Our son started at the Ventura center when he was 7mo old and is now 15mo. Each of the teachers…read morewe've met and center leadership have all been spectacular to work with, nothing but great feedback to give. Since our initial tour visit when we were expecting, we saw so many kids interacting with their teachers as they were leaving for the day with so much love and enthusiasm. From the Infant A room; Ms. Sheryl, Ms. Megan and Ms. Davina all gave our son such a great environment to develop his initial skills, independent play time, group play and developed friendships with some of the other kids. They were all so mindful of his individual likes and difficulties, we knew we could always ask questions and get great feedback on how to better align our home activities with skills in the classroom. Through the Infant B room, Ms. Sara was a huge help to get him through his milestones until he was ready to move on to the Toddler room. I love seeing all the teachers for the little ones work well together and shift between rooms depending on where they needed more coverage. We understand this age is difficult and would regularly see Ms Alice or Ms Shawn jump in where needed and were always so passionate about the kids and keeping everyone safe. Now that he is in the Toddler room, we have seen a huge leap in his sign language skills, motor skills, object identification and eating abilities....even learning how to throw away his plate and cleaning up after himself. A huge shout out to Ms Cheryl in this class, she welcomes him every morning with such a huge smile, greeting and excitement for the day. Even when he is sad to see Mom and Dad leave, she's quick to get him smiling and sometimes even sends pictures showing what a happy boy he is shortly after. Each of the teachers in this room have been amazing and regularly see pictures of them playing with the kids and great interactions with them all when we pick him up early, Ms. Frida, Ms. Kaileia and Ms. Davina are all fantastic. I'm sure there are other teachers that have helped our son along the way but wanted to give a big shout out especially to these staff members that we've interacted with regularly. The center also coordinates fun activities for parents to join and play with their kids - a summer foam party, trunk or treat, ice cream party and valentine's day parties. Of course the kids have fun classroom events throughout the year and celebrate birthdays and holidays together. All parents get nervous dropping off their kids to a daycare but we have always gotten so much relief knowing he is in great hands with caring teachers and always comes home happy with new skills learned everyday. We highly recommend KinderCare Ventura to all fellow parents and even his grandparents have been really happy with the care and learning he receives at this center.

This is the worst tour/ experience I have ever had visiting a children's learning institution…read more Every person I interacted with had a nasty disposition in the sense that they did not want to be there (at work). Most of the teachers looked exhausted and the student to teacher ratio was laughable at how many kids they stuck with those teachers. For any children that have any disabilities I highly suggest looking elsewhere. The lead kept making excuses to step away to go sneak into her bosses office to gossip/decide if my child was something they wanted to take on and deal with. It left me angry for my little one and disgusted that these are the people parents are choosing to leave their children with, the good lord only knows what happens when no one is around. Also the play area in the back is a joke. Childcare is super expensive no matter where you choose to enroll. But the playground leaves more to be desired and is old and makes you wonder why would I pay so much to invest in my kiddo coming here when they obviously aren't investing the money back into the kids. Long story short if I could give them 0 stars I would, and I implore any parent thinking of sending their child here; disabilities or otherwise to keep your options open. There are tons of great schools in the area, and this is the honest review more people need to know about. Not the fake 4/5 star service reviews that clearly were not demonstrated on this day. Happy New Year and school hunting to the parents out there!

Everyone was very friendly your pastor is phenomenal! The…read moreservice was very easy to follow. Large bulletin or you could see it on a screen that is provided for the entire congregation. God bless Raoul

My son adores this school and the teachers and administration really care and have the best…read moreinterests of the children at heart. Our son has greatly benefited socially and intellectually being enrolled at Mt. Cross.

They have wonderful staff and my little one loves it. They have helped a working single mom make…read moresure her daughter is safe and can get homework done

Great Staff! Great Programs! Very Good Place to take your kids! Mentoring, Best of all? They build…read morea relationship with GOD! Need Childcare? Somewhere to take your kids afterschool? This is the place! Preschool,Junior High, Kindergarten ! Bud Harley and Staff has Kids Best Interest at heart!!!!!

Best decision I've made regarding my littles!! They are now family to ours and will be well after…read moreleaving their daycare. We are NOT members of the church and never have been and are treated extremely well!!! They've never moved either of my kids or pushed them out for members of their church like I've read in a previous review. By far, they're the best!! Everyday there's a new project they've worked on and something new they've learned. My kids loooove going to their daycare and run into class without even saying bye to me. This gives me so much peace of mind when I head out to work. I feel truly blessed to have them in our life's and I'm extremely thankful for the love and passion they pour into their school and my children. Thank you so very much Seven C's!!!

If you aren't a member of their church, I wouldn't recommend you take a chance on wasting your time…read morewith this preschool. When there is space, they'll let you enroll your child and your child will truly enjoy the activities and crafts and lovely little playground and weekly chapel time... BUT, the second a member of their church needs a childcare spot, they look to see which child 'from the outside' they can try to boot to make a space. They may seem nice when you tour and first start, but they are not kind or genuine people at heart...

Was hesitant to send my 3 year old to preschool but as soon as we met the director we knew I'd be a…read moreperfect fit and my son would be in great hands! We love st Columba's. My kids come home every day excited about all the fun things they get to do. It's so great getting to see your children taken care of, learning and growing.

Words can't express how amazing this place is. It is palpable how much the director and her staff…read moregenuinely care about the kids and actually love what they do. They create the most loving, fun, positive environment every single day. And at the same time, my child continued to surprise me with how much she was learning. It's the perfect mix of running around outside, dance parties, face painting, and learning. I will never forget this place and what it provided for my daughter! We had to move out of state and the hardest part about leaving was knowing I'd have to put my child in another preschool- no place will ever live up to this, that's just the truth! We have had a lot of other great childcare experiences, but CLC is just another level! If you have the opportunity to get your child in here, I highly recommend it!

My daughter only went here for several days when I decided this daycare wasn't for us. She would…read moredread going everyday & figured that it was just because it was new. Everyday I dropped her off was a new "rule" for her & even for me as the parent. I am all for rules & structure but this was excessive. Every day I took her for the week there was an issue or comment of a new rule. 1. I was told to make sure I bring her before 8 or if not I had to feed her myself 2. I carried her to the door and was told to let her walk to the door "we don't like the parents to carry them because it's hard to say bye" which my child was fine with goodbyes 3. She took her iPad and they made me take It away before I left her 4. They said she could take one hard toy that isn't a stuffed animal because of germs which I get so she took this plastic box with her on A thursday & Irma told me "can you stop letting her bring things to the door I notice she has something in her hand every day". I said it's a hard toy i thought it was allowed. She's like Oh it is ok that's fine. And then she's like but it's Thursday. I'm like ok what does that mean she's like she can only do that Friday's We never had this issue with our last daycare lady as she understood it was a comfort thing & she wouldn't hold on to it long after she was comfortable. After that I decided it wasn't for us & that was okay. When my husband advised it wasn't for us Irma called him & asked for details. When he told her she got upset & made pretty petty comments such as "if your parents who don't like rules then yeah we aren't for you" "kids need rules so they don't grow up being entitled " This was very unprofessional in my opinion & as we had stated it wasn't for us but Amanda and Irma made it very difficult to agree. After we were told we would get the $250 we paid for if it didn't work out they "decided" to only refund $150 & then threatened my husband with a restraining order. Overall this day care was not for us but the way the two woman behaved & responded after was super unprofessional which is why I am writing this review.

I work for a school district and I am proud to say my son has been attending this daycare since he…read morewas 6 months old. I was so nervous during our interview to see if our family was a good fit and they made me feel so confident in my daycare choice. He has been there every day from 7:30 to 5:30 and is now 4 years old. The girls are communicative,  empathetic, structured, and yes they are strict. They are fundamental in our children's lives and their development and I would not want them to be lax in their program. They have a schedule and adhere to it.  They have expectations. They do not cater to children if they do not like the healthy meal provided. They have rules and adhere to them. They promote independence (yes, they want a capable child to walk themselves to the door and not be held).They hold parents and children accountable. They educate and develop skills through their curriculum, learning circle time and field trips. They guide parents through their child's development(I have learned so much! ). They provide children with a loving environment and prepare them for the future.  He is well- mannered,  caring, listens to directions,  knows his alphabet, numbers,  can add & subtract, was potty trained early with the help of the girls and ready for school. I cannot say how thankful I am I found this daycare. They care about their kids and treat them like they were their own. Every time someone compliments my child I attribute his temperament and precociousness to them. I would 100% recommend this daycare to anyone who wants a high-quality, safe, loving, STRUCTURED environment. They are instrumental in your child's development and will be your partner as you prepare your child for success as our children are the future.

While I wanted to believe Sonshine Preschool was the right fit for my daughter and family, we have…read morecome to find it falls short of our expectations in philosophy and practice. We have tried to be collaborative, and provided a laundry list of comforts in her backpack that help our daughter feel safe as well as additional outside personnel support. We have gone above and beyond in my humble opinion to try to make this work. With that being said, I do not think we are aligned in values despite our sincere commitment to our daughter's education. First of all, Sonshine's behavioral and developmental expectations of toddlers are incredibly unrealistic for many children. While kids are not developmentally one-size-fits-all, expectations at this school are black and white for the most part. Children will either fit into the arbitrary mold or not for their chronological age group, and inadequacies will be conveyed frequently in one way or another. We were told to arrive 15 minutes late consistently because our daughter was struggling with separation anxiety during orientation and 1 day after that. I believe this colored their faith and perception of her moving forward. The thought behind the 15- minute late start time was that maybe it would help her avoid crowds, and have immediate access to an aide. We tried it out a few times and considered it, but after much thought I couldn't swallow or reconcile how it may make my daughter feel to be the last to walk in the classroom when she is already in significant distress from all the changes going on around in her world right now. We were told to pick her up 20-30 minutes after dropping her off each time. Despite the reiteration and understanding of this just being "handbook procedures" implemented across the board for the purpose of equality and fairness, what I cannot accept is that this protocol is not backed up by any logical research whatsoever to my discovery nor is it in the best interests of children. I firmly believe it benefits staff more than the kids themselves. First of all, my daughter would likely internalize a 15-minute late start time as being "different" or "othered" like the black sheep of the group, creating the opposite of safety and inclusion especially in children who are very sensitive to the environment and implicit messages conveyed. Also, what human being can manage distress in 20-30 minutes? From my experience in working with people from all backgrounds and ages, some adults can't even manage to meet that timeline so is it really "reasonable" to expect that of a toddler? No, it isn't. Children have to start somewhere, and we need to give them ample room and opportunities to grow rather than hinder their progress by being too conservative. They should be provided with the opportunity to learn and reinforce skills in new circumstances, and given consistent and predictable routines for safety. All children deserve patience, strengths-based approaches, and adults who build up their confidence and self-esteem. When we believe in children and their abilities with positive psychology, they thrive and meet their full potential. As a family of health providers with a combination of decades of experience, my husband and I agree that kids should be taught that having and expressing feelings is normal and acceptable without negative punishment. It is our responsibility as adults to model this effectively for children, and consider the interpretation received by our kids through our actions as well as the lasting effects. Positive psychology teaches kids that it is not "bad" to feel, and there is nothing "wrong" with having big emotions. We are not meant to be robots. When we were told the plan is to reevaluate her every Thursday to graduate up in a "reasonable" fashion, we were given no indications of how she would specifically be evaluated as evidenced by omission of clear examples or goals for time advancement. I do not think my daughter is being given enough credit for her resilience observed by those who have worked intimately with her over the past year and witnessed her growth nor do I feel she is being challenged enough, which for someone like her could lead to stagnation in adjusting to a new environment without the ability to get the full benefits of the program such as adapting to transitions, participating in social interactions, and engaging in a timeframe that optimally supports her ongoing development. Every child deserves sufficient access to an education and learning opportunities with their peers. It is a basic human right. Because we hold the message of inclusion near and dear to our hearts in our family and our values and approaches to basic child rearing and psychology diverge with that of the school, we found another preschool that aligns more with the security of the child and the family system.

best preschool in ventura hands down. You will not be disappointed, and your child WILL thrive…read more Phylis and Annette always greet you with a smile and make you feel welcome- the teachers and helpers become family. I love coming here, and my kid comes home everytime with a smile!

My daughter has been going to this school for almost two years and I can't give enough praises to…read morethe staff. My daughter is a spirited child to say the least the the teachers have the experience and patience's to deal with her. The curriculum is wonderful. Christian based which gives my child a Bible verse and moral to ponder. I know when she hits kindergarten in the fall she will be ready. With CoVID, the school has taken all the precautions to make sure the kids stay safe and healthy while allowing them to be kids. Mask and temperature checks are required. They teach and practice social distancing as well as keeping the class sizes small.

The Preschool has taken concerns of safety that I had and addressed them with multiple security…read morecameras, a Ring system which has 24/7 security watch, a keypad to enter the Preschool, and an enclosed play yard.