We learned early on how incredibly important and foundational the learning ages of 2-5 were going…read moreto be for our son's growth. Until the age of two, we were able to nurture his love of creativity through art, get him engaged in reading and music, and keep him active and independent while learning at home, but his social-emotional growth needed a community like Modern Schoolhouse to truly develop. We met another family at his favorite playground that had an AMAZING experience at Modern Schoolhouse and their daughter, who was academically gifted and raised with similar philosophies, was thriving under their care. We enrolled and discovered for ourselves that Modern Schoolhouse was indeed an absolute gem for child development. Our son entered after turning two, and he was very shy/reserved at the time. The talking, dancing, singing, bilingual artist that blew us away with his funny ideas and love of learning at home, needed help expressing himself in the larger group. Over the next several years, Leonardo was able to grow and thrive his ability to emotionally self-regulate, from having a 'safe space' at home to being able to identify what he was feeling and how to 'calm his body,' to listening to others and respecting common space. What we didn't anticipate was not just the top quality of the school, the clean aesthetic spaces, and the exceptional teachers (Teacher Alicia from class 3 was truly amazing!!), but also the like minded and kind community that became a key part of our son's social life. During our son's first years at home, we studied Montessori, Waldorf, and Reggio Emilia- instituting some principles of each in our approach at home. It wasn't until we met Sue and her philosophies at Modern Schoolhouse did we see some of these same philosophies embodied in an American child care setting; and we must have interviewed or toured at 5 or more local schools before finding Modern Schoolhouse. The core beliefs consist of the idea that children are competent, capable, curious individuals with hundreds of ways of self expression. The role of the school and family should be creating a structured, clean, and aesthetic environment that is conducive stimulating exploration and discovery. Teachers in this sense guide and foster collaboration rather than just 'delivering information.' Giving our son a new challenge was hard at first, but Sue and her staff were quick to offer suggestions and outside resources so we could reinforce some lessons at home, especially around his development of social/emotional skills like managing anger, dealing with disappointment, and learning to communicate when he needed space. He also was given the chance to learn how to build relationships and have positive interactions with new friends. Each 'season' and month had different themes that would be clearly delivered in monthly/quarterly emails along with chances to meet with teachers on child progress in key development areas of language, tracing, use of scissors, how to put on shoes/jackets, counting, class participation/listening, and emotional self expression. By class 3 (3 years old and above), our son was giving 'show and tell' presentations, using the 'sharing bee' to discuss their weekend, and playing inventive games to stimulate imagination and curiosity. Through the use of brightwheel, we were always shown photos and videos of our son having fun with friends and doing some fun activity. The school also offered many events at the school such as the "annual art show," "parent and me" day, and music sessions from Teacher Gaia culminating in a student led music performance (the cutest!). This year all the 4 classes made their own animal costumes and acted out various Disney themes. It was extraordinary to see him flourish and thrive under Teacher Alicia in class 3, who is truly remarkable for her ability to connect to kids and meet them where they are on the journey. By the end he was more confident in his presentations and even singing his favorite Disney songs Karaoke style to the class! Everything ended on a wonderful note with his graduation and small speech to parents and the graduating class. We were given an opportunity for a graduation photoshoot and his 'family book' with messages from all of the teachers as a keepsake that he created during his time there. As he graduated before many of the others in class 3, everyone created a special hand painted art for him with with the handprints of all his friends. It is bittersweet to go onto the next chapter, but he graduated school scoring high in every single metric of development, and he easily was interviewed and accepted into an international private school. Thanks you for being such a key part of his childhood journey and we hope to stay in touch with Leonardo and our growing family!

Our son began attending TMS at 18 months old, and it was his very first daycare experience. We…read morecouldn't be happier with our decision. Initially, we had some concerns about starting him so young, but it quickly became clear that enrolling him early was the right choice. He is truly thriving--emotionally, mentally, and intellectually. The curriculum at TMS is incredibly well thought out. Each activity clearly connects to the weekly or daily theme, and we've seen real growth in our son's development. He's starting to learn the alphabet and has become much more verbal since he began. What stands out even more is how happy our child is at TMS. Every photo we receive through the app shows him smiling, and we always feel confident dropping him off, knowing he's in caring and capable hands. The teachers, staff, and owner (Sue) are exceptional. Our son absolutely adores his teachers and lights up when we mention their names in the morning. Even though he's usually very attached to us, he was so excited to see his teacher at the Annual Art Show that he practically leaped from my arms to greet her. That kind of connection is exactly what every parent hopes for in a school: a place where your child feels loved and supported. On top of all this, the school is extremely clean. Our son has hardly been sick, and we've noticed how attentive the staff is to hygiene--little ones always have their noses wiped, diapers changed very frequently and the environment is clearly well-maintained. TMS is far beyond a typical daycare--it's a place where our child is growing, learning, and genuinely happy.

I've had my infant in the Ladybug/Duckling class for about 3 months now and I couldn't be happier!…read more After our last preschool burned down in the Altadena fire, I was desperate for an alternative that could accommodate us immediately and I'm so relieved and grateful to have ended up at such a great school. They really stepped up to the plate working with me to get Mason (my 9 month old) signed up and registered as quickly as possible. Daisy and Ms. Melanie are consummate professionals and handled all the administrative details quickly getting registered with the assistance program that I'm using to help pay the tuition (which was not an easy process) but they were on top of it which allowed me to start bringing Mason right away. The teachers in the infant room are all really loving and affectionate, they always greet Mason with enthusiasm and love and he always has the biggest smile when I pass him over, which to me is the true test of a program because that reaction can't be faked! I love that I get a detailed report to bring home with all his important daily details like what times he napped and what he ate and when, even his diapering activity which is something all parents want to know! In addition there's an app which I can message his teachers or administrators and they get back to me right away. They also post pics of your child during their day which is always appreciated. I have zero reservations about recommending Wee Care to anyone looking for a high quality Montessori preschool and am just really pleased with my experience there!

My wife and I can't be more happier with this school. We had many concerns and worries sending our…read morefirst kid to daycare since we have no experience. However, he is very happy and learned really well eating his solid foods from his teachers. I can feel teachers' genuine love towards their kids and I feel like he is in good hands:) Teachers provide a daily report everyday which is very helpful and informative. Great flexible hours. Close at 6pm

My three year old grandson loves this place. He has learned so much and has been happy and eager to…read morego to school every day. We were lucky to find a school that puts the child's needs over your wallet. It is truly a diamond in the rough. The staff really love their job and it shows in the attention given to each individual little learner. The entire team is top notch. The school and play areas are very well kept, safe, and it genuinely feels welcoming. I highly recommend First Lutheran Preschool.

"I cannot recommend First Lutheran Preschool enough, especially for families with special needs…read morechildren. Sending our son here was the best decision we ever made. From day one, Miss Nancy and the staff showed incredible patience, empathy, and a genuine commitment to his growth. ​Instead of just managing his day, they actively worked with him on his specific goals. We have seen immense progress in his ability to just get through daily tasks and activities that we honestly didn't think was possible this quickly. It is such a gift to drop him off knowing he is not just safe, but truly understood and cheered for. Thank you to the entire staff for changing our lives!"

Update in response to the business's comments to my earlier post :…read more - You did raise your voice to me. The quote I provided was word for word and is quite a less than empathetic statement to make to a client. You also snapped at my child during our meeting which surprised me and put the possibility in my mind that if this was done in front of me, it was most probably being done in my absence. Providing a calm and respectful environment is a great core value to strive for but these interactions did make me question otherwise. - I never said the school stated or diagnosed my child. What actually did occur, when I was being informed of his behaviors, was I thanked you for telling me. Because these behaviors were not manifesting in the home setting, I didn't realize he was also special needs like his sibling. The realization during that meeting that I had another child with special needs felt overwhelming and that is when I teared up. You then said that if he is special needs, he should go someplace else like the special needs center across the street. While this may be something you are ethically and legally required to do in such a situation, it was not expressed in the most compassionate way. - While we were notified of some of our child's behaviors, we were not notified of all behaviors until the in-person meeting I refer to above. At that point, it had culminated to the point of asking our son to leave. What I did not appreciate, and articulated this in person, was not being informed of ALL the behaviors occurring which would have given us insight to have him evaluated sooner. - The classroom behaviors were not always handled confidentially. I actually have screenshots you sent to me of other parents' conversations where they mentioned my child. That certainly made me question the integrity of your confidentiality since I'm sure the other parent thought theirs was a private conversation and not being screenshot and sent to another parent. - I'm not sure what additional support and extra staffing you refer to. Sounds great in theory, but I was not aware of any during my child's time in your facility. - Even now, you mention how certain matters were handled privately yet call out one of those in the same sentence. Ironic. - Of course you disagree on someone commenting on a lack of empathy or kindness on your part. No one likes hearing the reality of how they're portraying themselves. - Finally, yes, my review was posted more than a year after my child's enrollment. That just goes to show you how much of a long-lasting bad taste was left in my mouth after the experience. UPDATE #2 : " As we have already provided a detailed response, we would like to briefly address your most recent message. Because this matter involves a minor, we do not feel it is appropriate to continue discussing specific details publicly or to engage in ongoing back-and-forth on this platform." -- Then why are you continuing to do so? "If you wish to discuss any remaining concerns, you are welcome to contact us directly so the conversation can remain private and respectful" -- You are responding publicly. I don't have any concerns -- this is a site for reviews. This was my family's experience with your business and the review was written to supplement the low rating I gave. Trying to keep my review of my experience private defeats the purpose of this very site. Not every review is going to be a positive one and continually combatting or trying to keep negative reviews private doesn't come across well.

Everyone here is so incredible. Every single person knows which parent belongs to which kid. They…read moredo so many arts and crafts with the kids and teach them tons of great things. They also teach discipline. My kid knows planets and colors and is better at sharing every day! I so appreciate these people and my little boy just loves coming here!!!

We went through extensive research on daycares in the Monrovia area (we toured maybe a dozen!) and…read moreworked with a consultant who specializes in choosing high quality daycares. Our search led us to Chandlers and we REALLY wanted a spot. Our first time visiting, we were in love with the big play, outdoor space, and food. Ms Lina worked wonders to make room for our second baby when he was ready for daycare too. Being away from my kiddos was brutal, but I knew they were getting great care, great friendships, and better cooking than we have at home. We loved that it was mixed age and SO much outdoor time. Ms Lina has been a lifeline for us through the years! She helps the kids grow, but also helps us grow as parents. Our youngest was struggling with frustration for a while and she sat us down and talked with us about possible solutions. We did what she suggested and things improved for him tons. Both kids adore Lina and everyone she hires! She has a knack for community building. She loves our family so well and we're lucky that chandler's is part of our "village." Plus, some of my kids best friends are from this school because it's such a cozy fun place :) For our oldest, she's in TK now, and she LOVES it because Ms Lina prepped her for it so well. Not just academically, but with emotional maturity and confidence building. Truly the beginning of a lifelong learner!

My child had been enrolled at Chandlers Playhouse for 1.5 years, and though I had high hopes for…read morethis place, our family left with total disappointment. This review will be long, so for a quick summary, a racial gesture made toward my daughter was not handled properly by the school director, so we requested a two week notice to leave the school instead of the 30 days in our contract, and school director Carolina made us leave right away. In past incidents of our child coming home with wounds, we were gaslit and lied to about what happened. But regarding the straw that broke the camel's back, my 3 year old daughter came home one day and said one girl was being mean to her. She had previously said that girl was mean, and bit her arm before. We tried to brush it off as regular toddler interaction, and since she said the teacher put that girl on time out, we let it go. However, when we asked how the girl was being mean this time, my daughter pulled the outer corner of her eyes and made a slanty eye gesture. Horrified, we asked her to re-enact it so we could record it and report it to Carolina. Over text, she said she was "dumbfounded" and found it "outrageous and unacceptable." She requested an immediate in-person meeting with me. When I went to school to meet with her, she had brought all her teachers in to meet with me, and all of them denied seeing this happen. Then she even told me that the child's gesture was not racist, and had no idea that it was offensive. Carolina said she didn't even know what that gesture was, and had to Google it. Ignorance doesn't mean that behavior is acceptable. I had to explain the Asian American experience to her, but she diminished our racial experience by brushing off my statement and saying "...just like how Latinos and African Americans experience racism, it's all unacceptable." As a person of color, of course I'm aware of the different types of racism people experience, but I'm specifically talking about a racial situation at your school, so why are you making such a generalized statement...? Although I believe that child didn't realize that what she did was offensive, it was the school's responsibility to communicate with their parents to say that gesture is not acceptable in school. That would have given us confidence to keep our daughter at Chandlers' until right up to Kindergarten because we knew the caretakers were taking care of her and protecting her. Unfortunately, instead of making clear communication on this boundary, she decided to tell us to unenroll from her school immediately because it seemed like we "have been dissatisfied with this school for a while already" and that "the stress that this was causing [Carolina] is enormous." Note: enrollment papers require a 30 day notice to unenroll, but they do not honor the 30 days. We asked to shorten to two weeks, but they let us go immediately. Other previous experiences: Half a year ago, my daughter was really anxious and refused to go to Chandlers (she's usually very excited to go). We asked Carolina why, and she said because my daughter was put on a timeout the day before for climbing a fence. Then later, during my meeting about the racist gesture, I mentioned that my daughter was put on timeout before, and Carolina acted surprised and said "no she's never been put on a timeout before". It just seems like she will say whatever suits her argument in the moment, and pretend previous conversations never happened. So should we believe that A) our daughter was never put on timeout but was anxious instead because something suspicious happened at school, or B) there was a timeout but was lied to afterward? My daughter came home with a wound under her mouth one day, and the next day we asked Carolina, and she said she forgot to tell us that some other kids ran her over with a bike. We let it go at the time, but looking back, we definitely should not have. My daughter still has a scar under her mouth to this day. No incident reports ever made, no situations are ever documented. My daughter came home with wounds on her hands one day. She explained that a boy pulled her and she tripped and fell, but the teachers saw and put him on a timeout. We accept that these situations happen, and the teachers put the boy on timeout and didn't pursue this incident. However, I casually mentioned it to Carolina, and she said my daughter got those wounds because she was bear crawling around outside with her friend, and those are blister wounds. Unbelievable, my daughter bear crawls outside all the time and never gets wounds. As an early childhood provider, we had expected the school director to be more forthcoming (especially when wounds and racism are experienced) and emotionally mature. The fact that she forced us to immediately unenroll because the situation was causing too much stress for HER is mindblowing.

What a gift Bridge has been for our family! We have a 5 year old who just graduated and is in TK…read moreand a 2.5 year old in her second year at Bridge. We are so lucky to have found this school after relocating from the Bay Area. Everything about Bridge has been easy since day one and our kids love it. Each teacher in each year has been great and taught our girls so much. They also have wonderful leadership under Ms. Aarthi. Our 5 year old was fully prepared for TK and adjusted very nicely and we attribute a lot of this to the curriculum at Bridge. They have tons of programs the kids can participate in: dance, Spanish, art, etc. They also offer a paid lunch program which is awesome and makes things so easy. If you are searching for schools, feel very confident in sending your kids to this wonderful school. We love it!

I cannot put into so many words, without the help of ChatGPT to say how much we love Bridge…read moreMontessori. So bare with me... Our son went to the Pasadena campus, off of Lake Avenue for over a year, and will continue to attend every summer and every break if his current school (because we moved and are no longer local, but will make the drive) is on opposite breaks. He started during their summer program before TK, went for TK and then half the summer after that. He enjoyed his teachers, his friends, and the school. He has excelled so much that he's way beyond his years in math, reading and writing. He really is starting kindergarten strong. They truly are a gem and I'm sad we moved and he won't be attending on a regular basis, but glad he's had such great teachers and made such sweet and amazing friends. They have set the bar very high for us. We have been recommending the school to every one.

Our son is graduating this summer, and looking back, we could not have asked for a better…read morefoundation than Enchanted Castle Montessori. The environment is peaceful, beautifully organized, and has a fantastic academic focus while still fostering traditional Montessori independence. He has blossomed so much here--his confidence and genuine love for learning grow every day. We've loved that they introduce second language programs like Mandarin and Spanish early on, and the campus outdoor space is great with two playgrounds for the kids to play on. The teachers are incredibly dedicated and caring, and the school hosts wonderful community events that make it easy to mingle and connect with other parents. If you're looking for an enriching, nurturing preschool in the area, I can't recommend them enough.

My son currently attends Enchanted Castle and loves it there! Everyone is so friendly and…read morewelcoming. I have seen a huge improvement in his language and gross motor skills. The teachers work so well with parents to ensure your child is getting individualized attention in development! Cant wait for my second born to attend there!

My daughter just graduated from TK at AIP, and we're so grateful this was where her school journey…read morebegan. She grew from a shy little girl into a confident, caring child who loves to share kindness wherever she goes. AIP goes beyond academics, nurturing both character and friendships, and has given her a strong foundation for the next stage. Our only wish is that AIP had an elementary school--we would love to stay longer!

Our daughter was enrolled in Mini-Todd's (2-3yo) and K1 (3-4yo) at Academicise. It's been a year…read more(delayed review) but I cannot say enough how much my husband and I appreciate the care that our daughter received there. She started Academicise at age 2.5 in diapers not speaking a word of English. When she finished K1 she had been fully potty trained for more than a year, speaks English in addition to Mandarin and a little Spanish. She knows her abc's, some sight words and can write her first and last name (15 letters long), count and do simple addition. The school is very clean as well. The in house chef makes delicious food that my daughter ate 2-3 servings of each day. We would definitely recommend Academicise to anyone looking for a quality preschool. I only wish she could go back to Academicise when her private school is out for summer!

I never thought I could find someone trustful and nice to my kids as Salpi!…read more She took care of my kids for years . Thank you Salpi for all what you did for my kids ! I really appreciate what you are doing for me!

Salpi is one of a kind! She provides such a safe, nurturing, creative, and loving environment for…read morethe kids in her care. She has truly become part of our family and I would recommend her to any parent. Our son was with her from the time he was two months old until he turned two. Salpi does a lot of free play and arts and crafts with the kids. Our son thrived while in her care, and still asks to see her almost every day!