I'm so grateful for The Urban Toddler Art Program -- my kids absolutely love being there! The space…read moreis not only beautiful and functional, but also incredibly inspirational. The strong emphasis on art and free play creates the perfect environment for my 2-year-old daughter to thrive. She feels so comfortable and happy that she barely says goodbye to me at drop-off! I highly recommend The Urban Toddler Art Program to any parent looking for a nurturing, creative space where young children can grow, explore, and feel truly at home.

My daughter absolutely loved going here! Ms Julie is passionate about early education and child…read moredevelopment. The indoor/outdoor space with quail, bunnies and therapy dog Osito is absolutely magical. The art projects are thoughtful, beautiful and age appropriate. Lily was so proud of every masterpiece she brought home.

We couldn't be more grateful for this incredible school. Since joining, our child has grown in ways…read morewe didn't necessarily expect at preschool. Academically, socially, and emotionally. The environment truly nurtures independence, curiosity, and confidence, and it's been amazing to watch that unfold day by day. What really sets this school apart, though, is the teachers. They are patient, attentive, and genuinely teach with so much love and intention. You can feel how deeply they care about each child as an individual, and that kind of dedication makes all the difference. There's also something really special about the community, it's small, connected, and welcoming. It doesn't feel like just a school, it feels like a family. We've built meaningful relationships not only with the staff but with other families as well, which has made this experience even more special. If you're looking for a place where your child will be seen, supported, and inspired every single day, this is it. We feel so lucky to be part of this community.

This place is special. There isn't better childcare out there. We've had 2 of our kiddos grow up…read morethrough AIM and a third on the way! The teachers here are incredibly diligent and intentional about the Spanish language. Almost everyday our kids would come home singing new Spanish songs. It's run by the sweetest family that will treat your kids as such. Perfect place for kids to learn the Spanish language and get set up for success in future immersion schooling.

My 3.5 year old son loves Grace Kids! He has been going there since 2 years old. The staff is…read moreawesome and we have had a wonderful experience.

Grace Kids Preschool is a wonderful community of patient and compassionate teachers that deeply…read morecare about the kids and their future. I am so thankful to have found them. My 3-soon-to-be-4 year old daughter attends Grace Kids now and I will have my younger daughter attend. They have great communication and are genuinely concerned about my child's development and well-being. I trust that my kids are in good hands at Grace Kids.

We've had such a wonderful experience at this preschool! Our daughter was here for one year and…read moretruly thrived. Ms. Kelli and the other teachers are absolutely amazing--they genuinely care about the kids and create such a nurturing, fun environment. They were especially supportive during potty training, which made a huge difference for our family. Recently, the school welcomed an interim director, and we sincerely hope she becomes permanent. She brings such heart and care to the children's experience, planning fun activities and making each day special. She's also introduced a new check-in system with an app, which makes drop-off and pick-up so much easier while also keeping parents informed about daily updates, injuries, and communication. This preschool is on a wonderful path, and we're so grateful for the teachers and leadership who are making it such a positive place for kids to learn and grow!

I can't say enough great things about Dana and this pre-school! The vibe there is so calming and…read morenurturing even amongst the beautiful chaos that naturally ensues with groups of toddlers. Dana was so kind and upfront from the very start and clearly has a lot of pride in her school. The classrooms are small and intimate, but covered wall to wall in really unique and colorful art projects and activities. By far the safest looking playground I've seen at any of the local daycares - lots of shaded turf and sand. And.... a boat? Cracks me up every time I think about it. I also really appreciate how upfront they are about tuition and believe me, you will not find a school like this at this price point anywhere else!

There are not enough good words to say about this school. Children's Growing Center is an amazing…read moreplace to send your kid for their 0-4 years. My daughter went there for the past three years, and the experience was great. Every class was fun, engaging, exploratory, and my child looked forward to going every day. The school was good with communication, they have cute performances for families throughout the year, and you can tell all the teachers are genuinely invested in the kids. What amazed me the most is that every single teacher at that school knew my kid's name. Every single one. It feels like such a safe and loving community. The director has been there for close to 30 years, and she's great. Straightforward, no nonsense, and kind, and loving to the kids. They spend a lot of time outdoors and have a very play-focused curriculum. The families are warm and friendly. We were genuinely sad to go. I picked this preschool in part because of the excellent reviews, and I wanted to contribute to that. These reviews are spot on--the school is as good as the reviews say it is. 10/10 preschool, absolutely recommend.

My daughter spent about two years at this school and went through three classrooms. The great thing…read moreabout schools like this is that children will move up to a new classroom about every 9 months and the curriculum targets the age group. All the teachers were very caring and the teacher the student ratio was good. They had a lot of volunteer opportunities and there were a few of parent led events each year so I thought that was really neat. This school would have been more fun if it weren't for COVID. During normal times, they had school performances in the spring and early December that they rehearse for. We moved to Santee and since I work from home, going to this school became a hardship. We were sad to leave but my daughter will always have great memories of this place.

This was our first experience enrolling our daughter in daycare, and my husband and I were a little…read morenervous. She was used to one-on-one care with a nanny, and we were worried about how she would adjust and whether she would receive enough attention. Those fears disappeared quickly though, and our daughter absolutely thrived at Natura ECD! Natura emphasizes play, creativity, and nature, which made each day exciting for her. She spent lots of time outdoors in the secure, fenced yard, learning and exploring in ways that felt both safe and enriching. Ariana also incorporates age-appropriate academics through multi-week modules that keeps the kids engaged, as well as circle times focused on emotional intelligence and building friendships. We enjoyed all the artwork that came home and laughed at the fact that Mom couldn't do pig tails but our daughter let Miss Ariana do her hair. In the summer, our daughter loved the splash and water activities! Communication was good, which gave us so much peace of mind. We got daily updates through (private) Instagram stories, and the daycare uses an app to let you know when your child needs new diapers, wipes, sunscreen, or clothes--super helpful! And I have to mention potty training: I thought it would be a long, drawn-out process, but with the teachers' support, our daughter was fully potty trained within two months. Their patience and encouragement made all the difference. We couldn't be happier with our decision to enroll our daughter at Natura ECD. For any parent who is nervous about taking the leap into daycare, I wholeheartedly recommend scheduling a tour. It's clear that Ariana truly cares, and your child will be in a safe, nurturing, and fun environment.

We love Natura! As first time parents we had all the…read morestandard worries about starting daycare. Ariana answered all of our questions with patience and enthusiasm, so we quickly knew we were in the right place. Our child loves everyday and tells us about her singing, art projects, dancing, water play, and reading time. We need a bigger fridge or art gallery for all of the creative projects she brings home! We are continually blown away by our child's language development, great behavior, and creative thinking. Additionally, we've learned a lot as parents communicating with Ariana and it's made phases like potty training so much easier. We are grateful everyday for our Natura family!

Our eldest started SDCP at 19 months and our youngest started at 10 months and we couldn't be more…read moredelighted. Our toddler takes a while warming up to new places and people, and we knew (or I mean, she knew!) immediately this was the place for her when she darted outside. The indoor / outdoor access that every classroom has is awesome; the intentional curation of the spaces operate as another educator to explore and inspire. You can feel how much the teachers genuinely love what they do; their care and dedication are clear in every interaction with the kids and the stories they tell when we pick them up. When I was first researching preschools, I was excited that there was a co-op option in SD and wondered how it might fit with my schedule. After touring and learning more about the school, meeting Stephanie and the amazing teachers / staff, it was an easy decision. They have an open door policy and the hours are flexible for parents. The co-op model has taught us so much, allowing us to learn and grow together with our kids, both modeling and providing tools for connecting with them to be their whole, individual self through play.

Lovely preschool. Feels like the teachers really care about the kids. They use the RIE methodology…read morefor infants. Safe and supportive atmosphere. There are co-op requirements where parents/other adults have to volunteer at the school on a regular basis, which can be difficult for some families. Only downside is a long wait list to get in.

We absolutely love the Lulus Montessori! The staff is amazing with the kids and they get an amazing…read moreeducation. We are always surprised by how much they learn and how much fun they have. Also their meal plan is great. We are very fortunate to have our son there. We looked at around 10 different places and it gave us anxiety because we really wanted our son to be at Lulus which was much much better than all the other places we saw all over San Diego.

We've been taking our son to Lulus Montessori since he was about 18 months, and it has been the…read morebest daycare/preschool experience we could have hoped for. The teachers are incredibly loving and thoughtful. I especially love the fact that they celebrate birthdays and holidays and create opportunities for parents to get to know each other, too. My child has grown by leaps and bounds, and his interactions with the other children are fun to see. The fact that meals are provided (bfast, lunch and snacks) is a godsend. Several daycares/preschools in the region claim to be Spanish immersion but aren't actually (e.g., they speak English to the kiddos). At Lulus, I feel like we get a truly authentic Spanish immersion program for our son, knowing instruction is exclusively in Spanish. And it shows. My son 100% understands Spanish when it is spoken to him and he mixes Spanish and English in his vocabulary regularly. I credit Lulus for a large part of that bilingual ability and look forward to seeing his fluency improve in the years to come. Highly recommend Lulus!!

Fleur de Lis School provided our son and our family the most incredible experience we could have…read moreever asked for. In our 2 years there, we watched our son grow immensely in his confidence, relationships, and overall love of learning. He was sad to leave school every day and excited to wake up and start the day with his amazing friends and teachers. The approach and philosophy that Fleur de Lis takes truly allows each child to blossom in their own unique and beautiful way and we not only got to experience this with our son, but saw it with his classmates as well. We saw our son make presentations to his class about a science or art project he did with us at home or proudly present his show and tell Spider-man toy to his classmates - we are so grateful to the entire Fleur de Lis community for encouraging this level of self-esteem and individuality.  The staff at Fleur de Lis is truly one of a kind -  the professional, yet individualized attention of Tina Smith and April Kozelh as directors is amazing. They know your child personally and do everything in their power to make your child's experience at Fleur de Lis enriching and creative. Our son still talks about Ms. Tina coming into their classroom and reading them special books (his favorite was about an owl in NYC) and Tina consistently shared specific memories of our son's social and emotional growth during his time there. The teachers we had at Fleur de Lis (Ms. Sandy, Ms. Chelsea, Ms. Amber, Ms. Kiara and Ms. Diana for Spanish) were incredible in every way - we appreciated the attention to the holistic needs of each child - the cognitive, physical, and emotional were all given attention and we saw our son blossom in each area. The day our son "graduated" Fleur de Lis School was a bittersweet one - we were thrilled to know he was ready for kindergarten, but also so sad to say goodbye to the daily moments of this special community. Our son couldn't stop hugging his amazing teacher Ms. Sandy at the singing show - clearly showing the same emotions we felt as parents.

If you are a new parent, join the FDL wait list now -- trust me, your older parent self will thank…read moreyou! It's hard to explain the magical and nurturing environment this school provides. I remember my son, Julian, sobbing when I left him on his first day as a two year old, and my heart was breaking. In less than a week, he was all smiles at drop off, excited to see his teachers and friends. Since then, he's thrived at this school, both emotionally and educationally. Now, two years later, he's heading to Francis Parker, and looking back on his time at FDL, I can't express how grateful I am to the amazing team there. There are a few specifics that make FDL special: The community -- everyone at FDL knows Julian's name, even teachers who aren't assigned to his class. Pre-Covid, when I would pick him up from his classroom, his daily departure was like a little parade, with waves and goodbyes to friends, teachers, directors, everyone. You really feel like part of a family here. Kira, Bev, April, Julie, Julia, Diana, Iris, Nina, Autumn, and many others...each has been a unique and positive impact on Julian and our family over the past two years. The safety -- speaking of Covid, I don't think I appreciated how nice it is to have total confidence in the efforts of the FDL team to keep my child safe at all costs until this pandemic. When they reopened under new safety guidelines, I never once worried they would slack or not keep the sanitation and safety bar high. In fact, Julian now inspects my hand washing and admonishes me if I have not made enough soap bubbles or washed long enough . They always ran a tight ship, but it's exceptional now. The positive reinforcement of high expectations -- on my visit prior to enrolling at FDL, I saw all the kids eating lunch as they chattered politely and consistently used manners. On the playground, no one pushed. They all took turns. What's more, they were still incredibly joyous little kids, giggling and delighting in silly play. I was in awe. And yet, now Julian models those same behaviors. FDL teachers are kind and warm, but firm. They set a high bar, and the kids rise to meet it. At the same time, there is tremendous fun had on the daily at this school. Julian greets me at pick up with a big smile and a hug, his cheeks flushed from play and sand in his shoes. He excitedly shows me his projects and tells me funny stories and things he learned from the day. FDL is exceptional. If you have the chance to send your child there, take it. You would be hard pressed to find a more loving and capable setting. We will miss it terribly!

I can't say enough about the school. Both my kids have attended. The owners and teachers are…read morecaring, knowledgeable and empathetic. Any negative comments/reviews regarding the wait list come from those that are out of touch with the high demand and limit space available. Absolutely recommend 100%!

In response to Howard, when we added our newborn to the list, we had no intention of enrolling him…read moreever at Hillcrest, as we are aware it starts at age 2 (our application indicated a requested start age of 1-1.5 years). Second, we have a few friends who attend NP and told us there was new enrollment in the class, even after Bridget told us our son was next after currently enrolled toddlers trying to add days. Third, I emailed Susana on 9/28 to check his status and she replied a month later (after this yelp review). I think Howard's intentions on his responses on Yelp are quite evident. His choice to write down my family's name, history and assumed "experience" instead of address the waitlist structure really makes me question his ability to lead an organization which cares for children. I never mentioned ALP summer camp because it had nothing to do with this location, and left my child's poor experience with summer camp off the other location's yelp as well. I wrote strictly about my experience with North Park, and I stand by it.