If you are wanting your child to have an educational experience that is rooted in an understanding of education not so much as "putting in" (seeing kids as receptacles for adult knowledge) as it is about "drawing out" (supporting kids to know themselves, to figure out how to relate to others, how to really be in the world), then this school is the place to be. Our now 6 year old is in his 4th year at the school and loves going to school. He learns a lot, though not in traditional academic advancement terms. He wouldn't pass standardized test on math or reading at this point, but that actually is a plus for us. Because he would pass any test of human engagement. He sees adults not as people to please or to fear, but as humans who have resources (experience, strength, perspective) that he might want to engage with. He is grounded in his emotions, is okay being himself, and also learns about what works for others and how to respect their boundaries while voicing his own. He's developing intrinsic motivation and authenticity. These are lessons and practices oft sought after and rarely achieved. And what a gift to have regular experience of them as a young person. A rare gift. And of course learning to read and write and do math and science matter. I'm confident the foundation he's getting here will set him up to have success with those and to learn not just the content but relate to it. To learn how to learn. If this sounds appealing, I'd encourage you to check the school out. And I'd be happy to talk with anyone who's interested. read more

A rare preschool that teaches emotional intelligence, not just to kids, but to parents too. Play Mountain Place has been incredibly special for our family. From the beginning, it felt like more than just a school. It's a community that really supports both children and parents in building respectful, connected relationships. The head of school, Joe Ringlehan, is amazing with kids and also offers parenting classes that have genuinely helped me grow. I've taken the class more than once, and this year something really clicked on a deeper level, especially around facilitating conflict and allowing children to problem-solve themselves. Recently, my daughter had a challenge with a friend whose family has different boundaries than ours. In the past, I might have felt anxious or just given in, but instead I stayed grounded, upheld both families' limits, and let the kids work through it. It took time (like 30 minutes of negotiating), but they came to a solution together, and it felt honestly revelational. I walked away feeling like I had unlocked a new level of confidence in my parenting. We started in the Little Nursery program with Maydeh, who is truly exceptional. She brings so much warmth, intuition, and humor to the classroom, and the kids absolutely feel it. There's a lot of laughter, and at the same time, children are supported in expressing big feelings, frustration, anger, all of it, in healthy, constructive ways. One of the biggest things that stood out to me is their approach to separation. There's no pressure to drop your child off crying. Instead, they support a gradual, attachment-aware transition, which made a huge difference for both me and my child. The social-emotional learning is woven into everything. The kids talk about "problems and plans," practice setting boundaries, and learn how to communicate with each other in really thoughtful ways. We've even brought things like "special time" and family-style check-ins into our home, and it's been such a positive shift. After two years here, I can honestly say this school is helping raise kids who understand themselves, respect others, and feel confident expressing their needs, and it's helped me grow just as much as a parent. If you're looking for a play-based, relationship-centered preschool that goes deep on emotional development, this place is truly special. read more

Play Mountain Place has been a transformative place for our family. My kids are 2.5 and 5.5, and watching them grow here has honestly been one of the most healing experiences of my life as a parent. This is an outdoor school that truly sees children as whole people--not problems to manage or behaviors to control, but humans worthy of deep listening, respect, and care. There's a strong foundation in nonviolent communication, emotional literacy, and conflict repair, and it shows. My kids already know how to talk through disagreements, set boundaries, and not take things personally. Sometimes I'm floored by how much emotional wisdom they've developed--and how much I'm learning alongside them. The support is real and tangible. The student to teacher ratio is amazing, and there is always a teacher available for individualized attention, and importantly, parents are supported too. It's a community that understands children in context--family, history, nervous systems, all of it. I truly believe this school is helping heal generational trauma. I find myself wishing I could jump into a time machine and go back and attend Play Mountain Place as a child, just to see who I might have become if I'd been met with this level of care, attunement, and respect. In a world that feels increasingly dark and disconnected, Play Mountain Place has been a safe haven for my family. I couldn't recommend it more! read more

Our daughter has been at Play Mountain Place for almost two years and we are so grateful for the nurturing she has received there. If you're looking for a school that will treat your children with compassion, respect, and humanity this is your place. We love that our child's individuality isn't just accepted, but embraced. For example, our four-year-old loves spending time reading pretty dense books about human anatomy, dinosaurs, evolution, etc. She takes them to school and her teachers will actually sit and read them to her if that's what she wants to do. It's trendy for schools to claim that they're "play-based and child-led", but PMP is the real deal. The student to teacher ratio is just ridiculous (at least 1:4 most of the time it seems), and the teachers and staff are just exceptional people. As a parent, it's difficult / mildly terrifying to send your child out into the world. I didn't think it was possible for me to feel so safe sending her off to school. Play Mountain Place is a gem. read more

Play Mountain place has no academic direction and no discipline. Bullying is rampant and the "problem solving " is used by manipulative and longer-term children to avoid accountability. The staff are for babysitting. read more

Play Mountain Place is more than an incredible school - it is a place whete children, their parents and entire families can learn how to BE with eachother and most importantly themselves. No school is doing the depth of social- emotional, conflict response (communication & boundary setting) & play - based education like Play Mountain. As a parent and therapist- I have learnt so much from the teachers / administrators and classes offered for parents. These tools help me navigate family home life outside of school, which is so helpful. The people at PMP simply LOVE children- there is no other way to put it. Don't get turned away by the shabby appearance - the heart and soul of this program is based in all of the psychology - emotional - physical and mental elements any child needs to grow, thrive and become a curious Little Learner. We have gained dear friends, both for our children & ourselves. The tenure at PMP is also really special, our daughter's teacher was a not only a student herself but her mother was a teacher as well... that is just one of the long links of familial connection you will find. We are not from LA and grew up in a smaller tight knit city. We wanted more than just a school but a community for our children. We saw the benefits, in our own lives, of having many healthy adult role models. Ultimately, we have found that here. Of course, is everything perfect, absolutely not BUT if you interested in any of the above experiences in LA - I really do not know of another school that will provide more. All are welcome - and the deep care children and their families is felt. read more

Amazing school. Amazing teachers. Our 5 year old been there two years and we have learnt so much as parents

Cannot say enough positive things about our experience with this school. Our daughter loves it and the parental community/learning opportunities are extraordinary and contribute to the overall community feeling. We've been here two years, (with a short break at the beginning of the second year due to a family relocation). Our daughter was in a different highly regarded preschool program in those brief months and while she had a fine experience the opportunity to compare the PMP "experience" with regular school reminded us how special the program is. Definitely geared for progressive families ready to buck the status quo - but if this is you, there's no where lie PMP. read more

My brother and I were both bullied and faced racism and the 'teachers' did nothing about it. kids were just allowed to exclude other kids from games and activities and when this was brought up by my parents the 'teachers' didn't care. We also didn't learn a thing, when I left the school I didn't even know how to spell 'who' much less do anything a 4th grade should have been able to do. I have heard from other students that they had to get tutors when they left because there were not prepared at all for real school. We did not learn anything at this school and we came out with problems that still affect us to this day. Absolutely awful experience. read more

Play Mountain Place (PMP) is a preschool through 5th grade alternative school with a philosophy greatly influenced by the humanistic psychology of Carl Rogers. It has been around for over 60 years. It seems that parents will either agree with the school's philosophy or disagree with it. Our family immediately fell in love with PMP and embraced the philosophy. Our three children have attended both the preschool and the elementary program. We currently have two children in the elementary program and one child that recently graduated. Their program focuses on conflict resolution wherein the teachers serve as facilitators instead of authority figures. Children are NOT labeled, shamed or punished and the teachers help each person verbalize their feelings and intentions especially when in a problem with another child. Teachers and staff talk with respect to children. The elementary side offers a few traditional elementary classes like reading, math, history, etc.; however, these are optional to the individual. Our daughter took advantage of some of the traditional classes, while our sons made their own plans. Our kids have benefited in many different ways from the school. Our second child was very physical and expressed his frustrations through anger and hitting. The teachers supported him unconditionally through his feelings, and through conflict resolution, and now he is able to talk through his feelings and be aware of his effect on people. Our youngest child easily connects with his peers and spends his days making up games and characters for his role-playing games. This year, our oldest transitioned into a more mainstream academically focused school, where classes are not optional. In many ways, this feels the opposite of PMP, so there was a transition period to get used to the new setting. She started out the year in 6th grade and experienced a major change in the first few months (getting used to sitting, short bathroom breaks, homework, different types of limits for children, rewards and punishments, compulsory learning). One big adjustment was getting used to homework. At first, it took her three hours a day to finish. But even with this big challenge, we believe she was able to handle the transition and the frustration and stress it caused because of her years in PMP. Also we noticed that unlike many of her classmates who were in a more traditional academic program for their whole lives, she wasn't burned out. Her homework skills quickly improved, and she was so dedicated to the academic rigor that in the middle of the year she decided that 6th grade was not challenging enough. Through her own initiative, and discussions with teachers and staff, she moved herself to the 7th grade and was immediately performing at grade level. As parents we have also benefited from the school. As part of the Peaceful Parenting Program at PMP, we were required to attend a Communication Skills Workshop. This basic communications course is very informative not just for communicating with children but also in communicating with other adults. For us, the listening skills part of the course continues to be very helpful to our parenting skills. All in all it has been a very intense and rewarding experience for our family. read more

Our daughter is 3 and has been there a couple of months now. At first I was not sure of the play based nature of Play Mountain Place, wanting a little more academic rigor. However having looked into the place, the philosophy and thought about what I want for my child from education I have come to love the idea. Basically I would like my daughter to love the learning process and be capable of organizing learning for herself. This way she will be well served her whole life, rather than pushed through a system that she may not like whilst ending up disliking learning. There are many good things to say about the school: -An extremely high teacher to student ratio (Little Nursery - from 1 teacher to 2 students on some days to 1 teacher to 3 students). This means that the children get lots of attention and a play based approach can work imo. -It's mostly outside under the shade of trees. Children can move around and are not bound to a desk and required to put a hand up to speak. -A lot of autonomy, responsibility and control for the children within boundaries. The children are treated with great respect which I think is invaluable for their self opinion later in life. -The curriculum is very much about problem solving (rather than ABC). I like this approach because all learning is problem solving so if they learn to problem solve for themselves they can learn anything they need. -How to navigate relationships and conflict resolution are a large part of the curriculum. Children are not "told" what to do, rather they are kept safe whilst they work the conflicts out for themselves. -The staff are lovely. Caring, highly attentive and always present. -The community seems great. The people I've met so far are great. -I could go on for a long while. -There is a LOT of diversity in the students. I have asked a lot of questions of different people regarding how students go after leaving the school. How they fare in regular schools as well as how they fare in life. The reports I've been getting satisfy me that they students are not left lacking after they leave the school. In fact in many cases they out perform the existing children at their new schools! They also run a parenting course which I have found to be awesome. I learned a lot from the 4 sessions and in fact I apply it more to my adult relationships and business than I do to my child! The school is definitely only a fit for a small percentage of people. It goes against the stream of conventional wisdom around education in so many ways. They spend some time interviewing people to make sure the fit is good. read more

My son has been a student at PMP since he was 3, and I'm confident that he will graduate having learned many things that will serve him well for the rest of his life. At the age of 10 he knows how to identify and express his feelings, how to say when something isn't working for him, how to negotiate, compromise and resolve problems, and how to listen and provide emotional support to others. He feels capable of facing and handling difficult issues, he operates under the assumption that he has something of value to contribute with both peers and adults, he is compassionate (as much as one can be at 10!,) and he's experienced himself as a powerful person with a voice and an ability to impact his world. My son has mastered things I watch adults struggle with every day. Much of this he got from being at PMP. He learned to read at 9, and months later was devouring novels far beyond his grade level. (Clearly some things are easier to learn than others.) As a parent, I've also benefited from being in the Play Mountain community, and learning about and adopting the humanistic approach. For me personally, I've grown to value preserving my relationship with my son over winning specific arguments or being in complete control at all times. I've learned to better tolerate the messiness of relationships and communication. And I've been amazed at what my son can accomplish on his own, with me in the role of listener and supporter. While I still retain the role of parent and decision maker, I've learned to listen to my son's thoughts and feelings, and have learned the value of compromise. It's a great relief to see that I don't have to stop my child from being upset, and that I don't have to fix all my child's problems. It's trying at times (but when is parenting not trying at times?) to make time to listen to my son express his feelings and opinions about something when it would be faster for me to say "stop whining and do what I tell you to do." But the long term pay-off has been that my son is growing into a confident, compassionate person who loves learning and is interested in people and the world around him. The approach is definitely not for every family, and like any other option it doesn't provide everything, but for my family it provides the stuff that's important to us. I'm very grateful our family had the opportunity to go to PMP. read more

I attended this school in the mid-1970s. There was/is a total lack of academic direction and the staff was not equipped to deal with more aggressive children. Bullying was almost constant read more