My son has been at MBMA since he was 6 years old and is now in the 5th grade. Over the years, the…read moreschool has provided him with a solid academic foundation. We really like that the school offers different levels for math, which has kept him challenged and engaged rather than bored. MBMA also provides a wide range of extracurriculars like Music, Art, Computer, Science, PE, and Languages. They even have a music band, which you don't see often at this age. The class sizes are small, so kids can get plenty of personal attention. The management is also very approachable and easy to communicate with. MBMA is a small school. For the level of academics and all the extras they offer, the tuition is really affordable too. I definitely recommend them.

MBMA is hands down one of the best-kept secrets in San Diego. We first heard about MBMA six years…read moreago from some parents who loved the music program. After taking a tour, we were impressed by not only the music teacher but everything else MBMA has to offer. Because it's a small school, the students receive extra attention from some of the most passionate teachers we've ever met. The students also have more freedom than in a public school; for instance, at lunchtime (which is an hour and a half!), our child could choose to go to the playground, stay in class to finish homework or visit the art studio to work on a project with the fantastic art teacher. Twice a week at lunch the students in the band rehearse, and once a week they have a lesson on campus with an instructor who knows their instrument. All the children in our child's class are in the band and have bonded like a little family. It's been a huge plus, and I would highly recommend that all the students join the band. Much like Gillispie School, MBMA has different teachers and classrooms for a range of subjects (Chinese, Spanish, science, computer/robotics, P.E., art and music/songwriting/choir), which prepares them well for rotating classes in middle school. If your child enjoys math (many MBMA students go to AOPS or Mathnasium on the side), MBMA should be the only school you consider. They have an awesome advanced-math teacher (with a PhD) who teaches Singapore math. Children who pass a test can go to the advanced-math class that's right for them. This teacher also offers Math Kangaroo after school as well as tutoring. The school's Parents Group organizes fun events throughout the year, such as a Halloween carnival, movie nights and an ice cream party. Children also look forward to the annual holiday craft fair, where they can sell crafts they've made and learn a bit about having a business. There are also musical performances, an end-of-year art exhibition and a science fair. When we toured middle schools this fall, it was clear that MBMA has an excellent reputation for its kind, curious and hard-working students (in fact, several students are moving on to Bishop's and Francis Parker next year). After students leave MBMA, parents I've spoken to say their children thrive in middle school (even at the most challenging private schools) and beyond (MBMA students have gone on to Harvard, Yale, Penn, UCLA, etc.), thanks to the skills their children learned here and the self-confidence they developed in such a nurturing, small-school environment. Without a doubt, MBMA provides each child with the challenge they need to reach their full potential. You will be blown away by all your child can achieve here if they take advantage of everything that's offered. I highly recommend checking it out!

Please do not send your child to school here. They're unprofessional and greedy. I'm confused on…read morehow they were hired to care for children. Remember to check childcare licensing reports before picking a school.

Unfortunately, I was not very welcomed by Yogi Patel the first time because I did not have an…read moreappointment. I did not take it personally and even was " ashamed" to interrupt classes, as I was told because they have nobody at front desk for information as all schools I have been touring. Anyway, while she was walking promptly to the way out for me to go, I asked her if just outside if kids where taught how to read on kinder garden, she said " our kids" already know how to read at 3 years old, but you need to schedule an appointment in order for me to give you information. And so I did, because every School has its own policies. Took me a couple of days for them to give an appointment for following week. Today I went there and Teacher Amanda made me fill all basic papers and after that, she took me to tour the first clasroom .. and she was just telling me all kids "work at their own paste ", when Yogi Patel showed up to asked me, what she already knew, about my 5 year old son who was actually there listening to her telling me , her students were able to read complete " chapter books" by that age that he couldn't take him and the she requested how many figure numbers did he knew by then ..... for what? If she was going to say no Unless I pay extra 1k after tuition fees for a special teacher ....that my kid was old for their program witch with recommendatly has to star at 3 years old or the " rest of the world" would be behind their knowledge. I mean if that is a something to be fulfilled before, why didn't she just said it the first day and avoid me from booking an appointment, spending my time and gas money ... but specially , the frustation of explaining my excited child, why was he rejected from a school this woman did even let us tour and even contradicted her own staff by saying exactly the opposite she was just explaining to us. A very unnecessary experience that was just taken place by a extremely unproffesional teacher that just made us go ti inflate her huge useless ego. Shame on you Yogi Patel!

Great teachers who care about the kids and love to be there. My daughter spent two years there and…read morewe are looking forward to sending our next kid when she turns two

I cant stress how amazing Jodi is and how this staff has taught my 2 boys a great Godly foundation…read morein life. It has spilled over to the kindness they show to others now in elementary school. I and my boys have miss you all!!! Thanks for some great memories. Rachel and Jimmy

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.

Our family has trusted KinderCare for our childcare needs over the past 12 years, from 2012 through…read more2024, for all three of our children. As our youngest child's last day is tomorrow (he starts kindergarten next week), I felt compelled to finally write a review and share how fortunate we've been to have our kids grow and develop under the care of the wonderful teachers at Del Mar Highlands KinderCare. Most recently, our son was guided by Miss Amanda and Miss Ghada in the Pre-K class, and we feel confident that he will enter kindergarten with enthusiasm, confidence, and well-developed social skills. Miss Amanda was also the Pre-K teacher for our older two children (now in 7th and 5th grades), and she has played a significant role in their early education. We will all miss her dearly! If we had to do it all over again, we wouldn't hesitate to choose this KinderCare location.

Both my kids have gone here since they were 5 months old. One is in pre-K and the other in the…read moretoddler class. This school has been great! The communication is very good and both my kids love their teachers! The director and assistant director (Kristina and Simone) are very friendly and always make a point to say good morning and give a big smile to the kids! Overall, I'm very happy with our experience here and I can't recommend it enough.

Both of my children have attended this school and I can only say wonderful things about the school,…read morethe facilities, the administrators, and especially the teachers. The Spanish immersion program is at no extra cost and my daughter started kindergarten fluent in two languages able to hold conversations in Spanish with complete strangers the same as she could in English. I have never doubted for a second that my children will be safe and loved when they walk through the gates each morning. They use an app where we get updates with information and pictures every day of what the children are learning and working on in class. I didn't realize how spoiled we were until my older child went to kindergarten and we realized that we had to ask at dinner each day what she had done and often were faced with a shrug in response instead of a detailed breakdown. I cannot recommend any early childhood experience more than this one! Two of our best friends have now sent all of their friends to the JCC as well and we are all so happy to get to attend family events together. We will be so sad when we are all too old to attend this school because it truly has been a home to our family for 4 years and counting!

We love this preschool. My oldest already graduated and I'm about to put my third kid in here. I…read morewill be so sad when he has to leave this school. The staff feels like family, the kids love them. Every teacher I've met is very nice to us and to the children. We also like the diversity; we have made some really good friends in here. It's very easy to communicate with the teachers/staff, they're very accessible and flexible with schedules which is a plus. I've never doubt their capacity to take care of my children and teach them good values. The facilities are well kept, my kids love the playgrounds there and the toys they have. I recommend this school 10/10!

The Gillispie School has been a dream realized for our family. I attended Gillispie as a child and…read morecherished those formative years--so enrolling our eldest in the Early Childhood Program in 2022 felt like coming home. From day one, we were struck by the school's deep commitment to character development, curiosity, and collaborative learning. Our son has truly flourished, thanks to the exceptional teaching staff who nurture not only academic growth but emotional well-being. Their dedication is evident--years later, our son still greets every teacher and staff member by name, and they warmly do the same. Gillispie fosters a strong, inclusive community that extends beyond the classroom. We've found lasting friendships with fellow like-minded parents who share our values around education and kindness. Our middle son starts in the Littles Cottage this fall, and we couldn't be more excited for his journey. Gillispie is everything we hoped for--and more.

As a parent to a Kindergartener at Gillispie, I could not be happier with the experience our family…read morehas had during our first year at the school. We have felt supported by the entire team of teachers and staff who are attentive, proactive and caring. Our daughter's confidence and skills have grown tremendously, and we love that she gets a well rounded education including specialty classes.

I have had three grandchildren go through this school from toddler to elementary. Top notch staff…read more Top notch teachers. Top notch administrators. Top notch management. One grandchild is a college freshman. The other two are in 7th grade. They are all very bright, well adjusted, and doing well in school. I give Lifetime Montessori a lot of credit.

We moved our child recently from another school to Lifetime after wanting more structure in an…read moreacademic setting, balanced with group play and exploration. Every child and family have different needs and it was important that we found teachers and an administration that was willing to partner with us to address any concerns and proactively work together to find solutions. We have been very impressed with the leadership, admin and teachers' transparency, accountability and communication. So many schools can feel like a corporate profit driven endeavor and we have observed that Lifetime cares deeply about children development and curating their interests. A simple example is that we asked that our child be allowed to observe the classroom Montessori 'work' session in action before making a decision to enroll her formally (this would be the first time our child would observe a Montessori class in person).The school year had already started and the Director, Kristin, asked that we hold off until the second or third week of school so that she could support the teachers to protect the integrity of what they were trying to establish in the new classroom on the first week of school without creating a distraction. She could have easily agreed to allow us to observe sooner so we could enroll earlier (other schools did), etc... it's through small actions and decisions that we felt comfortable placing our child there with a team of educators and admin that truly put the children's wellbeing and needs first. They also have set up a system of room parents that are very helpful to guide fellow parents with onboarding, external play dates and organizing events. There is no perfect childcare or school, but at the end of the day, we chose Lifetime because we are confident that the whole team works together to communicate openly and will partner together to honor what's best for our child. It's also a great sign when the teachers choose to coteach together for multiple years, clearly, they are enjoying it :). Thanks to the whole team for putting in their efforts to create a space for children to explore, learn and play!