Southern California Montessori School is truly a hidden gem, and we feel incredibly fortunate to be…read morepart of it. Under the wise and compassionate leadership of Ann Abellera and her exceptional teaching team, the school fosters a deep love of learning that radiates through everything they do. Ann brings a calm, thoughtful presence to the school, and her decades of Montessori experience are evident in the respectful, child-centered environment she and her staff have created. Rather than traditional classrooms, there is one beautiful, open learning space that allows children to move freely and engage deeply with their work. The materials are thoughtfully chosen, and the environment is designed to spark curiosity, independence, and joy in learning. I've noticed the pride my kid takes in his discoveries - it's so rewarding for a parent! Beyond academics, the school nurtures kindness, responsibility, and confidence. It's clear that every child is seen, respected, and encouraged to grow at their own pace. The outdoor space is also a huge plus--a well-maintained and cheerful playground that gives the kids a chance to run around and play. Southern California Montessori is more than a school--it's a community rooted in trust, care, and joyful learning. We can't recommend it highly enough.

What a gem of a school! The teachers are amazing; they are so dedicated and committed to fostering…read moregrowth in your children. They do a fantastic job instilling discipline while simultaneously providing an extremely loving and nurturing environment. The staff really take the time to get to know your child's personality and they use their curriculum to help them to learn to be well-rounded individuals. Almost every child learns to read and do math before kindergarten. After sending my older child here, I couldn't have more trust in sending my younger child here as well. What a wonderful foundation this school creates for young humans! Words can't express my gratitude. It has been an invaluable experience sending my child here.

My son went here around 2009 for two and a half years. He is my only child, so I had no idea what…read morehomework should be like. He saw math (addition and subtraction) and reading that he didn't see again until 1st grade. Wonder Years gave him a great love of math and learning that lasted all the way through school. He's at Princeton now as a financial engineer.

Wonder Years has been a blessing to us working parents. My daughter has learned a lot…read morehere--painting, dancing, singing and yoga! They have a piano lessons here too We are grateful to this school forever! Thank you Ms Marlene, Dir Debbie, Teacher Jela and Isla!

She is the most caring, loving, and generous person I have ever met. Sepi helped us raise our…read moredaughter into a bright and healthy little girl. We started when the pandemic was in full swing and were extremely fortunate to be with her for 1.5 years. My wife and I had extremely busy schedules and Sepi was always accommodating. She cooked our daughter organic (and genuinely gourmet) meals. Our daughter has no fear of food and eats her veggies without issues. She is thriving and intelligent, exceeding her milestones and exudes the love she receives daily from Sepi. My wife and I will miss having Sepi in our lives on a regular basis (we're moving), but we know she'll be part of our family forever. We'll miss you Sepi! I know the kiddo will even more...

If I could rate Sepi 100 stars I would. She is an incredible and nurturing human being. As a first…read moretime Mom working as a full time Physician (during a Pandemic), I would have been lost without Sepi. Our daughter started with her at 3 months and immediately was shown so much love. Sepi was extremely cautious during the pandemic and used all safety precautions. She has been exceptional with all communication and sends us beautiful pictures and updates throughout the day. We always had a full report of how our daughter did that day. Everyday she had a new educational plan/activity to make sure our daughters milestones were not only met but surpassed. Our daughter is thriving and we owe a big part of that to Sepi. Our daughter arrives so happy and leaves with a big happy smile on her face. Sepi also cooks the children amazing, healthy, organic, and nutritious foods for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It's exceptional really. She is extremely attentive and interactive with the children and we always felt extremely safe having our daughter with Sepi. She has become a big member of our family and we are so grateful for her. I cannot rate this daycare and Sepi high enough.

Saint Sebastian School is a wonderful school for all of students. First, all of teachers are nice,…read morepassionate and professional. They always give kids a warm hug when they need it. Second, the team of the school is the best. A younger and responsible principal, the helping front desk, the best teacher and other nice staff. My daughters like to study here and really enjoy the day of school. So I sincerely recommend this school for everyone. Let's join the great community.

My daughter has been attending for three years and we love the school and the staff. My daughter…read moreloves her friends. The small community is a plus.

Untitled No. 1 is such a wonderful place for children and families. We cannot say enough positive…read morethings about this school! The teachers are incredible, the space is unreal, and their connection to community, diversity, and nature is unmatched. The program is truly intimate with an outstanding teacher to student ratio. We've honestly never seen our child this happy! The children play in the neighborhood parks, eat home cooked farmer's market meals, volunteer in the community garden, have gym class, Spanish story time, and music class. It's unpretentious, rich in culture, and a gift to our neighborhood. Most importantly--the school actively works to be Anti-Racist and has a very ethnically/socioeconomically diverse student and staff population. We love it here and think you will too.

We feel so lucky to have found this school. I hadn't even heard of it when a friend happened to…read moremention it as a newer school in the area. We had rejected many of the fancier private schools because of short hours and some of the other SM options with longer days felt very concrete. We loved everything about the school and when they allowed us to come for an in person visit with our child (something else we liked - many/most tours were/are parent only), our child ran frantically between every section of the school, trying to play with everything, and did not want to leave. Our daughter has flourished at this school. We believe that every teacher there is committed to making sure every student develops to his/her fullest potential. We've been particularly impressed at her social-emotional growth. She will very clearly state that we've hurt her feelings or that she is sad. The pandemic student teacher ratio has been exceptional - there are four to five adults on campus for 10 (previously 11) children so they know our daughter better than we know her! I sent our daughter's first "progress report" to my father and just from the detail in there, he said "this seems like a really good school." There is also a ton of Kinder application support. The director has been exceptional in counseling us and getting us to think about different things we hadn't previously considered, and extremely supportive in the process. There is tuition support based on income and priority admission for 90404 residents.

Our child attended MHK from 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 and have recently graduated to attend TK. He has learned…read moreand grown so much in that short span of time. MHK has multi-age group from 2.5-5, which helped him learn from big kids and patience with younger kids. He also learned to better articulate his feelings/needs, how to be kind and respect of others, and made friendship with the other children in a meaningful way. We saw them having real conversations with each other, sharing thoughts and feelings not just playing. MHK also sparked new interests in our child. There's no shortage of conversation at the dinner table about space, weather/seasons, dinosaurs, colors, and everything he's learned at school that day. Our son was so excited to go to school every.single.day!We also felt really safe at MHK, knowing that he's being treated with love and he's learning so much. Now that he's in TK, the homework that is assigned at school are similar to the academic curriculum at MHK. We've been completing these with ease and our TK teacher has been praising him in his academic abilities. Mindful Heart Kids is a rare and wonderful preschool that thoughtfully include play, mindfulness, art, movement and academic curriculum built into our child's day. There's no where else, or at least on the west side, that has this small ratio and dedicated attention built into their preschool. We are so grateful for this school for creating such a wonderful and safe environment for our child. We will definitely come back for our second child!

We have been attending Mindful Heart preschool now for two years ... starting when my son was 2…read moreyears old. Where do I begin ? This preschool has been an absolute GEM in the heart of West L.A. it's a magical feel as the outside is so clean well manicured and perfect for kids to thrive. The setting is absolutely stunning with gorgeous trees picnic tables and a playground area. I loved how most of the time the kids are outdoors learning amongst the elements. Secondly, Miss Casey and Miss Giselle are two of the most amazing teachers I've ever met. (And I used to be a preschool teacher ). They are so genuine , kind, nurturing , and most of all warm and loving. My son is obsessed with them both!!!!. They really understand this age group so well. My son never wants to leave and is always excited to go. I love how the group is smaller than most other schools so he can get much more individualized attention. Lastly , they are so respectful and flexible to everyone's needs especially in this COVID environment. They've done such a fantastic job keeping everyone safe and healthy. I'd highly recommend Mindful Heart Kids! My son has THRIVED ..And so have we!!!!

Looking for daycares is a stressful ordeal, and many folks look at many different parameters…read more(hours, amenities, policies, etc.). As first time parents, we were really nervous about sending our son to a daycare, but we needed to put him in a 5 months old because of work. The folks at MTA truly care about the children, and do such an incredible job nurturing our son. They are great at getting insight into anything going on at home to inform how they support him at daycare. With the awesome hours, we feel so comfortable sending our son to MTA. When we drop him off, he is ecstatic to see his teachers and doesn't even look back at us when we hand him to them! MTA is a really special place and fosters an incredible environment that promotes curiosity and growth. - A grateful dad

After looking at quite a few daycares for our daughter & we settled on Maple Tree Academy. They had…read moremultiple locations but we landed at the West LA location on Sepulveda. As a first time father, I had a lot of trepidation about leaving my baby with a bunch of "strangers" but that quickly changed. Amy, the location's director, has put together a magnificent staff of caring, loving, jovial people that greets your child by name every morning & every afternoon. Our daughter started off in the Sugar Maples group with Teacher Brenda & Teacher Edith, my personal favorite, who still stops & checks in with our daughter every single day. Security Guard Andre also greets every kid by name every day accompanied with high fives & hand daps. Our daughter is now in the "Field Maple" group, where each kid is at least 24 months old, and Teacher Sandy & Teacher Isabel continued providing great leadership & guidance for our daughter. The pedagogy at Maple Tree is outstanding! I was amazed the first time my daughter came home saying words in Spanish as well as in American Sign Language. Hearing my daughter counting at such a young age helped reenforce just how good the Maple Tree program really is. The biggest thing for us is seeing how excited our daughter is everyday to attend school everyday. If you are looking for a daycare for your child, I Highly suggest Maple Tree Academy. Maple Tree Academy is top notch in every way.

Karen, Gilat, Brenda, and Camille are like family to us now. Karen truly saved our family by…read morecreating a spot for our daughter in the middle of the year when my work schedule suddenly shifted. She has such a deep love for children and so much wisdom, every conversation with her about my child felt grounding and supportive. Our daughter absolutely loved her teachers and the environment at Barefoot. The animals, the garden, and the atelier were such magical parts of her experience. She was so happy and engaged, and it made us feel connected to the school in a very community-driven way: through playdates, Shabbat, volunteer work, and even camping, which became such a special bonding time with other families. Barefoot is truly unique. I appreciated the opportunities to be involved when I could, but it was also such a comfort knowing that when I was busy, she was still in good hands, surrounded by people who loved her, and having so much fun.

I've seen my children blossom into confident, curious, and creative individuals since joining…read moreBarefoot Atelier, a Reggio-inspired preschool that nurtures social-emotional development and fosters a deep love for nature. The teachers are loving, engaged, and dedicated to providing a supportive environment that allows children to thrive. I've been particularly grateful for the Jewish cultural learning and traditions that have become an integral part of our family's life. My kids have developed a sense of independence, improved their social skills, and learned to accept their feelings, all while having the freedom to explore and express themselves through creative learning and outdoor play.