We are about to wrap up five years at St. Mark's preschool and I wish there was a way we could just keep on here! Both my kids attended for three years. It was the perfect start for them. The teachers are kind, knowledgeable, and communicative. They help foster crucial skills in young humans and do it with such care and good humor. The yard is magical and I love how much time the kids spend outside. It is a second classroom for them. The classrooms themselves are warm and inviting and always filled with adorable art projects. The administration is warm, caring and incredibly organized. Finally, the community itself is a gem. My kids have both made solid friendships and by extension, my husband and I have too! I can't recommend this school enough. read more

Our son is about to "graduate" from Saint Mark's Preschool. He's been there for 3 years, starting at 2 years old, and I could not possibly be happier with our experience. In every classroom, he's had wonderful, caring teachers who have taught him, kindly challenged him, and encouraged him. We've made dear friends with fellow parents and have really enjoyed this lovely school community. I can't recommend this preschool more, it's been the perfect place for our family. I will miss the safety and comfort of this small school when we start Kindergarten. read more

We are so lucky to have found St. Marks. Everything about it has been amazing for our daughter!

We toured about 10 pre-schools in the Glendale area without really loving any of them and finally came upon St Marks. Our daughter has been here for 3 years and it has been nothing but an exceptional experience. The teachers all truly love and enjoy the kids and it's such a wonderful diverse community of families. Their arts program is outstanding and I'm always amazed at what my daughter is learning about and being introduced to. The principal of the school (Ms. Julia) is truly a gem and her expertise and experience with young kids' needs is so refreshing and progressive. read more

Beware: If you get a COVID-19 test for your kid, you will be kicked out of Saint Mark's. Period. Like another parent mentioned in one of the reviews, initially we thought we found the perfect preschool. Our son thrived in their environment and got along very well with all the staff and other kids. We, too, were repeatedly asked to get our son tested. He is bilingual so our son would not be on par in either language at this age. At any rate, our son was tested and turned out to be well within normal development. He even excelled in some areas. Then he went to the ER bc one of the teachers gave him Nurse's Elbow. Julia convinced us it was an isolated incident, which turned out to be true. But still, my kid was in a ton of pain. Fast forward to 09-2020, one day, our son started experiencing a low-grade fever the day after he came home from Saint Mark's. Naturally, I jumped to conclusions and feared he had contracted COVID-19. So I got him tested. Results were NEGATIVE. But just for getting tested and thinking it may have come from Saint Mark's, we were asked not to come back. Julia Peacock said we caused her "too much stress" by worrying if our son had contracted COVID-19 while at Saint Mark's due to his low-grade fever symptom. I was shocked. Bottom line: Don't get your kid tested for COVID-19 while attending Saint Mark's preschool or you will be kicked out. They are protecting their interests as best as they can because, so they view a parent who is aware of the COVID-19 guidelines as a liability. If you'd like to talk to me over the phone or want to see email communication between us and Julia Peacock, I'm more than happy to provide. Just let me know. read more

My 3 yr old son just started here about a month ago, and he absolutely loves it. He wants to go to school everyday, and that tells me almost everything that I need to know. The school uses an app that makes it very easy to communicate with the teachers and administrator throughout the day. And they regularly send me photo updates of my son doing different activities. They are also very good about updating me about how much or little he ate, how his potty training is going, how he's doing socially, and answering any questions we may have, etc. In addition to the classrooms, they have the most beautiful garden with a fun water feature and two other outdoor areas for play and activities. As a charter school teacher who sees young children enclosed in small spaces with limited to sometimes zero yard for play everyday, the outdoor space and playtime at Saint Marks is a dream. I love that they are affiliated with the church as well, and I feel so happy going to work everyday knowing that my son loves being at Saint Marks. read more

My eldest daughter started at Saint Marks the day she turned two, and today is her last day before venturing off for kindergarten (sob!). My younger daughter has another year at Saint Marks. It has been nothing but wonderful for my girls and I know it will be missed by our whole family. The teachers are very caring and well-trained. The "curriculum" is very play-based, but they learn so much. Each month there are different themes with art, music, movement and language skills to match the theme. My girls come home and tell me all about the different planets, the phases of the moon, different kinds of dinosaurs, insects, plants, words in Spanish, Korean, French, what the Kenyan flag looks like...the older one is pretty much reading now. They are exposed to so many different things. We toured many preschools and we attended two different schools before this one, so I do have an outside perspective and I can say I'm so happy we ended up here. The school is very organized and relatively inexpensive for how well it is run. You do have to make lunch for your child everyday, but the school provides a morning and afternoon snack. You can also sign up for Pizza Fridays (a life-saver!). We did attend a school where lunch was provided and it was more convenient but you couldn't really control what your child was eating and it was much more expensive. After the first couple of adjustment weeks, I could barely drag the girls away from school in the evenings. They loved it, loved their teachers, their friends, I brought home piles of artwork every week, you can see lots pictures of the kids playing on a private app just about everyday, they have a reptile show every year, water play, events and celebrations, a fun activity or snack for every holiday. The school was so patient with potty training. My girls have two totally different personalities and they are able to adjust to the shy children and the wild children and everything in between. You meet with the teachers twice a year to talk about how things are going, but they give you updates pretty much every day. They are open from 7am until 6pm. Parents with long work days can feel confident that their children are in good hands. I've been seeing the same kids going to school here for years, meaning people are clearly happy because there is not a lot of turn-over. I can't say enough good things. Get on the waiting list as soon as you can :) read more

This school is wonderful. My 2-year-old daughter LOVED here from day 1. All the teachers are wonderful; Julia (director) is very professional and caring. The green room main teacher Ms. Maria was great, and so was all the other teachers in the green room. My daughter especially liked Ms. Vivien who was extremely loving and caring; I could tell that she genuinely loved and cared about kids. The great thing about this school is that children get to interact with teachers outside their room during playtime; I was surprised to sse that all teachers knew every kid's name! My daughter loved Ms. Carla from the other room and would go to her every morning. I found it fascinating that everyday my daughter would wake up and say she wants to go to school. I could feel that she is in good hands :) As a university professor in early childhood education, I strongly recommend this place. They have great programs, wonderful facility, and most of all - wonderful teachers. We left this place because we had to move, and it's honestly hard to find such a great school like St. Mark's preschool elsewhere. Leaving here was one of the hardest part of moving out of Glendale. read more

Highly recommend this school. My kid has attended here for about 1 year for preschool. The school provides high security and safety for the staff and children. Using a registered tap key to enter the premises. The staff is friendly and is trained well to work with this specific age group, the curriculum gets updated online for parents to view. Parent participation is always welcomed. My kid looks forward to going to school and she's made amazing friends here. read more

Warm, safe, nurturing. Every time I go there I am struck by how happy everyone seems: kids and teacher alike. The male teachers are a plus: such wonderful role models for the kids. Love the brightly colored classrooms and playground. read more

My daughter started St. Mark's two months ago and she absolutely adores it. Everyone is friendly, warm, and nurturing, and I particularly value the inclusion of many male teachers which provides great balance. The school is old-fashioned in a good way - not trendy or faddish but just a fundamentally great preschool. read more

We've had our son at st. marks since he was 3 years old. he is a quiet guy, but the teachers have always been very good at getting him to open up when he is sad in the morning at drop-off. We're moving soon and are so bummed, mostly because we love the school and we've come to love the teachers very much. Everyone is incredibly friendly, trustworthy and loving. We are so comfortable leaving our little guy there knowing he is well cared for. I love the creativity in the teaching. They have monthly cultural lessons focusing on different countries, with painting and crafts involving the country of the month. I love that the teachers meet with the parents individually to talk about their child, how they are doing well, and any areas that the parent at home or the teacher at school would like to focus on directing the child in, as far as socialization, learning, speaking, etc. The teachers are excellent at reining in the rough-housers as well as nurturing the sensitive quiet kids. We will miss st. marks tremendously and highly recommend it!! read more

My son was there since he was 2 years old until 5 years old. St. Mark is a wonderful place with great teachers who are very loving. We especially love Teacher Kathy and Teacher Richard, but all were super. I will always treasure the happy memories we had there for my son. read more

Let me start out by saying we had a mixed experience with Saint Marks. Initially we thought we found the perfect place to help our son thrive socially and learn the basics for kindergarten preparation. This was so for the first 8 months of our time there. The problems started with the director, Julia Peacock at the start of our 9th month. On multiple occasions we were asked to get our son tested for behavioral issues by Julia (He didn't want to nap and sit in silence for 2 hours and was/is still learning how to express his emotions). The teacher at the time advised that testing was not necessary and his behavior was typical for an only child of his age and he just needed to learn how to express his emotions. After that teacher left however, we no longer had an advocate for our child in the school. We were told more frequently that our son needed to be tested and that he was a conundrum and has a lack of empathy (I assure you, if anything he has too much empathy). We refused the testing on the basis that we do not want our child to be labeled as ADD or ADHD or any other type of childhood behavioral assessment that would follow throughout his life. It is important to note that during this time our son had experienced a grandparent being admitted into hospice and consequently having to say goodbye to her in the next few days. Without sympathy or pause to what our son was going through emotionally Julia asked us to leave because his behavior didn't fit into her ideal. This caused even more undue stress to a child who now had to say goodbye to all his friends, was transferred to a new teacher, was dealing with the death of a family member and had been under extreme scrutiny for weeks by the teachers and director. We did undergo testing just to prove her wrong. Our son tested right on point and excelled in a few areas, the only area he could use work was the area the school was expected to teach which was how to hold a pencil/write. The lack of understanding that all children do not fit into one perfectly packaged text book model is just astounding. I do not recommend you send your precious children here unless you want them to be subjected to ruthless scrutiny and undue anxiety. read more

I started my son at this preschool when he turned 3 and kept him there until he graduated pre-K and was ready for Kindergarten. We absolutely loved this school! The teachers and administrators really love and care for your children and make sure that they are ready both academically and emotionally for their next stage in life. I can't wait until my 1-year-old is ready for preschool and will not be looking for him to go anywhere else! :) read more

I don't recommend this preschool to anyone , the lady who is in charge is very rude doesn't have any respect to people who are visiting to inquire about enrollment, she is a very bad example for tiny kids . Education starts from there read more

I can't say enough good things about St Mark's. It really is a gem of a preschool and we felt so lucky that we found it. My 4-year old really thrived there and would come home every day with new things she'd learned about the world. She adored her teacher, made so many friends, loved all the other staff members and was so happy and excited going to school each day. I felt that I was kept up to date with her progress, and felt really comfortable knowing that she was eating well, learning a lot, having fun, and was also being taught and shown how to be a caring and thoughtful individual. We have since moved out of California and are still trying to find a preschool for my daughter 3 months later. Unfortunately nowhere has yet come close to St Mark's. We were so sad to leave and miss it very much. read more

Our 3-year-old son has been at St Marks for the past year and just loves it. The teachers (Richard, Ana and Gwenny) are patient and nurturing. At that age, the emphasis is on learning social skills (following rules, being nice to others, listening to the teachers) and developing motor skills. There are two large playgrounds and afterschool activities include karate and soccer. Drop-off is anytime between 7am and 10 am and pick up between 3pm and 6pm and kids can go for half-days or half-weeks. The school is more than just a school. It is also a very nice community with frequent events and a generally international student body. read more

We have been part of the St. Mark's community for only one year but we have absolutely loved it. The staff, from the director to lead teachers to assistant teachers, is amazing. They are nurturing and truly love the children they care for. Miss Julia the director balances professionalism with warmth and genuine concern for each the the St. Mark's families. She is prompt in her answering of emails and is fully transparent in her business dealings. The teachers are well trained and treat each child with respect. The facility is clean, bright, safe, and provides plenty of indoor and outdoor space for the children to play and explore. The weekly lesson plans posted on the website and emailed home make me feel connected to what is happening in my son's room. I love that there are a couple of male teachers so that, from an early age, my son sees that teaching isn't just a "woman's job" and that it is ok for boys/men to value education. While it is a faith based school, I have never felt uncomfortable with the religious education even thought we are not of the same faith as the school. If you are looking for a preschool in north Glendale, this is the one for you! read more