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!

What an incredible school. Our daughters are thriving there and always excited to attend. The…read moreparent community culture is wonderful, as well as parent opportunities to be involved. We've met some wonderful families there who are now long time friends! Our daughters adore each teacher they've had. The admin and support staff are fabulous too. Cassidy is such a special place, I can't recommend it enough!

We could not recommend Cassidy enough. Our two boys are currently enrolled in the school and we are…read morecounting down to when we can enroll our 8m daughter! The school's approach is thoughtful and innovative. Our children have learned the academic fundamentals and the teachers have equipped them to handle all of the social and emotional challenges that present themselves with preschool aged kids. Luisa leads with compassion and is simply the best in her field. We are so grateful to Luisa, the teachers, and administrators for the most positive experience. They are truly what make the school so special. We feel so lucky to be part of the lovely Cassidy community!

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.

My son went to this school for two years and I can't recommend it enough. We searched and toured…read morepreschools while I was pregnant and after discovering the first school we knew we had found the perfect place for him. The teachers and staff are all so wonder and caring. (Especially Teacher Lucy) This school is a loving, safe community for parents and children. They even helped guide us into the right elementary school.

So, it's been almost two decades since I was a student here, but I still have such fond memories of…read morethe First School. Everyday was a different activity (from gardening to learning about dinosaurs) and the teachers were incredible. Every afternoon we were sent home with a piece of masking tape on our shirts stating what we'd done that day so our folks would know. --- Take Big Blue Bus #8.

I enrolled my kid here and she loved the staff and all the great activities! Fair pricing for what…read morethey offer especially since they care for your kids for a full day. Their enrichment fee is mandatory but it's so well worth it. Having the kids learn dance, art, music and a variety of obstacle courses and some basic sports (on top of science, letters, numbers, colors, shapes, etc.) helps the kids have a fun filled day while learning at the same time. This is a great school that teaches your kid to enjoy learning. I very much recommend this school for preschool and daycare.

After a long search we finally settled on Montana and it's been one of our happiest decisions for…read moreour son. With warmth and kindness, and utmost care, our son is looked after by all the wonderful teachers. His days are filled with enriching activities like yoga, soccer, music, theater, and etc. I highly recommend this establishment to any parent of a young child.

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!

I have inquired and visited many pre-schools in the general West Side area for the same reasons…read moremost people send their children to pre-school. We work, have distant relatives or unable relatives to babysit, want our children to be socialized and start to build relationships with friends, learn basics about life while having the support of the guardians we trust to look after them. This is hard as my wife and I would rather look after our children ourselves, but the world can seem cruel and unsupportive of our choice to raise children; so we must work. We imagined we would have had children in a community that felt more like a tribe with a set of core values and a support network to help raise and look after our kids and their friends. I have found that more often than not my expectations are not met because I have not looked in the right area and the answers are not always in focus. I wanted an extended family, a tribe and educators to help raise my family; Kris Ladish, Anel, Corlene, Nelida, Esperanza, Jeremy and really the entire staff have been pivotal in helping me find what we needed. What is hard to describe is how ethereal our experience at Mt. Olive is. We have had help and guidance from teachers to correct, teach and raise our children. Have had guided parent gatherings that the school helped facilitate. We have access to "kids night out" on a regular basis that is a party and play time in the evenings that is a nice change for parents and children. The staff look after and take interest in the lives of their students as well as their family. In a world that can feel cold Kris and her staff have brought warmth. We have been fostered by Mt. Olive and are better for it because we now have a tribe and extended groups of friends that our family as a whole has to hang out with. As for teaching and environment, I think it is hard to beat and they certainly stand out from the rest. I DO NOT SEE anyone on their cell phones... ever... there's never been a tv on, a tablet playing or other electronic media to distract and entertain the children. I always see kids running around, playing, arts and crafts, building and digging in sand, being guided how to describe their feelings, speak for themselves and be a personal advocate, story time, playing with water, to singing and music classes, they even help with the potty training plan consistency (this was a especially defeating for us as a family as previous child cares simply DID NOT HELP in keeping a consistent potty train plan and in one case simply did not help at all). I have regular reports on how my son is doing in class, where he needs help, how to correct and resources if we need them. I walk through the grounds to drop off my son almost every day and I see, feel and notice the details and difference from other child cares and pre-schools. Side note, Mt. Olive has a high rate of retension, the newest staff member has been there for 8 years; everyone is happy, students and staff alike. Mt. Olive was a god send when we needed it most, Kris Ladish was very kind to me and my family. I had made a snap decision to relocate my son to another school when I found out there was bullying about and was gas lit into believing it was me and my son's separation anxiety, but this didn't add up, to find out that there was a kid who would punch and kick while laughing and was never notified and that the parents were "finding it hard to stop and correct his behavior." Kris let my son join in right away, thank you Kris. I'm going to get off my soap box now, I don't ever review on the internet. However; when I asked if there was anyway I could volunteer and help the school, one request was to leave a yelp review. -Zach

My daughter started at this preschool when she was just one year old, and now that she's moved on…read moreto elementary school, I can truly say this place helped raise her. What makes this school so special isn't just the curriculum or activities it's the love that fills the building. The teachers didn't just look after my child; they knew her. They celebrated her personality, comforted her on hard days, and treated her like family. Over the years, this school became more than just a drop-off and pick-up place it became a community. The kind where parents support each other, staff know every child by name, and every milestone feels shared. Leaving was bittersweet, but I'm forever grateful that her early years were spent surrounded by people who made her feel safe, confident, and deeply loved. If you're looking for a preschool that truly becomes part of your village this is the one!

We love Beginnings. Our son has been there around 6 months, in two classrooms. The facility is…read morevery clean and safe, with a lovely outdoor play structure. The teachers have all been wonderful, so caring, and adaptive to our child's needs. It really feels like a partnership. Our child is high functioning but on the spectrum, and has come on lightyears in development since starting at this preschool. He is so happy to go in, and has actual friends now, 6 months ago he could barely talk. There is a feeling of real nurturing here vs the much bigger center we were previously at. The prices are extremely reasonable for full time care, meals are included, and for a slight amount extra there are additional classes available like soccer/gymnastics, which is really great. They are fairly strict on sickness policy, but it feels like a good thing. I wish we had found out about this center earlier in our search, it feels like a hidden gem.

My oldest went here briefly until we moved to Carlsbad, Montessori Schools are always worth it…read more Article in science magazine says it all -Evaluating Montessori Education Science 2006 Lillard et. al. I've attached a screenshot of the best graph on Montessori education.

We have had a wonderful experience at this school. We love the teachers and the program and we feel…read morelucky to have found this place. Our son had learned so much in his preschool program here, and we've loved it so much that we are keeping him at SMM for another year for pre-K (and the summer program!) Shout out to Mrs Froelich and Mrs Gonzalez who are wonderful teachers!!!