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.

We've had our toddler at this school for almost 2 years and it's been a wonderful experience! The…read morestaff and teachers know each kid so well, and my son has great relationships with his teachers and friends at school. His development has progressed quite a bit since he started, and they were very supportive with potty training. Definitely recommend to any parents looking!

Our daughter attended Golden Poppy for 2 years since she was 3 months old, and we couldn't have…read moreasked for anything better. She's had amazing teachers the whole time. The teachers always have fun activities planned, and send pictures and videos throughout the day! Somewhat recently they came under new ownership. Honestly I have no idea who the previous owner was, I don't think I ever saw or met them. But Sabriya is there every day, and you can definitely tell the difference. They've redone all the classrooms, they constantly have fun events planned (like a giant blow-up slide and ball pit for graduations, water days every Friday in July, reptile presentations and Kona ice, a Disney party with activities, snacks, and prizes for all the kids, etc.), and they've even added a food / lunch service (we didn't opt in to that, but the menu options looked good). They've also put in more security cameras and made other improvements. Everything looks completely different now, and they're still adding more! They also offer parents nights out, where they have dinner and fun activities planned for the kids so the parents can get away for a night. We never opted in for any of these either, but I thought it was pretty cool seeing the different themed nights they had planned. Overall, we couldn't have asked for a better daycare experience. Shoutout to all of our daughter's favorite teachers, especially Ms. Alma, Ms. Jamie, Ms. Diana, Ms. Jennifer, and Ms. Thelma (and many others)!

Highly recommend Kids Bay. Our family has been with them since 2021…read more Low teacher turnover rate. Our oldest started in the infant room at 4 months old. We also started our youngest at 4 months old and it's the same teacher. While there has been some turnover, many of the teachers have remained over the years we've been there, though some may have switched between different age-group classrooms during that time. Great learning environment. The teachers do a wonderful job of providing age appropriate activities and learning. Our oldest qualified for TK this past year but we chose to keep him at Kids Bay due to the learning environment. We would have loved for him to take part in the Jr. Kindergarten program Kids Bay offered but we unfortunately were unable to do so. Even though he didn't take part in the Jr. Kindergarten program, he's still ready to start Kindergarten. We also love the extra presentations they have from time-to-time such as the irish dancers that come around St. Patrick's Day (our oldest loves watching these dancers), or having animal handlers come in to show the kids and talk about different types of animals (like lizards). They care. The teachers and staff at Kids Bay care about the children. They have kindly provided feedback on behaviors they've observed which may or may not require attention, and they are willing to work with you to help support your child. Meals. Breakfast and snacks are included in the tuition. They offer lunch each day for an additional fee, and it's food the typical child will eat - nuggets, cheeseburger, corndogs, yakisoba noodles, pizza, etc. plus vegetables. Our oldest generally decides each day if he wants to eat what's offered that day or if he wants to bring lunch from home. Extra enrichment activity opportunities offered. While not included in the tuition, they partner with other parties to offer additional focused activities such as a dance class, sports days, and additional art classes. Our oldest has participated in the "sports day" since he was ~3 and it's one of his favorite days of the week. Monthly Parents Night Out. As a perk, the Kids Bay provides a monthly "parents night out" (that's included in the tuition) where you can drop your child off and go have a date night. While it seems like a little thing, we don't have nearby family to help watch the kids, and the thought of trying to find and vet a babysitter for our little ones was daunting. This was a wonderful perk for us - a date night where the babysitters are people both we and our kids know and trust. Summer Activities. They always have a great line-up of activities for the summer, and offer splash days later in the summer when it gets hot. Convenient hours. They offer convenient hours for our work schedules. Overall, we've had a great experience with Kids Bay and highly recommend them.

My son has had the most amazing experience attending The Kids Bay! He started off in the toddler…read moreroom, and has since graduated to the 2 year old program. He has learned so much in the short amount of time he has attended. He comes home singing songs he learned in class, talks about the art projects he gets to do, and loves seeing his friends every time he visits. We get multiple pictures and updates everyday in our app so we can see exactly what he's up to. In addition, we love the parent date nights they offer once a month so we can have a relaxing night out. We are so thankful for all The Kids Bay does for our son!

I am doing another review because the school has changed leadership and has expanded / updated…read moretheir outdoor classroom. I still stand by what I said about this school in the past. This is truly a magical place for early childhood education and comes second to none. We were sad for the former director to leave but Ms. Meredith has proven her dedication and commitment to keeping our children safe, feeling loved/included, and having them thrive in the most fun learn/play environment. Her staff loves and truly know the children down to their particular interests and personalities. The outdoor space is nothing like you've ever seen in any other preschool. Call them for a tour and see for yourself! If you're a parent like me who has been doing all the research of finding the best place for your child, this is it. I've had both my daughter and son attend as we've been a part of the program since 2020. UCUC is a very very special place. PS, your child no longer has to be potty trained to attend this school which may be a positive for some families.

We just moved to UC at the start of the school year and desperately needed a safe, soft landing for…read moreour daughter amidst such a huge personal change as well as the ongoing challenges of the pandemic. Thankfully, we found UCUC. During her year there, our daughter thrived under the care of her teachers and staff. Their highly personalized approach and commitment to enriching each child's journey has had a deep and lasting impact on our daughter. Her curiosity for learning accelerated throughout the year as did her capacity for more complex, project-based work. It's evident that the children are learning to model the kindness, compassion, and empathy of their teachers. Our daughter's emotional vocabulary has dramatically improved as she learns to navigate social dynamics with new, budding friends. It's a gift to be part of a preschool where the teachers and staff truly know our daughter and care deeply about her experience. We look forward to sending her back in the Fall, and cannot wait to see how the magic of the school continues to enrich her world.

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.

For any prospective parent, I suggest you research the State of California's Social services page…read morefor formal compliant and citations for Dot to Dot (or any childcare facility that you are considering). They've had 4 citations (3 type B, 1 type A) just at this location over the past 6 months: ccld.dss.ca.gov/carefacilitysearch/?Rewrite=FacDetail%2F376105058. Our experience echoes much of what has been written in some of the previous reviews including inexperienced staff, high turnover of teachers (6 teachers in 1 academic year), and most alarmingly, violence in classroom (forks to face, scratching, hitting, etc..). Please do your own research before making a decision that's best for your family.

It was a mistake for me to send my child to this school. The way things were handled when we left…read morethe school were incredibly unprofessional and heartbreaking all at the same time. I don't need to go into details. The teachers are generally nice and caring, but inexperienced and short term. Staff seem to disappear quickly and abruptly, leaving children confused.

We love little acorn! The teachers are angels - they truly love and encourage development and…read moregrowth in each child. My son loves going to school now and doesn't even look back when I drop him off. He has made sweet friendships and loves learning from his teachers. Would recommend this school again and again!!!

We originally signed our 3 year old daughter up at Little Acorns just for a short two month summer…read moresession, thinking she'd go back to her play-based school in the fall. But she has loved it here so much, and we've been so impressed, that we decided to keep her at Little Acorns for the school year instead. She comes home every day happy, calm, and excited to tell us what she did. We've seen such a difference in her behavior at home. She's more independent, more focused, and not picking up any of the bad habits we'd seen at previous schools! The teachers, especially Ms. Marzia, are so kind and nurturing, and the environment is warm and positive. The other kids are respectful, and clearly happy to be there. As a military family who's moved around and experienced a few different schools, we can honestly say this one is the best fit we've found. We're so thankful to have discovered Little Acorns!

Our family had an absolutely wonderful experience with Child Time during our summer vacation in San…read moreDiego. Initially, we were a bit concerned about finding the right place for our kids, but from the moment we met the school principal and teachers, all our worries melted away. The staff--a special thank you to Mr. Jacob, Tori, and Debbie--were incredibly welcoming and attentive. Within a day, our children were eager to return and ended up spending about 10 days there, thoroughly enjoying themselves. Being able to watch them on camera also put our minds at ease. It's truly an amazing place full of great activities and a warm environment. We will definitely be returning next year! Thank you so much for taking such wonderful care of our kids; we truly appreciate how warmly you welcomed our family!

My son has been attending this school for over 3yrs and the whole team is absolutely amazing. They…read moreare warm and welcoming, great communication and really take their time to know each individual child.