Suraiya goes above and beyond to lead the kids towards the aretistic and building skills. My daughter did at Imagine the most beautiful art! Suraiya sees the kids already as masterful artists. She creates the environment for them to focus and explore. It's a one of a kind place! read more

Imagine is a one-of-a-kind preschool! Our daughter has been enrolled for 2 years now, and it has truly been formative for her. The teacher-student ratio is low, allowing for focused one-on-one attention and for learning to occur at the pace of the child. The yearly curriculum is modeled around on the interests of the kids and is approached through various lenses, allowing for deep exploration and finding connections in the material. What sets Imagine apart is their genuine commitment to fostering independence and critical thinking from such a young age. Rather than just giving answers, Teacher Suraiya and Teacher Diana encourage the children to problem-solve and explore the 'why' behind everything they do. Not only do they facilitate this with academic learning, but with peer-to-peer interactions as well. Their approach to social-emotional learning is thoughtful and inspiring, and we've seen a huge shift in how our daughter identifies her emotions and navigates social interactions with empathy and confidence. Imagine's thoughtful approach to academic and personal development leave me with no doubts that our daughter will be well positioned to transition to school when she's of age. Highly recommend! read more

We love imagine! Our oldest is moving on to kindergarten but started at Imagine at age 3 and our youngest has been at Imagine since last year and will be continuing again this year. Imagine teachers are truly dedicated to understanding each student and helping each to develop critical thinking skills, improve fine motor skills and grow in confidence. We have seen our oldest grow by leaps and bounds socially and academically since joining Imagine. If you're looking for a school with a great teacher to student ratio and a focus on experiential learning, Imagine is a great choice. read more

My daughter went here from 2-4. If we could go back, we would enroll her again. The school has a 4-1 ratio. The teachers are caring, communicative, and professional. The quality of education our daughter received was well above what we expected and we are only now understanding where she stands in relation to her peers as she attends summer programs and receives glowing praise from other educators. This school was more expensive than many other options, but the individualized attention from an extra teacher makes it all worth it. Ratio is very important at this age, and the Regio style is amazing. We are looking forward to enrolling our second child next year. read more

Both my son's when to Imagine. My oldest went from 3-5, and our youngest was only able to go for.one year at age 3 before we moved. One of the saddest things about moving was not being able to keep our youngest son there another year to experience Imagine the way our oldest did. Imagine is a special place with teachers who pour their hearts into every child. The love, attention, care and support we received as a family continues even now that we have moved onto other schools. The connections we made with other families truly made our foundation for how we want to raise our kids. I absolutely love this school and the teachers who continue to provide excellence and social-emotional learning not only for the children, but the parents as well ;) read more

My daughter just finished two years at Imagine, and we're so sad to leave. It was like a home to her, and we have been part of a tight-knit family community. The teachers do an amazing job supporting the individual needs of each child, fostering their independence, and encouraging creativity and exploration. They use an emergent curriculum that is based on children's interests, and they explore topics playfully and with collaborative projects. We've been so impressed with the art our daughter has been making and the depth of knowledge she has about the things she learns at school. They have an art show at the local library each year, and the kids are (rightfully!) so proud of their work. The teachers also emphasize socioemotional learning. Our daughter has learned to work on a team, support her friends, and talk about and regulate her emotions. The teachers are endlessly patient and respectful with the kids. They take their feelings seriously and help them figure out how to manage them on their own. Our daughter has loved going to preschool everyday, and we hope she feels the same way in elementary school! read more

Imagine Preschool - Proud artist with her piece (Year 1) - Preschools Near Me

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I can't say enough wonderful things about Imagine Preschool,  Suraiya and the other teachers, and all the families!  We definitely struck gold when we discovered this school. We have been at the school for 2 1/2 years (Our older daughter was almost 2 when she started and our younger daughter was 6 months).  The curriculum is well rounded including STEM, arts/music, nature learning, Spanish and RIE methods for the babies.  Every day my kids come home excited about what they have learned and proud of what they have accomplished!  What I love most about Imagine is the focus on helping kids develop emotional resilience, confidence and the skills necessary to deal with the challenges life throws at you. I'm amazed by how well both my daughters can understand and regulate their own feelings because of the things they have learned at school. The teachers are incredible as well.  They are really perceptive and sensitive to the kids' individual needs and clearly genuinely care about each child. Suraiya often goes above and beyond to help the kids (and us) when extra help/attention is needed.  Also, the leadership at the school is exceptional, especially during this pandemic.  Their COVID policies are always up to date and consistently enforced, and the facility is cleaned multiple times a day.  As a parent of children who are not eligible for the COVID vaccine yet, I am put at ease knowing my kids are as safe as possible at this school. We also just love the whole Imagine community!  The other families have similar philosophies on parenting and it's easy to get along and get to know each other. We thank our lucky stars everyday that we discovered this school!  We only wish they would expand into grade level so we could stay here longer! This school is everything we could have asked for and more. Check it out and see for yourself! read more

My daughter attended Imagine pre-covid, and then we took a long break because of Covid. We sent her back in March 2021. We were on the fence about sending our daughter back but Suraiya, the school founder, made us feel comfortable that they were taking careful precautions. The parents had even pitched in to buy a very good air filter, which speaks for the kind of community there is at Imagine. I absolutely love what Suraiya teaches. I cannot say enough good things about this school and Suraiya. The school has a Reggio Emilia approach to learning which is an educational philosophy, born in Italy, shortly after World War II. I love this approach because it allows the children to learn through many different materials and different ways. Not all children learn the same way, so why give them all one type of education? The teachers do not lecture, but instead, bring upon curiosity for the children to discover and explore answers for themselves. They are encouraged to focus through building, drawing, painting, science, and more. They continuously build upon new concepts, so they are scaffolding in their learning and understanding these concepts in a deeper manner. They use natural materials! There is an atelier at the school, so the students learn with real art tools and work on projects for a lengthy time, so you don't get all these random art projects like you would at other schools. I loved this so much about Imagine! The children are all advanced in their learnings because Suraiya knows that these little humans are capable when given the right environment to learn and be curious. I loved the support that we got from Suraiya how to encourage our daughter outside of school time, too. This helped us to bridge that gap in so many ways and carry on the education at home. Sadly, we have moved on, but Suraiya's teachings and her support for our family is something we will always remember! read more

What a gem of a preschool! I have toured many preschools all over LA and this school is something special. I knew this place would be the perfect first school experience for my son. It is led by a passionate and knowledgeable director who values each student and their family as part of a community of learners. So much of the day is spent with real world materials, exploration, play, and language. My favorite piece of the school philosophy is the social emotional development. They help little ones with big feelings by letting them express those feelings and help children to understand them. As an educator, myself, I whole heartedly recommend this school for anyone who wants their child to gain critical thinking skills through play and develop their emotional intelligence. As a parent of a quieter child, I recommend this school because of the value they place on each child's voice as well as the incredibly low teacher to student ratio. I encourage you to tour the school for yourself and see if it's a good fit for your little one. read more

This is the second year my son has been attending this school, and I doubt I could have found a better fit for him! I love their approach to teaching, they really focus on the importance of social-emotional learning, and my son has flourished and continues to thrive in their loving environment. Their ratio is usually 4:1 which is very hard to find in early education (usually it is 6:1) so this made me feel very confident that every student receives the attention and direction that they need, and teachers Suraiya and Shannon are so warm, welcoming, and sincerely care about each child. My son loves them, is excited and eager to get to school, and we really feel like a part of a wonderful community! read more

Imagine Preschool - My son loves all the art materials he gets to work with during the day! - Preschools Near Me

I cannot express enough how special this school is. Suraiya has created such a magical environment for these kids to grow, learn and develop into beautiful, curious human beings. My son started at 1 1/2 and if it weren't for us moving we would have stayed there for as long as we could have. We have now lived in two different states and toured several different schools and although we find great programs out there, nothing compares to what she has created for the little ones. I feel grateful to have experienced Imagine as my son's first school. We miss you all. read more

Update: Imagine Preschool turns out to be a perfect fit for our son and for our family. Suraiya has been absolutely amazing and helped us through a very brief period of separation anxiety. (We had rarely separated before, using a babysitter only three times in three years.) Our son seems really proud of himself for being independent at *his* school with *his* friends. He begins his tales about preschool in this way, "All by myself, with my friends, I worked on..." Almost immediately, I noticed his confidence and social interactions take a leap forward. He walks up to kids on the playground and says, "What's your name? Do you want to play with me?" It's so exciting to see him grow and mature. It's very important to me that Imagine Preschool respects each child's unique interests, strengths, challenges, and pace. The weekly reports that Suraiya sends are extremely thoughtful, thought-provoking, and thorough. They include pictures and descriptions of what the children have been working on during the week and how those activities/explorations fit specific goals (such as fostering focused attention and collaboration) as well as the Reggio philosophy (for instance, children as protagonists in their own learning). I couldn't be more pleased! read more

This Reggio-inspired preschool is the best thing that we have done for our son! The Reggio philosophy acknowledges that children are capable, inspires creative thinking, teaches children to understand emotions and communicate feelings with words. My son has been with teacher Suriya for almost a year and I am amazed at his growth during this time. We have had him in many programs (music, gymnastics, mommy and me "school", etc.) but nothing excites him like going to school at Imagine. The school promotes community amongst the kids and the families alike. It is a small school so there is a chance to really get to know the families and children. Teacher Suriya is amazing. She is passionate about early education, child development and Reggio. Suriya has made such an impression on the Reggio community that she is being flown to Japan in August to develop curriculum for a new school there! Every detail and design of this school and the programming is intentional and purposeful. Suriya provides professional art supplies for the children to use. The children work on their art for weeks and build a portfolio throughout the year. Instead of making crafts that are sent home daily, these children spend a greater amount of time on their projects and parents receive a portfolio at the end of the year. Several of the children's pieces have been professionally framed and are installed at the La Crescenta library for the month! The program provides a healthy snack for the children each day and children pack their own lunch. The school space is beautiful, inside and out. 1:4 teacher ratio, many family parties/picnics, regular documentation with photos sent to the parents, parent/teacher conference, mixed ages, diapers ok.......I could go on forever! Check it out! read more

This is my daughter's second year at Imagine and we are so grateful to have found such an amazing school. I toured about 5 preschools in the area before choosing Imagine. Imagine is truly one of a kind and didn't feel like a traditional school to me which I loved. It was my daughters first out of home school experience and I wanted it to be a smooth transition and indeed it was. Suraiya's passion was palpable upon our first conversation. Her genuine care for the children and their families is one of the many reasons I chose Imagine. Suraiya makes herself available for any questions and concerns. She keeps very close communication with parents and is always willing to offer advise and guidance during difficult times. Also when I first toured Imagine I knew my daughter would feel safe, understood, and accepted. Unrealistic expectations wouldn't be placed on her and she could truly express herself freely all while learning social emotional skills. My son has started to join Saturday Music & Art and we're thrilled to have him join this community soon. I recommend this school to any parent looking for a unique school who truly caters to the whole child. If you have any questions feel free to comment on here and I'll be happy to answer. read more

My daughter is thriving at this school. She started at 20 months, one of the youngest kids there but the mixed age environment they create is very nurturing and the bigger kids look after the little ones, offering hugs and holding hands. Her language has completely blossomed and while reading books, I was astounded to find out she knew the words for "zebra," "hippo," "giraffe," not super common animals that we read about all the time. She just picks up on so much from the rich play and Reggio environment that is truly child-led. I am looking forward to my daughter's rest of the year as the pictures and updates are so wonderful to see. read more

Unprofessional and disappointed in Suraiya, the teacher and head of the school. My son went to Imagine Preschool for about 6 to 7 months. Through that time Suraiya would make inappropriate/weird comments at times in conversations. For example Suraiya told me a story that my son found a coin and another boy put it in his pocket. My son got upset because he wanted to take it home and give it to his dad. Suraiya lowered her voice and stated "maybe that we (me) were hurting for money". It just seemed she would stick her foot in her mouth. Then the advice she would give to other parents at the end of the day...I didn't always agree with what she told them or how she dealt with it. I did see a pattern of parents coming to Suraiya about a question regarding their child and how Suraiya would make it a huge deal/project for the next week or so. The month after my son started there was a parent teacher conference. Nothing surprising. It was my son's first school and so he was figuring things out. As we all were. We briefly spoke about my son's speech and that he was learning to negotiate and navigate communication. After that meeting, Suraiya never spoke about it again. In that time my son was there...Suraiya would only give high praise about my son. Nothing bad or of concern. UNTIL... I was doing research and figuring out where my son would go next for school the following year. I found a private school for Junior Kinder and there was an assessment form that needed to be filled out by Suraiya. So after school I asked Suraiya how my son was doing? She said, GREAT! I asked if he plays well and doesn't parallel play? She said, No, he is doing great. I said, Good to know he is doing good? Suraiya agreed. I said well I will be giving you an assessment form to fill out for his new preschool. Nothing more was said. Things got weird in the days that followed. Gave her the form to fill out and Suraiya asked that she would like to email me about my question. I looked at her funny. Question? What question? She said about how your son is doing? What? What are you talking about? Long story short... Suraiya was now stating that my son's speech was behind. This was truly disappointing because at no time was this brought up in an email or a conversation. Nothing was mentioned that the preschool was working on for my son or what I could be doing at home. I was blown away. I told Suraiya that her assessment was not needed in an email and I was very upset at this time. I went to pick up my son that same day. Suraiya confronted me in the front yard with all the other parents there with their kids. Note my son is there as well. I told her that I emailed and that now was not a good time to talk. Suraiya would not let up. She said that she did talk to me but that I REFUSED to listen. That was a complete LIE! As well as a complete INSULT. Then said that she couldn't even mark below average on the assessment. Again all in front of my son and other parents. Fact is she never came to me telling me that my son was not improving or on task. Nor could she tell me what she was doing for my son. Besides her lies to cover her lack of education for my son. Suraiya ended with ...if I wasn't going to take her opinion then I should find someone else. So I did. What I figure/guessing ...for Suraiya to go from one extreme to another about my son....This was her first assessment form to fill out. Meaning its her report card to other schools. Because if she didn't state there was a problem and another school finds a problem..her school looks bad. Sad! Sad that she used my son and me to cover her lack of teaching. My son is in speech therapy and improved so much even in one week. It showed that Suraiya never worked with him. We are at a new school where my son can run and ride bike. Play in water, has dance time and learns songs. Things that Imagine Preschool can not or did not do. He skips to the car excited about all the things he did that day while singing a new song he learned. In the 7 months my son was at Imagine the theme stayed nature and their reaction to wet sand. That's not the Reggio way. Reggio Emilia is a great way of learning. Imagine Preschool has a long way before they can be considered Reggio Emilia. As a reference look up Creative Children's Center in Beverton, Oregon or the Opal School in Oregon. They are amazing and go to Italy to study with the teachers. read more

A fresh new way to teach children in a comfortable environment. The Reggio Emilia way respects the child's individual learning process. Suraiya Daud has embraced the concept and principles, creating a nurturing home environment so kids feel comfortable and relaxed, and thus free to explore, experiment and learn. Suraiya it's a very nuturing and sensitive person who cares deeply about every child she meets and is dedicated to helping kids develop to their best potential. read more

Searching for a preschool for my shy daughter was not an easy task. I would stay up at night thinking, "Is she gonna like it? Is she gonna feel comfortable around the teachers and the other kids? Am I doing the right thing by sending her to preschool at just a little over 2 years old?" Well, after I found Imagine, the answer to all those questions is a resounding YES! Imagine is the most perfect environment I could've found for my daughter. She enjoys every single activity they do, and warmed up to Teacher Suraiya from the moment we walked in. How could she not? Teacher Suraiya is so gentle with her and knows just how to talk to her. I cannot say enough good things about Suraiya and how wonderfully she runs her school. She sensed right away how anxious I was feeling about leaving my daughter at school for four hours, and she took the time to talk to me and really put me at ease with this transition. In addition, I usually receive a picture within 20 minutes of dropping off my daughter showing me how much she's enjoying her day. I then immediately let out the breath that I didn't know I was holding and go on with my day! If you're looking for a place that does a lot of art projects and playing outside in nature, this is the place for you. In such a short period of time, I can already see the difference it's made in my daughter's creativity and imagination. Imagine is certainly a magical place that lives up to its name! read more

Today, the first day of school for my twins, I witnessed the most incredible form of teaching for toddlers that I have seen during my extensive search for a preschool. After several preschool tours, phone calls, web searches, I decided on Imagine Schools. The day of our tour, which lasted over an hour, Suraiya Daud, (owner/director of the school) walked me through her teaching philosophy, which is modeled after the Reggio Emilia approach. After listening to Suraiya share her principles so passionately and touring the most stimulating preschool environment I had seen, I immediately knew Imagine Preschool aligned perfectly to what I was looking for my twins: an environment where they could explore, touch/feel new things not found inside my home (I mean, we all have abc books, puzzles at home, I'm sure) ask questions/critical thinking, gain confidence, and learn to play in a "team" environment. This method, from what I can gather, will help establish the most basic principles that will ultimately help my twins in a real-world work adult environment. Being in a fast paced business environment myself, I've learned it's not always the smartest person in the company that succeeds, but the most confident and the one that can work well with people/team/and or lead; these are the traits I want my children to gain. I wasn't so focused on teach-led repetition approach of learning such as, ABCs or counting 1,2,3, as we already do this at home. There is still teaching in involved ad imagine but it evolves from the children's curiosity. Suraiya hones in on building the skills I mentioned above. I could go on and on as to what I witnessed in just one hour at Imagine schools, but I'd end up writing an easy. I'll leave it with: both my kids did not want to leave the school today. This just reassured me that I made the right choice, especially since I had my twins do some of the tours with me at other facilities and did not react the way they did with Imagine. I look forward to updating my review in a few weeks with my twins progress. read more