The BEST preschool in San Diego. You will not find a more nurturing, creative, or positive…read moreenvironment for your child!! From the FRIENDLIEST FAMILIES of any community group in the city, to the highly-praised Reggio Emilia teaching method of "learning through play", my only regret about this school is that it's not Pre-K-12th grade! The staff and teachers here are absolutely incredible. Your child is loved, protected, and encouraged. The school days here are magical, focused on plenty of attention to your child (no chaotic "kids going wild" environment here), singing, dancing, open-ended play, art, gardening, and the teaching of EMPATHY towards others. The facility is on-point to what young children need and crave: warm, inviting, and with simple open-ended play structures and toys. The community here is on-point to what parents of preschooler's need and crave: friendly, supportive, and relatable. EVERY single child that graduated here with my oldest son (there were about 8) and went on to Kindergarten with him at our local elementary school were among the nicest, most socially adapted children in the population of the grade. My husband and I feel so grateful to be able to send our children here, and will be so, so sad when our youngest graduates!

This school is such a special place! Our son asks everyday "is today a school day?"…read moreWe have spent 3 years here so far and have nothing but great things to say. The staff is wonderful and attentive, the space is so conducive to curiosity and play and it really does feel like a small community there. My son has made some great friends here and so have I. I can't wait to send my daughter here next year!

My daughter has gone to school at Sandbox the last two years and she (and us) have LOVED our time…read morethere! Tasha & Dom have created an amazing atmosphere for kids and parents alike. The kids get to be kids (playing in the dirt, gardening, imaginative play, and more) and learn along the way. We tried another preschool in the area before here, but the environment here was a much better fit... Both in getting the personalized nature of care that Tasha/Dom provide for their students, and we loved that out daughter was exposed to children both younger and older than her (vs. all the same age as many schools are) since she was able to both learn from the older kids when she was little and help out with the younger kids when she was older. I highly recommend Sandbox to anyone who's looking for a loving, nurturing, educational, and fun environment for their children to grow in.

Our daughter went to Sandbox for two years, up until transitional kindergarten. We all loved it so…read moremuch. Tasha and Dom are a great team and truly care for the kids, the parents, and their positions as teachers. The indoor/outdoor preschool includes play through centers (including the beloved mud kitchen), circle time, and free time. It allows the kids to build friendships and learn to respect each other. The preschool also puts on events throughout the year to allow parents to meet and get to know each other. I would highly recommend Sandbox to others, as it was a terrific experience and huge stepping stone for our daughter.

We love St. Andrew's Preschool! Our daughter started in the Tiny Tots Program, and while we were…read moreinitially nervous about transitioning her to a new school at such a young age, we knew from the moment we attended the open house that we had made the right decision. Meeting the Tiny Tot teachers, touring the classroom, and learning about the curriculum immediately put our minds at ease. The teachers and staff at St. Andrew's Preschool are incredibly kind, caring, and attentive. If our daughter ever has a difficult drop-off, there is always a teacher ready to give her extra love and attention until she feels comfortable. We also love the variety of crafts, activities, and learning opportunities they provide. The daily photos shared through the preschool's app give us a fun glimpse into her day and reassure us that she is happy and engaged. Looking back, enrolling our daughter in the Tiny Tots Program has been such a positive experience for us. We've seen her grow so much in her social skills, confidence, and excitement to try new things! We feel so lucky to have found a school where we know our daughter is safe, loved and having a great time with friends. We highly recommend St. Andrews Preschool and the Tiny Tot Program!

My older daughter, now 48, began preschool there in 1979. It was a wonderful, caring place with…read morekind teachers who worked tirelessly to educate the children. Back then they brought in a PB institution, Janie Cushing, to teach tap and ballet. Our daughter loved it and continued with Janie for several years. The best memories of the great education my girl received. I'm so glad it's going strong.

Baby Blossoms is so much more than a home daycare! Our son went to Baby Blossoms since he was four…read moremonths old until he turned 2.5 years and sending him to Katrin's was the best decision. Katrin is a very experienced, competent and skilled teacher. Further, she is an incredibly kind, loving and warm person. It was the greatest gift to always know that our son was not only safe and well cared for in a cozy and sparkling clean environment, but that he was loved and encouraged as his personality developed. Katrin has the amazing ability to see and appreciate every child's individuality and meet them and their parents wherever they are. She is a great communicator and deeply cares about the children she cares for while respecting each family's culture. Baby Blossoms has been truly a second home for our son, and he still misses his early childhood paradise. We highly recommend Baby Blossoms without hesitation to everyone seeking the best quality care for their young children.

I gave 5 stars just because I couldn't give more. Katrine is a pure blessing, she is one of those…read morewarm people you would feel comfortable leaving your baby to from minute 1. She will be your first daycare teacher and definitely a person you and your children will keep in your heart for life. That's what happened to us! We were looking for a daycare for our almost 5 month old baby boy and after a couple of bad experiences we went to visit Katrin's house. It's a cozy, warm environment where children can enjoy playing inside and outside. Children love her and she always has the ability to understand their signals and make sure each and every aspect of their care is taken care of. She is super experienced, super patient, super loving. At the end of each day she would describe how the day went and you would go home knowing that your baby had a great day. If I had another baby, that's where I would go, praying that she has an available spot!

Oh how I miss the school and all the people that worked there. This place will always have a…read morespecial place in our heart and it's a great church. I definitely recommend for anyone local to Pacific Beach! It's a shame they had to close the school because they just didn't have enough attendees. We will miss it forever!

My husband and I are in the military and enrolled our three daughters in Saint Paul's Lutheran…read moreschool after attending the local public school. We desired a small focused experience with dedicated teachers and faith base curriculum. What we got far exceeded our expectations, the teachers are so caring, creative, and focused on our child's individual needs. Each of my daughters is thriving in her class and is known by all teachers and staff. The academics are rigorous, but the teachers presented them in a way that keeps the kids engaged. They come home knowing far more than I would have ever hoped for, both in traditional academics and in faith curriculum. The school is not afraid of new technology and leverages AI and group learning approaches that would not be possible in a larger school. My children have been benefited greatly from this approach. One of the most important aspects for me is that the school does not tolerate isolating or bullying behavior. My fourth grader was distracted in her public school experience by 'mean girls' but at St Paul's, she is friends with each girl in her class and has often commented on how grateful she is to have no cliques or strife. This is so rare and is a testament to the hard work of the teachers and staff. Being members of the St. Paul's school community has increased my husband's and my faith as well. On a hard days, the staff has taken time to walk with us or pray. On great days they celebrate with us. We feel like we belong here as well, not just our children. Highly recommended on every front.

Teachers do no like parent involvement whatsoever either in the classrooms or on field trips, which…read moremakes me very concerned and teachers are not friendly and loving, they are simply doing their jobs. Most of the teachers that are there during the day are not very nice at all including the school's lead teacher. The teacher that goes in the afternoon to close the school, Miss Karen is a nice lady, and one other teacher during the day is nice too (Mr. Miguel). The administrator is very nice and helpful, but unfortunately he is not there every day, so he is missing out some stuff. Most of the teachers speak in Spanish with some of the kids, when some kids are in the program to actually learn English and be prepared for kindergarten (the purpose of the program is to give children from lower income families the opportunity to go to preschool). If you have a choice, try other centers, I do not recommend Los Altos. My child went there for about 7 months. Happy to be someplace else!

Courteous and great staff, amazing, smart instructors, fun and safe learning surf experience!read more

I was really disappointed with our experience at San Diego Surf School. My husband and I booked a…read morebeginner surf lesson because we had never surfed before and wanted to learn the fundamentals from a professional instructor. Unfortunately, that isn't what we received. Our instructor told us he was just visiting from out of town, and it felt like he wasn't prepared or invested in teaching. To start he was late, when he did show up we received very little instruction before going into the water and were never taught many of the basic skills that beginners should learn, including proper paddling technique, how to pop up on the board, or even how to safely fall off the board. As beginners, that was especially concerning because safety should be the top priority. Once we were in the water, we were practically left on our own. Instead of receiving coaching, corrections, or guidance throughout the lesson, we were left trying to figure everything out ourselves. We paid for a surf lesson, not just a board rental. After the lesson, I reached out to the owner to explain our experience. To their credit, they responded promptly and admitted that our lesson was not taught according to their beginner curriculum. They explained that beginner lessons are supposed to include ocean safety, surf etiquette, how to safely fall, paddling technique, popping up, and active coaching throughout the lesson, all of the things we expected but didn't receive. However, the resolution they offered was only 50% off another lesson. While I appreciate the acknowledgment that our lesson fell below their standards, I don't think it's reasonable to ask customers to pay again even at a discount to receive the instruction they already paid for the first time. They also mentioned that they couldn't offer a complimentary lesson because they wanted to ensure their instructors were fairly compensated. As a customer, I believe it's just as important that clients receive the quality of service they paid for. We chose this school because of its great reputation, which made this experience even more disappointing. Hopefully this was an isolated incident, but I think future beginners should know that our experience was far from the comprehensive lesson that was advertised.

We had such a great experience with Diego for private swim lessons at our house in Chatsworth. He…read moreworked with two 4 year old boys and a 6 year old girl, and he was fantastic with all three of them. He was incredibly patient with the boys (even when they were endlessly splashing him) nand really knew how to engage them and keep them comfortable while learning. He was also really funny, and the kids absolutely loved him and looked forward to their swim lessons! He made the lessons fun while still teaching them a lot. With our 6 year old, he helped her build on the skills she already had, refine her technique, and learn new strokes. He did a great job adjusting the lessons to each child's age and ability. Diego was also always on time, easy to communicate with, and great about answering all of our questions. We always felt like we knew how the kids were doing and what they were working on. The kids made huge progress and really took leaps and bounds with their swimming in just six lessons. We were so impressed with how much they improved and how much more confident they became in the water. Diego was patient, encouraging, knowledgeable, and genuinely great with the kids. We couldn't have been happier with the experience and would absolutely recommend him!

We came to Port St. Lucie for three weeks and wanted our son to have a few swim lessons while we…read morewere here. We are so grateful we found Miss Vicky! She was absolutely amazing. In just a few lessons, she had our son floating confidently and swimming in no time. We were honestly blown away by how quickly he progressed. Miss Vicky is patient, encouraging, knowledgeable and clearly has a gift for teaching children. She made the lessons fun while building our son's confidence in the water. We couldn't have asked for a better experience and only wish we had found her sooner. If you're looking for a swim instructor in Port St. Lucie, we highly recommend Miss Vicky. She's truly exceptional!

It's incredible to see how much more confident my 7 y/o is in the water after only a few lessons…read more Ms. Marci is great at quickly figuring out what to focus on to maximize results - you can tell she's been doing this a long time and has a ton of expertise! Her positivity and ability to put kids at ease are just incredible. My son really likes the warm water in the pool - he's eager to get in the water each time, which was not the case at other swim schools! Bike rack right out in front is a big plus too.

Such an amazing place. I learned how to swim here 40 years ago and now both of my children have…read morelearned how to swim here. Marci and the entire team are wonderful, patient and great instructors. Their water is warm and the pool is perfect. Highly recommend.