I LOVE this school. My daughter has been going here for a year and has blossomed. She is 4 and is learning to read and write from the head of the school who is a doctor of child development. The teachers are professional, sincere, and dedicated. They feel like family. My daughter has grown socially, emotionally, and intellectually. She gets to play with animals and learns to be kind to them, she gets to play in grass and dirt, she gets to climb trees, and there is no TV/smart devices. Plus, the teachers cook delicious and nutritious meals everyday for the kids. This is NOT the school for parents who want an institutional, shiny new, cookie-cutter school experience for their kid. If you value a nature environment with one on one teaching, this is your school. read more

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My kids, 4 and 2, enjoy and love being here!! If you are looking for a place where your child cam debelop social skills while they run and play, this is the right place! I love seeing them getting dirts all over their cloths and faces telling me that they are really having fun in the nature. If you are looking for a pre-school that focuses only on studying like a real school, this is not your place. read more

Children's Country House - I love my kids are having fun everyday in a house with lots of history. - Child Care & Day Care Near Me - Altadena, California

My 3 year old son has been attending here for less than a year and absolutely loves it. The teachers are kind, caring, and experienced. Breakfast and lunch are provided and there is alot of playtime and activities. He comes home dirty and happy everyday from running and climbing with his pals. There is a garden, a bunny, two goats, and a one-eyed pony that the children help take care of. Highly recommended! read more

My kid attended CCH for less than six months. The reason we removed him was ultimately there is a huge lack of supervision, potentially hazardous practices, and bad or no documentation. Being from the city I was excited to give my son a place to run and play. The center's lot is big but the toys are broken and the kids lack supervision. So a positive thing is really a negative. The center has a pony but the stall is smelly and lacks regular cleaning. A positive that is really a negative. The director is near the end of her career, she is tired and we could tell within several weeks. She was always late with paperwork or receipts. Everything in the house is run down. There is a stair well with baby door but the door is broken. There was one kid who had lice and instead of notifying the other parents, we found out through another parents. The director stated, "it happens, they are kids". Again she is tired and needs to retire. Lastly, the director has some kind of weird living arrangement with one of the teachers who lives upstairs in exchange for housing... We did not want to dig deeper. I was happy to move my kid to better maintained center with young teachers with amble space. Thank you for reading. read more

We have 2 kids, 6-year-old son and 4-year-old daughter. My son used to attend here before Kinder and my daughter has been here since she was 2yrs. Actually, we took them several place before here, but we found out this is the place they want to be. As someone mentioned, they are leaning through playing in nature and it is a real contry house in town. My son & daughter just love this Country House and animals here. We thank all teachers for their loving care. read more

Children's Country House - New family bunny... - Child Care & Day Care Near Me - Altadena, California

First time my son was attending Children Country House for 3 month in Summer 2014. He was 3 years old diagnosed with autism. The director of the school, Debera was aware of that and she kindly accepted him saying she already has an experience with this type of kids. The problem with my son - he has speech delay, doesn't usually participate in group play, has hard time paying attention to the teacher and might be aggressive to other kids if they bother him. During the school year he attends special education class in Webster Elementary public school. That summer time in 2014 went so well, so we decided to return to this school for another summer in 2015. This time Debera asked me to pay registration fee $125 again, although she promised in 2004 not to do it if we return. She was not able to find our file and asked me to do paperwork again. We agreed that he will be attending from June 8th to August 18th. No copy of agreement I received. I was paying monthly full time $895 for two months. On July 30th I asked to give me total for the August (I estimated for myself about $230 - from August 9th to 14th - decided to cut the time for Monday 17th and Tuesday 18th). Already in August I got a surprise note from Debera, saying that she had been hiring a special person for my son in order to put him for the nap and want to charge me extra $250 for the time he already spent plus half of the month (she forgot I was paying since 8th day). Nobody told me about "special person" hired for naps and always when i asked how was he during the day - both teachers (Rebecca and Nancy) were saying, he is fine never going to details. I was frustrated, called Debera, we had a conversation, she was apologizing that she forgot to tell me about "extra" care and eventually decided to pay that "extra" because it I needed that one more week to keep my son in his school and didn't was to disappoint Debera. Once I brought a check for $478.75 ($250 extra care and $228.75 for one week of August 10th to 14th) a few days later on August 8th, she gave me another notice, saying that my son was such a trouble so she (instead of calling me again) paid $50 to one more person to watch for him! I was upset and said I was picking him up last time and never return, asked to return my money for the week of August (it was August 8th) and she said I owe her even more. I politely reminded her about all my payments and amounts and asked to look more carefully and left. Than I was calling her 2 times every other day to remind to look into my payments, eventually she agreed to send me a check by mail but didn't say the total. I hoped it should be at least $200. On August 22th eventually I got a letter from Children Country House with words "during the summer I (Debera) spent about $400 of my own money to hire people to help with him (my son). We don't refund money when people take their children out of school". How come it is $400 already? Why she never told me before hiring extra persons? I feel hoodwinked. I doubting all her words, there is no evidence of third persons hired into school for that purpose (my friend's son also a student there, she picks up her son earlier and she never saw anybody besides regular teachers watching for my son). Also no reports were from school that my son "socked two teachers and bit two kids", I was informed about that in the last letter, written on August 15th. Besides that, ones in July he returned with a huge bump on his forehead, no report was about it and no teacher saw what had happened, another time with deep bloody scratch on his leg - again no report and no witnesses. I'm very unhappy with my experience in Children Country House, I would not recommend anybody to have business with their director Debera. read more

The Children's Country House has been the blessed Haven me and my two year old son have been looking for. Let me explain: my son has been going to daycare ever since he is 6 months old. He was fine at the other daycare, a faceless institution with policies and paperwork, until he turned two and moved to another classroom. Even though he knew all the teachers and had known his classmates for quite a while, he started crying and was clingy every single day I left him there. This was a very unusual behavior for him since my son is very outgoing and loved going to school. In the entire time that we went to the other school we did not make a single friend who we talked to outside of daycare, and my son and I, we both make friends easily. Also, he came home almost every day with an incident report. I told the teachers that they needed to keep an eye on him but they didn't seem to care. Note: I am talking about the daycare with one of the highest student-teacher ratio in the city of Pasadena! They just continued to follow the policies, whatever they were. They didn't care. Ever since my son goes to Children's Country House, our lives have been turned around. The crying stopped after day 2, he actually looks forward to going to the place where they have the bunnies, ducks and the pony. And when I pick him up in the evening, he wants to come home and tells me about his day at school. He rarely has any incident and I feel that the teachers here actually take his issues to heart and really pay attention, they don't just say so. Not like in the other schools, where they are drowning in policies and don't see a child crying if it's standing in front of them. I have a happy child again, and we are starting to make some new friends. Facts speak more than words. read more

Children's Country House is such a great place for children! Learning through play and a huge playground. My Daughter loved coming to CCH and still 1 year later asks to go up there and see Ms Debbie and Ms Becca. The children get the chance to interact with animals and be in nature everyday. The events and get togethers remind me of the "good ole days". Sitting down with other families eating thanksgiving food during the holidays are memories only made at CCH! My son will be 2 soon and I can't wait for him to start his adventures at CCH! read more

My review is based on a tour, and I just felt compelled to rebut the reviews here on yelp. I thought the staff was kind, patient, informative, and well educated. I think that the house is definitely run down, but is so because of kids playing and creating. The tuition cost is low because they clearly aren't trying to keep up the the competitive top tier preschools of LA with shiny "this" and brand new "that". I thought that the grounds were beautiful and well suited for the children to run and play. The animals, which are rescues, appear to be well cared for and are friendly with small hands. The projects are play based, the food is healthy, and overall the kids appear to be quite happy. While it does have room for improvement, I don't believe the school, it's director, or staff, deserve the harsh reviews here. Check it out for yourself. read more

My son started here in September when he turned 2. I looked at a few different places but this place fit for our family. This place is filled with such love. The children are so happy and my son loves going to school! Debbie and all the staff truly care about our kids and I know my son is well taken care of. He is free to learn and explore and be safe and secure at the same time. To see Debbie sit on a chair with children reading books is a place my kiddo should be! Thanks Country House for being an important part of my boy's life! read more

Our daycare in Pasadena (Altadena). Due to the move we have to switch our daycare that we grew to love so much. The least I can do is to leave a review so maybe some other kiddos will get so lucky to be a part of it. AFFORDABLE (Prices in 2017: $375-$895) One of the least expensive daycares in Pasadena. Trust me, I've looked. It's "one of the best kept secrets" in the area - very few people know about it, so it is pretty much recommendation based. A PONY, 3 GOATS, a BUNNY and a DUCK! It's like a little farm! Children can feed and pet the animals and on occasions even ride a pony! (It's a nice bonus. It doesn't happen often but when it does, parents must agree to it first, children are under strict supervision, and they wear helmets lol). BIG PLAYGROUND Spacious and Green backyard with swings, slides, scooters, cars, tricycles and trees. It is located on a very quite little street in Altadena. TEACHERS The teachers here are the best. They are honest and cool. I feel their genuine nature towards kids and parents. Here is a little story. My daughter got expelled from the fancy and way more expensive Montessori San Marino pre-school at age of 2y8mo. I was told i needed to hire an additional person to shadow her while she is in the daycare! What?! What am I paying you for? In Children's Country House never have I ever heard teachers complain about her behavior. And I know she requires a lot of attention. Maybe a little more than others. Teachers just did their job. In 8 months of being in Montessori San Marino she learned 2 words: "look" and "bye". Only 1 week in Children's Country House - and my daughter was counting to 10! Her english has improved quickly and drastically. Teachers here speak clear english to children. They discuss with kids every little thing: whatever toy they bring in the morning, whatever patterns and colors they are wearing that day, whatever activity they choose to do while playing outside. The best part is that I feel like the teachers are genially interested in communicating with children. A good teacher is a calling from birth. And they are Very good. -Ms Debi (nice lady and simply the boss, opened this daycare in 1975), -Ms Rebecca (she runs the place and personally my child's favorite, forever. She's also the chef, makes breakfast and lunch for children. I got to appreciate her delicious cooking during Thanksgiving, Halloween and Christmas dinners at the daycare). She teaches the youngest group 2-3yo), -Ms April (well-spoken, with soft energy that calms me down no matter how hyper I feel that day lol. She teaches middle group, 3-4yo) -Ms Nancy (always sweet and positive, no matter what happens in life. She teaches the oldest group), -Ms Maricela (always fun and awesome to talk to! After hours teacher). My daughter is always excited to go to her daycare and takes a long time to be ready to leave in the evenings. This worth more than a thousand words. Children's Country House 7am-6:30pm (Part-Time, Full-Time) 2821 Santa Rosa Avenue, Altadena, CA (626) 798-8083 read more

*My child is not enrolled here. This is based on my tour and interview* I had high hopes for the preschool since it sounded perfect: a lot of outdoor activities, free play, gardening, animals...sounds great right? I pull up and am immediately shocked at how bad the house/preschool looks. To welcome guests, on the entry gate, there's a sign that said TUITION DUE! I walk into the yard, a dirt yard, and go to the front door. IT. IS. BAD. The house was a mess, it looked like it hadn't been maintained - ever. Toys were old, broken, and just looked dirty. I met with the director and asked about a typical day in the life of a preschooler but she couldn't answer it. She seemed to beat around the bush by saying that things change and that they have options. A few minutes later I rephrased it and she again didn't answer. This time she said that if I was looking for an academic program that this wasn't it. Wow. I was shocked that asking for just an example of what the kids do on a typical day meant that I was geared towards academic. Again, I did not enroll my kid here. But, the tour and interview itself was a mess so there was no way I could bring myself to enroll my kid here. If the first reviewer had success as this preschool, that's great. I just couldn't get past the condition the school was in. read more

My child attended country house for a short time only because my child's former school shut down. Although I had my reservations, due to the overall lack of cleanliness and several old looking, broken toys, I signed my child up. I fully regret that decision now. The director seems friendly and open, but from what I saw, this was just a front she puts on to make sure that people sign their children up. On more than one occasion, I picked my child up unexpectedly and the director was yelling loudly at the children. She had no idea I was there and maybe didn't realize I heard her because as soon as she saw me, she was back to her "friendly" self. In addition, although I thought the idea of having animals at the school was so wonderful, it turned out to be awful. The animals are very neglected and stink badly. They have three goats, one pony, 2 ducks, and a rabbit. Although the ducks and rabbit seem ok (except the rabbit cage is filthy and poop is all over the ground where the kids can pick it up), the goats and pony seem very neglected. Their pens are really dirty and the pony looks depressed over all. Another huge problem I had with the school is that there are no accident reports. My child repeatedly came home with scrapes, bruises, bites, and scratches. I understand that children fall and get hurt, but why no accident reports? These things should be documented! When I would ask the director about these things, she would never know what happened and had to ask teachers and usually they didn't know either. Did they not see what happened? Did they not have enough teachers around? Which leads me to another problem. Not enough teachers!!! I felt that my child was unsafe because there were never enough teachers compared to children, in my opinion. Lastly, all children are together in one yard. That means that big 4 and 5 year olds are with children that look like they not even 2 yet. That would be ok, I guess, except that several of the bigger kids there are aggressive. Dropping off my child, I have heard bad words and seen intimidation from these children towards other children. Being that my child is pretty quiet, this really worried me. Needless to say, my child is no longer attending CCH and I wouldn't recommend this school at al. If I could give this school less than one star I would. read more

This place is different from most other mainstream American city places. If you are willing to see through the appearances, your kid can be happy here. Most things are outdated here but my kid is welcome and he feels it. When they say hello in the morning, it's not fake. Other kids also say hello to my kid, which didn't happen in some other places. You may think going to the most expensive place you get the best care overall, but it's just not that simple. You can't buy genuine caring. read more

Children's Country house was an awesome start to my children's education. They are now in a 2nd grade gifted program. I credit this school because it gave my children a relaxed therapeutic environment to learn and just be kids. My daughter left the school with the aspiration of being a teacher and still talks about being a teacher to this day. My children were encouraged to play as a way of learning and had a very large outdoor play yard that exposed my children to nature, not "asphalt and plastic" like the typical preschool of today. There are even rescued animals on the edges of the play yard: goats, pony, ducks, and rabbit which my children had the opportunity to feed and pet and 'pony ride'. It was a blessing to pick up my children from school and see happy children who always looked forward to going back. I highly look forward to sending my youngest child here soon as she approaches her 2nd birthday. read more

My daughter attends Children's Country House for the 6th month now (since last spring). We love the place! The teachers are kind and caring. Rebecca works with 2-3 y.o. She is so creative! She is full of ideas for projects. Once a summer they have a party with BBQ and pony rides. Kids spend lots of time outside. There is a large yard with a sandbox, regular swings, a tire swing, slides, climbing structures, all sorts of cars, scooters, ride-ons, and bikes. Yes, they have animals - a bunny, a pony, goats, and ducks. Kids can pet and feed them. Kids are happy there. I never saw anybody crying in the morning or something like that. They have freedom to run and play and explore. When I pick up my daughter right before nap time, I always see the same scene. Debbie, the director, is reading books to kids, and they are sitting on her laps, on the chair arms, all around her. It's a warm and caring atmosphere. Some kids read books on their own. By the way, if your kid stays for a nap, you don't have to worry about sheets and stuff, they provide them and wash them. They potty train kids. And they also cook healthy food for kids, you don't have to worry about that either. My daughter almost always eats her vegetables there. A hard task to achieve at home:) Try them and you'll like it there. read more

I have two children attending this school. I love that my children get exposed to lots of outdoor activities and play. They love being able to play and feed the animals which is a very unique experience that children's country house provides. The teachers are great and my kids have developed a bond with all of them. read more