I toured eight preschools (maybe more?) and BunnyBears was far and away my first pick. There is so much to like at this school, from the focused and kind leadership of the director, to the Reggio-inspired philosophy, to the diversity of staff and families (which our queer and mixed race family values). We feel like our kiddo has learned a lot about community and herself. There are some downsides, as there are everywhere. I don't love the location, right off a busy road, and there's been some teacher turnover, but the school feels really safe behind gates, with a lovely outdoor play area, and there's been a lot of continuity with other teachers. We're headed to TK soon and are really, really bummed to leave the BunnyBears family, but are so glad for the experience. read more

We've been at BunnyBears for two years, and it's been the best experience for my son. We chose this preschool because we wanted a focus on social emotional development, and a place that allows the kids to play and explore. This school is exactly that - they put so much effort into giving the kids freedom to figure out who they are and explore their interests, all while teaching them how to be good friends and kind little humans. This is not a traditionally structured preschool - you won't find worksheets or desks, but you will find a Reggio style environment that intentionally allows the kids to lead. No school is perfect, but it's clear the teachers are all trying their best to create a safe and open environment for the kids. Teacher Donna, Teacher Linnea, and all the other teachers, have had a huge impact on my son, and we can't thank them enough. We'll miss the sweet little BunnyBears community! read more

BunnyBears has been the greatest experience for our children. Our eldest started at the infant/toddler program and now is about to graduate from the preschool. We have only had the best and positive experiences. The teachers are incredibly kind and patient. The learning is organic and child led. Our children have been so happy. The school truly wants what's best for the kids and they ensure that every child feels loved and welcomed. read more

An absolute gem. The staff are patient, fully engaged, invested in their roles, and passionate about what they're doing. The school environment is richly designed and maintained with various indoor and outdoor Reggio-style stations, where kids can actively choose among activities. Bunny Bears is really a community. Parents are engaged and encouraged to chat with teachers and other parents at dropoff/pickup, and to participate in special events. We miss it!! read more

Wait can I say about this magical place? We enrolled our son when he was two after hearing good things when we moved to La Mesa. He attended MWF all three years, the last overlapping with his 2 year old sister, which was amazing. The atmosphere allows for so much hands on learning and exploration, the groups of kids are all allowed to have time together and apart, and the staff is just all around kind, patient and memorable. We love Bunny Bears and will be sad when our daughter has to say goodbye next year. read more

This preschool is the best thing to happen to my two daughters! We live in the Balboa Park/South Park neighborhood, but we drive our daughters clear across town, WAY out of our normal commute path, so that they can attend Bunny Bears. Yes, it's worth the drive. The head teacher and owner, Egle Athari, is amazing on so many levels. She has a strong background and education in early childhood education, and she has an obvious passion for children and the development of their inner confidence and creative expression. She has a peaceful, welcoming, and very patient demeanor about her that attracts even the most timid kids (I know, one of my girls was afraid of her own shadow when she started, but immediately embraced this school). The preschool is built on the "Reggio Emelia" approach. Google it or Wiki it... it's kind of similar to Waldorf in that it focuses on the whole child, but puts a lot of emphasis on self-guided learning and a sense of community. I LOVE this aspect of the preschool, because my two girls have learned SO MUCH MORE than just the academic foundations like reading and writing. They've learned how to connect to other people in a meaningful way, developing empathy, a love for living creatures, a sense of creative freedom and most importantly, they've developed a sense that they are a very important part of this world. The school is based in a residential home, which I know puts some people off and gives them the sense that this is really just a day care. But from a child's point of view, this is very much a little schoolhouse. The entrance is at the side, and about half (maybe more) of the house has been built out and converted to a full time schoolhouse. Check out the pics on her website to see what I mean. read more

I could not be more pleased with Bunny Bears! After having a wonderful preschool experience with my oldest daughter (in Northern California), I dreaded looking for a new preschool for my youngest daughter when we moved back to San Diego. After touring 4 other area preschools, both large centers and in-home daycare/preschool, I hesitantly went on a tour. When I walked into the preschool, I was fascinated with the layout and the home-like feel. Egle (pronounced Agg-lay) was so kind and passionate about early childhood development. You can clearly see she loves what she does. That said, we set up a few play dates for my daughter and I to visit. What I really appreciated was how much the teachers interacted and played with the children. The majority of the staff are interacting at all times with the children- reading books, playing games, facilitating pretend play scenarios and so on. Typically the teachers instruct and supervise, but not often are teachers at preschools actually playing with the children. That is a definite bonus at Bunny Bears! Having been there almost 7 months, I can say it's the most fabulous preschool our family has experienced! My daughter feels so loved and enjoys going. My husband and I feel completely safe and if our daughter has to be away from us while we work, we wouldn't want her to be anywhere but here. In fact, our oldest daughter has even said on more than one occasion "I wish I went to Bunny Bears when I was younger!" which says a lot, as she LOVED her former preschool, as well. Finally, they send a daily newsletter, usually when the kids are napping. This is such a great gift to get in my inbox every day! It has photos and stories outlining what her class did and how that corresponds to their development/learning. I'd highly recommend visiting Bunny Bears if you are looking for a preschool for your child. read more

Once again Yelp came to the rescue! I visited Bunny Bears at their original location and I was just amazed at the happy and creative environment offered to the kids. I was mostly impressed by the kid's demeanor; all of them having fun in their own way. The school offers so many different activities for the kids to encourage curiosity, exploration and ultimately learning. Teachers Egle, Amy, Laura and Linda are all very gifted. Egle is just a very creative and loving individual with so much to share with the kids. Most importantly, my child comes home happy. I have seen amazing progress in his development in the short time he has been attending Bunny Bears. The new school is beautiful and in a convenient location. The school itself is decorated with so much emphasis on opening the minds of your child to a world of imagination. read more

I am so happy with this preschool! My son is EXTREMELY attached to me and Teacher Egle has been extra accommodating to help him through this time. We were invited to come in for two play dates (where I stayed with him) and I am also able to play or read a book with him before I leave in the morning. Each morning we are still having a tough time and Egle has come up with ideas to help. She is making him a photo book of the day and I am making him a family book to remind him of home! Even with the tough time I receive happy pictures in the daily newsletter that is emailed to all parents and can see how attached my son is to Egle now!! I bring home at least 3 art pieces every day and there are so so many activities for the children to do. I love that when outside, children can choose from the sandbox, chalk, painting, etc and do not have to do what other children are doing. One of the first days I dropped my son off, the other children had found a caterpillar. Instead of telling the children to stay away and being mean or grossed out about a "bug", the teacher put it in a cup and gave the kids magnifying glasses to inspect it! This was when I knew that this was the school for my son. If you are looking for a small, very intimate preschool that connects with each child AND parent, then I highly recommend this school. I could not imagine my son going anywhere else. Also they recently moved to Jackson Drive and there are already some pictures on their website! The new school is gorgeously decorated with Earthy, home made decorations by the students! read more

BunnyBears Preschool - My son loves teacher Egle! Also, they have their very own bunny for the children to admire. - Preschools Near Me - La Mesa, California

Bunny Bears is the best! Our daughter is just starting her third year at Bunny Bears. She had challenges the first year with the drop-off separation, but all the teachers were so patient and kind as we worked through it. Even through those challenges I have always had full confidence in the teachers and the environment. Now, she loves going to school. She has a very active imagination. I love that the school environment at Bunny Bears supports and fosters her imagination. We also love that Bunny Bears is focused on community connection, too. We have made many good family friends through the school. Even my older son, who didn't get to go to Bunny Bears for school, thinks his younger sister's school is "the best." read more

I don't think, in the years I've seen my kids through preschool, and now my grandchildren, I've ever come across a preschool with a more dedicated and creative director and staff. It is populated by the happiest and most thriving children in such an inspired environment. So grateful. read more

We've been with Bunnybears for over 3 years, and tomorrow is my 5 year old's last day. I am sooooo sad and will miss them SO much!! I don't know what I could add to my prior review, except that the past 3 years have been a time of building wonderful friendships, working on incredible projects (led by what the children wanted to work on), beautiful growth both academically and as a whole person, fun and love for my daughter. Who could ask for more from a preschool? We will always cherish our time with Bunnybears and we love you all so much!! read more

We have 3 children that have been a part of Bunny Bears and couldn't be happier with our experience. It has been our children's second home and they truly feel like they are part of the Bunny Bears family. The staff is loving, caring and has fostered a great love of learning in our children. The facility is very clean and comforting. We would recommend Bunny Bears to anyone! read more

Bunny Bears is filled with love, encouragement, comfort, vocabulary, exploration...everything preschool-age kids need! This hidden gem goes far beyond teaching kids abc's and 123's by giving the children time to wonder, explore, and discuss their surroundings. We have treasured every second of our three years at Bunny Bears! read more

Prior to a week before starting BunnyBears, I asked Agle if she would like to have my 2 year old son come in for a playdate a to see how he will adjust in his new environment, (this would be the second time my son is visiting BunnyBears, Agle Met my son already on our initial visit to enroll him). When we arrived for his playdate, my son was overly excited to see all these new toys, kids, rooms it was like Christmas for him this was the same reaction my son had on his initial visit w/Agle. Clearly like any "2 year old boy" he was curious about everything, he is also far from shy and is a very active child and gets very excited around anything that's new to him. I let Agle know that he is not around kids his own age very much, so when it comes to the concept of sharing he doesn't understand it very well. However, I am working on these skills with him at home and hopefully in this environment interacting with children his own age he will learn these skills and adapt to the routine and structure in your class, but he is 2yrs old it will take time, (on our initial visit I had told her the above as will and Agle did not express any concern); Any instructor running a daycare facility should have enough commonsense to know this... During the play date It seemed to me that Agle only wants to care for 2yr old children who are not curious, listens on demand, automatically plays well with other 2yr olds, children who don't run around a playground and should only be told once water toys are only played in the water area, sand toys are played in the sand area, painting is only in the painting area and should not have to be told twice what toy is played in what area. (2yr olds don't know this until you teach them this concept/structure and they will learn through routine). After an hour play date Agle came to the conclusion that my son needs 1:1 from an adult at all times, and the child to teacher ratio will not work out for my son to be at BunnyBears. Due to my son's initial excitement in this new environment, does not quite understand the concept of sharing nor understanding that certain toys are only to be played in the specific areas they are located at he will not listen on the first command this makes for my 2yr. old needing "special 1:1 adult attention" at all times. Parents if you want your child in a loving, carrying childcare program where they are able to express their curiosity, be taught the concept of sharing, develop and progress on these skills you will not find this from Agle at BennyBears. Agle gave me the impression that she expects your 2yr old child to have these skills prior to enrollment otherwise, he advice is "you should find a small at home childcare". read more

I have now had 2 children attend Bunny Bears Preschool with my youngest child soon to graduate. Where do I even begin to describe what a positive experience my sons and our family has had at Bunny Bears. I wish all of their educational experience could be like this. We have called Bunny Bears our second home for over 5 years. It truly felt like that. The owner and all teachers do all they can to make the preschool process collaborative. If you can volunteer for art, or read at story time, or bring in fresh fruit from your tree YOU CAN and feel welcome doing it. If you are a busy working mom and you can not do those things you never feel pressured or judged. You have opportunities to meet with other parents and teachers/staff, to discuss tough concepts that may present themselves in a preschool setting. The teachers are there to guide the process, relying on the Reggio philosophy to come to common agreements of approaching the behavior or issues. You can also just share food and chatter with the families of Bunny Bears on a special after school event. There you can get to know the mom of your child's best friend or her favorite teacher who helps them nap. These are the feelings that really make it a special community. You and your child will be connected to their preschool. After all- there is your framed family picture on the bookshelf, this is the couch dad always reads my morning story to me before he says good bye and to work. Is everything always handled exactly as I want? All the time? No. But we all respect each other. We listen. My child is listened to. He is spoken to the way I wish I could speak to my child all the time. He gets to play with all the "stuff" that makes way too much of a mess at home. He learns about recycling, growing vegetables, and caring for the school Bunny. He is asked open ended questions. He is encouraged. They explain things to him when he asks. He loves going to school. He is happy. So am I. read more

I should start off stating that I was a photo journalist when my children were getting to the preschool age and I did a story on "How to Choose a Preschool." After interviewing 12 other schools, hands down Bunny Bears was the best that I found. Egle, the owner of Bunny Bears is a person who is meant to shape young people's lives. She is incredible. She has a spark in her eye and takes the education of children very seriously and is always doing neat projects for and with the children. It is a small intimate school with 3 teachers for the 12 children she teaches there. She sends a daily email with pictures of your children explaining what the school that day and how it fits into the developmental blocks of the children attending. It is also VERY well priced. I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND this school to any parent. read more

Egle and all the other teachers at Bunny Bears are so Awesome. Our 3.5 year old son has been going there since he was 2 years old. We love it there and our 1.5 year old daughter will be going there when she turns 2. We looked at other places before going here and Bunny Bears is by the best place. Super clean enviornment, friendly staff! read more

We were on the wait list for several months before a spot opened for my son who was 2 years old at the time. We couldn't wait for child care so started him at another La Mesa preschool while we waited. I quickly learned that a good school is worth the wait. We have been at BB's for 3 years now and my youngest just started. There is no comparison from that 1st school to Bunny Bears. I was new to this whole preschool thing and so didn't know what to expect, but Bunny Bears quickly raised the bar! I love that it is a small school and my kids get total attention due to the smaller class sizes. If a teacher calls in sick, the Director, Egle, steps in and subs. That's huge! No random subs floating in and out. Snack time is the cutest because they all use these tiny real glass cups. BB's trusts the children and teaches them that responsibility. They all clean up after themselves and stack the tiny glassware for washing. I can't get my kids to nap at home, but somehow BB's manages to everyday! Amazing! They have Bunny Rabbit pets for the children to observe, feed and take care of. Even petting is allowed on closely supervised occasion. BB's also brings in extra activities for the students, like dance class and soccer shots. My 5 year old is in the oldest class now, the Dragonflies, and they really step it up there in the way of prepping them for Kinder. It is like a real elementary class there with structure and lengthy projects and exploration. All done with the Reggio Emilia Approach (So Fun, Play inspired learning, which I love!!)They do field trips and they even do official teacher conferences in this older class! So you get to sit down with the teacher one and one and really hear about your child's progress and how the teacher sees them making the huge transition into Kinder. The level of care here is just incredible and we feel so lucky to have gotten a spot!! read more

I spend 7 years as a school psychologist for a preschool program, which allowed me to spend much time observing many students in a variety of preschool programs. As you might imagine I ended up forming a very strong opinion of the type of preschool program I expected for my own child. I searched East County for a preschool program that would not only provide a loving environment for my daughter, but would promote learning through play and child interest. I was not interested in worksheets or just repeating information that she has heard repeatedly rather than truly understanding. I wanted a school that would focus on highlighting social interaction with peers and encourage independence. It was important for my daughter to be in a program that would facilitate her creativity. I wanted her to learn how to think for herself, think outside the box, and become an independent problem solver. These things are not easily found in preschool programs, but I managed to find what I was looking for at BunnyBears. The teachers are kind and knowledgeable, finding an opportunity for social and pre-academic learning in everything they do. The first activity my daughter participated in was creating an art project related to a book they read, This activity reinforced and solidified the understanding of the book as well as established a fun positive experience with literature. This is a simple example and is only the tip of the iceberg, but illustrates how learning can be fun and creativity developed. I can't recommend this preschool highly enough. read more

We love love love Bunny Bears - the leadership, the amazing staff, the facility, and the community and friendships they work to develop and grow. Egle and Amy are both wonderful. My son attended Bunny Bears for 3 years and my daughter is now in her second year there, and every teacher has been wonderful. We always tell people what a special place it is and how lucky we feel to have gotten a spot there. Drop offs were initially hard for both of my children (and mom!) and the staff always did their best to make our kids feel safe and loved. They have a "goodbye" window, will hold my kids and read them books, help them wave, or show them pictures of their family, which are intentionally all over the walls and available in picture books. My children quickly learned that BB was a safe and loving place - like a second home - and it later became hard to get them to leave! They miss it when they can't go, and they always talk about how much they love their teachers. The staff does not put pressure on potty training and instead work with children and families at their pace. The space is beautiful, clean, inviting,encourages self-directed play, and the teachers work hard to listen to children's interest and build the learning experiences around that. They celebrate every birthday by cooking together and creating special cards for the birthday boy/girl - so sweet! My son's social and communication skills were strengthened through the patience and guidance of this community, for which I am very grateful. They hold many special events to recognize holidays or special occasions, which further build the community and show how above and beyond they go. As a family with two working parents, I can't tell you how much relief and joy it brought me to know that my children were in the loving care of Bunny Bears while we had to be away at work. read more

Our daughter was 2 and went to a preschool nearby. Every morning drop off was tears, every afternoon pickup was the happiest moment of her life. After a couple of months of this we toured BunnyBears when it was still at Egle's home. Two minutes after walking in the door our daughter was at the easel creating the first of oh so many masterpieces that she would bring home in the two years that followed. Her brother who is only eight months now will go to this preschool, we wouldn't have it any other way. The dedication of the teachers, the caring, welcoming, creative environment at BunnyBears make us confident our kids will have fun growing up with their friends while learning to deal with small issues and getting ready for kindergarden. Even though we live and work on the other side of the county, the extra commute time is worth it! Please note that any internet map service does not show the renovations to the building at 5358 Jackson Drive, so if you are a prospective parent it is best to drive by and take a look. read more

Bunny Bears is an environment so creative and engaging that it empowers your child with such a playful and resourceful way of seeing the world around them. Egle, the owner and head teacher understands how vital these early years are and uses every opportunity to utilize simple moments of play and transform them into profound building blocks for learning. We drove from Clairemont to give our 2 year old at the time, this creative and loving environment of play and exploration. This place will prepare your child to be a resourceful and out of the box thinker. read more