Update*** Still giving this school a one star review because it's still well deserved. Here is what has happened since my last review: A) They actually took down one of the photos I posted on Yelp because they didn't want to get caught with hard facts I wanted to share with the community. B) My child's father who has then posted his own thoughts about the school has been completely disregarded by the school stating "the child's mother has already brought it to their attention". This school is old, run down, and takes zero accountability. They will do anything to enroll new families, don't say I didn't warn you. You really do get what you pay for which is "a good price" for Pasadena. read more

Pasadena Preschool Academy - My daughter now has patches of hair ripped out from her scalp after these were continuously used. - Preschools Near Me - Pasadena, California

My son currently attends and has had a great experience overall. He is learning a lot and growing in confidence. He also comes home showing off his dancing skills, just one of the many extracurricular classes included. The hours are flexible and extensive, so it really helps working parents. The value is great! read more

Both of my kids are currently attending PPA and they are absolutely happy!! Watching them progress intellectually has been fun for both me and my Wife. This facility has become an extension of our family due to the teamwork of the parent/teacher relationship! You may read some 1-star reviews on here that show unsatisfaction, however, this school has been successfully operating for over 30 years! You do not achieve that without having a solid reputation. I would definitely recommend this school to any parent! read more

My younger son goes here now and loves it. He has loved all this teachers Maria, Sylvia, Teresa, Tilly and Elizabeth. Everyone is so kind and help create a great learning environment. You can tell how happy most of the kids are when at the end of the day a lot of kids want to stay and keep playing in the yard. In 2020, when everything was in lockdown, he was asking every day for months when school was going to reopen. The first day it did, he bolted out of the car and ran right up to the front door so excited to be in school again! read more

I had 2 kids go through PPA and had a wonderful experience. While over the years we had several amazing teachers I wanted to mention 2 in particular. Ms. Flora taught my children between the ages on 1 and 3. She had the difficult task of seeing them through the difficult pandemic years, she kept them safe, engaged and loved. To this day, my kids ask to visit her just to give her a hug. Ms. Teresa, who taught both my children in the AP/TK class was always warm, open, communicative and supportive. My daughter decided she wanted to write stories and Ms. Teresa encouraged and supported her, even inviting her stories to be read at circle time to her classmates. This gave my daughter a lot of confidence and a sense that she was important. I cannot stress how special that is. Thank you to the entire staff at PPA for a safe and enriching preschool experience. read more

We absolutely LOVE PPA and are so happy with the learning and care our daughter received there! She started in the toddler class with she was 2.5. She had a hard time at first (as most kids do) but as soon as Ms. Teresa would take her she would stop crying and let us leave. About 6 months later, Covid hit and the school closed down for about 5 months. When they reopened, with many Covid protocols in place (smaller, separated classes, individual supplies so there was no sharing, a check in and out system which included symptom checking, etc.), I thought she'd have a hard time going back, especially because she was going to be in a different class with a different teacher but she thrived. She is very intelligent to begin with (knew all her shapes, colors, numbers to 10, and could sight read the alphabet and some words by age 2) and they were able to continue to advance her skills. She would come home reciting her numbers and colors in Spanish, plus they have a dance teacher come in twice a week (which she loved) and a music teacher once a week. They also have a soccer coach come in and my daughter is very competitive and loves playing soccer so that was another positive for us. She made so many amazing friends at that school that I hope will always be in her life. The teachers are lovely, caring and fun. The staff is positive and easy with whom to communicate. They serve nutritional food for breakfast, lunch and an afternoon snack and all this at an extremely reasonable tuition. We can't say enough great things about this school and we are so lucky that we found it. She has now started Kindergarten and though she is learning French at her new school, she will occasional still speak Spanish at home. We continue to have play dates with her friends from PPA because they are all so close and the families are just as lovely. We definitely loved our time at PPA and recommend it wholeheartedly! read more

I just started my daughter in this school and she absolutely loves it. They require the child to be potty trained and my daughter wasn't at the time, so we practiced for 3 weeks and she was potty trained when she started She tells me how much fun she's had dancing and coloring and playing with other children. The drop off and pick up process is really simple and effective. They have an awesome playground that she loves to run around on! Even during pick up time. I'm really happy with the school and the staff! read more

Pasadena Preschool Academy - Playground - Preschools Near Me - Pasadena, California

I had both of my kids in PPA and had been through all of different age rooms. For the past 8 years of going to PPA, I can say that the teachers were passionate, caring, and responsible for the safety of my kids. They had weekly lessons with a music teacher and a dance teacher. For the school as a whole, it was well maintained and had a great sanitation awareness in their mind. We had our kids there during Covid as well. Before I left PPA in the summer of 2023, they would still require daily temperature checks upon arrival to school. The school also provides snacks and hot lunches which are included in the tuition. That's a peace of mind for working parents. My kids still talk about their happy memories and that they miss their teachers from PPA. read more

We are on our second kiddo to go through PPA. All the teachers are so amazing. I felt so confident putting my little 3mo in Ms. Jeanette's care. There is so much care, safety, and learning that goes on there. My 2nd grader still gets jealous when we drop the little one off, calling it "the house of fun." read more

Before enrolling my two-year-old son in PPA, I toured over five Montessori preschools in Arcadia and Pasadena. What I value most in a school is the caring and patient attitude of the teachers towards the students. Given that my son is extremely sensitive, picky and clingy, he requires extra attention and care from the teachers. Clearly, the teachers at PPA have met our needs, with reasonable ratio. The teachers are highly professional and patient, and they regularly communicate with parents about the children's progress. My son loves his teachers so much. Additionally, I appreciate the separate yards for different age groups, providing a safe environment for both older and younger children. I have also noticed the school's periodic updates to facilities and acquisition of new toys. The school invites external instructors to teach the kids singing, dancing, and martial arts. Since starting school, my son has become more outgoing and confident. He particularly enjoys singing, dancing, and storytelling, and he is now comfortable performing in front of others. And my son has been well potty trained at his 2.5 years old, with the help of his teachers. I consider this significant progress and am very grateful to the teachers. PPA also holds winter and summer concerts, providing chances for kids to perform two or three songs in front of people. One suggestion for PPA: let teachers use the app to update parents with logs and pics about their kids instead of hand writing sheet. Parents would love to see that! read more

I've been sitting on what to say in a review since I didn't know what to say but I'll stick to what a disappointment this school ended up being. My child was taken out of the school due to her displaying behavior issues that she honestly picked up from the school. When she was in the preprimary class, we would constantly have incidents where my child was bit, hit, or something happening constantly. It's no wonder she developed a "behavior" issue when she got the brunt of it when she was younger. While her mother and I got upset, we were constantly told it was normal for her age group. We didn't raise much of a stink because we were told kids her age are still learning. She was then moved to the primary/advanced primary classes where she started to exhibit the same behavior issues she was subjected to. However because parents started complaining (which I do understand and frankly maybe we should have done the same) our daughter was removed from the school. While it was incredibly stressful having to deal with finding a new school for her, it is now a blessing in disguise as her new school is working with her and she is actually excited to go to school in the mornings. This NEVER happened at PPA. We have even gotten child therapy and was told that her behavior doesn't seem concerning as she doesn't have these behavior issues outside of school. The PPA environment she was in was not for her. read more

The teachers who have been working with my daughter have been soooo amazing! Her teacher Ms. ViVi is the most patient, sweetest, caring teacher for my daughter. A literal match made in heaven. Between her and Ms. Teresa, my daughter is truly thriving. Ms. Teresa always reassures me every morning that my daughter is okay as mornings are rough for us both. She is always a breath of fresh air in the morning and never fails to make me smile after a rough morning drop off. Everyday they make me so proud with news about my daughter and her successes. I know that when she goes to kindergarten 23-24 she is definitely going to be ready. Still 5 stars for me! Also, Ms. Danni! She was AMAZING and very observant! read more

PPA has been such an amazing school for my daughter. She first came here after being in a home day care and noticed her progress so fast in learning and speaking more. I was so amazed when I heard her speaking in Spanish! She has really grown with the amount of time and hard work her teachers have put in with all the students. I appreciate how communicative and compassionate they are with my daughters learning. My daughter is always excited to go to school and see her teachers and friends. I would like to give a big thanks to Ms. Ashely and Ms. Mia! My daughter loves them and is always talking about how much fun she has. They've been helping me with potty training at school and my daughter is finally getting the hang of it thanks to the extra help of her awesome teachers! I've never had a problem with communicating with the school. Their classrooms are always nice and clean. Most staff I've encountered are super nice and caring to everyone. I would definitely recommend this school! Again her teachers are AMAZING! read more

PPA has been great. When my family moved here 4 years ago my wife and I combed through options for childcare finally deciding on PPA. I'm so glad we did, we have now had all 3 of our children pass through the different classes at PPA and each one has been fantastic. the teachers have always treated our children well and I feel like they have done an excellent job helping our kids to develop. If I had to choose all over again I would definitely still pick PPA. read more

My 3 year old son has been attending PPA since April and I am so happy with his experience so far. Miss Lisa runs the school flawlessly, it's very organized and communication is wonderful. Observing how caring and attentive his amazing teachers are (Miss Maria, Miss Anna Karina and Miss Billie) with the kids I felt completely at ease entrusting them with my son. This school has a warm and caring vibe, has a different activity each day (from music to art to soccer to Tae Kwon Do), serves both lunch and breakfast and most importantly, they are very responsive and seem to genuinely care about the kids. The outdoor space is huge and there are multiple play areas. My son had separation anxiety for almost a full month and the care and comfort that his teachers showed him when he was crying really helped him to make the transition easier. They were so patient and kind. Now he looks forward to going and loves his all his teachers. I would recommend this school to anyone who asks and I am so relieved that we have found a place my son is happy, safe and thriving. Thank you to Miss Lisa and the incredible teachers at PPA! read more

This preschool is wonderful! Everything is so well organized, very clean, their teachers are fantastic. It's a large school with lots of activities for the kids and an exceptional curriculum. Both of our kids learned so much and they genuinely love going to school every day. I give leadership a lot of props for coming up with exciting lesson plans. Also, they organize many activities for parents to participate in for various holidays such as Halloween, Earth Day and Mother's Day. They also organize recitals, which are so much fun! Meals are provided for all children over the age of one, and my 3 year old son always raves about the food. They have a cook on site who prepares fresh food daily. The school organizes themed days when kids dress up, for example Dr. Seuss week or a Western-themed Mother's Day. The schedule is great for working parents, they open at 7 am and close at 6:30 pm. Their team is so thoughtful and you can tell they genuinely care about the kids. I cannot say enough great things about their teachers, every single one we met were wonderful. Special kudos to our kids' teachers, Miss Flora in Pre Primary and Miss Jeanette in the Infant class. Two loving and caring ladies, we feel lucky to have them look after our kids. I highly recommend this preschool, it has exceeded our expectations in every way! read more

We recently moved to the Pasadena area and I relied on yelp to help me find good, reliable daycare for my one and a half year old son. I generally do not write reviews, especially negative ones but I felt obligated as this is how I found out about PPA (Pasadena Preschool Academy). His primary care provider was amazing and the only reason we stayed there as long as we did (approx. 8 months), the other workers were not so kind. Overall my son attended PCC less than 50% of the time, I actually started keeping track on a spreadsheet because I couldn't believe how many times they called to have me pick him up, take him to a doctor and keep him home for 1 to 2 days. On several occasions when I called his pediatricians office to make an appointment, they would not let me come in because they said a runny nose is not a reason to have your son come in. I ended up needing to use teladoc so they could write notes for him to come back. One of the times he was sick (with a cold), I kept him home for almost 2 weeks and the day he returned, I received a phone call a few hours after dropping him off, saying one of the workers hear him cough and I had to come get him and go through the whole gamete again. I absolutely understand not wanting sick kids to be in a daycare setting, I feel like they took advantage of their "covid" policy and of parents. I am a single working mother and was at risk of loosing my job. There were a few other concerning incidents that I feel compelled to mention: I witnessed on several occasions one of the workers snatching things out of other kids hands in an aggressive manner, my sons behavior started to change at home as a result. I had to find an alternative daycare (which took time with waiting lists) but he eventually got into a fantastic daycare and we are so happy. Several months after my son was no longer at PCC, I received a phone call saying that my son had a little diarrhea and that I had to come and pick him up right away. Apparently they didn't realize that we were no longer attending, YIKES!! read more

After moving to the area and visiting many preschools, this preschool was a breathe of fresh air. My wife and I both work VERY far away from our home and really need a school with hours that support our schedules. Having education backgrounds ourselves, the most important thing that we were focused on (besides the hours) was a place that put the SCHOOL in preschool. We do not need or want a Daycare. We have 2 children in the Toddler and the Jr. Pre K program. Our boys, although challenging, are hungry to learn at home and putting them in PPA gives them the attention and care they need to be ready for school. I talk to every teacher there and work with or around my children and they are always there to help by keeping my kids' best interests in mind. They work with me and I work with them to ensure that they have the best educational outcomes. It feels good to know the teachers there help "tag-team" by reinforcing lessons and structure we have in the house, there at school (and vice versa). In particular, teachers like Ms. Adrianne (sp?), Jocelyn, in the Jr. Pre K 1 Classes, and Ms. Sharon, Flora, Angie, and Bridgette have help shape our boys education and growth inside and outside of the house. Ms. Angie especially helped us out by providing a solid foundation for my boys early on in the infant room. Her, along with Bridgette helped our boys so much that we trust them to help out on weekends with our older kids too. They've been SUPER helpful in not only helping us raise smart, respectful, and empathetic young men, but also in helping us achieve the ever-elusive "work-life" balance. The office admins Lisa and Arlene have been super forthcoming with information regarding my kids' progression through the program and as with all the teacher there, have been an ally in figuring out the best educational path for our boys. Not gonna lie, the school's a bit on the pricey side, and of course I have my small gripes here and there (no place is 100% perfect) but you balance out those things and look at the big picture. All in all focusing writing that check every week might sting a bit, but it feels pretty worth it when my 3 yr old comes back home and talks my HEAD OFF about igneous rocks and the difference between mammals and reptiles, or when he can't wait to show us how he can add two numbers together on his fingers, or read 3-4 letter words by himself. I still consider myself a relatively new parent, but I think that moments like those is what this whole thing is all about. read more

Excuse the lengthy review, but I want to be helpful to anyone searching for childcare in this area. My daughter attended this school since she was 3 months old, and she is currently in the preschool class, I am sad that she will be leaving soon! I changed jobs, and this school was no longer on my way to work, but I continued to come to this school because I couldn't find anything that would give me the same quality care at a reasonable price. The building was recently renovated and there is all new playgrounds, including a bike path a train and several play structures. They also have security locks on the playground gates. There is a very spacious parking lot as well which makes pick up and drop off easy. They also provide breakfast, lunch and snacks for the older kids, and they have an on-site cook. The director, Arlene and Assistant Director Lisa are very involved in the classrooms and both know every child and family. Classrooms are well-staffed with good student-teacher ratios and they also have roaming teachers that help throughout the day. The teachers are very friendly and knowledgeable and show so much love to the kids. They are constantly talking and playing with the children, and it shows. All of the kids show great vocabulary and communication skills. Each class has a curriculum giving the kids many activities. Some students in the preschool class were even reading by their graduation from the school! They also have a music teacher that visits weekly and a dance teacher that visits weekly as well. The kids perform twice a year for Christmas and for Preschool Graduation, it is always a great event. In the infant room, kids are free to roam around and explore and they provide activities too. My daughter was able to learn to walk and crawl at an early age. I think it was because she had so much freedom and motivation to move with all of the other kids playing in the room. They also helped to teach her to self-feed and eat with utensils. In the 2 year old room, kids learn more independence and early literacy skills. They also helped with potty training. In the Jr Pre-K and Pre-K classrooms, it gets more academic with letters, numbers, phonics and sight-words. They also assign homework, a few pages a week of reinforcement of what they have learned, tracing, cutting and pasting or matching. There is also a science room that is used regularly. The demographic is very multi-cultural, and has a very tight community feeling to it. There are children speaking English, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, French and Hebrew in just my daughter's class! The families are very friendly, many stay after they pick-up their child and play in the playground area before going home so you get to know the kids that your child spends their day with and their parents. I can't say enough good things about this place! read more

Love this preschool. My son has been a student for the last 2 years. Administrative staff and Teachers are top notch. Facility is clean and well maintained, and all the families are friendly. The preschool has a community feel. I can not endorse this preschool enough. I am confident that when my son goes on to kindergarten, he will be more than ready both socially and academically. read more

This school has everything, the kids are happy and the staff is amazing. The infant room is always clean and organized and the teachers are supper, Angie and Kathy are amazing my child is well cared for always feed and clean. I have never had a bad interaction with them and my child is always happy and excited to see Angie everyday. If your thinking about enrolling your child this is the place to do it. I am never worried about my child being neglected at this school. read more

I've had my 3 1/2 year old at PPA since he was 3 months old. It was hard to leave him at such a young age but the teachers made me feel so comfortable, it really helped make it bearable! Miss Angie was his first teacher and she is now like a part of our family. She nurtured such a close bond with our son she comes to birthday parties and even invites us to her kids' parties. He lights up when he sees her and her family! Miss Flora was his next teacher for 2 years and she is also so loving and caring. It's so nice to see him being hugged and loved up on, in addition to receiving the structure and learning he needs. People are constantly amazed at how smart he is for his age and it's all thanks to PPA! read more

We sent our only child to this school from 1-5 years of age and we have been extremely happy and satisfied with it. The teachers and staff are wonderful and understanding. We could not have lived our busy lifestyle without them. They have an early drop-off time (7am) and the latest pick-up time (7pm) we could find in the area. And their cost is a great value. Originally, it was called Step-by-step, but recently changed ownership and is now called Pasadena Preschool Academy. Since that change the experience has only gotten better. The school just went through a beautiful remodel which updated both the interiors and exteriors. Its classrooms are divided by age and provide optimum care and attention. This little gem of a preschool and daycare is fantastic and my wife and I highly recommend it. read more

My daughter started in the Infant room at 3 months old and had lasted only a month. A lot of babies are left unattended to for longer than acceptable periods of time. Teachers seem to lack love and enthusiasm for the work they are doing. Great emphasis on "rules" that seem to be serving the school and not children and parents. We have transferred here else where since then, where she and us could not have been happier. read more

My daughter graduated from this preschool 10 years ago when it was Step By Step. It looks like the Arlene and Lisa are still there. This was a phenomenal place for my daughter. As a public school teacher, I can tell you that your child will be ready for Kindergarten and will have developed all the social skills needed to navigate their elementary years. Thanks Arlene and Lisa! I remember you fondly. You gave my baby a great start in life. read more

I was looking for the perfect school for my toddler. We tried the nanny, then a Montessori (which was a waste of time). Finally she's in a school that challenges her academically. So glad we found Pasadena Preschool Academy. The staff is amazing and the teachers are AWESOME! read more

I put two of my girls (2.5 Yrs old & 7 months)at PPA. My older one started at PPA since 2 months till 2.5 Yrs old. We couldn't be more grateful for a group of hard-working, loving and caring teachers helping her reach lots of significant milestones for her development. Especially shout out to her teachers in the infant class, Angie, Arcelia, Doreen, Erica and her toddler class teacher, Ms Flora, Jane, Sharon. The team at infant class helped my older one develop really advanced motor skills and trained her to eat on her own since she was 9 months. Her teacher Arcelia cares more about my older one than myself. Angie is the teacher for both of my girls in the infant class. She has been hard-working, loving and caring since I knew her in Day one. My 2nd girl adores her and would give her a big smile every morning when she sees her. Ms Flora is my older one's teacher from toddler to preschool class. She did an amazing job on my older child and helped her do potty trained when she just turned two years old. She is full of patience and love for all the children at class. PPA is not perfect. Like many of other daycares, teachers come and go for better opportunities. We have things we are happy about and things we don't agree with. However, It's a challenging job to take of little ones for long hours from Monday to Friday while parents can have at least 8 hours separation from their kids and focusing on work. We are forever thankful for all the teachers our girls had during their early development stage. Salute to the staff and teachers who take an important part in their life. read more

Both of my boys attended this school. They "enforce" rules based on the child (read that again and look at my profile photo). My older son is as sweet as pie and was picked on when he was in the 4/5 yr old class. The bully was NEVER sent home because i seen him every time i went to pick up my son. Fast forward to my younger son now 3-years old attending the school, i would get phone calls because he did not want to take a nap, or hit one of his "friends", or did not want to eat lunch and i would have to leave work or have my husband take him out of school for the day. Towards the end of his short time here the calls became more frequent, silly, and staff seem to be frustrated. He scratched a little girl in her face in an effort to take a book from her (unacceptable but not uncommon behavior) by the time my father-in-law went to pick him up... approx. 30 mins her face showed NO SIGNS OF ANY MARKS OR SCRATCHES!!!!!! MY SON IS THREE YEARS OLD!!! if your "educational training" did not prepare you for misbehaving 3-year olds please change your profession. The teaching staff was not bad it was the directors that had a bad attitude. The director Lisa rushed me off the phone in the rudest way when i told her my son will no longer attend that school, lucky for me I am 6-months pregnant and did not want to cause my child stress by telling her about her disrespectful self or having a face to face meeting! Only enroll here if your child does not need attention or never misbehaves. Good riddance... my son is in a new school closer to home with more teachers that look like him and seem to know how to manage children...I've seen them in action! job well done new school!!! But i will say the families and parents associated with that school are wonderful :-) read more

Our son has attended Pasadena Preschool (formerly Step by Step) for about 4 years and is set to start Kindergarten in the Fall. We have had a great experience. The teachers are great and it is evident how much they love the kids! The new upgrades/construction to the facility have really been a great addition to the learning environment. Family friends recommended this preschool to us and we are glad they did. We often recommended Pasadena Preschool to our friends moving to the area. read more

My son started at Pasadena Preschool Academy when he was 2.5. He's now 4, almost turning 5. I wanted a school where he would have a balance of playtime and academics. At the pre-K level, they are given a few sheets of homework (tracing, word recognition, basic math) which has been great practice for my son. The pre-K playground has a big bike track and play set which he loves. Once a week they have a dance teacher and a music teacher, a summer and winter show, and they usually organize something for every holiday (e.g., Halloween parade, fall festival, mother's day tea and father's day afternoon, etc). I also appreciate that parking is really easy (big lot in the back) and that for security, you have to punch in a gate code to enter the school yard. The school is also reasonably priced. Overall, it's a great community of caring teachers and parents, many of whom you get to know after school on the playground. I'm confident my son will enter kindergarten well-prepared socially and academically because of his experience at Pasadena Preschool Academy. read more

My son has been at this preschool for almost a year, and we could not be more thrilled with our experience. His teachers are kind and caring, the facilities are so clean, and their attention to detail puts my mind at ease every day. Ms. Inez is a literal angel. We've tried several daycares, and this one has been the absolute best. I can't recommend it enough! read more

my son was late to school once again. i am sure they are tired of seeing me at the office. lol

Excellent setting. My daughter feels completely safe with the wonderful staff. So glad we made the change. Allowed to be very involved and staff has time for my many questions read more

We love this school! Our son is 9 months old and he has been at this daycare for the past 5 months. The teachers are caring and kind, the directors are hands-on and know each child by name, and my son is just so excited to arrive at school each morning. There has been a considerable amount of teacher turnover in our time here, but it does not affect the quality of care. Also, the prices for tuition are very affordable. This place is a hidden gem! read more

This is the only preschool that I have sent my two chlidren all these years since 2009. It has been really great! The kids love the comfortable environment. The teachers genuinely love our children. My youngest one is about to graduate preschool to enter kinder and I am very sad to leave this school. This is the place where my children have met their best buddies and I have met amazing mom friends! read more

My daughter started here when she was just two months old. She's almost three now and she's always had a good time at school. Even in the infant room, they are always providing fun new experiences for the babies to learn with. I still use the footprint ghost they made when she was six months old as a Halloween decoration! All the upgrades that have happened over the past months have made the place even better, and the increased emphasis on academics is fantastic. The staff have always been great, and the kids they oversee are all happy, energetic, and smart, so they must know what they're doing! For anyone looking for a solid, safe, nurturing daycare, add Pasadena Preschool Academy to your list of places to check out. read more

Overall decent place to have your kids spend time learning different subjects, socializing and playing with other kids. Friendly staff, free meals, and spacious playground in the back where my daughter particularly likes. read more