Love this school! My first child is going into year 3, and my second child starts in a couple…read moreweeks. (Ashland campus) Large grounds, long tenured educators, balanced curriculum, great hours for working parents, and an amazing community. Snack, milk, water provided. I do have to make lunch everyday, but it was only hard to adjust the first week or so. Campus/Grounds: They have an upper and lower yard, literally 4 blocks from the beach! It's huge! The classrooms are also generally large and spacious with lots of fresh air and light. The bathrooms and campus are cleaned everyday and there is a "Pitch In" clean up day multiple times a year where the entire community chips in to do a serious deep cleaning. There's even a parking lot and 1 block of 15 minute parking zone for pick up/drop offs too! Teachers: Serious tenure at this school! The teachers have been here for years. They are aware, listen and react to your needs and very caring. The school also supports and provide continuing education courses to allow their teachers to keep growing. Learning/Playtime/Conflict: Lots of balance between playtime and education. The teachers don't force memorization of numbers and letters. They teach the kids to understand the foundations of math, science, literacy in a way that is fun for children. It's like when you sneak broccoli into your kids pasta sauce! They love eating it and get their nutrition too. (Side note: my daughter is 4-1/2 and she's starting to read, can write her name and do some simple addition). Regarding conflict management, I'll only say this "The Talking Chairs". It's a way to get the kids communicating about what happened vs punishing anyone. It's magical. Hours: Great long hours for working parents (both my husband and I work full time). We do an 8am drop off and 5:30pm pick up. There are several families on this schedule and it's a great time catch up with the teachers and share moments with your child. Mine always wants to show me around her classroom. Community: amazing community of current and alumni families who keep giving back to the school through volunteer hours and projects! The faculty also does a great job of connecting families and providing resources for parents. Is there a con? Yes, the school doesn't provide lunch (they do provide milk, water, snacks). It was a hard adjustment at first. But at least I know what's going in my kid's mouth!

Be sure to read all of the reviews. For some unknown and arbitrary reason, YELP has filtered the…read morelukewarm reviews of this school. There is important information for working parents in the reviews YELP is dishonorably filtering. This review pertains only to the Ashland Campus. Definitely friendly teachers that welcome the kids in the morning. Pros: nice big play yard, garden, lots of play outside, kids have an active say in what their plan for the day is. Cons: damaged asphalt covers most of the playground, can not drop off throughout the day, no meal program, bathroom is dicey Definitely friendly staff but the parent population is a little self aware and snooty. If you are a working parent family, this school is workable but takes extra effort. If you have a dr appt in the morning, chances are your kid will be home for the day and you will not be at work. The school provides snacks but no lunch service which is tough on working moms who don't have a nanny. Most kids are headed home by 4pm so if you work until 5, you can count on your kid being one of the last at the school. For sure friendly, eager staff but there are many aspects that make this a tough school choice for working parents.

Our baby boy has been going to Yvonne's for a little over two months now, and we are very happy…read more She suggested starting with a few hours per day initially to help him get used to it, especially as he was 11 months old then, and it can be challenging to start at that age. It has been really helpful as it gave him time to transition. He's now always happy to go and reaches for the door when we arrive in the morning. Yvonne is always calm and calming, smiling and welcoming to the babies. Her energy is very positive and reassuring, especially as we are first-time parents. Our baby eats well, naps well and plays well, and that's what we want! It's obvious she's experienced and knows what to do with kids. Simply a pro. We highly recommend her.

I had a horrible experience with Yvonne's day care service. I was charged a full week price for…read morejust 2 hours. My baby looked miserable when we went to pick her up. I felt like Yvonne did not care at all about my child, and she picks her favorites because she gave me an ew look and made comments that she thinks my child has an issue. She also said my child was gross because she had a little runny nose on that day and she was left on the corner and being ignored. Overall, we had bad impression that she was very rude and just takes kids for money. She kept taking about her boyfriend and we felt low class vibe on our first day unfortunately. We will never go back to her and still make us feel sick by remembering this experience. My baby is safe and enjoying her new daycare everyday and now we sure know that Yvonne has an issue not my baby.

I cannot say enough good things about Maple Tree Santa Monica. Our oldest was with MTA from 4…read moremonths to 3 years old, and our youngest was there for a few months in the infant classroom before we moved away. We always felt safe leaving our kids at MTA, which is so invaluable for two working parents. The teachers are warm and caring, and were always flexible to work with us on things like naps, feeding, and potty training. Our oldest made so many friends and grew into a wonderfully inquisitive child, no doubt thanks to the curriculum of child-led exploration and learning. We will miss MTA dearly and will be forever grateful to have spent some time there!

Our family feels very fortunate to have had 3.5 wonderful years at Maple Tree Santa Monica. Our…read moredaughter started in the infant room when she was 5 months old during the height of COVID and our son started when he was 6 months old. Some of the things we love about Maple Tree include the convenience of having an infant room and preschool at the same location. We're also grateful for the infant room director Yoli and the School Director Tina. They are very kind, helpful, and easy to work with. As our daughter got older she got to experience the preschool environment at Maple Tree. The teachers are all very sweet and caring. They make sure to provide updates throughout the day via an App that includes updates on meal times / nap times / potty times / and a summary of what they did that day. Both of our kids really enjoyed their time at Maple Tree, they loved their teachers and have made so many friends (as have we!). They create a nice community among the families with a Spring and Fall picnic throughout the year and the hours are also very accommodating for two full time working parents. We feel very lucky to have had both of our kids at Maple Tree and would recommend to anyone looking for a clean, safe, professional, kind & loving daycare and/or preschool.

Given the cost, this YMCA is great. They have three different rooms for weights and two for cardio…read more They have classes. They have a hot tub, pool, sauna, and steam room. Yes, it's not luxury by any means but do you know how expensive other gyms are, especially with all those facilities? They also have pickleball and basketball. A daycare for kids and the staff is friendly.

There is something seriously wrong with the way this YMCA is being managed. After more than two…read moreyears of repeated complaints about the sauna, it's ridiculous that management still hasn't fixed the problem. I've seen tons of complaints posted online, and I know many members have reached out directly through the website forms, emails, and phone calls. Despite all that, nothing has changed. A few people keep tampering with the sauna sensor by covering it with paper towels or pouring cold water on it so they can crank the temperature way up -- often hitting 220 degrees or more. Tuesday morning was my last time in there. I walked in and it felt like stepping into a burning oven. Another guy was there and told me someone had actually passed out a few weeks earlier because of the exact same issue. I rely on the sauna because of a medical condition -- my doctor even recommended it -- so this is extra dangerous for me. This isn't just bad customer service or a small maintenance glitch. It's a straight-up serious safety failure. Management clearly knows what's going on and who's doing it, but they still haven't done anything effective to stop it. At this point, I have to question the competence of the management team. The fact that they've let this dangerous situation drag on for over two years shows a shocking level of negligence. Honestly, the way they've handled this makes me wonder if they could even run a taco stand on the corner, let alone a facility responsible for people's health and safety. A lot of sauna users are older adults and people with health conditions. Management shouldn't be gambling with members' safety and waiting until someone gets seriously hurt. Because I'm not willing to risk my health, Tuesday was my last day in that sauna. As of Friday, I started going somewhere else. It's really disappointing that loyal members are being forced to leave because management refuses to fix a known and preventable safety hazard. I strongly urge them to take immediate action: investigate who's tampering with the equipment, enforce actual safety rules, and finally make this facility safe and responsible.

Our daughter started in the Seedling room at MyFirstPlace on 22nd St. when she was just 4 months…read moreold, and we've had a wonderful experience ever since. It's a full Spanish immersion program and they have very flexible options. We opted for full time M-F 8-5:30pm. Maria and her entire team are amazing: communication is clear and prompt, teachers are engaged and caring, and the school is clean, safe, and offers wonderful enrichment activities like soccer, capoeira, and music. We always feel listened to, and the teachers send updates throughout the day. One of my favorite parts of the workday is getting the cutest photos and videos of her and her friends engaged in all sorts of activities like outdoor play or reading books. The biggest testament to the program is our daughter herself. Now 18 months old, she's excited to go to school every morning, happily jumping from my lap into her teachers' arms, and she's calm and happy when we pick her up. Teacher Gabby V. has been incredibly caring and thoughtful. We feel so lucky to have had her help care for our daughter over the past 14 months. She consistently goes out of her way to provide thoughtful, individualized care, whether that means adjusting nap schedules or giving a little extra attention when needed. We couldn't recommend MFP more highly!

We loved MFP for our daughter and it truly was our daughter's first place. They were incredibly…read moreflexible, attentive, and caring for our little one. Being a first time mom, I was nervous to let go and have someone else take care of my daughter. But as I watched her start to get accustomed to the schedule there, I noticed how the staff is educated and friendly. It was emotional for me to watch her learn to be independent at MFP and Maria and Cinthia were very accommodating to helping my daughter transition from homecare to daycare. There's plenty of extracurricular activities dancing, music, soccer, including all the planned crafts to keep her engaged. I always found that they updated ProCare with plenty of updates and pictures to keep me informed of her daily activities. Cinthia, Teacher Karen, Teacher Veronica, Zohra are just some of the friendliest faces who helped take care of her. I also witnessed a very smooth transition between classrooms from the Cherry Room to Olive Room. Cinthia was always available to chat through any of my questions and provided input to best support her. We were so sad to have to leave MFP but primarily did so because of moving (needing to reduce the daycare pickup commute). What was also so sweet was how thoughtful they were to provide her a wonderful experience for both her first birthday at school and her last day. I would recommend MFP!

Mt. Olive Preschool is absolutely amazing! I have sent both of my daughters here and they have…read moreloved their time at Mt. Olive. Each day is always filled with fun and learning with caring and dedicated teachers, and has created great foundations of friendships and community they will keep with them to begin their journey in elementary school. When my oldest daughter went off to TK at a local public school, the teacher at her new school mentioned that she can always tell when a kiddo went to Mt. Olive because they already know how to write their name. Our girls have learned independence, social skills, and have been instilled such a love of learning. We have been blessed to attend and are forever grateful for all the love, memories, and support throughout the years and highly recommend them!

We love Mt Olive! We've tried other ones and this is truly a special place! The teachers have been…read morehere a long time and really care about each kid. They do amazing artwork, and they teach the kids to be responsible and independent. The hours are convenient, and they have great activities offered like swim, soccer, gymnastics, dance. There's an outdoor playground on-site. Can't imagine a better community preschool

We are so thankful we found Mariama and this new daycare. To keep it short, we drop off our son to…read moreMariama in the mornings and we have absolutely no worries for the rest of the day. Mariama sends us updates and pictures throughout the day to let us know how our boy is getting on. You can clearly tell she is devoted and loves what she does. She is amazing with kids - comes up with creative ideas of stuff for them to do. Her assistant, Céline, is just as sweet and great with kids. They're just really genuine people. You'd like to think your child is in the best of care when you send him off to daycare, but you can never really know. However, with Mariama, when we go pick our son up at the end of the day, we always see her being very hands on and interactive, sitting down playing with our son before they notice we are even there. So we know! And we appreciate you so much, Mariama! I want to tell every mom in West LA how amazing she is and what an amazing daycare she has started, but then again we want her all to ourselves! The French aspect is also a huge plus for us. The daycare is clean and lots of toys for the kids to play with and an outdoor area with slides etc. Lastly, Mariama prepares a variety of healthy food for our growing boy! Couldn't rate this place any higher!

Mariama has been working for me at Alouette childcare for almost 3 years. She has been such a great…read moreaddition, she was loved by everyone. She has never hidden her wish to have her own chiildcare one day. Well, that day has come. I am so happy she opened her own, my loss your gain! Mariama is patient, warm, caring, fun and passionate about early childhood education. With her, your child is not only in a safe environment, but as well in a great learning environment. I wish Mariama the best for this wonderful journey and will continue to send her families that are looking for child care as I trust her.

We sent both of our daughters to Pages Family Daycare, and we absolutely love it -- I would 100%…read morerecommend Erika and her team! Our older daughter started around 1 year old, and our youngest began at just 5.5 months. From day one, we've had a wonderful experience. I'm a very schedule-oriented parent, and I truly appreciated how willing Erika was to follow my children's individual routines and needs rather than making them fit into a preset schedule. Through every transition -- from adjusting nap times to introducing solids to transitioning from breastmilk to formula -- Erika was always happy to implement my requests and made the process smooth for our family. She has also been incredibly flexible with us. We only send our daughters part-time, but whenever we needed an extra day, Erika always did her best to accommodate. It's clear that she genuinely cares for and loves the children. You can see it in the way the kids respond to her, in how many of her little ones stay with her from babyhood onward, and in how many families trust her with multiple children. Sending your children to daycare is a big decision, but for our family it has been such a positive and supportive environment. We feel very lucky to have found it!

We are so grateful to have found Pages Family Child Care! We started our son there when he was 7…read moremonths and they were so flexible and accommodating as we weaned and started him on solids. They helped him adjust to a better nap schedule too. He's now just over 2 and we have so many amazing memories there-from birthday and holiday pajama celebrations to music classes to watching butterflies transform, it truly is a special place! We loved how nurturing and caring everyone at Pages was. They treated our son like their own and it really felt like an extended family. They're also very detail oriented, always communicating with us to make sure we were on the same page about schedules, behavior or even if there were tiny bumps and scrapes. When our kid inevitably got sick, they would send texts checking in or would be available to talk on the phone even in off hours. We recently moved and are at a new center across the country, and we are now especially grateful for the high adult/child ratio at Pages and the healthy and fresh meals they provided. Honestly, pulling our son out was one of the hardest parts of our move and he still talks about his friends and teachers there. If you're lucky enough to grab a spot there you won't regret it!

My daughter loves stepping stone! We chose this daycare for the facility and that they also teach…read morein Spanish. We have been very happy with the teachers. There are always at least 2 teachers and they develop a bond with the children. The outdoor facility is stunning and they do activities like water play in the summer. The inside facilities have the right balance of not being a large daycare center, and not being too small. Pickup and drop off are very easy, they are organized and have their holiday schedule in advance (better schedule than most and no closures if someone's sick, since there is ample staff). I highly recommend!

My daughter has been at this daycare since she was 4 months old and it has been the biggest…read moreblessing! Maria, Ana and Marisol are incredible teachers, I love being able to watch circle time and day time activities via the day care's social media page. The backyard is the best feature - there is grass, flowers and beautiful greenery. During Covid they have been very safe, making sure the kids are masked up (if they are over 2) and frequently washing their hands. They make delicious food for the kids, all home cooked! Another major plus is their bilingual (English/Spanish) program, our daughter's first work was "agua" for water!