Robert Coppo is an incredible principal. With natural talent for difficult issues to be resolved…read more My twin boys attend and we always feel very safe .Its not an easy position and he does it with grace.The campus is beyond beautiful. Thank you for all your efforts we appreciate you .Btw we could have gone to any school but we choose you based on your level.of professional manner.

First of all I would like to say that we are not from here. My husband kids and I are relocating…read morefrom Hawaii to Florida. We stopped by to see my step son play basketball before our big road trip here in Torrey Pines High school. The game was won by the Falcons. Congratulations to the coach that has trained these boys so well. If you are looking for a good basketball team to enroll your kids into this would be the one. Go Falcons!

This was my sons first preschool and it was so special for him. Miss Lynda, Nancy, and Kim all had…read moretheir unique ways of showing love and nurture. My son felt comfortable and had fun. They do a ton of art projects that I will save forever. Miss Lynda's is low key and flexible. She took payment for the actual amount of days in attendance and offered make up days for sick or travel. There have been no other schools that offer that. It's not super fancy, but it's warm, inviting, and caring. My child loved his 2 years there.

We can't say enough wonderful things about Miss Lynda and her team! Our daughter has been going to…read moreMiss Lynda's for almost 2 years and we have seen such remarkable growth in her socially, emotionally, and mentally. She loves to go to school and has thrived in the home environment with a smaller class size and wonderful, hands on teachers that have such knowledge of childhood development! The school is in Miss Lynda's home and has a gated indoor area with various toys, activities, and books for the kids. Each kids had their own cubby inside as well. The backyard is filled with playhouses, cars, bikes, and toys for the kids to play. Miss Lynda also does special water play days and parties throughout the year. Our daughter has come home with lots of great art projects that she is so proud of and hangs up in her room and around the house. Our daughter was pretty attached to us and this was her first big transition. Miss Lynda and her team were so sweet, patient, and understanding and really worked with her and with us to help make sure she adjusted, was comfortable, and had a good experience. We can't thank them enough and highly recommend this school! The combination of structured activities and learning through play in a home school environment has been so wonderful for our daughter and our family! We have a new addition to the family and will be sending him to Miss Lynda's as well when he is older :)

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.

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.

Our son attended pre-school and Pre-K here and loved it. Their Petites program is especially…read moreamazing and the staff and teachers/nuns truly treated our son (and the two of us) like family. Of course, this is a Catholic school and thus, the education is religious based. The students are also taught good manners and respect. Their security is also top notch as the facility is built like Fort Knox with high fences and only one open entrance. They also keep up with modern technology. They also offer after-school daycare, which is huge. My son still loves the nuns/teachers there and still plays with the close friends he made while he attended. You cannot go wrong sending your kid here for school. If you are looking at private schools in the area, you need to tour this one and check it out.

Highly recommend this pre-school. Our daughter attended this preschool for 2 years. Teachers are…read moreloving, and take great efforts in building a strong foundation for kids. We always felt that our daughter was safe, happy and well taken care of at this school. We are so lucky to have found this gem!

It's hard to give a universal review that applies to all children since each child is different and…read morehas their own challenges. However, our older son has been at TPMC since fall 2022 and I can't imagine any place better than this. My son loves going to school there and has developed close friendships with his classmates there. This is a major contrast to his previous daycare, which he did not enjoy at all. TPMC is a small school run by the same family for many years in a pretty location, only a few minutes from Torrey Pines beach. The class sizes are small, and it has a cozy, close-knit feel. The teachers genuinely care about each child, and give individual time to develop them. If I had to choose one word, it would be "balance". The environment is supportive and nurturing, yet has enough strictness to keep the classes structured and orderly. The kids have fun and have plenty of time to play, but this is balanced with a focus on learning and education, and time spent on math, reading, writing and art. Overall, we are very happy to have found this place for our older son, and now plan to enroll our younger son here soon. Of course, he has his own challenges but we are are very hopeful that our positive experiences with our older one will carry over to our youngest!

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.

Love sandy hill! Magical outdoor classrooms and the lowest ratios around. The teachers have been…read morearound for a while and are knowledgeable and kind.

The Coolest school around- great natural average for your kid to run and play with caring teachers…read moreand creative events all year for your little ones ! This place is North County's best kept secret! My son has attended the past 2 years and loves it

Both of our kids attended/are attending this preschool, which is a testament to how much we love…read morethe school and trust that they will provide the best care for our children. The director, Ms. Sandy, is genuinely caring and very hands-on with day-to-day management. The office staff are friendly, organized, and incredibly responsive. You can just tell that they adore the children - my daughter will make a point to stop by the office everyday to say hello :) While we have had great experiences with all the teachers (from the 2 year old class to kinder, as we have experienced it all), Ms. Angel, the kindergarten teacher is especially amazing and remains our child's favorite teacher of all time, even when it has been several years since graduating. The facilities are clean and well-maintained, and the activities are thoughtful and fun--water play in the summer is a huge hit, and the class performances are super fun as well. I also love that the school app shares photos and short videos for the day, which keeps us connected to our child's school activities. Longer care hours (8-5:30) and year-long care with minimal closing days is also so convenient for working parents. Would recommend the school wholeheartedly - we have been burned with prior experiences at another preschool, and were so lucky to have found Bright Horizons as a safe, nurturing and warm place for our kiddos.

I want to share my review in two parts, as my child's experience at this school was mixed. He was…read moreenrolled from February 2023 through June 2024. Part 1: Exceptional Experience - 5 Stars The primary reason we chose to remain with Bright Horizons was that, after the incidents in the previous classroom, my child was moved to Ms. Angel's class. From that point forward, we had no issues or concerns. Ms. Angel's dedication and professionalism are extraordinary...well beyond the five stars Yelp allows. She provided weekly curriculum updates, clearly communicated her teaching approach, and scheduled meetings (in person and via Zoom) whenever we had questions. Her nurturing and engaging classroom environment gave my child a sense of security and confidence. Many families, including ours, felt she offered such a high level of care that they even considered delaying kindergarten for another year just to keep their children with her, and some did! Part 2: Classroom Concerns - 3 Stars Before transferring to Ms. Angel's class, my child was in the Mo Willems Room, led by Ms. V and Ms. P, where two concerning incidents occurred:     1.    Henna Activity (Spring 2023) Excerpt from the letter I wrote to the school: "Thank you for including my child in classroom activities--he is always eager to participate, and we appreciate that. However, I believe parental consent should have been requested before applying henna to a child's skin, as it is semi-permanent. When he came home, he became frightened that the design would not wash off. I didn't know it was henna at first and scrubbed his hand, unintentionally irritating his skin. Had we been informed, we could have explained what to expect and prevented the anxiety it caused. Considering that the school requires permission for sunscreen application, it seems reasonable that the same policy apply to henna or any other semi-permanent skin products."     2.    Disciplinary Incident (September 2023) Another concern was a disciplinary action reported by my child: "After school, my child told me that a teacher pinched his cheek hard enough to hurt his teeth. He was tearful and said he felt scared to return to class. I wanted to understand what happened from the teacher's perspective before making assumptions, but the nature of the discipline...physical pinching, was concerning and not appropriate for a preschool setting." Final Thoughts Although our initial experience in the Mo Willems Room was disappointing, the transition to Ms. Angel's class was transformative. She set a high standard for care, communication, and teaching excellence, and we had no further problems throughout the rest of his enrollment.