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    GCC Garfield Child Development Center [Parent Support Center]

    5.0 (16 reviews)
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    On graduation day, the teachers don their own graduation gowns.
    Mary B.

    I have one graduate and one child currently attending this school. I love this school so much that I wish I could have more children! Last year I wrote the following about the director: I have known Ms. Teri Ismail since 2013 when she first led me on a tour of the Parent Support Center at Glendale Community College. Although I am an indecisive person by nature, I was immediately sold on her vision of education and knew that it was the right school for my three-year-old son and my unborn son. Over the course of the past five years, I have witnessed Ms. Ismail's interactions with students, parents and staff and have been thoroughly impacted by the love and wisdom with which she runs her program. In fact, I often seek out her advice with regards to my own sons' development as parenting comes with a lot of its own challenges and doubts. Ms. Ismail's priority is making sure the children under her care feel safe and loved. Each child has a picture of his/her family prominently displayed in the classroom and a little autobiographical booklet in the school library that features photos of him/her and his/her own artwork. There are cozy pillows on the rug, soft music at nap-time, and plenty of toys to make any child feel at home. Ms. Ismail believes in student-led learning which means that children learn about things they are actually curious about. I believe that this open-ended curriculum recognizes children's feelings and ideas as important - and is very formative. She also believes that play is extremely important at this age because it teaches children interpersonal skills and gives them opportunities to develop their creativity, therefore she gives the children a lot of opportunities for supervised indoor and outdoor play. While her lesson plan is flexible, it does not mean that she is not prepared. Every week, she prepares a "plan of possibilities" around a set routine of meals, snacks, rug-time, play-time etc... This plan of possibilities involves songs, stories, crafts and activities revolving around a selected theme. Ms. Ismail does a great job reading to the children, singing while playing the ukulele, incorporating dance, exploration, play, math, basic reading skills and science into the curriculum. She gets kids excited about science with demonstrations like what happens when you mix baking soda and vinegar in kid-made rockets, hands-on experience in the garden, experimenting with pulleys or building hydraulic powered toy submarines. And remember, we are talking about pre-school aged children! She incorporates the best elements of several teaching styles - Montessori, Waldorf, Reggio-Emilio etc... At four and a half, my older son was already starting to read short words, do simple math and create spectacular drawings - and he reached these milestones when he was ready to, and not because he was being pressured to. One thing that really makes Ms. Ismail special is that, despite her more than 30 years of experience as an educator, and the fact that she has three grown children and four grand-children of her own, she is always excited about coming to work, always open to suggestions, always willing to grow and make things better, always thinking of new and exciting ways to present information to the children, and aware that some values are timeless: kindness to others, respect for others, and stewardship of the Earth. As for parent interactions, Ms. Ismail encourages all parents to be as involved as they want to be or can be in the school, by visiting during the day or bringing their personal skill-set to the school in the form of kitchen help, story-times in a foreign language, yoga classes, traditional dance performances, art/decorating and planning family social events. And at an end-of-the-year graduation ceremony, Ms. Ismail officially recognizes all parents for their service to the school with a certificate but the appreciation is felt year-round. Last year, a parent committee began meeting once a month, at her recommendation, to discuss possible social events for the school and suggestions for things to improve. This is a great way to ensure parent satisfaction and the program's success. Ms. Ismail respects her staff and has weekly meetings with them where they can discuss any concerns or challenges they may be facing and where they plan together for the week ahead. She gives all her teacher assistants a chance to lead and she gives them feedback to help them grow.

    This is the block area. Children collaboratively  made a town .
    Lusine S.

    This preschool located on Garfield Community College campus which provides Head Start program and State Preschool. My son attended this preschool for two years and he has learned and developed by experiencing the best. When you go there, you'll see a very peaceful and secure environment because the Garfield Collage campus police stops by often and check on the children as well as the surrounding environment of the preschool to make sure that the children are in a safe environment. The preschool doors have an alarm and a security code which is provided to the families and the staff who use the facility only. Moreover, the best teachers ever.They are well-prepared, educated, involved, positive, and committed. They have years of experience, especially Teri Ismail, she has 35 years of experience with preschool age children. She is passionate, enthusiastic, engaging, inspiring, and motivating person, and as well as her team. This preschool value the importance of family involvement and highly urge parents to participate in social events and be involved in their children's learning process. Teachers, here, encourage parents to communicate with them about any issues or concerns they may have regarding their child, program, or about the curriculum that they are implementing. I should mention that this amazing staff value respect among themselves and families. I have witnessed how they pass on the importance of respect to our generation through demonstrating empathy, sympathy, and compassion for all. This preschool strives to teach physical,cognitive, social, and emotional skills through play-based approach. At the end, when your children are going to graduate, they get a portfolio where is gathered all their works they've done, including their photos while playing and being involved in making something. Even, by just looking on that portfolio, comparing and contrasting their works, you can see the progress of your child and how much they've learned and grown. If you are looking for ideal preschool, this is the one. Don't hesitate and enroll your child here.

    A butterfly on my pointer.
    Shirin H.

    My son attended Parent Support Center for 2 years from 3-5 years old. I believe, those were one of the best years in his life. That place use to be like his 2nd home. He did not want to come home from there. He learned a lot of things not only about Math and English, but about science, biology, art....and more. Teacher Teri is an amazing educator. Kids love her so much. She had different science projects such a butterflies home where they watched and learned about the butterfly metamorphous. They learned about different kinds of insects, building roads from blocks, gardening outside, learning about plants and many many more indoor and outdoor activities that stimulated their critical thinking and social skills. One of the projects was a wind tunnel that Teacher Terri had made where kids were testing and experimenting aerodynamic flying machine. My son's favorite thing in preschool was making different kinds of projects and exploring science. There is no comparison with what kind of ideas Mrs.Teri can come up with to prepare your kids for elementary school education. Moreover, all kids are treated equally and with respect. Best of all, all kids were happy at Parent Support Center.

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    Ask the Community - GCC Garfield Child Development Center [Parent Support Center]

    Review Highlights - GCC Garfield Child Development Center [Parent Support Center]

    Teri Ismail since 2013 when she first led me on a tour of the Parent Support Center at Glendale Community College.

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    Highland Park Montessori

    Highland Park Montessori

    5.0(2 reviews)
    3.2 miHighland Park

    We LOVE Highland Park Montessori! The director is awesome and you can tell that she TRULY cares…read moreabout what Montessori means. Her passion for making sure the students excell will blow your mind. -- When she shared her experience in running other Montessori schools in New York we just knew that we were in the right place. We receive so much more than any other school we've looked into. Our child is excited to go to preschool every day and we can tell she's learning so much. So happy to have found them.

    Here's what I can say about Lilo and her style of teaching:…read more She leads with love and respect for the child, always. Our son learned from her for almost two years and her patience, support and belief in him allowed him to grow exponentially in that time. She is consistently creative with her lessons, incorporating art, music, and yoga, which we loved seeing our son incorporate into his non school time activities. He has used the breath work he learned from Lilo to calm himself down during moments when it is needed. He has even taught us to take a moment to collect ourselves! That is because of Lilo. Lilo takes the time to get to know a child and will incorporate their passions into lesson plans. Our son loves trains and train lines, so she worked with him on his writing and spelling by allowing him to create a train line using the words he wanted to learn. She is incredibly creative and in tune with every child. No one size fits all approach with her! We appreciate how level headed Lilo is when dealing with children and the emotions that they have. She is patient and allows for a safe, loving space to work through what those emotions are and at the end of the day she understands that each child is working through things on their own timeline. She expects respect and love from children (as that's what she leads with), but ultimately is realistic with expectations. Children are children and her chill is infectious. Lilo creates a safe, loving environment that allows for children to flourish. If our son didn't have to grow up we would be with Lilo until the end of time!

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    Highland Park Montessori
    Highland Park Montessori
    Highland Park Montessori

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    Chandler’s Preschool - The Caterpillars Room (18 months - 2.5 yrs) Puzzle area

    Chandler’s Preschool

    4.8(17 reviews)
    3.0 miHighland Park

    our family spent two years with chandler's pre-school. it was an amazing experience. the school's…read moreprogram focuses on growth, independence. our daughter truly blossomed at the school and is set on a great path to start as she enters tk. the program's structured, play-based, and academically rigorous plan really worked for us. the small classes, staff and most importantly, the teachers are second to none for a pre school. we will always recommend the school to friends and family but will also measure quality of education and programming based of what we experienced at chandler's. the teachers are absolutely incredible - this is education. the food and meals are terrific as well - organic and natural, allergy friendly. our daughter isn't picky and was comfortable trying anything that is prepared on-site at their kitchen by their cook. you'll even find miss carolina helping with the classes and preparing food for the kids. you get what you put into this program as well - we kept our daughter on a great schedule so that she was well rested before school everyday and we also saw how much that worked for her in the program. a note about the staff / administration: they have great communication. we had multiple meetings and sit downs with staff. if there was anything we'd want to discuss or, had questions about, we were welcomed to meet with them and discuss anything we needed to. highest recommendation!

    A Lifesaver and a Treasure…read more Chandler's Preschool quite literally rescued our family. We suddenly lost our nanny and were scrambling for care when the school had just opened--and we were lucky enough to be one of their very first families. From day one, we felt embraced, supported, and cared for in a way that exceeded all expectations. Our son just graduated from Chandler's and is heading into kindergarten not only confident and excited, but already reading. He was accepted into an excellent private school, and I have no doubt that Chandler's nurturing environment and thoughtfully designed curriculum played a huge role in preparing him. The teachers are warm, engaging, and truly see every child. The director runs the school with such intentionality--making sure the meals are always fresh, organic, and nutritious. The facility itself is immaculately clean and beautifully maintained. You can tell that everything, from the schedule to the classroom setup, is created with early childhood development philosophies in mind. Our younger daughter still attends, and I'm always blown away by the care and quality of education. She has weekly science lessons, cooking projects, and physical activities all seamlessly woven into her day. So much of the learning is hands-on and joyful--my kids often don't want to leave when I come to pick them up! We are endlessly grateful for Chandler's Preschool. It's been a home, a school, and a community for our family--and we can't recommend it highly enough.

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    Chandler’s Preschool - The Caterpillars (18 months - 2.5 yrs) Toddler-size amenities

    The Caterpillars (18 months - 2.5 yrs) Toddler-size amenities

    Chandler’s Preschool - The Cocoons Room (2.5 - 3.5 yrs)

    The Cocoons Room (2.5 - 3.5 yrs)

    Chandler’s Preschool - The Cocoons Room (2.5 - 3.5 yrs)

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    The Cocoons Room (2.5 - 3.5 yrs)

    Pequenas Semillas Wonderschool - I love Dinosaurs!

    Pequenas Semillas Wonderschool

    5.0(12 reviews)
    1.7 miGlassell Park

    Our son has been attending Pequeña Semillas full-time (Monday through Friday, 8:15 AM to 4:30 PM)…read morefor eight months now, having started as a 1-year-old at one of the few local centers that take infants--a total lifesaver for us. We have been very pleased with the care and support our family has received from Maria and her team. They are consistent, professional, and genuinely caring. As a bilingual family, we especially love that they offer a lot of Spanish immersion. Ezra seems to love the environment, gets a lot out of it, and looks forward to being there every day. We love that we get fun pictures of his day; it is so great to see him enjoying his time there whether indoors or outside in the yard. They also take the kids on neighborhood walks, which is wonderful. Most importantly, the facility is always safe and clean. Plus, they include all meals and snacks, which is incredibly convenient. Pequeña Semillas is truly an amazing neighborhood gem! If you're looking for a genuinely caring care option for your little one, I could not recommend Pequeña Semillas and Maria and her team more.

    This review is long overdue! I am so grateful and lucky that i was able to have my toddler at…read morePequeñas Semillas Wonderschool. Only reason he is not there is because we have moved to Stockholm, Sweden. Her care for the children is in a beautiful home in Eagle Rock, Ca. There could not be a better environment than feeling safe in a home, in a small group of kids with the care that Maria and her staff give, it feels like family. They get healthy home cooked snacks and lunch! If you search around LA, its impossible to find schools that serve food. For a busy parent that is a game changer. She really plans ahead for the activities and themes she has for the week, that is dedication and passion. We get updates of what they did through out the day, from the time they went potty, nap time, stories and songs of the day! I can go on and on, just sharing a few of the pics where you can see they joy the kids have, which is the most important. She has limited space so highly recommend to plan ahead. Probably only one of the very few Spanish immersion daycares in LA. We love you Pequeñas Semillas & miss you!

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    Pequenas Semillas Wonderschool - Oh what bug is that!

    Oh what bug is that!

    Pequenas Semillas Wonderschool - Cars, cars, cars

    Cars, cars, cars

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    Atwater Park Center - Always a smile on her face willing to learn and to enjoy the time with her teachers and classmates.

    Atwater Park Center

    4.9(70 reviews)
    1.6 miAtwater Village

    I usually never leave reviews but this place is to good too good to keep secret, this is a great…read moreplace to bring your kids the staff and teachers are amazing. We were so lost because we were not getting help from our regional center and we came upon this school because our child is on the spectrum. We decided we needed to do something and not just keep waiting for the regional center to get back to us cause she aged out. We came here so afraid for something new but we knew our child needed it. Her teachers are so caring and very knowledgeable about what each child needs. We are so happy to have her attend this school because with the time she spent here she was able to grow so much. She was able to grow into a person that is more adventurous, more aware of things and even more smiles everyday. Thank you Teacher Ricky and tmTeacher Loamy and everyone at Atwater Park Center you treated us like family and we felt that our child was I good hands would recommend this school 100%.

    I can't say enough wonderful things about Atwater Park Center. My son had such a positive…read moreexperience there, and it was so special to see him do well, grow, and genuinely enjoy going each day. He absolutely loved his teachers, and that meant so much to me as a parent. You could tell that they truly cared about him, were patient with him, and made him feel comfortable and supported. The teachers really made a difference in his experience. Seeing how happy he was around them and how excited he was to go made me feel confident that he was in a wonderful environment. I'm so grateful to Atwater Park Center and especially to the teachers who made such a positive impact on my son. It's clear that the people there care about the children and want to see them succeed. I would recommend Atwater Park Center to any parent. My son was happy, he thrived, and he loved his teachers, that means everything to me.

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    Atwater Park Center - This photo says it all about the staff at Atwater!!

    This photo says it all about the staff at Atwater!!

    Atwater Park Center
    Atwater Park Center

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    Growing Garden Wonderschool

    Growing Garden Wonderschool

    5.0(18 reviews)
    3.1 miEagle Rock

    Growing Garden is the BEST! Our son went there just after turning 2, and stayed for years. The…read morelevel of love, support and attention that Jessie and Mia Mia showed him was out of this world. They were truly like a second family to him (just one who could actually convince him to eat his vegetables!) Breakfast and lunch were provided every day, and communication with Jessie was always prompt and thorough. She was so enthusiastic about her work, and respected the little ones as the humans they are. She [somewhat magically] had 8-10 toddlers all listening to her every word in a way that was incredible to witness. We're so happy our son had the GG experience!

    Nothing I can say can fully capture how amazing Growing Garden is. We've now sent BOTH our kids…read morehere and joke about how we wish we had more just so we could send them to this school. Jessie is an incredibly caring, engaged, enthusiastic, energetic educator who absolutely dotes on the children. She goes above and beyond to make sure each of the kids feels seen, challenged, and loved. They spend their days making art, learning in a fun way, making food, playing outdoors, etc. They are simply HAPPY here, and we credit Jessie with making our kids' first experience with school a positive, memorable one. We're so sad our GG days are coming to a close and fear no other teacher will compare to Jessie. We will cherish our memories here forever!

    Photos
    Growing Garden Wonderschool
    Growing Garden Wonderschool
    Growing Garden Wonderschool

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    Bright Montessori School

    Bright Montessori School

    4.8(29 reviews)
    1.9 miAtwater Village

    This is a cozy and unpretentious preschool ran by the most loving and dedicated teachers. For…read morealmost six years I put my pin code into that little orange door and my kids ran happily inside. They learned their letters and numbers, got potty trained, celebrated every cultural holiday and most importantly to me, felt incredibly safe and loved. Sometimes I still feel like dropping by just for the warm vibes and to ask Sakina how to parent through a tough moment. I could not recommend it more.

    If I could give Bright Montessori a thousand stars, I would. Our youngest (of three kids) started…read moreat Bright at barely age 2 when our full-time nanny unexpectedly had to take medical leave. When I arrived for my visit, the director, Sakina, was hoisting a palate of strawberries from her car that she had bought from the farmers market for the kids' snack. From day one, our family felt welcomed and supported by Sakina and her colleagues and the parents at the school. Our daughter is thriving and we see every day how this loving community has contributed to her growth and development. The school has two beautiful classrooms with large glass windows/doors and a serene courtyard. One parent on Yelp commented about uneven pavement and I'm not sure I understand that. The space is perfectly safe (as well as clean and beautiful) for children to run around--I certainly wouldn't have sent my 2-year-old daughter to the school if I had any concerns. The teachers are extremely engaged and loving and I've watched them on a daily basis help kids to learn how to communicate and resolve conflict. Overall, the school is an absolute gem and I am so glad that we became part of this wonderful community. Our family is forever grateful for the marvelous work by Sakina, Vanessa, Michelle, and Romaline.

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    Bright Montessori School
    Bright Montessori School
    Bright Montessori School

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    Segray Eagle Rock

    Segray Eagle Rock

    4.5(30 reviews)
    1.4 miEagle Rock
    Established in 2019
    Family-owned & operated

    We enrolled our 1-year-old son in two sessions of Toddler and Me at Segray, and it was such a…read morepositive experience for our family. The program is thoughtfully organized with a great mix of free exploration and structured activities, all designed with toddlers' development in mind. Each week had new, well-curated stations and age-appropriate toys that kept things engaging and fun. Our son especially loved the music portion, including a session with a guitarist singing songs with the children. Angela, the program director, and her team were incredibly welcoming, warm, and communicative throughout the program. They did a wonderful job making the space feel inviting and safe for both toddlers and their caregivers, whether parents, grandparents, or nannies. That was especially meaningful for little ones who may not have had prior school experience yet. The staff was fantastic with the children and clearly cared deeply about creating a nurturing environment. You can really see the love and thought they put into everything, from the classroom setup to the outdoor play areas. Overall, Toddler and Me was a great value and wonderful exposure for our son. I would highly recommend it to any parent or caregiver looking for a warm, enriching program for their toddler.

    We love Segray. Our son started at 18 months and they really helped him with the transition. His…read moredays are always jam packed with fun, and he comes homes singing songs and telling us about what he did with his teachers and friends. It's a beautiful community with the most supportive teachers and staff.

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    Segray Eagle Rock
    Segray Eagle Rock
    Segray Eagle Rock

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    GCC Garfield Child Development Center [Parent Support Center] - preschools - Updated September 2026

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