Karen, Gilat, Brenda, and Camille are like family to us now. Karen truly saved our family by creating 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. read more

I've seen my children blossom into confident, curious, and creative individuals since joining Barefoot 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. read more

We had our 3 year old daughter going to barefoot after we were displaced due to the palisades wildfire. They have welcome us mid year with open arms, the community at the school is really tight. Our daughter felt comfortable quickly and has enjoyed her time there very much. read more

I can't say enough about Barefoot Atelier, it's owner/OPERATOR or staff! My son absolutely loved his time there and looks forward to going back for camp again. Such a warm & nurturing environment for a child to learn an array of life-lessons in an organic manner! The owner, Karen, is so hands on & attentive to each kid's individual needs and ready to do her best to work with any parent requests, that I was just dumbfounded. She does a fantastic job of managing a staff that takes pride in their work and connecting with each child on a personal level. My son had a blast there and all of the little furry & scaly friends certainly played a part in that as well! My wife & I also really enjoyed an appreciated the regular text & photo updates of what our little guy was up to and the great time he was having there!! read more

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Barefoot Atelier was a fantastic experience for our child. The school is very well run, very wholesome, and teaches the kids wonderful values about kindness and respecting each other. When we picked our child up in the afternoons she was always happy and looked like she had a wonderful day interacting with nature, doing fun activities, and being taught a wholesome value system. Throughout the pandemic, the staff maintained a very high degree of vigilance and kept the kids free of any outbreaks with very sensible mask and testing protocols. The kids interact with, and learn a lot about nature by planting vegetables and experiencing a lot of animals at the school such as lizards, chickens, rabbits etc. The environment is very rich with a lot of toys, fun activities, preparing+cooking their meals with wonderful Ms. Gilat, and outdoor play structures together with excellent security protocols to ensure the safety of the children. They use an app that sends updates and pictures throughout the day. The musical component at the school is truly exceptional. Having experienced many preschools with our 3 kids we can confidently say this is a pre-school without equal in every department, you will never find a preschool better than this. thank you so much Karen and all the wonderful teachers at Barefoot Atalier! read more

Barefoot Atelier - A sample of what you see in the app! Love it! - Preschools Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Today was my son Geffen's last day at Barefoot as he starts kindergarten soon and we were both in tears and so sad to complete his time here. The teachers at Barefoot are one of a kind and truly treat the children as their own. Karen the owner has created a beautiful sense of community between the children, parents and teachers. She organizes family camping trips, outings, monthly movie nights for the kids so parents can go out, and much more. There are several field trips throughout the year that are learning and play based. In terms of learning, the teacher's approach is very hands on, yet child led. The children are involved in cooking, taking care of animals, making art, getting dirty, and learning from what interests them! We are so incredibly grateful to have found this gem of a school - I have tears in my eyes while I write this because I will miss coming here daily. I find solace knowing that we have made friends for life and will always be apart of the Barefoot community! Thank you to Karen, Brenda, and Gilat for making Geffen's two years here the most magical. read more

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We feel incredibly blessed to have found this preschool for our oldest daughter. She previously attended a larger preschool, where the strict rules and limitations left her feeling boxed in and hurt her self-confidence. Barefoot has been the perfect change. The Reggio-Emilia approach truly empowers children and nurtures their desire to learn. The dynamic environment, with its emphasis on hands-on activities, fosters creativity both at school and at home. The presence of animals and the beautiful outdoor spaces provide ample freedom, encouraging deep play and imagination. We love that the teachers never put screens in front of the kids; this encourages them to engage fully with their surroundings and develop their creativity even further when they're at home. The teachers are amazing at fostering empowerment and self-confidence in the children. They genuinely care for each child and their teaching methods, especially when it comes to discussing emotions, greatly support emotional development. Our daughter once told us, "This school is a dream." She loved the field trips and nature days, as well as being the Shabbat Star and celebrating Jewish holidays at school. They also include a lot of Hebrew language and songs, which is really special. The intricate and creative art projects she worked on were also a highlight--many days she came home covered in paint, beaming with happiness. I appreciate how the school's small, intimate setting allows children to form deep relationships. It's also wonderful for parents, as it helps us build a strong, supportive community (and the school parties and camping trips are always a lot of fun!). I wholeheartedly recommend this school to other families. My daughter is heartbroken to be leaving Barefoot (heading off to kindergarten), but we're grateful that her younger sister is still enrolled. Our family will continue to stay connected to this wonderful sanctuary that nurtures young minds and hearts. read more

Barefoot Atelier is an absolute dream of a school!! I am beyond grateful to have spent 3 magical years at this school and heartbroken to be moving on! Some highlights: (i) Teachers! Consistently warm, kind and nurturing staff. They meet the kids where they are with focus on social emotional development through conversation, discussion of feelings and play. (ii) Kids play hard and get dirty! They garden, paint, craft, cook, dance, sing, yoga, dress up, run around, imagine, create to their hearts' content. (iii) Nature! Kids are immersed in nature and exposed to the cycle of life, such as through incubation of chicks in eggs, growing them into chickens and now watching them lay their own eggs, caterpillar metamorphosis, caring for a bearded dragon, tortoises and bunnies, gardening and field trips. (iv) Field trips! my daughter has learned and grown through school exploration of the greater LA area, including to Malibu Creek, Red Rocks, the beach, tide pools, the CA Science Center, Natural History Museum, Heal the Bay aquarium and optional weekend school camping trips for the whole family (we participated in Ohai and Malibu Creek - pack of kids having a blast exploring shallow creek habitats, camp fires, s'mores - so much fun for the whole family). (v) Reggio program. Child-led exploration through Reggio-Emilia program builds autonomy and confidence and encourages curiosity. Lessons and then field trips are organized around children's questions and interests (dinosaurs, outer space, insects, you name it!). I didn't expect it but my daughter is writing some and well on her way to reading despite having never been forced to sit at a desk to learn lecture-style! (Before finding Barefoot, we spent one week at a school that had 2-year-olds sitting at desks, and limited recesses on a concrete playground -- that was NOT for us.) (vi) Creative projects. Recently the kids have been focused on the ocean, marine life, and how to solve ocean pollution. Using recycled cardboard materials, they built and decorated an amazing 5-foot-tall coral reef! One of countless examples. (vii) Food. Healthy organic lunch program, snacks and kids get involved in so much of the cooking, making tea and smoothies using herbs and ingredients they grow in the garden (such as recently, pesto pasta!). (viii) Community. The school's intimate community feels like an extension of our family. Parents are welcome participants to the extent they want to be, joining for celebrations or just popping by to read a story. The school constantly communicates with parents via the app posting dozens of pictures that enable parents to observe the fun, learning and growth daily. (ix) NO SCREENS. ever. (x) My daughter LOVES going to school and LOVES her teachers. I cannot say enough good things about this magical place. A better, more enriching preschool does not exist. Wish I could give 100 stars!!! read more

Both my children have attended Barefoot Atelier, my youngest is moving onto Kindergarten and we need to sadly say good-bye. Barefoot has been our home and family for 6 years. We will miss Karen and the teachers tremendously! The curriculum is beyond what I expected from a preschool. kids are taught art, yoga, music (lots of music), cooking, gardening, environmental awareness, kindness, languages, academics and lots of social emotional tools. They allow your child to be exactly who he/she is and the environment fosters individualism and freedom for them to be creative and playful. The morning prompts are thoughtful, fun and ignite imagination. One of my favourite things is reading the answers from the kids morning meetings. The other great thing about sending your child here is the community of parents that the school helps to foster. I have met many amazing couples that I now call friends. There are community events and special parent-involvement days so that the parents can get to know each other and also be involved in what their child is doing at school. Truly a special place! read more

Barefoot has been great for our 4 year old. We've been at 3 different preschools with our older children and Barefoot is truly our favorite. The staff is friendly, communicative and thoughtful. The parents are professional, down-to-earth and inclusive. My only regret is that we didn't find this school sooner as our daughter is so very happy there. She has a strong group of friends and all of the children play together really well. (Because of this, play dates are a breeze!) Teachers are good at helping the children use their words with their friends and help each other out. They have field trips, family outings and homemade lunch! We love this school and will be sad to leave. read more

Wonderful teachers and a wonderful environment. We've watched our son thrive, grow, and learn; we've made friends; we've become part of a community. Barefoot has helped our son understand a wider world. Every day he comes home singing and happy. It's true that the communication can be frustrating, and the environment and mix of personalities won't work for every parent. But for our family, it's been great. read more

This is an amazing place to send your kids to learn about the important things. They have so many small but special routines like taking care of their pets ( bunny/ Guineapig and Hans) taking the kids to nature walks and let them play with things around them. The school is making lots of afford in order to create community. Take into account you will require to take active part (which I highly recommend-but not always good to everyone) The most important thing is the teachers- they are beyond amazing! And very devoted- unlike other places we went the teachers in barefoot aren't babysitters. They invest lots of thoughts and time in their circle time and in one on one time (which is also rare to have). read more

Our daughter is incredibly happy at this school. As a parent, I appreciate the dedication the teachers have to her development and social emotional learning. Each child has a journal they can create in, the teachers write down the things that my daughter says about her art work, the teachers also keep a binder for each kid going in depth into projects and inquiries the kids have. It is super great. I love that she is active, creative, and plays! I definitely pick her up dirty and I wouldn't have it any other way. I love that she is hands on and free to create and explore. The parent community is super supportive and down to earth. We are very happy to be a part of this community and are grateful such a child-centric, play-based school exists. read more

Both of my sons attended Barefoot Atelier. One for 3 years and the other for one (we moved out of state). They both had a magical experience. Karen hires the BEST teachers! I was always blown away by the cool and creative things they were doing each day. They get so much time outdoors and room to explore. It's not your typical classroom style preschool which makes it so special. My boys still talk about their time at Barefoot. We miss it! read more

This is the place where children Learn by exploration...develop confidence and independence in a truly magical setting. As an adult, you want to stay all day. The staff is warm and loving and treat the children with respect. Love this school. read more

We started our daughter here in 2016 and it was the BEST decision. IT is in a way a family. The culture and community is warm and inviting. The teachers are very attentive and nurturing to the children. They offer music, yoga days, gardening, the list goes on. Every year there is a family camping trip. I am blown away about the number of horrible reviews people have written and perhaps this was from the early years when they were ironing out the wrinkles but things seem NOTHING like what the other folks have written. I am a full time employee besides being a mom and I am not from a Jewish background. So I have no favortism to this review just grateful that I found Barefoot and so happy that my daughter is so pleased. She loves attending! Also, I found no issue with their communication. There is a web portal where they post pictures of daily activities, newsletters for events and schedules, they put together parents night out, CPR classes, discipline courses, festivals the whole 9 yards. If you were considering Barefoot look at their philosophy, meet Karen, meet the teachers. You and your child will NOT regret it :) read more

Don't bother to waste your time with this place. There is so many wrong things about this school that I don't know where to start. The director is petty vindictive person who will tell you everything and anything as long as you are willing to pay. Usually is something wrong with your child and she is the only person in the world that knows the answer or has the solution. She constantly lies about everything and makes the rules as she goes. She won't work with you at all. If you have some concern she will ignore it, or confront you like you are some kind of an idiot and she knows your child best. She goes to the mode of being extremely friendly or not talking to you at all for days. The only way to communicate with her is through social services what three parents already did. The contract is being interpreted in a different way all the time. Your deposit is a scam that she's running. You will never get it back! The school is not a safe environment. It is very dirty and disorganized. Bathrooms are beyond terrible cleaned once a week only . Outdoor toys are not to be touched. She will have the kids play in the rain or allow water play in the very cold weather and does not bother to change they socks afterwards. Kids are left on their own, no one assist them in the bathroom or anywhere, since the only good teacher is very busy doing art projects. The Reggio approach is just a word.If you study the philosophy you will see that she does not understand how to implement it . It is a play based school. No one works with the kids , they only running around and playing. The school lacks academic structure. Outside areas not safe for playing since the teachers cannot see the kids at all times. Teachers have no teaching experience- they are really nice but they don't make any decision. School is closed 45 work days per year ( 9 weeks) and you have to pay for all those days and plus find the babysitter. The calendar is given to you after you enroll so you don't change your mind. The woman who is running this place is a bully and it is sad that people like her have license to educate children.... I would never recommend this place to anyone. Santa Monica has great schools, look somewhere else. read more

Nice preschool and wonderful kind director. They have nice teachers and plenty of items kids can explore

To be entirely clear: my son attended Barefoot in 2011, I posted this review after we withdrew him but all all reviews mysteriously disappeared. At the time of this review I truly believed that they would probably get their act together with a little experience. It looks like I was wrong. My experiences with another preschool and now with public school have really made me realize that Barefoot's policies are so over the top and the environment is quite negative. I really wanted to like this place. They talk a good talk, they made me think that my son would fit right into a small preschool family. I filled out all paperwork (extensive paperwork incidentally) before his start date and dropped off everything including his shot records, etc... When my husband brought my boy to school on his first day the owner insisted that he fill out all the paperwork again. She had evidently lost everything that I had completed before. I should have known then. From that point on it was endless drama. My son liked it, but never really bonded with the teachers. Every time I picked him up I felt like I was in trouble. It was either that I had the wrong lunch box, the wrong food in the lunch box, the wrong shoes on his feet, the wrong this, the wrong that...everything. They have a web site with an online calendar which is good for absolutely nothing. I showed up on an early pick up day at the time the online calendar indicated only to be told I was 30 minutes late and be charged $30 in late fees. I was told another day not to pack a lunch on an early pick up day only to show up and be reprimanded for not packing a lunch for my son. In short, their communication is terrible. On parent night, they had my son's folder out for display with the wrong name and wrong birthdate (down to the wrong year) on the cover. The owner was in utter dismay that my husband and I thought this was a problem. Another day I had arranged for an early drop off as per their manifesto of school guidelines only to find no one at the school. The owner's husband came running up (who I had never met) and offered to let me into the property and offered to watch my son for me until someone arrived. So my choices were to allow a strange man (never met the guy) to watch my 3 year old, or to be late for work. I chose late for work. Aside from their missteps which are the signs of a new business and an inexperienced staff, they are closed for every, single Jewish holiday. If you are unfamiliar with all the Jewish holidays in early fall, do your homework and figure out if you can take that huge amount of time off from work. They are also expensive considering that they do not provide any kind of lunch program. Other preschools in the area charge less and do more. read more

Truly a special place. So happy and grateful that my family found the school. The amount of patience and thought that goes into their daily efforts is mindblowing. Having lived in West Los Angeles for most of my life, it was awesome to find a learning environment inspired by the eclectic and diverse surroundings. read more

Barefoot Atelier offers your kids to be thoughtful and inspired formula for generating appreciation, happiness, and explore in to your own self and give my son to great foundation of love and compassion and kindness! thank you for making a difference racing compassionate human beings! The teachers here are loving warm and attentive toward all the children,which is important when they are so young. He's getting the one on one attention,as well as becoming socially interactive with kids his age and learning things I would not be able to teach him. Best decision I made for my son. read more

I really wanted to like this place. They talk a good talk, they made me think that my son would fit right into a small preschool family. I filled out all paperwork (extensive paperwork incidentally) before his start date and dropped off everything including his shot records, etc... When my husband brought my boy to school on his first day the owner insisted that he fill out all the paperwork again. She had evidently lost everything that I had completed before. I should have known then. From that point on it was endless drama. My son liked it, but never really bonded with the teachers. Every time I picked him up I felt like I was in trouble. It was either that I had the wrong lunch box, the wrong food in the lunch box, the wrong shoes on his feet, the wrong this, the wrong that...everything. They have a web site with an online calendar which is good for absolutely nothing. I showed up on an early pick up day at the time the online calendar indicated only to be told I was 30 minutes late and be charged $30 in late fees. I was told another day not to pack a lunch on an early pick up day only to show up and be reprimanded for not packing a lunch for my son. In short, their communication is terrible. On parent night, they had my son's folder out for display with the wrong name and wrong birthdate (down to the wrong year) on the cover. The owner was in utter dismay that my husband and I thought this was a problem. Another day I had arranged for an early drop off as per their manifesto of school guidelines only to find no one at the school. The owner's husband came running up (who I had never met) and offered to let me into the property and offered to watch my son for me until someone arrived. So my choices were to allow a strange man (never met the guy) to watch my 3 year old, or to be late for work. I chose late for work. Aside from their missteps which are the signs of a new business and an inexperienced staff, they are closed for every, single Jewish holiday. If you are unfamiliar with all the Jewish holidays in early fall, do your homework and figure out if you can take that huge amount of time off from work. They are also expensive considering that they do not provide any kind of lunch program. Other preschools in the area charge less and do more. read more

My almost 3 year old has attended Barefoot Preschool since September 2011. The director, Karen, and the staff were very supportive during the transition process, as this was the first time my son had not been at home everyday. We were attracted to Barefoot for it's homey and loving atmosphere. The most important thing to us when we looked for a preschool for our son was a school where he could be free to be a child, was loved and cared for, and would learn in a fun way - Barefoot has been all of those things for him. Our son gets excited every morning when we pull up to the school. I am saddened that two others on here had a different experience but I have not experienced any of the negative things mentioned below. I highly encourage you to check it out if you are looking for a small, loving school. read more

I would not recommend this school to anyone, the owner "Karen" is very rude, she always yells at the students and staff. I was a parent of Barefoot Preschool. One day, I dropped my child off and witnessed Karen's interaction with a staff member. It was shocking! When i tried to discuss the interaction with her, she just ignored my concerns. I removed my child immediately from this school and their prices are very expensive, compared to where my child is at now. read more

Our experience with Barefoot was without a doubt the best choice our family could have made. We not only made wonderful friends but truly experienced a sense of community. We are not Jewish and were worried about how that might be an issue, but it was not. There are many students that are not Jewish who attend Barefoot. The teachers and staff were amazing and flexible. They took the time to truly get to know our daughter and help her thrive. When our daughter started she was quiet and introverted but by the time she left she was a confident, extroverted and social little human being. We were only at Barefoot one year and would have stayed longer but had to relocate. Saying goodbye to Barefoot was a very difficult thing for our family because we learned so much about how to be parents in such a safe and excepting community. We will forever be grateful for the opportunity to be involved so intimately with the many wonderful and special events that Barefoot put on. The memories we created during our time at barefoot are forever engrained in our hearts. The magic about Barefoot is that you shape your own experiences and your involvement is a necessary part of that magic. Parents can be as involved as they want to be. We definitely wanted to be involved and although we are both working parents we made it happen and it was worth it. We look forward to the annual Barefoot camping trip which will now include Alumni! read more

My daughter has been a student at Barefoot for 2 years from age 3-5. Barefoot is a vibrant community with a quality cross-section of parents who are drawn to both the Reggio Emilia and Jewish aspects of the school. The environment is filled with intelligent creativity and a unique, DIY style that sets it apart from chain preschools in partiular. We love the annual portfolios created by the teachers that document our daughter's growth throughout the year and the sense of community that is instilled in the kids as well as within all the attending families. This would be a 5 star review, except for the many Jewish holidays when the school is closed. Reviewed by a proud Barefoot parent. read more

Eek i think not ... this school is horrible and the director was very rude (Karen) she says rude things like you are not a good fit for our school! she cant answer any questions on the phone she only wants ppl to come in for a tour,i think their school is dirty kids are not taken care of well over here.it is all about money over here,She said she thinks REVIEWS are way over rated which they are not.I think it is horrible the teachers and the whole association of this school nobody should be talked to like this and disrespected.She says she has international ppl coming and enrolling in their school but i cant and don't believe it because certainly they cannot even communicate well with manners or provide good customer service.This school is a real joke! Don't believe what you read go down to the bottom of the page and read the filtered reviews which are true there's a reason why they are filtered read more

Our son went to Barefoot when he turned two. It is a GREAT place for letting your little one explore and have fun. The culture and all the activities are second to none. Barefoot always is up to something fun and active. When you enter, you can tell it is a place full of life and activities. The only hesitation about a 5 star review is how the ages are not totally separated out all day, so our two year old plays with the five year olds, which seems fine - but at these ages I feel they should be separate as these ages are SO wildly different developmentally and the two year olds can pick up some 'older' kid bad habits. Four and Five year olds play differently and I would recommend keeping them separate. The other recommendation is on administration. It is a full time job to administer a school with 20+ children. I have had experience now with two other schools, and the head of these other schools have a separate administrator who does not teach any classes which is quite amazing to keep the school organized and focused on the individual children's development and progress. None-the-less my son was very happy here and we miss all the activities of Barefoot. read more