My two kids have really enjoyed their experience at PLAY. Both made friends, learned a lot, and had their many needs taken care of along the way. All the teachers are kind, flexible, and left a positive impression on my son and daughter. Highly recommend for families of babies, toddlers and TKers in the Silver Lake area! read more

PLAY Preschool - Block time! - Preschools Near Me - Los Angeles, California

We really love this place. Our child went there from 4-months to 2 1/2 years, and he came home every day well fed, well rested and smiling. He loved his teachers and made a number of good friends. We loved meeting all the families there and becoming part of the community. The facilities are terrific and the administration is a joy to work with. The only real negative we experienced is that they take a lot of days off for vacation, so you need to be prepared for that. Otherwise, we very highly recommend PLAY! read more

I'm giving Play 3 stars, which is really two reviews because I had two kids there so I'll start with the positive. The infant care center is phenomenal. Esther and Valeria make it a warm, calm, loving place. The ratio is 4:1. I cried on my 9 month olds last day there because I was so grateful to have brought her to a place where I truly feel she was more than tolerated and handled, but cared for. We pulled her out because of how sick she was getting which brings me to the other part of Play that I think parents should consider. There are a lot of subjective problems I had with Play in concerns with my 2.5 year old's experience but objectively I can say this which truly sums up my experience there... When I wrote admin to inform them I was taking both of my kids out of play NO ONE ASKED WHY. The reply back was, best of luck to the girls. If they had asked I would have said in short I pulled them because the frequency that both of my kids were getting sick was unmanageable and also I did not feel like the genuine "care" part you want out of a daycare was present for my oldest. She's in a Montessori now. We have been happy with our decision to leave. read more

Our son has been going to PLAY since he was 4 months old, and our second son will start in a few months. We have been extremely satisfied with the infant center. All of the teachers have been super communicative and have a genuine love for child development. When we arrive for pickup, we often hear "no go" from our son because he doesn't want to leave! Thank you PLAY for creating an amazing environment for our kids to thrive! read more

Our experience at PLAY has truly been a dream come true--it's an amazing preschool that really has it all: exceptional teachers and caregivers, a beautiful campus, flexible offerings, and a diverse and inclusive community. We will cherish our time with Miss Martha, Miss Veronica, and the whole bunch for years to come! The programming at PLAY is incredibly well-rounded and makes room for everything you could want from a preschool experience. Our daughter was given hands-on academic attention, social-emotional encouragement and guidance, and access to a steady stream of inventive activities. She loved going every day, begged to stay as long as she could, and really learned so much. I know there are lots of factors involved when choosing a preschool for our children, but I really respected that PLAY wasn't trying to be flashy or trendy. They were committed to making sure our child was ready for elementary school in all the ways that mattered most, and we couldn't be more grateful for everyone who made that possible. read more

Like many other parents, we pulled our child from this school after 3 teachers stepped forward to report physical, verbal, and emotional abuse. In addition to the abuse allegations - as if any prospective family would need further reason to steer clear from this place - they are TERRIBLE at communicating incidents with parents. On my kid's second day he was bitten and they failed to tell me. Happened again a couple weeks later - no communication. He was there 10 months and was bitten more than 10 times. It's totally normal for kids to bite at that age, but when it happens this often it's a sign that the teachers aren't shadowing the kids closely enough, which probably means the teacher ratios were way too high (which is a violation). My kid also had a head injury which was the only time they called me but when I asked if I should come get him and they said it wasn't that bad. Except it WAS: he actually needed stitches. I wish I had listened to my gut and left our first week there. But like many other parents who are still there today - despite having seen photos of undeniable ABUSE - I felt desperate for full time care and convinced myself it was just the shitty administration and that "the teachers are great". Well the administration is still very much involved. As you're reading this, along with many other reviews about abuse, alongside all these 5-star reviews from these other parents - you've gotta know something really weird is happening. Sure it's confusing. Trust your gut. This isn't okay. This isn't normal. Walk away. Find another spot. Why does this "amazing, thriving" place even have so many spots to begin with? Choose your kids safety over these 5-star reviews by these parents who chose to look away. I'm so glad my kid is far away from that place. Hopefully you'll keep your kid safe from them as well. Good luck. read more

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Our daughter has been attending Play since Sept 2019. We remember the day that we met Gabe aka Bibo, for our tour. A happy, energetic and positive man with a true love for kids, teaching and community.His wife and partner Annie. An equally happy and helpful woman who's care and efforts helped make our family's transition to the east side welcoming. Her superhero power is her mad baking skills which she shares at all special events Our experience with them, the teachers - shout out to Ms Martha and Melissa, the support staff and other families has been very special. The last 3 years could not have been the same without them all! They have all been instrumental in the growth of our daughters learning, creativity, confidence and fun little personality. In a world where many parents are always pushing their children to do more and be better than the next, Plays environment and curriculum really allow children to "be children." It promotes friendship, teamwork, creativity and independence. While still having good structure and a solid curriculum. We will say that we never experience any of negativity posted in 2019. Not once. We we were there. It didn't happen for us. It's unfortunate people felt the need to slander the school like that. Enough said. We're sad that this coming week is our daughters last week at the school before kindergarten. We will miss the positive energy, the smiling faces and the fun family events. But, we will say, that our daughter couldn't have had a better experience or be more prepared for the next steps of her life. We love you all and thank you from the bottom of our hearts ! Traci and Phil read more

I couldn't love this school any more!!! We were little hesitant based on some of the other reviews but I'm so glad we trusted Gabriel and gave it a try. This is truly an amazing facility with very caring staff! My daughter instantly loved it coming in and we only got to love the school mire and more every day! This was not my first pick, but due to availability we ended up here and it was the best thing that happened to us since we moved. The facilities are sooo beautiful! Each class is so thought out! Huge, I mean huge playground and lots of educational toys. They email you monthly a curriculum for the kids and you can tell the teacher puts so much work behind the planning. And the best part! You get daily pictures and stories from their day! My daughter is excited to go every day! No more tears or not wanting to go to "school". The teachers Ms. Gloria and Ms. Hasmik are like extended family. They love the kids so much and it shows! We were part of one community event and it was so well organized and fun!! Don't look any further. I only wish we sent Kaia there earlier! So lucky for a working parent to be able to leave my child daily at a place they love and feel safe and learn! Thank you Play! read more

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Great outdoor spaces for the kids and amazing teachers are the selling points here. Both my children have loved attending PLAY, and It's a really beautiful place overall. read more

A wonderful place for children! The teachers and administrators prioritize children, and as a bonus are very easy to communicate with. I personally found the search for daycare challenging, and really appreciated PLAY's quick responses and organization. It gives you peace of mind. My children play all day and interact with others in a beautiful facility. read more

After the locked down I was searching for a preschool for my son, after many visits/tours I found PLAY. I did intensive research and was even deterred from sending our son to PLAY but when we met the team and school, we knew it was the place for us. The teachers and staff are wonderful. My son looks forward to school every day. He's is so spoiled by the attention and love of the teachers. He gets so happy when he see Ms. Gloria. Our son has really come out of his shell, became more social and picked up so much from his class and teachers. Few of the things we like: My son is talking so much more and surprises us with the words and things he learns every day I love the learn base activities that they do learning about insects, reptiles, flowers, colors, seasons, countries etc. We love the app and the updates through the app, we get next level photo updates. We get excited to see what our kiddo is up to. At the end of the day it becomes a way to engage with our son, looking through the photo and talking to him about his day I love how they celebrate everyone's birthday with an activity by together designing a birthday banner He made his first best friend at school and enjoys seeing his teacher/classmates Love the layout of the school in general Check-in/Checkout process post covid: initially we drive up and a teacher/staff would take child's temperature and pick-up the child then as CDC allows parents were able to drop off their kid. Mask were required, we had a special code to get into the gate, you check in digitally with the app. A teacher greets child, check temperature, and they'll wash their hands and starts activities Routine: Play/Learn activities, snack, lunch, nap, play, snack, pick-up, we get updates along the way via the app read more

Our almost three year old son has been at PLAY since he was 7 months old. He's been in three classes now as he's gotten older - two in the infant center and one in the upstairs preschool area. All of the administrators and teachers are so friendly and attentive, it's been so easy to drop him off and know he'll be with people who care so well for him. Every time he's moved up in classes it's been so hard to say goodbye to the teachers! Our daughter will be starting in a few weeks and I'm so excited to have another kid in the family. In the preschool it's been so fun to see our son develop socially, learn new things through a light curiculum (love the themes and teaching balanced with plenty of time to be kids and free play), and build independence and emotional skills. read more

My daughter went to the infant center here for a month. They had FIVE infants (6-9 mo) per teacher, which is obviously impossible for anyone. The teachers were clearly trying their best, but it just isn't possible, and every time I picked up my daughter, babies were just crying and crying in the cribs or bouncy seats and being ignored. I even overheard teachers saying they were coming to work sick because they didn't have enough sick days. Later found out the boss refers to the infant center as a 'cash cow,' and says it doesn't matter how they treat the babies because they don't remember anyways. I originally enrolled my daughter partly just because I was desperate for any daycare, and because they advertised a low student to teacher ratio. Then, once attending, I found out that they get each parent's schedule ahead of time so that they can maintain the absolute minimum teachers per baby. Don't send your baby here. I wish I had picked the local family daycare, where at least one adult had only maximum two babies to care for at any given time, and some older children (how do you take care of more than two babies at once??). My daughter now attends Atwater Park Center, which we absolutely love. The teachers have all been there for years and years, and it's clear they are treated well. It shows in the patience and care they have for the kids. read more

We loved, and I mean LOVED our teachers at PLAY, so we chose to overlook some things at the school that we didn't like because we wanted consistency for our child. When all of our favorite teachers either left or were fired for reporting to CPS, we knew it was time to leave. As an added note, I'd like to say that our kid was constantly sick while at this school. We thought this was just how it was with little kids and tried to suck it up. We later found out it's due to classrooms not being properly cleaned because it was left up to teachers to do themselves after hours (unpaid time.) At a school this big, there should be a full-time designated cleaning person. Changed schools and haven't been sick once yet. read more

I want to preface this with the acknowledgement that perfection is never expected, and teacher turnover happens. However, my child was enrolled at PLAY for 7 months and in that time, due to a lack of transparency and bullying/spiteful behavior on the part of the director, as well as the filing of police and DCFS reports by parents and teachers alike, 30+ families removed their children and at least 12 teachers have quit or been fired. It seemed like every week there was something new to deal with--the sudden departure of an amazing teacher, the threat of scabies, multiple former teachers coming forward to warn parents of terrible working conditions and outright lies the owner told to both staff and prospective parents. Due to a lack of viable options, we kept our son there hoping that with all of the recent negative press and the appointment of a new director, it would be a safe place until he could start at a new preschool next month. The director stepped down (he remains the owner) and is no longer working directly with children, nor is his wife (which speaks volumes). However, he lives on the premises and this morning at drop off, without any advance notice, he told us that our son was no longer enrolled. He did not provide a reason. In light of the fact that the school received a Type A violation just last week during an unannounced visit from DSS, I'm okay with scrambling to find childcare for the next 4 weeks. And taking a huge financial hit. What I'm not okay with is the fact that he (and his new disorganized director) didn't allow our son to say goodbye to his teachers and classmates. To me, this also speaks volumes. We had initially been so relieved to find a place for our child that didn't have a waitlist, that we failed to consider why that might actually be. Please just make yourselves as informed as possible; look at the state licensing website (www.dss.ca.gov--type facility #198019499 to see citations). And please bear in mind that sometimes positive reviews are posted because incentives are provided by businesses. read more

PLAY Preschool - Preschools Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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This is a very hard review to write. We spent a year and a half here and it started out pretty good. We initially got kind of a bullish vibe from the director, but we figured we were being overly sensitive about sending our first kid to group care. There were some loving teachers and hardworking administrators, but then our kid's class went through dozens of teachers in a matter of months. Teachers would be fired on the spot and not allowed to say goodbye. This amount of disruption is very hard on a little person! The director had no concern for the impact this had on our kids. At this point, a group of parents got together to meet with the director to see what could be done to limit turnover, and it came to light that the director was lying to parents about the teachers' credentials, pay and benefits. While we had no first-hand experience of abuse, we witnessed the administration and director's volatile reaction and response to the allegations---which were credible since there were photos and multiple witnesses corroborating the accounts. He became very defensive and accusatory toward the parents voicing the concerns, almost like an angry cat who is cornered and lashing out. At the end of the day, I know my son was mostly well cared for, but there were instances when we would drop off and there would be dozens of kiddos and only a couple teachers, or we would see kids put in "containers"--walkers or bouncers that are not permitted in group care. As a result of the allegations, they hired an interim director and a new permanent director, but the owner was still, in effect, the facility director and he was still heavily involved in operations, which was really not acceptable after the abuse allegations. So en masse, dozens of kids left. My kiddo is constantly asking when he will see his buddies again. They are now all scattered at different schools or with private nannies around town. It's heartbreaking to have to sever ties with this community, including the remaining teachers that he loved. read more

We had a scheduling problem with the pre-school our son was going to so we had to find another one in the area in a relatively short time. Play was very responsive when we reached out and we had a tour booked in a couple weeks. My first impression of the school was how clean and new everything was. The rooms for the younger kids have the bathrooms out in the main spaces, which is probably a huge help for potty training. In general, there was a lot of space for the kids and none of the areas seemed cramped. The new playground also looks really fun for the kiddos. A really great facility overall. One of the big selling points of PLAY is how great the staff is. Everyone I've been in contact with has bent over backwards to help me with any problem that has come up. Gabriel's family has been doing childcare for a long time everyone we've spoken to that has gone here has had a positive experience. I would definitely send our children here with no reservations. read more

We've had nothing but a wonderful experience, Esther, and everyone in the infant classrooms, are AMAZING and attentive teachers who really really love the kids. We get constant photos and updates and it made the transition, especially during COVID, so much easier. I'm gutted to have found out that they had to let their new Program Director Karna go, she was the main reason I decided to choose PLAY. Hopefully as enrollment improves she'll return and they'll keep up the great policies and practices she put in place. Also to add, the user Olivia L's review is absolutely not true. My daughter has been in the infant daycare program (3mo - 12mo) since May and she has been the only girl in that program the entire time. In fact she's been the only kid under a year since July, so this other user's also lying about the number of kids in that age group. It seems highly suspect that user Olivia L left a bad and patently false review for PLAY but then went and left a glowing review for another daycare center less than a mile away. I tried to report her review but Yelp doesn't remove reviews over false information. Real cool Yelp. read more

Hello, My child went to P.L.A.Y from 3 years old until now. Unfortunately, due to COVID-19 we pulled out one month before graduation. And we were very sorry to do so because we love P.L.A.Y. My child started 3 days a week doing half days only. I loved that I was always welcome to stay after I had picked her up. So I go to see first hand how loving all teachers were to the children. And I loved that at the same time they knew how to redirected them by empowering them. Mrs. Gloria, thank you from the bottom of my heart for loving my child and looking after her! She's the best and I believe one the the veterans at P.L.A.Y. Mr. Luis, who later became the Strawberries teacher, all great teachers!!!! And we concluded with Miss Hannah and Miss Estefania, beautiful teachers inside and out!!! We never had a problem with staff or the school. We were there when everything happened and we stuck it out. We saw first hand the change that the school made and improvements to facilitate a transparent communication. Especially because I became part of one the many committees that were developed as and effort to make P.L.A.Y more accountable. And Miss Charna, a blessing! She's an amazing Principal. Thank you to all the teachers!!!! Miss Annie, thank you for always being prompt in all emails and administrative affairs. I hope you enjoy P.L.A.Y as much as we did! read more

The infant center here is AMAZING. The teachers actually CARE about the babies and are engaged and loving. Our daughter loves it here and we are able to work in peace knowing she is getting the best care out there! They also have the best facilities and assortment of toys around. read more

I WOULD NOT recommend this school to anyone. Do not let the "beautiful campus" fool you... the previous director/owner is only out to profit off the system by packing as many kids into classrooms and charging the parents an ultra premium. Our daughter attended the school for over a year, and in that time we were overcharged, lied to, cheated out of a refund once we decided to pull our daughter, and exposed to multiple teachers coming out to us, telling us of the abuse, mistreatment, and aggressive behavior they saw first hand. One instance happened to involve our daughter... for which the licensing board and authorities have been notified. Again, the Director being accused by multiple teachers, who witnessed everything first hand, is also the owner... so, be careful who you enrich with your tuition dollars. I do not condone or support such behavior. I am enraged and disgusted. read more

I have been at PLAY since June of 2018. Our daughter loves her school. After the controversy with the owner, the school rallied together to find a solution and now, the school is better than ever. We have a PAC, and an amazing director, whom we all voted for collectively. The teachers have always been of high caliber. I do not disagree with any parents who have left because we all must do what's best for our children and families. We decided to stay because it would have been really difficult for our daughter; She has made great friends and loves her teachers. The facility is clean and new. We are doing a beautification day to make it even more amazing. We all voted on a new curriculum that will be based off of play time values. And more. So, this has been my experience and I am glad we have a great community. read more

EDIT/UPDATE: Since writing this review 3 weeks ago, 2 more of the teachers in the infant class (Lemons age 1-2) have quit without notice. While the parents that remain at the school & have started the parent council are painting a picture of transformation, PLAY continues to crumble internally at the expense of the children and hostile work environment. Every teacher I've spoken with that left tells a much different story than what the director claims - in fact she isn't consulted or informed of decisions the owner Gabe continues to make - like expelling children. While i'm sure she means well, as long as he is the owner that place will not change. Please be very VERY careful of the promises of change - you want to find somewhere safe & nurturing for your child where they can form bonds with teachers & friends, this is NOT that place. I hope you all find the right place the first time, do not make the mistake I did with PLAY. IM SHOCKED this place is still in operation. We were desperate for full time childcare for our 18 month old + PLAY sure did look pretty, at first everything was great, but all of the teachers my son formed a bond with left, within a 2 week period we knew something was off. We met with the director who dismissed our concerns, and continued to lie about everything we confronted him on, he also became aggressive & violent in that meeting. It was then i knew it wasn't a place for children & we stared looking for alternate care options & thank goodness we did. A month later teachers reported incidents of physical misconduct & aggression by the director and his wife, at which point the director stepped down. He is still however running the operation behind his new puppet of a director (there have been 3 directors that replaced him in the past month) and another 8 teachers have quit due to the hostile work environment and not having enough teachers to properly staff the classrooms. The school was cited for not completing background checks. My son came home covered in feces from 3 improper diaper changes & would be sitting in a corner everyday crying when i picked him up the last few weeks at school because they hired people with no childcare experience. I later found out that teachers were instructed to stop sending pictures of my son via the app because i complained when i received a photo of my 2 year old in an infant bouncer (those are illegal in day care settings in California) but the school hides them when licensing shows up. They also move teachers and children around in classrooms to appear in ratio, when they are not. My son is now in a new preschool and THRIVING! It's amazing how much happier he is, and how the meltdowns have stopped because he is in a loving nurturing environment. I would have written this review earlier but feared retaliation from the owner, and those fears were not unfounded as he has started expelling children with no notice if he finds that parents are planning on leaving. I'm not sure what else he is capable of. read more

*I'm updating my review to address comments made by a group of vile and mean-spirited parents who have openly stated their objective is to drive the school into bankruptcy and are stating gross exaggerations and outright lies to that end. First, let's be clear - no one is compensating me or anyone else for their reviews. Second, is the school and people running it perfect in every way on every day? No, newsflash, no daycare is! But are the kids safe and well cared for in a clean and well maintained facility? Absolutely. My kids started at a CDCLA program downtown at 9 months after a string of flakey nannies left us exasperated. The program was well intentioned but clearly underfunded and after 6 months we really didn't feel comfortable with it. They cried every day at drop off and couldn't wait to get out of there. From day 1 at PLAY they loved it, and yes THRIVED! Their development, motor, and social skills improved rapidly. They were happy and drop off and had to be dragged out of there. They also stopped getting sick all the time (probably more to do with immune system building). When they turned 2 they starting at Camelot Kids 3 half-days per week (as was always the plan, CK is also a phenomenal preschool program) and PLAY 2 full days. There was no discernable difference in their enthusiasm for either school, they loved them both and enjoyed identifying each day as a PLAY-day or a Camelot-day. This school is owned and run by people who have dedicated their life's work and life savings to creating a great environment for kids to learn and grow. There are a lot of awesome teachers and families working very hard to see it improve and succeed in every way possible. If you need a great spot for your child go see it for yourself and trust your instincts. The bully campaign against this small family business is totally wrong and not at all in the spirit of our awesome community. read more

PLAY Silver Lake has an amazing facility and amazing teachers. Mrs.Gloria and Mr.Luis are true gems - our daughter loves going to school every day and is thriving. read more

Wonderful school. Our son has thrived there in every way we could hope. He's been there since he was about 18 months old (he's almost 3 as of this writing). Is it going to be perfect for everyone? No, of course not. No school is. But the space is HUGE with tons of outdoor opportunities, a massive play structure, loads of activities, and a dedicated staff of beautiful humans. We will happily be sending our son there until he enters public school. read more

My Husband and I brought our daughter after researching different schools. My daughter did great and we loved it at PLAY and we enjoyed our time here. We did pull our daughter out since we moved to the San Gabriel Valley. The teachers were friendly, we miss you Ms Gloria, and Annie and Gabriel we're always available for question and suggestions. I highly recommend any parent take a tour and see what your missing out. read more

I took a tour of this campus last week and I fell in love with the open classrooms and the expansive playground. The classrooms are broken down by age with the cutest little names very inviting to children. The playground is so nice and covered in rubber and artificial turf for the protection of the children, very beautiful .Very clean facility and very inviting. read more

Toured this preschool last week in preparation for my families move to LA and we all were completely impressed! From the quick responses to email to the warm tour given to us showing the amazing campus, we will definitely plan on enrolling by the end of the year! read more

After having spent a year here, we had to remove our toddler from PLAY in 2019 after multiple teachers came forward to report physical and verbal abuse on behalf of Gabe. We saw photo evidence. read more

Our son attended PLAY from age 2 through age 5 when he left for kindergarten. This is an incredible place full of wonderful teachers and dedicated staff. The playground is magnificent and the diversity of backgrounds amongst the students is terrific. We will never be able to thank PLAY enough for helping us with potty training (doing most of it really) and even more so for helping shape our son into the delightful person that he is. PLAY gave him all the skills he needs to be ready for kindergarten and to thrive in the world read more

It's taken me a long time to decide to write this review but after seeing some of the trolls write bad ones, I feel it's time to give a different perspective having lived it. In my experience of 2019, a disgruntled parent and several disgruntled teachers began a smear campaign against this school that I don't think would have happened the same way following the BLM movement. The director is Latino/Latinx and his wife is Armenian. 98% of the accusers were white - and didn't even experience more than shoddy management during a transition time, but they sure were quick to jump on the accusatory bandwagon ("I never saw anything, my kid was fine, but I had to pull my kid because my friend said, blah blah blah. It was a nightmare. And I suffered.") These parents shout their wokeness on several mom boards around the web, but those same ladies posting their status updates of their own anti-racism 'work' have no idea of their own internalized racism and how that played out in this scenario. And still it continues on reviews and so on with the language piling on of the director being a 'bad man' and 'abusive' with literally NO evidence and complete and total clearance by detectives and the licensing board. Here what was true in our experience Shoddy management during a transition - yup, building out a whole school and relocating a whole school didn't go smoothly. Inspections were delayed, the director tried to accommodate kids in the space he had without full clearance. Dumb move, but all the entitled white parents kept harassing him and he caved and then got cited by licensing. He kept his engagement to the head teacher quiet. Dumb move because he obviously treated her special and that caused serious disgruntlement on the other early 20s immature teachers who were petty, gossiped and acted out like the immature 20somethings they were about how unfair that was, and how unfair it was their job entailed cleaning up their own classrooms, and tried to get back at the school for being let go by complaining to us parents and engaging in serious serious insinuation. I'm pretty sure an investigation found several of those teachers had committed slander. He didn't screen kids - no interview process for new families to weed out kids who needed a higher level of care the school wasn't set up to provide. No surprise the entitled white parents who didn't get into Family school or Camelot because their kid wasn't 'school ready' came here but then were like, shocked pikachu face, 'my angel never does anything wrong.' I swear there were like three kids who absolutely were on the spectrum that the parents were in serious denial about and needed extra care.He never pretended to have a program that could manage spectrum disorder but he should have screened families, been honest about the school limitations for special needs and didn't, dumb move. - THE ACCUSER REFUSED TO SHARE METADATA ON PICS that supposedly were of bruises and all any of us saw were pictures on a phone - carefully held up. And then those parents went on to go to Camelot (where, get this, they were supposedly given a discount and then spent time promoting Camelot, wtaf - were they a plant??) . But btw - the unsubstantiated reports of him taking kids into a private space???? There are no ceilings in any of the offices - literally no privacy anywhere, all open ceilings. And parents were welcome to visit any time - I would pick up before nap, after nap, during class time to read a book - like they literally welcomed parents any time of day. But the nice white parents and their perfect angels refused to acknowledge the possibility this was a literal witch hunt. I'm not denying the director and his wife needed extra support/better decisions to figure out how to run a preschool, but when you hear 'evil, abusive' - that's those parents from 2019's racism showing. TL/DR: 'nice white parents' accuse Latinx preschool director of unsubstantiated bull crap abuse, with no evidence and total lack of awareness of their own inherent racial bias. Police investigate, find NOTHING. Licensing investigates finds NOTHING. Period. End of story. read more

This is the review you should read. My kid today will be completing almost four years attending this preschool. Also, I spend 1-2 hours every day in the afternoons at this school watching my son play, so few parents spend as much time as I do there. Therefore Gabriel and everyone at PLAY know exactly who I am, and that my name is not actually Fergus. Some of my responses will be towards the negative reviews. There are some minor cons about this school, but I won't list them because I had considered them over the years, and any of these cons I've determined are relative to teachers being humans dealing with kids all day long, making decisions I would also do, and that you would understand being a parent. My son has been going to PLAY since he was 2 years old. I chose it over the other places in the area my wife and I vetted, because it looked structured, fun, yet not too strict, so as to the detriment of the children. Some of the other facilities in the area we visited were too snooty, or had a bossy headmistress attitude which frankly did not float my boat. Okay. This is what I like about PLAY. Gabriel and all the teachers I've seen, including ones who have come and gone, really seem to love the children. They are all professionals, trained in child care. They know when to give special attention to kids who need it, and when to let kids learn to work things out, as they need to. I'm an admittedly over-anxious parent with a generally not-too-troublesome kid (but sometimes he's a problem). Over the years I've watched him learn to deal with a lack of self-control, how to deal with other kids who have little or no control, good kids and every other kid in between. Personally, I feel some of the reviews here are by parents suffering the same anxiety as I have had, but minus the experience of everything in this paragraph. I like that this school has catered, daily, hot meals delivered. The previous menu had some issues, and they changed vendors to better suit the kids. My own kid is picky and prefers I make our own food, but I appreciate that PLAY made adjustments and I think for most kids and busy parents, the current menu is helpful. I will call out individuals. My son's last teacher Jennifer I feel, truly loves children. She is more patient with children than I. She seems a truly genuine, lovely person. Annie who is no longer a teacher is a lover of children, a carer for kids who need special attention, but not a coddler to kids who need structure. She now helps manage the school overall. Hasmik is a sweet lady who helps with weekend birthday parties at the school, and she is always friendly and sweet. Gabriel, the school head is loved by the kids, gets them excited and the kids love to play with him, when he has time to do so. Which he seems to make time for. Parents, you or I can nitpick some small things in any place, as I noted before, but if you want a fun, educational place for your kids, I wholly recommend PLAY. My son and a handful of his friends who have been here about as long as my son has, love this place. I can tell. I see them every day. If you are over-anxious, worried, then be so as I have been. It's okay. If you want your kid to grow, learn and thrive, I recommend PLAY to you. And complain if you need to. I have. And Gabriel and the staff will address your concerns, as they have with me. And I have been satisfied with their responses. No place is perfect for your children. But I can't imagine a better place I could have sent my son for the last 3+ years, that enriched my son as well, and soothed my silly parental anxiety so well. When I first started my son at PLAY, I saw on Yelp there were billing complaints. So I had been vigilant. And complain-ey. And I was wrong almost every time. This place is honest, even if they make a billing mistake or two once in a while. Since they're honest, they will fix any mistakes. And Annie is in charge of billing now so those issues are gone now, anyway. Today, I will visit PLAY for the last time and then miss everyone here. And no, I'm in no way tied to this place nor solicited by them in any way. I'm an actual anxious parent, concluding my son's experience with this facility, telling you in all sincerity, my family's experience with this school. Take from it what you shall. Lastly, perhaps, I wish I had gone to preschool. Love to all staff at PLAY and Gabriel, Aaron, Janet and Charlie read more

We love PLAY Preschool. We enrolled our son at play last year and he was scheduled to start in September. Shortly before his scheduled start date we heard some allegations from a small group of parents that gave us pause and had us questioning our decision to have him start. After going to many meetings at the school, speaking to present and past play families, and hearing of the changes that were being implemented we decided to go ahead with his scheduled date. We are so happy that we stuck with the school. Our son is thriving at PLAY, we have had nothing but positive experiences with all of the staff. The new director, Karna, the administrator, Annie, and all of the teaching and support staff are caring and knowledgeable. Our son has bonded with his teacher and every teacher at the school. We would recommend PLAY to any family. read more

This long overdue review is for the Infant and Toddler Center. I am so grateful for the care that PLAY has provided to my son. We had enrolled him at 11 months of age, in July 2019. Ms. Esther was instrumental in ensuring a smooth transition, but all of the teachers in the Infant Center played a part and worked really well as a team. Our family loves so much about this place...the staff, curriculum, facility, and parent community...but if we had to choose just one, it would be Ms. Karna, the program director. She is knowledgeable, caring, empathic, and has gift for teaching young children. She's also accessible; always more than happy to meet and discuss/address any concerns. She is wonderful about partnering with parents to care for the children at PLAY. For example, our home situation had changed such that my husband needed to be out of town for work for at least 3 days every week and our son had a very difficult time adjusting to his dad being away. When I contacted Karna, she was more than happy to meet with me to brainstorm ideas to help him. She then informed the teachers about what our son was going through and educated them about what we were going to do at home and daycare to help him cope. All of the teachers were so loving and so supportive of our little guy. Ms. Karna and Ms. Alemania (Infant Center Assistant Director) also made sure to check on him at daycare when they knew that his dad is away longer than usual. My husband and I were touched by how the staff were so attuned to our son's emotional needs; it was beyond what we had ever expected. With heavy hearts, we left PLAY in March 2020 because we relocated. However, we feel so fortunate that our son had the incredible experience he did. read more

My son was in the the infant program at PLAY and it was incredible! The teachers are warm and caring and loved my kid to pieces. He thrived there. The teachers were actively engaged with the kids - always playing, singing, doing crafts. And the facilities are beautiful. I loved how the teachers were always eager to give feedback on how the day went and I got updates throughout the day thru their app. Infant care is hard to find in LA if you don't or can't go the nanny route and I'm so glad I could entrust my little dude to Miss Ale and Miss Esther and the rest of the team. They are the absolute BEST. read more

Our three year old son has been here a year now and we couldn't be happier with the choice. Alot of parents have leaned in with the new administration this past year and our son is thriving in a terrific environment. read more

Our daughter went here from 4 months old to just after 2 years old. We had a great time. The teachers were very loving and wonderful. Couldn't ask for a better experience. We plan on coming back if we have a second child. :) read more

Where do I start!! As a parent i could not as for a better place to send my daughter. The staff is amazing and i know they truly care for my chIld. There is a real sense of community here at PLAY. read more

Our family had a really bad experience here. We were one of the handful of "founding families" and left bitterly disappointed. We left during the middle of a month in the middle of the school year extremely unhappy. I was told by the director that my child was "aggressive" and "everybody agreed" which was not at all the experience we've had anywhere else. Previous "parent teacher conferences" also conflicted with this assessment. Her lead teacher quit without notice just prior to this under mysterious circumstances. Our last conference with her gave the impression she saw our daughter as a willful child, yes but also a happy communicator who loves her friends. It was quite a shock that she left so suddenly. For several weeks after her departure the classroom of 3 year old children had 12 students and only one teacher. It is the legal limit but not, in my opinion, advisable. The normal ratio is still on the higher side, particularly for schools at this price point. We ended up moving to a much less expensive school with far greater organization and staff and a classroom with a student - teacher ratio of 7-1. Our child was immediately happy in her new school and when I asked about aggression there the staff questioned the idea anybody had ever felt it was a problem at all. Once settled and secure she herself reported feeling more comfortable. Ironically our child is a big verbal communicator so to hear she was hitting was troublesome for us. The response she received was worse. The playground gets very hot in warmer months. It is a converted parking lot and there is no in ground plant space (though there are some raised beds). Even with the shade cloth there is little air movement in summer months. Several times I visited in hot weather to find the kids sweltering outside and no air conditioning on in the building. Communication and sharing between parents seems actively discouraged. The curbside drop off does nothing to help. I was repeatedly warned not to speak to other parents about any issues I might have with anything to do with PLAY. After the incident which led to our departure (our daughter struck another child, it was the way it was handled which made us leave) I was called into a conference with the director and other parent and NOT the teacher. I cannot say enough about how unprofessional and inappropriate it was. It was also done ambush style as I was not notified who would be present in advance. I had assumed it would be myself and the teacher at the very least. Many of the teachers were quite wonderful and the play structure itself is pretty impressive (although possibly unsafe for younger kids as the manufacturer indicates the height is appropriate for ages 5+). We wouldn't have enrolled if there weren't some positives. However, because the emotional well being of my child is my biggest priority I can only give one star. There are so many wonderful preschools in the area that would be better choices. It is a shame that getting into preschool has become such a difficult and traumatic event. I hesitated before writing this review but I feel it is important to share, particularly as we had attended for over a year. read more