I can not speak highly enough of this gem of a preschool. I tried for two years to get my son in…read moreand finally there was an opening. It's a magical place without a doubt. Their classroom is in a yurt in the middle of an epic garden. They have animals, they cook, they sew, they do art, they have puppet shows, they garden and more imaginative play than you'd think possible. It is a play based preschool which we LOVED. Fantastic ratio of 12 students to 2 OUTSTANDING teachers, Miss Jamie and Miss Jackie. They both have extensive backgrounds in education and teach with such love and respect of each child. My son was upset when it wasn't a school day and now that he's in kindergarten, he misses the school and his sweet teachers SO much. So do I!! They really create a community for both the students and their families. We signed up our daughter as soon as we realized what a gift this school is. She will be starting next year and we can't wait to get back!

I wish I still lived in Santa Cruz so my third kiddo could go here too. My sons still have fond…read morememories of this preschool. I also love how they made keepsake books at the end of the year with art my boys did throughout the year as well as photos of them engaged in play activities. Those books are as special to me as baby books and photo albums. The enriching outdoor activities and small class sizes are also big selling points. This preschool makes me miss Santa Cruz so much and I moved away almost four years ago. When I think of home I think of the Bagelry, staff of life, shoppers corner, zoccolis, and hidden treasures.

We've been attending LifeSpring Prechool for a year and a half. The staff has been warm, kind,…read morecompassionate, and accommodating to our daughter. They provide care that is consistent and reliable, and have fun activities like having fire fighter visit the school, holiday events, pizza throwing visitors, picnic days, and provide the kids with fun activities throughout the week. Our daughter discovered her love of painting at LS! It's hard to pick a daycare that you trust to nurture and care for your child, but LS is a great place with teachers that are truly called to the profession. Teachers Jennifer, Michelle, Anna, Cat, Rosa, Jimena, Laura, and Kristie have been outstanding. Thank you all for being a safe place for us!

I honestly liked this Daycare for my daughter until they discriminated her and myself her because…read moreof her special need and the director was willing to work with me and out of nowhere she switched up and kicked her out. And as well, it needs more improvement with the teachers. Some of the teachers just don't know what they're doing meaning they're always on the phone and not paying attention to the kids. And as well one time I went to go drop off stuff for my daughter, and one of the teachers from the other class was yelling at the kids, and I saw her as well, grabbing their arm super hard poor little babies also my daughter would be scared of that certain teacher .. hmm makes me think what did she do to my poor little baby

Our son started at L'Academy when he was 2 years old, and we couldn't have asked for a better place…read moreto support his early development. As an only child, we really wanted him to build social skills and friendships--and L'Academy delivered beautifully. Over his two years there, he formed a close-knit group of little buddies that he still talks about and attends their birthdays! Now that he's enrolled in TK, we can truly see the foundation L'Academy helped build. He's a confident, curious learner and even knows how to say the alphabet in Spanish--something he proudly learned at L'Academy! The staff made all the difference. Director Lanie was always communicative, responsive to any concerns, and incredibly sweet to our little guy. And Teacher Mary holds a special place in his heart--her warmth and care made a lasting impact. We're so grateful to L'Academy for creating such a nurturing and enriching environment. Highly recommend to any parent looking for a daycare that truly supports both learning and love.

Our Best Daycare experience in the Bay Area!…read more We absolutely love L'Academy! Our 2-year-old daughter has been attending for a little over a year and we are constantly impressed. It feels like a school more than just a daycare and that is reflected in our daughter's growth. We were very impressed from the get go with Lanie's (the headmaster) professionalism. While our daughter was in the toddler group we absolutely loved teachers Jessica and Laura. Our daughter seems to learn something new everyday there. It seems like everyday the staff shares a loving anecdote about our daughter at pick up time, which speaks to their attentiveness and care. Daily photo updates and reports keep us connected to our daughter's day. We are always kept apprised of her daily activities, which is reassuring. She is always engaged in creative, play-based learning. She especially loves the outdoor playtime because of their awesome jungle gym. Seeing her engaged via the pictures on the app is the highlight of our day. Most importantly, our daughter is thriving and is so excited to see her teachers and friends every morning. Our daughter is absolutely flourishing and we owe it in large part to l'Academy. Cannot recommend this l'Acadamy enough. It feels like a school more than just a daycare and that is reflected in our daughter's growth.

"My new school is frickin' great!!" That kind of sums it…read moreup but let me expand on our three-year old's initial impressions after his first day at Natural Bridges. We cannot believe how lucky we are to have found this incredible school for our son. He has been here for two months and is absolutely thriving. The staff are so nurturing, thoughtful and child focused. The program is active, and engaging without feeling regimented, giving the kids the space and freedom to explore, learn, and grow. Most importantly our son feels safe and well cared for, which makes leaving him in the morning easy and picking him up a joy as he enthusiastically shares the details of his day. All of the teachers are highly qualified, so kind to the children, and obviously dedicated to the growth of each of them as individuals. We are already sad that at some point our son will have to leave and go to kindergarten!

We love NBCC. Our daughter is in the Monarch program and thriving. I love the thoughtfully designed…read morespaces and the wonderful programming. It's been a place for our four year old to really spread her wings and gain some much needed freedom this year and she'll be starting kindergarten so much more socialized and confident. Can't say enough good things about this school.

My kiddo started here when he was 2 1/2 and will be there until he starts TK in the fall. He has…read moreloved it there and so have I. The supportive staff are great to work with and I truly feel like my child is the best individual he can be as a result of being there. He is thoughtful and kind, waits his turn, shares, and is a joy to be around. The many works they have are as interesting as they are educational. I can't recommend Midtown highly enough. The teachers and staff here are astounding and I'm forever grateful to them.

I am forever grateful to the teachers at this school. My son thrived. The teachers took the time to…read morediscuss things with parents. The teachers are overwhelmingly patient and kind with the kids. I've never seen anything like it. There is NOTHING you would regret about enrolling your child in this school. The kids learn to garden, fold laundry, clean up messes, make bread and many many other things. They learn manners, hot to greet people and introduce themselves, body safety etc. match, language, all the things. I am forever grateful to have been apart of this school community.

My eldest child attended Calvary for preschool, and we had such a wonderful experience that we…read moreenrolled our youngest as well. After exploring several schools on the westside, we chose Calvary based on recommendations from other parents, the experienced staff with long tenures, its convenient location, and its cost-effectiveness. The flexible scheduling and minimal time off during the school year were also important for our family, as was the diverse student body. We believed Calvary would provide a smooth transition to public school, and it certainly did. Our daughter and another child from Calvary were the only ones in their TK class who could write their names at the start of the year. Calvary's play-based approach emphasizes early literacy, which is crucial for us. The school offers abundant resources, engaging activities, projects, and ample free play. With spacious indoor and outdoor play areas, the children also benefit from being divided into three smaller classrooms and having a dedicated nap area, unlike many schools that use open spaces. Additionally, Calvary assists with potty training and provides meals and snacks, so we don't have to send anything with our child each day. It's reassuring to know she is well cared for at Calvary.

This is the first preschool I tried in Santa Cruz after we moved. My son was 2 and a half and he…read morecried every day for two weeks. They called us to come and pick him up half of the days. It was heart wrenching. Then the director told us that he was not ready for their school. Luckily we tried another school and my son adapted really quickly even though it was a bigger preschool with more kids. I regret having my child experience his time at this school and wish we never had this experience. The teachers didn't give him time to adjust and expected him to be perfect little boy without giving him the opportunity to bond and get comfortable. My son is now moving on to transitional kindergarten! I still have regrets putting him through Calvary preschool. It was definitely a "Calvary" for us parents but greateful to have found an amazing, caring, beautiful people at Lifespring preschool that loved and cared for my son! We were willing to pay more as long as our son was in a good setting but not only we found a nurturing and caring teachers at lifespring but it was a lot less expensive. More expensive preschool doesn't mean a better setting for your child. We learned the hard way.

The school is very beautiful, inside and out, with a delicious menu for the kids too. The teachers…read morealso seem knowledgeable. the problem is with the teachers' attitudes towards certain parents and students. There was a striking difference between how they treated certain families (mine included)--quite cold and dismissive towards some, and very friendly and sociable towards others. it's very unfortunate that this was our introduction to Santa Cruz.

Hands down the best experience for our toddler and our entire family. Between the nurturing…read moreteachers, the innovative curriculum, and the warm, inviting environment, we couldn't ask for a better place for our child to grow.

​ Our daughter went to Common Threads for just over a year…read more We choose CT because we liked how the teachers told us they approached early childhood education (thoughtfully and with compassion). Our daughter was, at first, very excited to go the school. She talked about her friends and what she did each day. Within a month or two, we noticed that drop offs were becoming difficult. But upon picking her he end of school, we would receive positive reports almost every time. A few months later, we received a call from one of the teachers telling us that there was an issue with our daughter, but they didn't want to talk about it over the phone. We were startled by this of course. Upon meeting with her teachers we were told that they believed that our daughter was having developmental issues citing anti-social behavior and sensory-input difficulties. They insisted that they had dealt with these things many times and suggested a child psychologist observation which resulted in nothing significant. From then on, we checked in every school day to see how our daughter was doing from her teacher's perspectives. We always received glowing reports and thought things were improving. We enrolled her in summer school and continued to receive positive feedback. On her second day of her second year at Common Threads we received a call from one of the teachers telling us that they could no longer accept our daughter there. We were blindsided, hurt and confused. The teacher told us that they didn't think they could give our daughter the attention that she needed despite months and months of no issues being reported to us. Our daughter was in tears. She wanted to see her friends and talked about all the activities she was looking forward to. "I can do it, I can do it" she sobbed to us. We spoke with teachers from other preschools and they were floored by CT's behavior. Other parents reacted the same way. We were fortunate to have a schedule flexible enough to take a few weeks to find a new school. We've also been working with experts to determine if our daughter has the issues that CT cited. Though there are areas she can certainly improve on, the experts are clearly telling us that she is a healthy, bright and mature-for-her-age little girl. A few weeks later, we found a new school that our daughter immediately connected with. She's social, curious, helpful and happier than ever at her new school. She's thriving. I would never recommend CT after the way they treated our family. Poor communication and erratic behavior is how a pre-schooler might act, but it is certainly not how a pre-school should act.

We've had our son here for four months and are very happy with them. Great teachers, a really…read morecaring staff.