The most wonderful school! My 4 year old child is already reading, doing math and sign language!…read moreShe is very very excited to go to school every day - the activities and celebrations in the school are amazing! We absolutely love Ms Mellisa!

This school is everything you hope it will be! It is interactive, flexible, child focused and…read moreoffers personal education to your child's level of learning. Each child has a personal education plan that moves along with their own pace. This is a one room school house that has been amazing with socializing young children with, appropriately aged, "older" school children. My 4 year old just started reading after 1.5 months of exposure and 4 months into the school year. Truly a stepping stone you should not skip! And lots of lovely field trips.

My daughter attended First School for two years, and during her last year she had Ms. Saira as her…read moreteacher. Ms. Saira was absolutely wonderful, my daughter adored her. She was warm, patient, and always took the time to update me about my daughter's day. She also created so many engaging and fun learning activities for the class. Thanks to her, I felt my daughter was very well-prepared for kindergarten! All the teachers at the PD were amazing. I highly recommend this preschool!

First School Palm Desert Attention : Heather…read more October 17, 2025 Regarding : Ms. Sylvia I am writing this letter to let you know, how wonderful it is to have Ms.Sylvia on your staff. She brings with her, nurturing, and guidance to all the children at First School. She knows just the right thing to say to a child that is having a sad day, whatever that might be. She always makes sure that the children have what they need to be secure and have a pleasant day. For myself and my son Bradley, we enjoy talking with her and giving her hugs. Sincerely, Jeanine Matzie Bradley Thaxton-Matzie

Being a stay-at-home for the first 2.5 years with my firstborn, I was reluctant to trust my son's…read morecare with someone else, and "let go." However from our very first tour of the school and meeting with the Cathy, we knew he would be in excellent hands. This is not a typical daycare environment; it's academically structured and follows a curriculum in which I know exactly what my child is learning every week and it shows! My son was showing signs of a speech delay at the start of his enrollment, and Cathy referred us to an excellent program with private therapy and notified his teachers of a plan to aid his speech development. We saw results quickly - his vocabulary grew exponentially and now the kid doesn't stop talking! haha Special things to note: the classrooms are sanitized and cleaned nightly by a professional crew, and at the start of every drop-off each child is physically examined for any signs of contagious rash or illness. They take this very seriously, and it works to ward off any potential viruses spreading among the children. The staff is also highly communicative; the director knows every child and parent by name, and the teachers provide daily logs of your child's activities. There are so many great enrichment programs that the kids look forward to - snow day, mobile petting zoo visits, holiday activities, ice cream day, etc. My son LOVES going to school, and we're so thrilled we found this gem. THANK YOU CATHY :)

My son recently moved on to Kinder after attending here for two years. You have the option of half…read moreor full day programs. The daycare does a GREAT job of preparing the kids for the next wrung. I hear they use more of an academic philosophy. The teachers tend to rotate so we have met many and all have been way above par. My daughter is now in a Pre-K class and she enjoys herself immensely. She will follow big brother to Carter Elementary in two years and we are confident that the segue will be painless. I highly recommend this place for your young ones.

This is the ONLY place I would trust with my baby boy. Kimberly and her team are so loving and…read morenurturing! They find ways to include you in your child's care even while you're away at work. It's such a warm & welcoming feeling when you walk inside. If you're looking for an amazing, trustworthy, and safe place for your child. This is it!

Tadpoles to Butterflies is an amazing daycare and preschool for infants and toddlers. Kimberly and…read moreher staff could not be more attentive, caring, and aware of children's needs and capabilities at every age. The facility is wonderful and provides fun activities and age-appropriate learnings. Kimberly keeps parents in the loop with everything going on and truly knows/understands each individual child. Snacks and lunch are provided daily which is so helpful for working parents! Anyone who is able to get a spot at T2B is extremely lucky - your kids will be well taken care of.

They gave my 5 yr old a bladder infection because they wouldn't let her use the bathroom often…read moreenough. My daughter told me she was routinely told to 'just hold it' when she asked to go to the bathroom. I spoke with them about this and they said they gave her time to go, yet she still developed another bladder infection. She told me the second time that she *was* asking her teachers to go and they were still telling her to hold it. My older daughter confirmed this was happening. This was really upsetting and we left shortly after this point. Another incident that happened was bullying by one of the teachers Ms. Shama. She was very hard on my daughter who was struggling to learn her numbers in Kindergarten. It got so bad that my daughter started having nightmares about learning numbers. I was concerned enough to write a note to the teacher asking kindly to please understand she was still learning. My daughter later reported to me Ms. Shama refused to let her participate in any numbers or reading activities after that because she said 'your mom said you can't do any activities', which was of course not what I said in my note or in the quick f2f chat we had. I was really disappointed that an adult would treat a 5 year old this way.

We recently moved but prior to leaving, my two year and a half year old attended this school and it…read morewas great! She had a bit of separation anxiety but the teachers there helped to make dropping off an easy transition. The teachers are great, they did educational but fun activities and speciality days. My daughter learned a lot. We particularly loved her learning Star Spangled Banner and that the teachers gave her exposure to different languages. We certainly miss this school!

This school is full of fabulous teachers, a strong community, and has the most beautiful campus in…read morethe valley. It is a college prep school, but they don't just focus on academics (though they are incredibly strong there). They incorporate public speaking and social emotional learning at all grade levels, plus project based learning as the kids get older.

Moving to Palm Springs in 2020 as an LGBTQ family was both exciting and honestly terrifying as…read moreparents. Like every parent, we simply wanted our son to feel safe, supported, challenged academically, and excited about his future. Unfortunately, our early experiences within the public school system in this area were deeply disappointing. There was bullying, a lack of meaningful support, and moments where we truly felt our child was not being protected or seen in the ways he deserved. Finding Palm Valley School changed everything for our family. From the moment we arrived, we felt warmth, professionalism, inclusion, and genuine care not just from the faculty and administration, but from the other families and students as well. Palm Valley doesn't just educate children. They help them thrive academically, socially, emotionally, and creatively. The teachers here are exceptional. The electives and extracurricular programs are incredibly impressive and genuinely future-focused. Whether your child is interested in the arts, leadership, academics, athletics, technology, or community involvement, there are opportunities everywhere. The school creates pathways that truly prepare students for universities, scholarships, and successful futures while still allowing kids to actually enjoy learning. One of the biggest differences we noticed was that learning here feels alive. Our son comes home excited about projects, field trips, discussions, and experiences almost daily. There's a practical, hands-on approach that has helped him grow in confidence and maturity in ways that honestly continue to amaze us. Since enrolling at Palm Valley, our son has absolutely thrived through grades 7, 8, and now 9, and we genuinely look forward to continuing his educational journey here all the way through graduation. No school is perfect, and like every school navigating today's world, Palm Valley has faced challenges. What impressed us most was how professionally and compassionately the board and faculty handled difficult moments. You can genuinely feel that they care deeply about these students and families. Their response during challenging times did not weaken the school community. If anything, it strengthened it. There is resilience, accountability, kindness, and heart here, and it is obvious the students are benefiting from being part of a community that chooses growth and compassion over division. As LGBTQ parents, we cannot overstate what this school has meant to our family. Feeling safe matters. Feeling represented matters. Feeling protected matters. And feeling welcomed without explanation or judgment matters more than people realize. If you are an LGBTQ family considering schools in this area, our advice is simple: do not waste time second-guessing this decision. Learn from our experience. If Palm Valley is a feasible option for your family, enroll your child. And truthfully, this recommendation is not only for LGBTQ families. It is for any family looking for a school that genuinely sees children, supports them, challenges them, protects them, and helps them become excited about who they are and who they are capable of becoming. Palm Valley has been life-changing for our family, and we will always be grateful for that.

My 4 children have attended this school over the past 10 years, from 18 months to 5 years old, and…read moreour family has had a very positive experience. The teachers and staff are caring, patient, and dedicated. They were also very helpful during potty training which helped so much. Each morning, they check children's temperatures, which gives us parents peace of mind and shows their strong focus on health and safety. The school is very well organized with daily routines, activities, holiday events, learning programs, and strong parent communication. I always appreciated the progress reports and updates, showing how involved and attentive the teachers are. The environment is always clean, welcoming, and well managed, with consistent routines, rules, and food policies. Many teachers and staff have been there for many years, which speaks highly of the school's stability and management. A special thank you to Maria in the office (20+ years) and all the wonderful teachers my children have had, including Samantha (19+ years), Karen, Yatsiri, Nicole, and Lorena. I highly recommend this school to any parent looking for a clean, organized, loving, and trustworthy environment.

My daughter has been attending First School (Cathedral City) for about 18 months. It has been a…read morewonderful learning experience for her, and she is thriving socially, and in language skills. For the majority of the last year she has been assigned to Miss Arcadia's Classroom. She loves Miss Arcadia, and talks about the books and the stuffies (stuffed animals) that are in the classroom. I am particularly grateful to Miss Arcadia (and the whole staff, Miss Myra, Miss Marlene, and everyone else) because they were super helpful to me when it came to potty training. They were so helpful at maintaining consistency, despite the fact that potty training too longer than I hoped. Next year my daughter moves to another classroom, and we'll miss having Miss Arcadia.

Both of my children have attended Jean Benson and I truly cannot say enough amazing things about…read morethis school. My daughter started there when she was 3, and now my 3 year old son has been enrolled since he was 2. I have had such a wonderful experience both times. From the very beginning, the staff has been caring, attentive, and incredibly loving. As a working mom, there is nothing more important than knowing your child is safe and well taken care of during the day. I never have to worry about my son while I'm at work. That peace of mind is priceless. My son absolutely loves going to school every day. He adores his teachers and talks about them and his classmates all the time. It's so clear how much they genuinely care about the kids. He also loves the food (which says a lot!), and I appreciate that they make sure the children are well fed and happy. The environment is warm, structured, and nurturing. The teachers create a space where the kids feel comfortable, supported, and excited to learn and grow. My 3 year old comes home excited to share so many new things he has learned in his classroom. (He learned the whole alphabet his first year!) Watching both of my children thrive here has meant so much to me. I am so grateful for this preschool and everything they do for the kids. I would recommend this school to any parent looking for a place where their child will be truly loved and cared for. Thank you so much to the whole crew at Jean Benson. You are appreciated more than you know.

Jean Benson is the perfect blend of care and affordability! The teachers are amazing and very…read moreengaging, providing a wonderful, inclusive environment where my child feels safe and happy every day. I love how they focus on both play and learning in such a welcoming atmosphere. Best decision we made for both our children! (We had our 8yr old attend from age 2 1/2-5 and now our almost 4yr has been there for almost two years and loves it.)

This is our second year at the Learning Tree and our daughter is absolutely thriving! The staff and…read morecommunity are like a family. Well, many are actually related but they treat the ones that are not like family too! The education is fantastic! There are so many extra things that they do to make school and learning fun! I've read the posts and I'm not sure people who are speaking negatively are talking about the same school! This school is warm and welcoming to all! The after school programs are such a huge bonus too. I can compare what our daughter is learning to the other private schools here and she is on par or slightly above depending on the school. They keep the class sizes small so the kids can get some personal attention and both of her teachers offered individual tutoring for those who need it. I highly recommend The Learning Tree!

Very cute Christmas show. The kids were great and so sweet. They gave it there all…read more My nephew was so adorable singing Feliz Navidad. Good job teachers. Oh and they had Santa waiting for the kid.

Staff was so kind and took the time to show us all around the school. What I liked most is when I…read morecalled to find out about the school they suggested I bring my child and spouse. That was a wonderful thing. When we got to the school it was so clean and organized. We put our child in as soon as there was a spot. We will put our next child at Tot Stop as well. Definitely recommend this preschool.

HANDS down an amazing daycare and school. The valley is truly blessed to have Tot Stop in the…read morecommunity. My son was there since age of 3 and now has left to move onto TK (I was really sad to leave! but so happy we got to make life memories here and my son just loved it here and learned and grew so much!). Ms. Sherry and her whole staff and family do give 110% . They become like family. The safety they provide the quality of care, and attentiveness is so hard to find. Everyday when dropping off always greeted with a warm welcome, they are clean, and have so many fun learning activities and event throughout the year for family to also be able to participate in. I will miss the Christmas show! Thanks Tots for being here and continuing to be always be creative with new ideas and making our experiences special. Oh Mothers day was the sweetest!