We had both our daughters at FUMC, and the impact has been incredible. Our oldest daughter got into…read morean incredible West LA kindergarten program--we credit much of that to the foundation she built here. Even more meaningful is the community. Warm, supportive, and truly special--our families formed lifelong friendships. If you're considering preschools in the area, FUMC should be at the top of your list.

Our son is one week in an I can tell it's going to be an incredible experience. We are so happy and…read moregrateful that First UMC exists!!

I can only try to write this review without crying bittersweet tears. My youngest child just…read moregraduated from YMLA, and I miss this place so much already. I feel so grateful that we found this preschool that gave us a home away from home. Where teachers quickly became family. Where my children's most formative years were filled with so much love and thoughtful guidance on how to grow and develop as little humans. The teachers and directors here are beyond exceptional. I really don't know how to describe their instructional approach in any other way than "love." The staff love what they do and they love the kids entrusted in their care. They treat each child as an individual with individual needs. They respect the kids' emotions and help guide the children to understand these emotions as they engage with their daily learning activities. From an operational standpoint, this place is everything I could have asked for. There's a wonderful balance of indoor and outdoor time (the kids get A LOT of outdoor play!). Every month you'll be sent a full calendar with all the different "special days", events, and enrichments. There's a weekly newsletter with group pictures, highlights, reminders, and the week's educational focus. Also weekly, you'll get a full, custom summary of YOUR child--highlighting how their week went, what they learned, what areas of growth they worked on and the best part. . . pictures! I truly felt like it was easy to communicate with staff whenever I needed to. The staff make every event so special, as well. From Friendsgiving, to the winter show performances, to "snow day" (they bring a snow machine to the school playground for a day!), to their epic annual "Art Show" (when my kids were 4-years-old, they painted BOB ROSS LANDSCAPES. . .and they look amazing!), to their leprechaun traps and pot of gold hunts, and . . . well, I could go on and on. Suffice to say, they go to lengths to make these special years for your child feel truly magical. As I watched my youngest child perform during her graduation ceremony, I realized. . . we've been going here for four years, and I've never had a single complaint. Not one. Every issue was handled with tact and grace. With superhuman patience and incredible communication. This school was our village. Our tribe. Our special place to laugh, play, smile, cry, and grow. I'm so grateful to have landed on this doorstep, and I will miss it dearly.

Our son attended YM preschool for two years, and we truly loved every minute of it. Honestly,…read morethere's not one thing we would change. The teachers are incredibly loving and care about every child. Our son built such special relationships with each of them, and it meant SO MUCH to us knowing he felt so loved while he was there. We also really appreciated the weekly updates- they made us feel connected to what he was learning and gave us such a great glimpse into his days. Another thing that really stood out was how the teachers handled conflict. They approached every situation with so much patience, kindness, and respect, helping the kiddos learn how to work through challenges in a positive way. This is such a special school, and it's easy to see why they have a waitlist. If you're thinking about enrolling, try to make your decision early- you'll be so glad you did.

We feel incredibly lucky to have found Garden of Angels for our daughter (3 years old). It has been…read more such a warm, nurturing, and joyful environment for her to grow and learn. She's been there for over a year now, and she's truly thriving. It's affordable, the hours are fantastic for working parents (8:45am-5pm), and we truly value the curriculum. The teachers are wonderful (Ms. Alexis, Ms. Brisa, & Ms. Megan). They are kind, attentive, and care deeply about the kids. It's obvious that they put a lot of thought into creating a loving classroom where the children feel safe, encouraged, and excited to participate. One thing we especially love is how creative the program is. My daughter comes home with the cutest crafts and projects that show how much care goes into their daily activities. The school prioritizes creativity and hands-on learning, which has been so fun to see. And getting pictures of them engaged in their activities throughout the day is truly a highlight! The playground is huge (one of the largest in Santa Monica) and I always catch my daughter running her little heart out at pick up haha. Garden of Angels also does such an amazing job with their events and performances. The school performances are absolutely adorable -- there's costumes, music, and dancing. Overall, Garden of Angels has been a wonderful place for our daughter. We're so grateful to the teachers and staff for creating such a loving and engaging community for the kids.

My daughter has been with Garden of Angels for over a year and we are so smitten. we found the…read moreschool when we were moving to Santa Monica from the Bay Area and were having some trouble finding a school comparable to what we had up there. we wanted indoor-outdoor education, a mix of play based and sit down learning, and nothing too strictly montessori. We're so so happy to have found Garden of Angels. Everything is so wonderful; the staff, the curriculum, the fun. Everyone is so dedicated from the teachers and director to the other parents and even the alumni! If you're looking for an incredible school I cannot recommend GoA enough!

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!

We have 2 children attending Hill and Dale, one at the Learning Center and one at the Discovery…read moreCenter. They have only been at H&D for a few months, but we have already noticed a drastic growth in their behavior and development. Before we even applied to H&D, the Admin team made us feel like a part of the community. Heather, Ashley, Zulma and Agatha are absolutely wonderful. The teachers are special and have made meaningful connections with our kids. We are grateful for the level of communication, and the teachers love to share stories about our kids when we pick them up. Some of the other ways H&D stands out is their extended hours (7:30am - 6:00pm) and the lunch program. This has been incredibly important for our family because we are working parents. I can't say enough about the lunch program. It's been a pleasant surprise to see our strong-willed children serving themselves and enjoying different kinds of food. We love to see how happy our kids are here and feel lucky to be part of the H&D community.

Both our daughter and son attended Hill & Dale in the infant and toddler rooms and we cannot say…read moreenough wonderful things about the school or the program. The nutrition program is a true highlight and we credit it with opening our kids up to lots of flavors. The teachers are so collaborative and truly care about each of the kids. The school itself is a wonderful community with lots of nice/welcoming parents. We cannot recommend this program enough!

We are forever grateful to New School West. The teachers, administrators, and community are the…read moremost caring, whole-child-centered group of people you could hope to find. Even though it wasn't our closest preschool option, we happily drove the distance because the NSW community and the Reggio Emilia philosophy resonated with our family and continues to guide us today. Every day our son was met with love, patience, and respect, and we as parents felt fully supported as part of the community. NSW sees each child as an individual with their own voice and way of learning. It's a truly thoughtful, enriching, and loving preschool that has left a lasting imprint on our family.

We honestly can't believe how fortunate we are to have had our daughter attend New School-West and…read moreto become a part of this special community. She is now thriving in elementary school, largely due to the foundation she was given with teachers who truly care and see each child for who they are. They encourage a learning style that fosters kindness, respect, and curiosity, and the children learn how to express their needs and problem solve collaboratively. We're forever grateful to NSW.

Our oldest just graduated from Piper, and we couldn't be more grateful for the time she's spent…read morethere! Every teacher and admin we've had/worked with has been so kind, encouraging, funny, and caring while still being clear in their expectations. Our daughter loved going to school, made great friends, and is such a wonderful kid - and definitely this is in part to the care and example-ship she received at Piper. Our younger still attends and is having the same, awesome experience.

We love Piper Preschool, the teachers are amazing, the campus is adorable, and all of my kids have…read morebeen happy going to school there we started in 2020 when many preschools were still closed due to COVID, and we were so happy that Piper opened its doors, small the classrooms smaller and created pod like groups. My 2 older kids who have graduated from Piper now and my youngest is still there now. In the last 5 years that we have been here as a family, I've noticed that the admins are very responsive to feed back, what the parent community needs, and most importantly what is best for the kiddos. They have very flexible hours (8-5 if you need, 9-2 is the base) which is a bonus. You can be a parent that volunteers a lot or a parent that shows up for the big moments, there are plenty of opportunities in either case.

Our son (2 years old) enrolled here in mid-2025 and it's been a wonderful experience. I love how he…read morespends most of his day outside with friends and teachers, and the indoor/outdoor classrooms are really amazing (and worth a tour). Our son is excited every time we arrive and runs to go see his friends and teachers. I've gotten to know Luis (one of the administrators) both at school and during his volunteer time at the Virginia Avenue Park DadTime meetups. He's really caring and wonderful with kids and my son gets excited when he joins the classroom. All of our teachers have been excellent. I appreciate the communication when there are incidents (like injuries). I love hearing about my son's day when I pick him up - I can tell his teachers have a genuine enthusiasm when they explain all the things he tried for the first time and what I can do at home to reinforce. It's really amazing the number of skill they teach to a bunch of two-year-olds, like washing hands, setting up their own lunch, getting their nap cots ready, and just general communication and conflict resolution. I also appreciate how involved parents are. There a ton of flexible volunteer opportunities. It's fun to be able to join the classroom for a bit and see everyone in their element. I'm so happy we were able to find a spot for our son here and would strongly recommend the Lab School!

We enrolled our child here based on the school's reputation and were initially impressed by the…read moreteacher. But over the course of the year it became clear that the administration was not equipped to handle the behavioral dynamics in our classroom. Injuries were frequent, much more than we had anticipated or experienced at other programs. When we raised concerns, we received warm words and no action. Promises of additional staffing and outside consultants never materialized. New children were added to an already challenging classroom without any communicated plan. What troubled us most was the approach to managing these issues. Rather than addressing the classroom environment, the administration managed families individually, giving us just enough information to feel like our child's situation was unique, when in fact many of us were experiencing the same thing. It was only when we began talking to each other that we understood the full picture. When we asked direct questions about policy, and what the school was doing at the classroom level, the tone shifted. The administration is not receptive to parental advocacy that goes beyond passive acceptance of their decisions. The teachers deserve far better institutional support than they are receiving. So do the children. This school's mission statement and its operational reality are, at present, very far apart