Best preschool! Kind and caring staff. You find a community here no matter how long or short your…read moretime is with the school.

We love Growing Garden! My daughter is in her second year in the school and she looks forward to it…read moreeach day. The teachers are all amazing, ensuring each child gets 1:1 attention while ensuring they are creating community. And the teachers push my daughter in the best way. At 3 1/2, she's writing her name, knows all her letters and counts to 40! As a Jewish family, we love that she is learning about holidays, traditions and values. But there are many non-Jewish kids as well, so everyone can feel comfortable. Sara Mintz, the school's Director, is involved, present and just a great woman. Her kids are in the school so it's especially personal to her and we love that. She looks at these kids like they are her own and that's obvious. We feel lucky to have found this school.

Another year down!…read more My kids beg to stay. They ask us not to pick them up before closing, which probably tells you more than anything else I could write here. The teachers are funny, kind, and genuinely smart people. The chef cooks real food for the kids three times a day. The classrooms are always in the middle of some new learning project- and they listen to the kids' interests! (For example, there was an interest in dinosaurs, so they created a little "Dino hospital" for the stuffies where the kids played doctor...Adorable! While it is still play based, my son is learning to write and he's so proud! What sets Seaside apart, though, is that it feels like a family. I don't have a big village of my own. Seaside became my village, for both of my kids. I cannot thank them enough. I just can't. I have peace of mind daily that my kids are safe, they are loved, they are seen and celebrated for their own unique personalities. Best choice in the South Bay!

We've had such a wonderful experience at this daycare! The teachers and staff are incredibly…read morefriendly, kind, and truly love the children--you can feel it in the way they interact with every kid who walks through the door. They create a warm, safe, and happy environment that gives me complete peace of mind. I also appreciate that they provide snacks and lunch, which makes our busy mornings so much easier. Overall, an amazing place with people who genuinely care. Highly recommend!

The teachers and staff are very friendly and helpful. They played a vital role for my pre schooler…read moreto prepare her for kindergarten. They are very understanding when she had bad days. Ms. Linda is an angel, we love her! I love that their curriculum is centered around playing while learning.

Yesterday was our last day at CJ after having 2 kids there over the past 4 years. We can't…read morerecommend them enough! The teachers and staff are caring, communicative, and consistent. We will miss you all! Thank you

Our family has been part of the Journey of Faith Preschool community since 2020, and after six…read morewonderful years, it's hard to put into words how grateful we are for this school. When I first applied, we were more than 100 spots down on the waitlist. I checked in regularly, hoping for an opening, and when the opportunity finally came during the pandemic, I felt incredibly fortunate. My oldest daughter was ready to start preschool, and from day one, we fell in love with Journey of Faith. Since then, both of our daughters have attended. Our youngest started at just five months old and will be heading to kindergarten next year, which feels incredibly bittersweet. Throughout every stage, the teachers and staff have created a nurturing, supportive, and joyful environment where our girls have truly thrived. The education they have received has been phenomenal, but what stands out even more is the genuine care, love, and dedication shown by everyone at the school from the teachers and administrators to the chef and support staff. Every person contributes to making Journey of Faith feel like a second home. We are so thankful for the friendships, memories, and strong foundation our daughters have gained here. Journey of Faith has played such an important role in our family's life, and we wholeheartedly recommend it to any family looking for a loving, high-quality preschool experience.

This school is a special place. We dropped off our first baby when he was six months old and, as…read moreany parent knows, that experience is so scary, stressful, and emotional. You are entrusting strangers with this tiny, precious human that's quite literally your heart walking (or crawling) out in the world. From day one, these teachers have slowly and delicately transformed from strangers to friends. It's been so clear and obvious how much these women love and adore our children. They care about their well-being and their overall development! There are lesson plans, extracurricular activities, classroom parties, so many fun events for both students and parents to participate in and enjoy. We just had our second child a few months ago and have so much peace of mind knowing that she will be in great hands when a spot opens up for her. Thank you JoF School! We are so grateful for you all.

We absolutely loved being part of the Michelle's Backyard community, and we were genuinely sad to…read moreleave when we moved away. If we hadn't moved out of state, we would still be there. What I loved most was the love and care that Michelle and her team have for the kids and their families. Michelle is really intentional about building community among the families, and that turned out to be a beautiful source of support as we all navigated the highs and lows of raising little ones together. Michelle is also thoughtful and brings a real wealth of expertise to creating learning experiences for a multi-age group. My daughter loved learning about the life cycles of butterflies and ladybugs -- they actually grew them and watched them take flight! When the kids studied different types of transportation, they painted a big refrigerator box yellow and turned it into a school bus. Beyond the hands-on learning, the kids build cooperation skills, learn how to care for their space, and develop real self-reliance and confidence. We can't recommend Michelle's Backyard highly enough. If you're looking for a warm, thoughtful, community-centered place for your child to learn and grow, this is it.

If you're looking for a daycare for your kids, look no further. We fell in love with Michelle's…read moreBackyard the moment we met Michelle and knew this place was something special. Michelle is the best at this. She has an incredible connection with both the kids and the parents, and she's built a real community around both. The program itself is amazing. If you're looking for something unique, different, outdoors, and fun-inspired, where your kid comes home completely exhausted every day because they just had the best time ever, this is the place. There's not a single bad thing we could say. If you're lucky enough to find a spot, take it.

This school is incredible and one of a kind! My son absolutely loves it here. It took us a while to…read morefigure out as a family what would be the best choice for us and we are so glad we looked around the South Bay and we are so glad we found MBNS. There is such a wonderful sense of community with the families and staff here. Families from the area and greater Los Angeles come together at this magical place. At MBNS children are really free to lead their own play and their feelings and ideas are respected. It's so wonderful to see how the mixed age groups play together. MBNS campus is so beautiful and lush! Lots of plants and trees to offer shade. My son loves to play with dirt and water, which can be found anytime you need it here. There are also lots of fun toys, tricycles, homemade play dough, books to be read, and more. As a an educator myself, I feel qualified to say this is a paradise for kids and a wonderful place to learn!

We joined this school back in 2021 because we were drawn to it's free play, child-led "curriculum",…read moreand emotionally supportive staff. We enjoyed most of our time there, made great friendships, and grew as parents. However, as time went on and we began to get more involved (including serving on the Board for 2 years), it became clear that not all was well. The director, Carol Tatsumi, repeatedly dismissed community feedback unless it fit her vision of how school should operate. She failed to distribute the co-op bylaws to the Board or parents, such that no one knew they had voting rights as members or how the co-op should work. When this came to light, she denied wrongdoing and rejected suggestions from the Board to share the bylaws with members so they could be made aware of their rights and responsibilities in the organization. She even had Board Meeting minutes deleted that contained any bylaw discussion, even though they are supposed to be made available to members. Furthermore, the director failed to abide by California state laws and permitted 60% of the students enrolled to be unvaccinated and used the students records who WERE vaccinated to be the "cover" during state inspections. Once caught by the government agency, she abruptly unenrolled the students who were partially or fully unvaccinated rather than giving them the 10 days allowed by the government to either get up to date or at least say goodbye to the school and have a smooth transition. This was incredibly painful for those students and their families and negatively impacted the entire school community. Sadly, this "co-op" doesn't operate like one, and it's poorly operated at that. The building is in need of major repairs although the director dismissed multiple suggestions to improve its safety, function, and appearance. Furthermore, the school has been losing money due to low enrollment and hasn't recovered since COVID, so there is limited budget to address safety concerns let alone hire, develop, or retain talented staff. Finally, the "rules" families need to follow is laundry list long, from forbidding packaged foods to making kids turn their shirt inside out if it has a character or any brand on it. There might only be 3 kids at school one day, but all parents need to volunteer every single week such that there are often more adults on campus than children. And perhaps most disappointing, there isn't actual coaching of non-violent communication skills, just avoiding of setting limits and boundaries among kids such that exclusion and cliqueyness prevail. This school will probably be a fit for those looking for a very specific experience for their children, but do know that there are not enough families enrolled here to make this co-op run smoothly, so you will be required to do more than your fair share to try to keep it running and your feedback to how it could be more efficiently handled will probably be ignored. Good luck!

Sand Tots has been such a wonderful place for our two boys. We started mid-year in the 3/4s with…read moreour oldest after a really tumultuous situation at a previous co-op. We were admittedly nervous to go to a different co-op, thinking they'd be similar in operations. But they couldn't be more different and couldn't be more pleasantly surprised by the organization and kindness of the staff at Sand Tots. They are prepared, thoughtful, and generous in how they treat the kids, how they consider playfulness and activities for the children and how they engage the parents. We love how play-based Sand Tots is, their emphasis on social-emotional development and how they artfully navigated preparing our oldest for Kindergarten but in a fun and still playful way. We are just so grateful to have found our preschool home for our youngest. Co-ops are inherently more "work" than a traditional preschool or daycare experience for parents. It's not for everyone, and yet, if you're willing (and able!) to participate, it fosters a sincerely wonderful community amongst like-minded parents. Our oldest graduated from Sand Tots, but the families that we were in class with are people we still see weekly and who have become dear friends, not only to our son but to us as parents as well. They have become some of our dearest friends, spending time together with and without our kiddos. I trust them with loving and caring for my kids as I would. Genuine parent community is hard to come by, but to discover it here has been one of the best gifts. We love Sand Tots so much!

This school is so magical. We could not be more grateful to have found it. Sand Tots is a…read moreplay-based preschool where kids learn through simply playing, but become very ready for kindergarten academically and social-emotionally. The teachers are loving, knowledgeable, creative! They truly get to know the students and develop meaningful activities that are full of intention. The parent-participation aspect keeps ratios low, which allows for more supervision, leaving little space for negativity. It is very peaceful and everyone is so kind to each other. The parent-participation piece also creates a beautiful little community that supports their families! I highly recommend for anyone looking!

My daughter attended Village Park for three years, and I'm so grateful we found this school. From…read morethe very first tour, we were impressed by how diverse the student community was and how genuinely happy the children seemed. That diversity was very important to us, and I truly believe it has helped shape my daughter into the open-minded girl she is today. Another big factor for us was tuition. Compared to schools in Redondo Beach or Manhattan Beach, Village Park offered a much more reasonable cost (sometimes nearly half the price). The director, Ms. Yeshenia, was always responsive and easy to reach, which made communication simple and reassuring. Most importantly, my daughter loved going to school every day. She loved all her teachers and friends. Thank you for making my daughter's first three years of school such a wonderful and memorable experience.

My daughter was at Village Park for almost three years, starting as an infant and continued through…read morepreschool class. Every member of staff is so kind, caring and patient, they truly take care of the kids as if they were their own. Our daughter thrived here - both developmentally and socially. She learned so much, but most of all had fun in a loving and safe environment. Shout out to everyone at Village Park - they work so hard day in and day out, and go above and beyond to make it a special place for the kiddos. They celebrate birthdays, holidays and do fun stuff for every season to keep the kids engaged. It truly is a wonderful place! We moved to a new city so sadly are no longer there, but will be forever grateful for everything they did to care for our daughter!

Best daycare ever. All 3 of my children went there from infancy to TK. I trust them completely…read more They have the nicest teachers and are uttermost professional. The tuition is very reasonable considering that they provide all the food, diapers, wipes, sunscreen, etc. I made long lasting friends with the parents of my kids' classmates. Recommend 100%.

Great place! Incredible staff. My daughter loves the staff. Amazing development programs for the…read morechildren.

My boys have been enrolled in daycare here for almost a year. They started at 18 months and have…read morebeen lovingly cared for by all the teachers and teacher's aides. I felt this was the right place for them because it met the criteria important to us: safe, clean, small class size, kind and caring staff, and exposure to educational and life skills. I appreciate the daily updates they provide regarding my boys' activities, this helps keep us informed about their needs. Note that siblings receive a discounted tuition rate, which is helpful!

We love this school! Words truly cannot express how much South Bay Montessori has meant to our…read morefamily. Our daughter attended from age 2 to 5, and the time passed far too quickly!! Choosing South Bay Montessori was one of the best decisions we made as parents, and we feel incredibly grateful for the loving, clean and nurturing environment created by the teachers, staff, and director ( Ms. Evien ). From day one, we knew she was in exceptional hands. All the teachers ( special thanks to Ms. Luna, Ms. Heidy, and Ms. Angie ) at South Bay Montessori are truly priceless. Their love, dedication, and individualized attention helped our daughter grow not only academically but also emotionally. She gained knowledge, confidence, and independence while being surrounded by warmth and genuine care every day. As working parents, there was nothing more reassuring than knowing she was safe, happy, and well cared for every day. That peace of mind meant the world to us. The school is wonderfully organized and guided by a thoughtful educational approach that balances strong academics with kindness and support. The teachers, staff, and director go above and beyond to create a community that truly feels like an extension of family. South Bay Montessori is more than just a school -- it is a place where I see that all children are loved, respected, and encouraged to become their best selves. As our daughter graduated in 2025, saying goodbye was truly bittersweet. South Bay Montessori has played such an important role in our daughter's early years and has left a lasting impact on our family. We will always be deeply thankful for the love, guidance, and education she received at SB Montessori. South Bay Montessori will always hold a very special place in our hearts, and we wholeheartedly recommend it to any family looking for a truly exceptional Montessori experience.