We couldn't be more grateful for this incredible school. Since joining, our child has grown in ways…read morewe didn't necessarily expect at preschool. Academically, socially, and emotionally. The environment truly nurtures independence, curiosity, and confidence, and it's been amazing to watch that unfold day by day. What really sets this school apart, though, is the teachers. They are patient, attentive, and genuinely teach with so much love and intention. You can feel how deeply they care about each child as an individual, and that kind of dedication makes all the difference. There's also something really special about the community, it's small, connected, and welcoming. It doesn't feel like just a school, it feels like a family. We've built meaningful relationships not only with the staff but with other families as well, which has made this experience even more special. If you're looking for a place where your child will be seen, supported, and inspired every single day, this is it. We feel so lucky to be part of this community.

We love Adventures in Montessori! Both my boys went there and loved it so much. I would always…read morehighly recommend it. It prepares kids well for school. So loving and welcoming!

I love Grace Preschool. The staff and teachers are AMAZING!…read moreThey are so kind and loving to the children, and their experience and knowledge make this place wonderful. And they teach about Jesus! The preschool has been such a blessing to so many families in the community. I highly recommend this preschool!

Thank you for your response. I need to clarify several statements because I do not believe your…read moreresponse accurately reflects my daughter's experience or the concerns I raised. The suggestion that my daughter struggled primarily because she had "rarely been separated" from me is inaccurate. Before attending Grace Kids Preschool, she attended Grace Church children's ministry for 12 Sundays in a row. We intentionally worked on separation, and by approximately her sixth through twelfth visits, she would happily go downstairs, did not cry when I left, and enjoyed her time there. She has also been cared for while I worked by my mother and other trusted caregivers without these issues. My daughter had been potty trained for approximately two and a half months before attending Grace Kids. She had never had a bowel-movement accident during that time. On her third day at Grace Kids, she had a urine accident. Six days after beginning school, she had her first bowel-movement accident since being potty trained. This was extremely unusual for her. Since leaving Grace Kids, the contrast has been significant. Within four days, she returned to successfully using the toilet with no further accidents. Her eating has returned to normal, her behavior has improved, and the anxiety she developed surrounding the specific water bottle she brought to school has significantly decreased. Regarding food, my concern was never simply whether food was "offered." The snacks I packed repeatedly came home untouched. On her third day, I specifically raised this with Mary, who told me she would leave a note for the teachers. Despite that, her snacks were untouched again on the fourth day and again on her fifth and final day. That Friday, when I arrived early, I already had my daughter's lunchbox in my hand yet was still being handed another child's lunchbox. Given my concerns about her eating, this raised additional questions for me about how consistently the children's belongings and individual needs were being tracked. There were also inconsistencies regarding my daughter's classroom and supervision. On Wednesday, I arrived to find her in Room 4 instead of her regular Room 6. On Thursday, I arrived at approximately the same time and went to Room 4 expecting her to be there again, but she was back in Room 6. I was never given clear information about why she was being moved, where she would be, or who was supervising her. My concern is not that children can never transition between rooms. My concern is the lack of consistent communication about where my newly enrolled child was being cared for and by whom. I also personally observed, twice during her short enrollment, what appeared to be one teacher supervising a full classroom during transitions to or from playtime. When I picked her up early that Friday, I noticed a scratch on her lip. After coming home, she also began displaying unusually aggressive and physical behavior that was not typical for her. Her sleep changed as well. My daughter has consistently taken approximately two-hour naps. The Saturday following her final day--the same day as her first bowel-movement accident--she completely refused to nap. She had never gone an entire day without a nap before. Any one of these behaviors could perhaps be attributed to adjustment. My concern is the number of changes that occurred together within such a short period: regression in toileting, changes in eating, sleep and behavior, anxiety surrounding her water bottle, and the inconsistencies I personally observed regarding her belongings, classroom placement, and supervision. Most importantly, I have been able to observe what happened after she stopped attending. Within four days, I saw significant improvement. Her eating returned to normal, her toileting returned to normal without additional accidents, her behavior improved, and her anxiety surrounding her water bottle decreased. For those reasons, I cannot agree that everything I observed should simply be attributed to a child needing more than five days to acclimate. I understand that preschool transitions can be difficult, and I never expected an immediate or perfect adjustment. However, as her mother, I know her established behaviors and abilities. I watched several previously established skills and behaviors decline during this experience and then improve after she was removed from the environment. My concerns were not raised to attack Grace Kids Preschool. They were based on what I personally observed and the significant changes I witnessed in my daughter before, during, and after her attendance. I respect your right to respond to my experience, but I stand by the concerns I raised and the observations I documented regarding my daughter's care.

Our almost 4-year-old son has been attending Hillcrest Preschool, and we've had a great experience…read more We really love the progressive vibe of the school, and everyone has been so friendly and helpful. They helped us quickly get our son enrolled when I had to return to work from maternity leave and needed childcare right away. The administration was on top of everything and made the process so much less stressful. One of our favorite things is that they send photos throughout the day so we can see what our kid is up to. A special shoutout to Ms. Michell, who has been absolutely wonderful. She is kind, patient, and you can tell she truly cares about the kids. Our son has loved being in her class, and we're so grateful for everything she's done. Our son will be heading off to TK in August. We're sad to leave the school, but we'll definitely get our 2nd baby enrolled when she becomes a toddler!

I'm not sure where to begin. There are simply no words to describe the love I have for Hillcrest…read morePreschool. After 3 months of touring a few other centers, I finally found HP and the security, joy and support both of my children felt was worth all of the research. Hillcrest Preschool were the first people we trusted our babies with, they were supportive and patient as they dealt with this very anxious mom. Having 2 children in different age ranges provided such a great perspective as to just how much HP was offering our children. The value is high quality, both of my children were noticeably becoming social butterflies, their vocabulary expanded and one even came out potty trained! The staff is just *chefs kiss* their attention to detail to my littlest one as she dealt with separation anxiety was comforting and a breath of fresh air. The love doesn't just stop with the teachers, Kelli in the front office, was always available when needed and made the transition from one director to another so seamless and smooth. She truly deserves so much credit. All in all, if you stuck around to read all of this, I highly recommend you swing by, tour and take a look for yourself. Hillcrest Preschool was a Godsend to our family.

Highly recommended if your are looking to keep your children in a safe place where they'll be…read moreengaged in nature. She gave our family a great price to care for our girls.

This was our first experience enrolling our daughter in daycare, and my husband and I were a little…read morenervous. She was used to one-on-one care with a nanny, and we were worried about how she would adjust and whether she would receive enough attention. Those fears disappeared quickly though, and our daughter absolutely thrived at Natura ECD! Natura emphasizes play, creativity, and nature, which made each day exciting for her. She spent lots of time outdoors in the secure, fenced yard, learning and exploring in ways that felt both safe and enriching. Ariana also incorporates age-appropriate academics through multi-week modules that keeps the kids engaged, as well as circle times focused on emotional intelligence and building friendships. We enjoyed all the artwork that came home and laughed at the fact that Mom couldn't do pig tails but our daughter let Miss Ariana do her hair. In the summer, our daughter loved the splash and water activities! Communication was good, which gave us so much peace of mind. We got daily updates through (private) Instagram stories, and the daycare uses an app to let you know when your child needs new diapers, wipes, sunscreen, or clothes--super helpful! And I have to mention potty training: I thought it would be a long, drawn-out process, but with the teachers' support, our daughter was fully potty trained within two months. Their patience and encouragement made all the difference. We couldn't be happier with our decision to enroll our daughter at Natura ECD. For any parent who is nervous about taking the leap into daycare, I wholeheartedly recommend scheduling a tour. It's clear that Ariana truly cares, and your child will be in a safe, nurturing, and fun environment.

Our eldest started SDCP at 19 months and our youngest started at 10 months and we couldn't be more…read moredelighted. Our toddler takes a while warming up to new places and people, and we knew (or I mean, she knew!) immediately this was the place for her when she darted outside. The indoor / outdoor access that every classroom has is awesome; the intentional curation of the spaces operate as another educator to explore and inspire. You can feel how much the teachers genuinely love what they do; their care and dedication are clear in every interaction with the kids and the stories they tell when we pick them up. When I was first researching preschools, I was excited that there was a co-op option in SD and wondered how it might fit with my schedule. After touring and learning more about the school, meeting Stephanie and the amazing teachers / staff, it was an easy decision. They have an open door policy and the hours are flexible for parents. The co-op model has taught us so much, allowing us to learn and grow together with our kids, both modeling and providing tools for connecting with them to be their whole, individual self through play.

Lovely preschool. Feels like the teachers really care about the kids. They use the RIE methodology…read morefor infants. Safe and supportive atmosphere. There are co-op requirements where parents/other adults have to volunteer at the school on a regular basis, which can be difficult for some families. Only downside is a long wait list to get in.

We absolutely love the Lulus Montessori! The staff is amazing with the kids and they get an amazing…read moreeducation. We are always surprised by how much they learn and how much fun they have. Also their meal plan is great. We are very fortunate to have our son there. We looked at around 10 different places and it gave us anxiety because we really wanted our son to be at Lulus which was much much better than all the other places we saw all over San Diego.

We've been taking our son to Lulus Montessori since he was about 18 months, and it has been the…read morebest daycare/preschool experience we could have hoped for. The teachers are incredibly loving and thoughtful. I especially love the fact that they celebrate birthdays and holidays and create opportunities for parents to get to know each other, too. My child has grown by leaps and bounds, and his interactions with the other children are fun to see. The fact that meals are provided (bfast, lunch and snacks) is a godsend. Several daycares/preschools in the region claim to be Spanish immersion but aren't actually (e.g., they speak English to the kiddos). At Lulus, I feel like we get a truly authentic Spanish immersion program for our son, knowing instruction is exclusively in Spanish. And it shows. My son 100% understands Spanish when it is spoken to him and he mixes Spanish and English in his vocabulary regularly. I credit Lulus for a large part of that bilingual ability and look forward to seeing his fluency improve in the years to come. Highly recommend Lulus!!

Fleur de Lis School provided our son and our family the most incredible experience we could have…read moreever asked for. In our 2 years there, we watched our son grow immensely in his confidence, relationships, and overall love of learning. He was sad to leave school every day and excited to wake up and start the day with his amazing friends and teachers. The approach and philosophy that Fleur de Lis takes truly allows each child to blossom in their own unique and beautiful way and we not only got to experience this with our son, but saw it with his classmates as well. We saw our son make presentations to his class about a science or art project he did with us at home or proudly present his show and tell Spider-man toy to his classmates - we are so grateful to the entire Fleur de Lis community for encouraging this level of self-esteem and individuality.  The staff at Fleur de Lis is truly one of a kind -  the professional, yet individualized attention of Tina Smith and April Kozelh as directors is amazing. They know your child personally and do everything in their power to make your child's experience at Fleur de Lis enriching and creative. Our son still talks about Ms. Tina coming into their classroom and reading them special books (his favorite was about an owl in NYC) and Tina consistently shared specific memories of our son's social and emotional growth during his time there. The teachers we had at Fleur de Lis (Ms. Sandy, Ms. Chelsea, Ms. Amber, Ms. Kiara and Ms. Diana for Spanish) were incredible in every way - we appreciated the attention to the holistic needs of each child - the cognitive, physical, and emotional were all given attention and we saw our son blossom in each area. The day our son "graduated" Fleur de Lis School was a bittersweet one - we were thrilled to know he was ready for kindergarten, but also so sad to say goodbye to the daily moments of this special community. Our son couldn't stop hugging his amazing teacher Ms. Sandy at the singing show - clearly showing the same emotions we felt as parents.

If you are a new parent, join the FDL wait list now -- trust me, your older parent self will thank…read moreyou! It's hard to explain the magical and nurturing environment this school provides. I remember my son, Julian, sobbing when I left him on his first day as a two year old, and my heart was breaking. In less than a week, he was all smiles at drop off, excited to see his teachers and friends. Since then, he's thrived at this school, both emotionally and educationally. Now, two years later, he's heading to Francis Parker, and looking back on his time at FDL, I can't express how grateful I am to the amazing team there. There are a few specifics that make FDL special: The community -- everyone at FDL knows Julian's name, even teachers who aren't assigned to his class. Pre-Covid, when I would pick him up from his classroom, his daily departure was like a little parade, with waves and goodbyes to friends, teachers, directors, everyone. You really feel like part of a family here. Kira, Bev, April, Julie, Julia, Diana, Iris, Nina, Autumn, and many others...each has been a unique and positive impact on Julian and our family over the past two years. The safety -- speaking of Covid, I don't think I appreciated how nice it is to have total confidence in the efforts of the FDL team to keep my child safe at all costs until this pandemic. When they reopened under new safety guidelines, I never once worried they would slack or not keep the sanitation and safety bar high. In fact, Julian now inspects my hand washing and admonishes me if I have not made enough soap bubbles or washed long enough . They always ran a tight ship, but it's exceptional now. The positive reinforcement of high expectations -- on my visit prior to enrolling at FDL, I saw all the kids eating lunch as they chattered politely and consistently used manners. On the playground, no one pushed. They all took turns. What's more, they were still incredibly joyous little kids, giggling and delighting in silly play. I was in awe. And yet, now Julian models those same behaviors. FDL teachers are kind and warm, but firm. They set a high bar, and the kids rise to meet it. At the same time, there is tremendous fun had on the daily at this school. Julian greets me at pick up with a big smile and a hug, his cheeks flushed from play and sand in his shoes. He excitedly shows me his projects and tells me funny stories and things he learned from the day. FDL is exceptional. If you have the chance to send your child there, take it. You would be hard pressed to find a more loving and capable setting. We will miss it terribly!

I can't say enough about the school. Both my kids have attended. The owners and teachers are…read morecaring, knowledgeable and empathetic. Any negative comments/reviews regarding the wait list come from those that are out of touch with the high demand and limit space available. Absolutely recommend 100%!

In response to Howard, when we added our newborn to the list, we had no intention of enrolling him…read moreever at Hillcrest, as we are aware it starts at age 2 (our application indicated a requested start age of 1-1.5 years). Second, we have a few friends who attend NP and told us there was new enrollment in the class, even after Bridget told us our son was next after currently enrolled toddlers trying to add days. Third, I emailed Susana on 9/28 to check his status and she replied a month later (after this yelp review). I think Howard's intentions on his responses on Yelp are quite evident. His choice to write down my family's name, history and assumed "experience" instead of address the waitlist structure really makes me question his ability to lead an organization which cares for children. I never mentioned ALP summer camp because it had nothing to do with this location, and left my child's poor experience with summer camp off the other location's yelp as well. I wrote strictly about my experience with North Park, and I stand by it.