me over and over, said and I never got back to them. That is simply false! I think that the woman in charge of the intake process lied to the director and said that she called me multiple times! I NEVER RECEIVED A PHONE CALL FROM THEM! I NEVER RECEIVED A MESSAGE FROM THEM! I would have called back! Anyway, the director was not as "sweet" to me on the phone anymore, but said that she would put me back on the waiting list anyway...one year later...no word!!! read more

All my three sons went here. It was a wonderful experience. The teachers were great, they were attentive and loving with the children. They learned so much and were ready when it was time for kindergarten. Their kindergarten teachers would often comment how much my sons must have loved their preschool because that is all they would talk about. It is truly a great place to learn and experience the full nuturing atmosphere of this school and their teachers. read more

I will give 0 if I could, just with a phone call! People is so rude I don't even want to imagine how they treat kids here!

I visited this preschool months ago. It has a big play yard. I liked that so I signed up my child there. A few months ago, I called the office and checked whether they have openings yet. I was told that they will call me back to see whether the people ahead of me are still interested first. I never got any call back. I assumed there is no opening for now and I could wait a bit longer as they told me there usually are openings in summer. So I waited patiently and decided to call them a couple weeks ago. The administrator said she was preparing lunch and would call me back later. Again, they never called back. I called back the next day and was told that my child has been pulled out of the waiting list since the first time I did not call back. I was so surprised by the administration there because every time they said they will call you back but they never did. And they don't even bother to call you before they pulled you out of the waiting list. Terrible administration. I would not suggest anybody to send their children to such a preschool. There are tons of better choices out there. read more