My daughter has been going here for about a month now and I'm impressed by the staff and how well everybody treats us. I'm a single mother that works non stop, the price I feel is fair being my daughter gets an education on top of a summer school programs they also feed her breakfast, lunch, and snacks throughout the day. My daughter is biracial and they make her feel super included. There's also other biracial children that go there, that was one of my worries, was finding something that she would feel included in with and they have done a great job at that. Her learning has gone up tremendously. She only In preschool but she knows how to count. She knows all her ABCs and she's starting to learn how to read. They do summer school activities as well and they have entertainers come in and entertain the kids during summer school once a week, which is great. They also offer other programs like dance and gymnastics, which i have decided to to enroll my daughter in as well, they also have an app in which you can log into once your kid is enrolled and you can check on them throughout the day. The teacher can update you daily/ hourly. These updates are to let you know how your kid is doing throughout the day, which me being a single mom really I really appreciate that. The security there is top notch, they have cameras everywhere inside and outside the building. You have to enter gate and then you have to go through a coded door in which each parent gets there own personal code. There's always somebody at the front so if anybody that doesn't have a code tries to come in they're grilled and I really appreciate that. They don't mess around when it comes to the safety of the children there. All around this is a very good school and I am really satisfied and happy with enrolling my daughter here. read more

I've had both my children here, starting from the infant room all the way till they aged out of the school age program! Our experience was absolutely amazing, they have a great staff and my children always felt so comfortable and loved. I feel like there aren't many reviews on this location because many parents like to keep it as a "hidden gem", but they definitely deserve their recognition! This location is a bit smaller, but I personally loved that..it felt like a second family. The staff is definitely very welcoming and always greet you with a smile. The school is always kept clean and the staff are constantly washing their hands. The waiting list can be long but there is a reason for that. Would highly recommend to any parent. read more

Our granddaughter has attended Childtime of La Mesa about 4 years now. She has progressed from one level to another to another and has been so happy. I can tell just from her elaborate vocabulary and sentence structure that she is thriving intellectually, and from the closeness of her classmates that I see on those occasions when I pick her up, socially as well. The staff has good security consciousness and everything feels safe and pleasant. It is clean and although every school for little ones is a petri dish the rates of colds etc. seems like it was for my own kids. They were very, very careful about covid. They seem to get lots of exercise inside and out. I have always found a spot in the parking lot. read more

I came to this place because of the raving reviews, but when I got here with my family, it was a very weird, odd, experience. I didn't feel welcome the moment I got there. We were running late, she advised she had another appointment but she checked us in anyway. She stated she called me yesterday, at 3:45 with no answer. Weird thing to mention the time. Anywho, we look inside the classrooms and it's just 2-3 teachers standing around waiting for something to happen. I know my baby is 16 months, but for $535 a week is low key crazy. What's crazy is that the director gave us the price on a post it note. As we left she mentioned how much my daughter looked so much like her father. My daughter is lighter than me, I'd admit but the comment was unnecessary. My fiancé is Italian and mentioned the micro aggressions she was giving. I really wanted to like this place for the safety of my baby I will not be waiting on their waiting list. I hope they are paying their workers!!! read more

Our daughter is thriving here. The staff is wonderful and she is learning so much! She loves going to see her friends and her teachers and she's constantly showing off new skills she's learned there. They are very communicative and have so many activities and enrichment. They have been extremely good during covid making sure to prevent any outbreaks and keeping parents informed. The only problem we had was initially getting in. It's notoriously hard to find a good daycare, but it helped a lot to know someone with a child already at the daycare. We were initially worried our child was more difficult than normal and would be a problem, but they are true professionals and never had any real issues. We are very happy with the quality of care here. read more

We love our Childtime friends and our teacher Ms. Tanya Our toddler is 2 years old and he loves going to this daycare. Every morning he runs to his school with a huge smile and goes to hug the staff. The class is very fun and interactive. They do a lot of art and we love getting what our son makes at the end of the week. They have an app called Brightwheel and they are very active on it. It is very cool to see my baby eating, dancing, playing, and biking. The best thing is Ms. Tanya is potty training my son. He is learning more words, asking for items with the correct words and saying please. He is spending a good time outdoors at there own dedicated playground for toddlers. I visited a lot of daycares and we tried some of them but only this one was excited to have us and my son was happy with them and his new friends. read more

Childtime of La Mesa - Child Care & Day Care Near Me - La Mesa, California

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$532/wk for a 21 month old. That's $27,664/year! Over $2,300 on average per month. I'm posting this review for two reasons, the first being that that is just insane and the second being that it is so hard to even get that information, that I want to save other people from wasting their time. read more

All the staff here are so great. They kept us all in the loop during the covid 19 pandemic and continued to help with activities and when it was time to re open, helped us feel very safe. read more

Childtime has been a complete blessing for my family. Both my children started childtime early, my daughter at 2 years old and my son at 6 months. Every part of the staff here cares deeply and is able to meet the varying needs of each child, parent, and overall family. I feel so grateful that we found a day care that provided so much support and that we truly trust with the most important things in our life. read more

Booked a tour to see the school. Found out after I arrived that there is no availability. Would've been nice to share that before booking the tour. Childtime is a part of a giant national chain of 900 facilities. So when you call, you'll reach a phone bank somewhere that has no idea what each class has available. They actually called me twice from different people about my inquiry. I was told I would receive a confirmation, but had to look up the address myself because the email never came.. I did get a voicemail from the director Cristina that told me to call her if I had questions. Didn't call because I was taking a tour! Still no mention of availability even though I clearly stated my availability needs. What a waste of time. . . If this place has zero regard for my time, then how could I trust them with something much more valuable? The place looked pretty rundown anyhow. The outdoor area was very small and the equipment looked very worn down. There wasn't much shade out there either. read more

I don't understand the bad reviews here. My baby goes here and I honestly cannot think of a better school For her. And I tour a lot of schools. The teachers (Miss Gabby and Miss Monica) are such wonderful and loving teachers. The directors are super helpful and loving. I couldn't ask for a better school for my baby. She is always so happy at school. read more

After 5 incredible, magical and transformative years at our beloved preschool, we are moving on to Kindergarten. I remember 5 years ago when we started looking for daycare options when I was pregnant and I came across Childtime - I scheduled a tour and wasn't sure what to expect having zero experience with daycare, preschool, etc. If you are a parent going back to work, you know how stressful and nerve-wracking it can be as you begin this search! Now I don't mean to sound too dramatic, but when I walked in I felt like I was home. Have you ever had that feeling? I just felt at peace - the environment was warm, inviting, happy, and while I'm sure I emailed a bunch of questions afterwards I knew right then and there we were enrolling. What I didn't know was how this special school and its teachers would become like family to me, and impact me and my kids in more ways than I can count. I dropped my little guy off at 3 months old to the infant classroom with a 2 page list of instructions and then told his 2 teachers - when it comes down to it, you can ignore everything I wrote down - just love my baby. And oh, how these amazing teachers have loved my boys all these years. A year and a half later my son became a big brother and his little brother joined the party and from the baby class, to the toddler class, to early preschool, preschool, and pre-K - these women have made my kids feel special, heard, loved, respected, and safe. Yes they've learned all the preschool stuff, the counting, the writing, the Spanish, the alphabet, the science, the using scissors, but more importantly they've learned how to co-exist with other children, how to speak up, how to be respectful, and how to be a good friend. They were never expected to fit into a certain box and instead, the teachers embraced their uniqueness allowing them to just be themselves and thrive. I trusted the teachers so much that when they told me they thought it was time to potty train, I went to Target that day and picked up some undies and that was that lol. I feel like they have partnered with me in raising them, answering my questions about child development and keeping me so in the loop with notes, pictures, and videos (the app for parents is AMAZING). And the directors of the daycare + preschool? Don't even get me started on how grateful I am for how graciously they deal with my over-the-top self - I feel like we are the favorite family at the whole school and I bet every single family feels the same way about themselves, because that is how they treat all of us. I will miss seeing my sons bounce into school together, I will miss seeing my FAMILY of incredible women who have changed my life, and I'll miss seeing their little friends who I've watched grow up. But I am so grateful for these years we had together - if you are looking for the absolute best place for your little ones, I know you are going to find your home too at Childtime :) read more

I appreciate that someone from Childtime responded to the review on Yelp, but it still doesn't seem possible to get someone on the phone (especially from this Childtime center). I called the number listed (the national customer service line), left a message, and no one called me back. read more

My daughter has been going there for almost 2 years, and not once have I had an issue there. The school is clean,organized,maintained and in a great location. All the teachers and staff are so friendly and caring. They all know the kids names. It feels nice to hear teachers she doesn't even see everyday say hi or by to her by her name. Makes me feel like they really pay attention. She LOVES her teacher Ms Vanessa. She looks forward to going to school everyday just for her. Ms Vanessa is great really takes the time to teach my daughter so much. They have the kids take part is not only fun but educational activities. My daughter is 4 and her teacher already taught her to write her name. I love this school and would recommend and do recommend it to all the mommy's I know. read more

My son loved going to daycare at Childtime (room for the 1 year olds)!teachers are all very friendly and patient and knowledgeable. Directors do an excellent job of managing and responding to parent communications. The programs they have were very nice: teachers would make a curriculum/activities from a large Childtime catalogue, which ensured a lot of variety in what they did. The school felt very safe too: security code for parents and guardians to get in and cameras in all classrooms. Everyone logs in and out of a computer too when picking up /dropping off. Also, the school has integrated a mobile app into their repertoire: teachers logged all sorts of things about our child: how much he ate, bathrooms, diapers, and most importantly: photos! Throughout the day for every single day he was there, we get 5-10 photos of him eating and playing. It was such a relief for my wife to see his photos immediately through their app and know that he was safe and having fun. Parents are also welcome to drop by anytime and watch their kids. The food served was very good and you could see the weekly menu by the entrance. My son learned so many skills while there and I highly recommend this place. The negative reviews are rather old and in a couple of them the reviewer didn't even go in. I'm glad, actually, that those people weren't able to just go in and get a tour. Scheduled tours ensure minimal disruption to teachers and care takers who are super busy chasing little ones! The only negative was the cost: it's on the more pretty expensive side for San Diego at $406/week for a 12 to 23 month child. Included diapers and all food. read more

This daycare is well-maintained. It is always clean and very safe. There is a locked door with a key pad for entrance. The women who work there are kind and caring towards the children, at least in all that I've seen. The playground is not at all private, so anyone walking by can check out the kids while they play, which is slightly disconcerting, especially since it's a high-traffic, commercial area. The biggest draw-back is the cost. For our son, under 2 it was almost 330$ per week. That's every Monday, so if you end up with 5 Mondays in a month, you're basically paying a mortgage. I know childcare is expensive, but this is the most expensive childcare I've ever heard of. If I could continue to pay it, the money wouldn't be such an issue, but for the cost, I expected more. There was some turn-over in the short time we were there, two of the three women in the toddler area are part-time. Seems unimportant, but consistency is key with children this age. They refused to help with potty training, even though my son was already diaper-free at home, they said they could not take him to the bathroom because of staffing issues. Thankfully, the ladies who actually care for him, worked it out to take him whenever they could. The ratio is 1-4, but when we signed up, we were told there would only be 8 toddlers at a time in the room, really there were up to 12. still a 1-4 ratio, but big difference between 8 and 12 kids in a small space. They do serve food, but we preferred to bring our own. For the cost I would expect better quality, organic foods, fresh fruits and vegetables...the works. The food was more like school cafeteria quality. My biggest qualm with the cost is that I'm sure it goes to pay some corporate owner who is driving a Bugatti and living in a mansion in La Jolla Shores. If I thought the women who actually do the daily labor of caring for my son were making a fair wage, i wouldn't be as upset about the cost. That's not the case. You could find the same, or better, quality daycare at a much lower cost. My son will start a new school in February, it's literally less than half the cost and a wonderful preschool. They say you get what you pay for, but in this case, I'm not so sure. read more

Do not try to stop by and tour the place. The staff will look at you with a rude and annoying looking and tell you that you need to schedule a tour. Rude! No idea how they work with kids with their nasty grumpy attitudes. read more

We absolutely love this preschool. We switched from a different school that we didn't have the best experience at and since we've been at Childtime in la Mesa my daughter has excelled so much. She has gained so much education wise and socially. I have loved watching her blossom at this school. She loves all of the teachers and her current teacher Miss Rosana has been beyond amazing. I feel 100% comfortable with my daughter being there. She also frequently talks about Miss Sarah and Miss Michelle. The Directors at this school go above and beyond. Cristina and DeAnne are a perfect team & I really couldn't ask for better people to be running this school. I'm so so thankful we found them and I'll feel so good sending my youngest there when it's his turn too. The cost is on the higher end, but you get what you pay for. You will not be disappointed at all. We love you guys! Thanks for taking such great care of my baby!!! read more

My daughter is almost two and has been attending the daycare for 2months now. This is the only school I wanted my daughter to go to . they are all so friendly and genuine. The way they are with my daughter I can tell she's happy. She askes me to go to school and already learned how to talk much more just for being there 2 months . no complaints at all hands down BEST school read more

I live in walking distance to this daycare and was having lunch with my 16 month next door so I decided to walk over. I wanted to see if they had a brochure or flyer I could take home. The lady who answered the door, a chubby woman with shorter brown hair, had a really annoyed look on her face and asked if she could help me. I asked her if she had any information on the program I could have. She said she didn't and was really busy and I could call to set up an appointment. I didn't want a tour or a sales pitch, I just wanted a brochure to look over. She never introduced herself, ask our names or even smiled. As busy as she claimed to be, another woman walked in as I was leaving and she started gushing about her outfit or something and gabbing away. I got a really bad vibe from the lady and the center in general. I thought she was unwelcoming and unprofessional. I would never bring my baby there after that first impression. I understand a childcare center being busy, but a brochure, a smile and an introduction would have gone a long way. I'd give one star, but since I don't actually know how they are with children, I'll be fair and give two. read more

I went there from when I was 3 to when I was 12 and I can honestly say, AMAZING!!! Wonderful classrooms and amazing staff. I am now 15 years old and them and my parents shaped me into the kind and wonderful man I am today. They also son't allow students harming other students, which is great because no kid should get harmed. Oh, and last but not least, the food. I grew up a very picky kid and they opened me up to new and very healthy foods. read more

I love this school! The teachers are amazing and you can tell they not only love what they do but they take pride in teaching. The director has always been so helpful and is very approachable and same with the assistant director. The school is always clean and I love the feeling of security you get when leaving my child there, you have to have a code to enter. read more