We have had a great experience with St. Davids. Our daughter started shortly after she was 2 years…read moreold and she has absolutely loved it. They have time to learn, play outside and make new friends. The teachers, Jamie, Zynthia and Kendra have been fantastic - my daughter absolutely loves them. We look forward to sending our son early next year. Great community, great parents and great teachers - would highly recommend!

This is a fantastic Preschool with teachers that love and care for all of the children. We are so…read morehappy with our experience over the past year and look forward to when our 2nd child will be able to enroll. Karen is a great Director and Mayra and Zyntia have been amazing main-teachers for our son, however, EVERY teacher treats all of the children as their own. St. David's is a loving community that we are blessed to be a part of.

La Jolla Village Montessori School is the best preschool in San Diego, providing a caring,…read morenurturing and supportive environment for both children and their families. Our daughter has never attended daycare before, so starting preschool was a big transition for all of us. We are especially grateful to Ms. Joanne, whose kindness, patience, and support made the adjustment process so much easier and helped ease our worries. She is one of the nicest people I've ever met. Ms. Marily and the staff are exceptional, creating a warm and welcoming atmosphere from day one. We highly recommend this preschool to any family looking for a loving and supportive place for their child to learn and grow.

After spending six years at La Jolla Village Montessori with both of our children completing the…read morefull three year Montessori program, I can honestly say we couldn't have asked for a better preschool experience. Miss Joanne and the entire staff are exceptional. They genuinely care about every child and have built a warm, nurturing environment where kids are encouraged to become confident, independent, and curious learners. The staff is kind, patient, and dedicated, and it was clear every day that our children were truly known and cared for. One of the things we appreciated most was the small school atmosphere. It feels like a community, and that personal attention made a huge difference for our family. Most importantly, both of our kids entered kindergarten well prepared; not just academically, but socially and emotionally as well. Looking back, we're convinced that their time at La Jolla Village Montessori gave them an incredible foundation for success. We're grateful for the six years we spent there and highly recommend La Jolla Village Montessori to any family looking for an outstanding Montessori preschool.

We have been at a handful of daycares and preschools due to moving for work, and CVM is such a…read moregem! They provide such gentle care, great structure, and have taught our son incredible things like the continents, planets, how to do practical things like get dressed and clean up. To this day he is so attached to his first teacher, Ms. Heena. Everytime we come for pickup we witness the strong attachment the kids have to their teachers, going to them for comfort and hugs. We have also made wonderful parent friends because of CVM.

My daughter attended Carmel Valley Montessori School. My wife is Stella S. This review supplements…read morehers of 3/11/2011. This review gives our assessment of the CVMS program, and Lynne Benedict's and Lisa Kaufman's performance in their respective roles as school administrator and teacher for our daughter. With this review, the reader will be able to judge whether their experience will be like Kate M.'s daughter's or mine. Given its posting date, the review looks like it was written at Ms. Kaufman's request about her class two years ago. Please message me for more details. Academic Development - CVMS did not use classic Montessori approaches with our daughter. Academic baseline was not set. Teaching priorities were not set. Progress was not tracked or communicated to parents. Music and art classes - though promised - were not delivered for the bulk of the year. It's worth asking what the hefty Materials Fee buys. Ms. Kaufman was unwilling to change her teaching approach for our daughter even after we asked that she do so. Ms. Benedict would not let us talk to Ms. Kaufman directly. Ms. Benedict said that our assessment of our daughter's level was wrong, and that she had seen Ms. Kaufman work 1-on-1 with our daughter "a lot". Ms. Kaufman's report for my wife's conference with her was filled with vague generalities. When we compared our daughter's report with those of other students in the class, they were interchangeable. In her interactions with our daughter, Ms. Kaufman lacked commitment and competence as a teacher. Ms. Kaufman did not interact with my daughter for almost two months prior to the parent conference with my wife (though Ms. Benedict said otherwise). She could not have had an up-to-date picture of our daughter's progress. [NOTE: Ms. Kaufman was out December 13-17. CVMS closed for the holidays through January 3. Ms. Kaufman was out the weeks of January 3-7, 10-14, 17-21, and part of 24-28. Ms. Benedict did not communicate the fact of a teacher's extended absence from the class until after weeks had passed, and only in response to questions from parents. This is normal.] Ms. Kaufman did not provide regular communications regarding her students' activities. When we received the 2nd of the school year in March, it was rife with errors ("loose" instead of "lose", poor grammar, etc.). Ms. Kaufman responded defensively to our feedback. She avoided my wife during morning drop off when my wife wanted to discuss our daughter's academics. She did not teach our daughter to read and write in a different (accelerated) way. She claimed to spend 1-on-1 time with my daughter when she could not have (23 other kids in her class, weeks not teaching), and when my daughter said she didn't. She punished my daughter after we criticized her. During my daughter's Special Week, Ms. Kaufman did not wish her Happy Birthday. She was cold and unwelcoming toward her during the morning line-up (witnessed by our nanny), then told Robo Feldman, the Boys and Girls Club director, that she was "over-the-top" in welcoming my daughter. Her assistant told our nanny that our daughter looked "bewildered" within her earshot (who knows the meaning of the word). Social Development - Ms. Kaufman has poor control of her students. This is partly due to class size, but she does not know how to control a certain problem student in the class (Child D). Child D has hit and pushed my daughter, but Ms. Kaufman did not keep Child D from my daughter. Ms. Kaufman seems to spend more time with certain students than others. Child D appears to be coddled. One of her students is the daughter of another teacher at CVMS and in my limited observation appeared to used to different, more individualized treatment. Our daughter had a fall on the playground resulting in a fat lip and skinned knee. Neither Ms. Kaufman nor her assistant noticed our daughter's injury during half a day of school. There was no injury report. After my wife complained to Mr. Feldman, Ms. Kaufman and Ms. Benedict filed reports for meaningless non-injuries. My daughter has been enrolled in Del Mar Heights Montessori School, where the teacher has PhDs in Education and Psychology. If you are more interested in day care with a side of academics, Kids Bay in Pacific Highlands Ranch is a great alternative. Charlie S.

This school was recommended by my pediatrician and my daughter attended this school for just over…read moretwo years during the height of the Covid pandemic. My child has experienced three different daycare environments - a traditional daycare as an infant, Montessori, and this school which draws from numerous pedagogical approaches for early childhood education. Although I liked the Montessori school she attended, my child was never lit up at the end of the day. Children should love school, if not it's not the right fit. By contrast, this school was a great fit for her. We were very lucky to have provided my child with the opportunity to attend this play-focused school and are sad to be moving on. It was very clear that my child was well loved at the school, as are all of the children. All of the teachers know all of the children's names, they know who the kids best friends are, and they are warm and welcoming. I loved that my child got to experience cooking, baking, gardening, and music on a regular if not daily basis, in addition to pretend play, blocks, art, and outdoor activities. They are read to throughout the day. I appreciated the balance between group activities and free play. I also loved that the teachers took pictures of the children throughout the week so I could see what they were doing. The school is also very diverse for the area, both staff and students. In the past few months the Covid protocols changed so parents could come inside the school for drop off and pick up. If you get to school around 8:45 parents could listen to the morning song (but I was perpetually late and missed it). Regardless of when I appeared at the school I would hear laughter and children engaged in fun activities. I never once experienced chaos or a teacher in a sour mood. The most common parent complaints are parking can be somewhat of a challenge depending on timing, and they aren't pushing academics hard. Neither of those issues were a major concern for me. I recommend this school without reservation.

The best preschool I could wish for my daughter. Lovely and caring staff. Always greeting you with…read morea smile and interacting with kids and being engaging.

Both of my children have attended this school and I can only say wonderful things about the school,…read morethe facilities, the administrators, and especially the teachers. The Spanish immersion program is at no extra cost and my daughter started kindergarten fluent in two languages able to hold conversations in Spanish with complete strangers the same as she could in English. I have never doubted for a second that my children will be safe and loved when they walk through the gates each morning. They use an app where we get updates with information and pictures every day of what the children are learning and working on in class. I didn't realize how spoiled we were until my older child went to kindergarten and we realized that we had to ask at dinner each day what she had done and often were faced with a shrug in response instead of a detailed breakdown. I cannot recommend any early childhood experience more than this one! Two of our best friends have now sent all of their friends to the JCC as well and we are all so happy to get to attend family events together. We will be so sad when we are all too old to attend this school because it truly has been a home to our family for 4 years and counting!

We love this preschool. My oldest already graduated and I'm about to put my third kid in here. I…read morewill be so sad when he has to leave this school. The staff feels like family, the kids love them. Every teacher I've met is very nice to us and to the children. We also like the diversity; we have made some really good friends in here. It's very easy to communicate with the teachers/staff, they're very accessible and flexible with schedules which is a plus. I've never doubt their capacity to take care of my children and teach them good values. The facilities are well kept, my kids love the playgrounds there and the toys they have. I recommend this school 10/10!

Highly recommended! It will be the fourth year for my kids at this school. They have really good…read moreteachers! knowing that you bring your kids every morning to a class with good, patient and educating teachers really makes me feel calm and happy. Also if you have any question or anything you want to discuss, the principal door is always open. I have only good experience with the school and their staff.

I can't say enough about how grateful we are as a family to have found Soille. We searched for…read moreyears to find the right preschool for our kids, and from the first encounter, we knew we had found what we'd been looking for. All of the staff, and the community of families makes for an incredibly warm, and inviting community. Our kids are surrounded with love and care, and the education and supervision is incomparable. They do their utmost to ensure that as parents, we are involved and aware of the ongoings with the school and our kids. And that we are comfortable with every step in their education and experiences. I grew up in San Diego, in a reform household, and my wife is Israeli, and the community feels very pluralistic and inclusive. I believe that a family practicing any level of religiosity would be comfortable. I can't recommend the school more strongly.

My 3 boys attended NDA after the. Poway School District failed us, not just once, but 3 times over…read morethe course of 3 yrs. Once we were at NDA, the kids thrived. It was the best move ever. They attended NDA, finished through 8th grade and went right into Cathedral Catholic High School which was even more amazing. There were small classes, individualized instruction for some learning issues, and the classmates all grew up together. As 2 of the 3 kids had reading problems (dyslexia) their classmates were so supportive and encouraging when outside of NDA everyone was critical of these disabilities. I loved this school and the Catholic approach to education and life. I felt as if I failed as a Catholic mom, busy with life and work. But, when I fell short, NDA helped me raise them in the faith. I am so grateful. Now, as 20 something kids, they are amazing young men who are kind, responsible and who do the right thing for the right reasons.

Notre Dame Academy has been a fabulous school for our children (preschool & elementary). We have…read morefantastic administrators, compassionate teachers, a wonderful Christian Catholic environment, and a multitude of special subjects and after school /extra curricular programs. In addition to standard subjects, NDA offers lower grade students language (French and Spanish), performing arts, music, visual arts, and PE. We feel So thankful to send our children to NDA.

My husband and I are in the military and enrolled our three daughters in Saint Paul's Lutheran…read moreschool after attending the local public school. We desired a small focused experience with dedicated teachers and faith base curriculum. What we got far exceeded our expectations, the teachers are so caring, creative, and focused on our child's individual needs. Each of my daughters is thriving in her class and is known by all teachers and staff. The academics are rigorous, but the teachers presented them in a way that keeps the kids engaged. They come home knowing far more than I would have ever hoped for, both in traditional academics and in faith curriculum. The school is not afraid of new technology and leverages AI and group learning approaches that would not be possible in a larger school. My children have been benefited greatly from this approach. One of the most important aspects for me is that the school does not tolerate isolating or bullying behavior. My fourth grader was distracted in her public school experience by 'mean girls' but at St Paul's, she is friends with each girl in her class and has often commented on how grateful she is to have no cliques or strife. This is so rare and is a testament to the hard work of the teachers and staff. Being members of the St. Paul's school community has increased my husband's and my faith as well. On a hard days, the staff has taken time to walk with us or pray. On great days they celebrate with us. We feel like we belong here as well, not just our children. Highly recommended on every front.

As an educator and public school administrator, I have high expectations for what meaningful,…read morehigh-quality learning should look like and I am truly impressed by what I see in the Preschool classes at St. Paul's Lutheran. Even at just three years old, my child is being exposed to a level of intentional instruction and thoughtful rigor that is exceptional. Having daily insight into TK through eighth-grade public school classrooms, I can confidently say that the program at St. Paul's stands out for its depth, purpose, and impact. What makes St. Paul's especially remarkable is its ability to balance strong academics with rich, play-based learning experiences that foster curiosity, creativity, and independence. Just as importantly, the faith-based foundation woven throughout the day is something truly special. My child is not only growing academically, but also developing character, compassion, and a sense of belonging. The combination of these elements creates an environment that is truly second to none.