The DANDY LION MONTESSORI SCHOOL is located in Grover Beach, provides an authentic traditional…read moreimplementation of the Montessori Method of education, it provides 2 classrooms for children aged 2 1/2 to 6 years of age. The school is affiliated to the International Association of Progressive Montessori. The directing teachers in both classroom hold credentials from the IAPM Organization. The school follows the curriculum and professional code of ethics of IAPM. Therefore parents can rely on consistency in the quality of the program and how it's delivered. The Montessori approach to education provided at Dandy Lion Montessori School is centered on the uniqueness, individuality, and potential of each developing child. The purpose is to develop the whole child into a well-rounded human being. Children enter this world with a natural desire to learn and to perfect themselves. Montessori education fulfills this instinctive need by providing a "Prepared Environment" where children are allowed the excitement of learning by choice, rather than by force. In this environment, children develop the "inner discipline" that guides their self-development and the joy of learning.

I would run, not walk away from this school. The owner/Director is more interested in giving you…read morethe initial tour/presentation and then is no where to be found when you contact her about the safety of your child. Research her and you will find that she is only interested in collecting her money off Montessori trainings rather than actually being involved in your child's best interest and welfare. She spends her time off site and is not present at this location and will never call or email you back because we were told she is not technologically advanced per Cindy. Cindy will handle everything and even reply back from the directors email herself &/or just ignore you if there is something that they just decide to sweep under the rug, Every other Director and site supervisors at many other locations have been extremely helpful. You would only hope that as a full paying customer, Dandy Lion would care enough to talk to you and help support your child during their young years. Sadly, this was not the case because we were told that they are a private school and can do whatever they want. This was very troubling to hear from both Cindy and the Montessori Director. I would do my research in advance before enrolling a child here. This is the only school that locks their gate and does not give you immediate access or the code to the school. Every other preschool gives the parents full access to the campus. That should be enough of a red flag in itself. Extremely unprofessional business.

We love Storybook Academy for our kiddos. Our two infants have had the best time and learned so…read moremuch while in their care. They are so accommodating and treat our kiddos like their own. I highly recommend Storybook Academy.

Let me start off with saying Devin Solomon and her staff are one of the best daycares I've…read moreencountered! My 1st grade son attends there and they help him with his online schooling, homework, and whatever else he needs. As well as fun activities for breaks. I work full time and is unable to help with school during COVID. Calling All Scouts has been a God sent for me. My daughters preschool is now closing and she is about to attend CAS with her brother. I'm so thankful Devin and her staff are willing to still work on preschool curriculum, and nap time schedules with her. To keep her mind learning and not to skip a beat. I always feel welcomed at her house and can stop by anytime if I need to check on my kids. Which is a big thing for me. If I'm not welcomed to come see my children and there is weird tension when I do we will have words, but this is not the case at CAS! I trust Devin and her staff 150%. I don't have to worry about neglect, abuse in any form, or misconduct with any children. Well I could go on but I won't. CAS is amazing and you'd be very lucky to have a spot here.

Completed a tour for my 15 month old. Denine the owner is very nice. The kids appeared to be…read morecomfortable in their environment Ultimately decided not to enroll my child due my families beliefs in vaccine requirements

We feel incredibly fortunate to have found Little Ducklings. Ms. Hicks and her assistants have a…read moreton of experience caring for children and their knowledge and kindness are unmatched. They truly care about their ducklings and go above and beyond to offer one-on-one attention to each child. Our son has speech delays and Ms. Hicks has played a crucial role in working with him and helping us find additional services. Her background is in education so the daycare is set up more like a Montessori school which we really appreciate. (We looked at similar daycares and they cost double!) At Little Ducklings they do a lot of fun activities while also working on developmental skills. They are very good about updating us on what they are learning. They will send us videos of the curriculum (songs, etc) and pics of our son which helps us work on skills with him at home. Little Ducklings is a such a great school and we feel lucky to be part of it.

This school has been absolutely amazing for my three-year-old daughter!! We recently moved here and…read moretried another school that was just not a good fit. After talking with Elizabeth, the school's director, I felt so peaceful and excited about the school's vision for teaching, and their approach to child lead learning. My daughter has thrived at school! She is a highly spirited, very vocal, and a quite lively child, and she gets everything she needs and more. They have a large outdoor classroom that they utilize every day, that lets children learn through play, and movement, which is so appropriate for their developmental stages. She is already learning math, and doing very well picking up Spanish. It has taught her independence, and build her confidence, and ability to self regulate. I cannot say enough great things about the school's approach to learning! Then there are the teachers, who are some of the nicest people we've met here in Santa Maria. They are patient, they talk to my daughter with respect and kindness. Every time I pick her up, I see teachers down on the kids levels, teaching them, and helping them to solve their own problems between one another. Whenever I ask, they are so quick to share positives that they see in my daughter, and ways she is improving (along with ways that they are helping overcome obstacles that are unique to her in the classroom). I cannot say enough good things. I was recommended through a mom I met at Trader Joe's, and have recommended the school to several of my friends, one of which has recently enrolled her daughter, and is in love with the school too.

I am the father of a 4 1/2 year old preschool student who was recently expelled/kicked out. I write…read morethis review because no child should be punished for their parents speaking up regarding the health of their own child. How did a simple request regarding keeping my child inside on a cold and wet day escalate to an expulsion? Our main concern was the fear of having our child get sick that would increase the severity of her asthma resulting in us having to give her regular breathing treatments. The owner Elizabeth didn't agree with our request to keep her indoors on a wet day because she operates an outdoor Montessori school. So, I picked up my child on a cold and wet day and soon a flurry of text messages between my wife and Elizabeth resulted in Elizabeth soon determining that her school was no longer a good fit for my child. Take into consideration that all of this was by text message, the professional courtesy of a phone call or a sit down meeting to explain the situation and work together to find a mutual solution NEVER took place. As a parent in Santa Maria finding a preschool is tough enough and the last thing we want to do is criticize or question our childrens teachers. Flaws were always there yet we choose to look the other way. But, sometimes a culmination of flaws must be addressed. We often wondered why other parents were leaving the school. Now I am that other parent looking in and I am speaking up. Multiple lice outbreaks in 1 school year is unacceptable. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions, I will be glad to explain in detail my experience at Casa dei Bambini. Zero stars!!!!

I've been taking my 3 year old daughter to Agape preschool for a few months now. The staff is…read moreamazing. Very caring and considerate. I receive updates throughout the day with pictures or videos showing my daughter playing and working on fun learning activities via the portal that the school uses. Being a concerned parent, I was hesitant to leave my daughter at preschool altogether. However, after seeing my daughter make friends with the other little ones, and after I had voiced my concerns and expressed my needs with the staff, they made us feel safe and assisted us with the adjustment having my daughter in preschool for the first time. Now, my daughter is excited to go back each day and tells me how much fun she's had when I pick her up. From one parent to another, I recommend giving Agape preschool a call and bringing your little ones to learn and play with the other kids and staff.

We joined this preschool after being on every preschool waitlist in SLO. I am happy to say that my…read morelittle one LOVES going to to school. The staff are all helpful, kind, and are willing to work with us on any needs our little one has.

I am so proud to recommend Larsen Family Childcare. This is a licensed daycare built with so much…read morelove, patience, and intention. You can truly see the passion behind everything -- from the safe and welcoming environment to the structured, nurturing care each child receives. What makes this daycare so special is the genuine heart behind it. The children are treated with kindness, respect, and encouragement every single day. The space is clean, organized, and thoughtfully designed to help little ones learn, grow, and feel secure. As a parent, it means everything knowing your child is in a place that values safety, communication, and emotional development just as much as fun and learning. If you're looking for a trustworthy, family-oriented, licensed daycare in the Orcutt/Santa Maria area, I highly recommend Larsen Family Childcare

Our Happy Place Family Childcare truly lives up to its name. Amber does an amazing job running the…read moredaycare and creating a warm, safe, and welcoming environment for the kids. She is incredibly loving, patient, and genuinely cares about each child. You can tell she puts her heart into what she does. It gives great peace of mind knowing the children are in such caring and capable hands. I highly recommend Our Happy Place Family Childcare to any parent looking for a high quality and nurturing place for their child.

Our experience with Creative Beginnings and its director, Johna, was extremely disappointing and…read moredistressing. We enrolled our 2-year-old son for his first preschool experience after clearly explaining in advance that he is a slow-to-warm-up child and may need time to adjust. Before enrollment, we were reassured that this was normal, that children often cry at the beginning, and that the school had experience helping toddlers transition. Based on those assurances, we trusted this preschool with our child. Unfortunately, the reality was completely different. On the third day, our son had what appeared to be a very positive drop-off. He recognized the school, walked in on his own, and separated without crying. Less than an hour later, we were called and told he was "not ready for school," and we were asked to pick him up. We were then told he should probably not come back. His belongings had already been packed, which made it clear that they had already decided to remove him rather than give him a fair adjustment period. We found this deeply unreasonable. He is only 2 years old, and many toddlers need time, patience, and support to adjust to a new environment. Instead of offering a gradual transition plan, reassurance, or professional guidance, the response was abrupt dismissal and labeling. Our child was described in a way that suggested his behavior was outside normal expectations, even though he has regular pediatric visits and has never been diagnosed with any behavioral or developmental abnormality. What made this even worse was how cold and inconsistent the communication felt. Before enrollment, everything was positive and reassuring. Once he started, the tone changed completely. Rather than support, we were met with negativity, impatience, and a clear lack of willingness to work with a toddler who needed a slower transition. At pickup, our son appeared unusually distressed and fearful, much more than we had seen before. He was alone in a classroom with the director, with no other children present, crying intensely. When we asked for clarification about what had happened and whether there were cameras to review the situation, we were told there were no cameras inside the preschool. That left us with serious concerns and no transparency. In addition to all of this, we were also alarmed by the drop-off and pick-up safety around the school. We observed unsafe traffic conditions and no clear child safety signage or controlled traffic measures in the immediate area, which is unacceptable for a preschool where very young children are arriving and leaving with their families. Overall, this was a very painful experience for our family. Our son deserved patience, safety, and a chance to adjust. Instead, he was judged quickly, dismissed early, and left us with serious concerns about the professionalism, judgment, and support provided by this preschool. We would not recommend Creative Beginnings to families with young children who may need a warm, gradual transition into preschool, and we strongly encourage parents to ask detailed questions about how adjustment difficulties are actually handled before trusting this place with their child.

My daughter and I enjoyed her time at Creative Beginnings! She always came home excited to…read moreshare/sing about all the things she learn in school, she loved her teachers (she still talks about them), and she loved having all the open space to play indoors or outdoors. My daughter had a blast on their water days, birthday celebrations, performance, trike event, and field trips. There was always something fun going on! I, as a parent, love that Faith and prayer are incorporated into their daily routines, teachers were quick to communicate with me for any questions or concerns, and I was assured from day one that my daughter was safe and happy with pictures and updates through the app. I also enjoyed their early and late start/end times of operation compared to other options in the area (even though we didn't always use them), autopay made payments easy, and their app was easy to use. Overall, we enjoyed our experience here and highly recommend it for your littles as well!