Creative Kids Preschool

My daughters have been at Creative Kids for 2 years. I have been very pleased with the ratio of play time to academics. For the most part the teachers and the director are very professional and personable. They have taken the time to hear any concerns and solve any problems-even given advice for the following year!

Pros: friendly staff, strong / appropriate academics and very safe drop off/pick up
Cons; expensive, teacher turn over, parking, and unfriendly parents

Having done research online I telephoned Creative Kids Preschool and while inquiring about student teacher ratio for my three year old son I was told it is 17 children with 2 adults, 2 classes like that. When I expressed that we may need a smaller class for my son, she hung up on me, RUDE! I personally would not want my son or myself to enter that type of environment.

1. We have been enjoying our experience at Creative Kids Preschool. We have found the school to have a fun and friendly atmosphere.
2. The teachers greet us every morning, and we are impressed that teachers from classrooms other than our own know our child by name. The teachers are kind, energetic, and knowledgeable. They plan wonderful experiences for the children, and seem to be enjoying their place of work. If we have ever had any concerns and we see that the staff is too busy with the children, a teacher or the director will take the extra time, later in the day, to give us a phone call to discuss any matters.
3. We like all the "extra" classes that are offered, like music, spanish, sign language and even yoga!!
4. The school is not perfect, but we have found there is no such thing in preschools. We looked at several schools and decided that Creative Kids was the best place for our child.

First off, let me just say that overall I'm pretty laid back about the pre-schooling business. I'm not one of those parents who think that the wrong pre-school now means no Princeton later. That said, a slew of mishaps and annoyances led me to take my child out of Creative Kids. I don't want to belabor each point too much, so here's a quick list:

1. HIGH TEACHER TURNOVER: Just when a teacher had been there long enough for me or my child to establish a rapport with them, it would be a matter of days before a note would appear announcing that teacher's departure.

2. LACK OF ATTENTION TO DETAIL: My child's last name was misspelled for months on sign-in sheets, class folders, and the like. I would correct the misspelling but no change would be made. Finally I made mention of it and the next day my child's last name AND first name were misspelled. Hmmmm.

3. LACK OF ATTENTION TO DETAIL PART II: Somehow my child was put in a swimmie diaper at diaper change time. I found this out when we got home. When the midday "rest stop" took place there were puddles . . .all over my house.

4. NOT SEEING THE BIG PICTURE: When fires rage all over Southern California and the air is filled with ash, I would refrain from having kids play outside. Creative Kids had the children out running and playing in the fallout anyway. Yikes.

5. NO MISS CONGENIALITY: Although KJ (the director) is quite lovely, some of her "second in command" employees often looked completely miserable, and their attitudes and behavior matched as well. . .not fun to talk to.

5. THE PARKING LOT: It has to be said. General seating at a Rolling Stones concert would be easier to maneuver.

Okay, now I'm nitpicking so I'll stop. All in all you can do a lot better for your money, and - most importantly - for your child. The two stars are for the fun my child had while attending, and the nice way they plan their lessons around certain timely themes.

My son loves going to school there everyday. I like the teachers - they are very good in telling me what's going on with my son in school. They have good activities. They even have "Snow Day" where the school brings in real snow for a day and kids can play in the snow. Snow in Manhattan Beach... how cool is that!

PROS: Great Activities, kids, and teachers.
CONS: The parking lot is too small and it's hard to get in and out.

Our kids love Creative Kids-- it's a straight up normal preschool. No overly structured stuff, super nice teachers, and a fun environment. You can choose which days your child will go, and either full or half days, which is great if you don't want 5 days like the Montessoris require (or their $900 monthly bill). The kids are really well taken care of and they truly love going.

The downsides are that they have had a lot of turnover lately, and their "snack" is atrocious. I can't believe more parents in this affluent area haven't revolted against the steady diet of Ritz Crackers and canned fruit. I really wish the school would join the 21st century and ban trans fats, processed white flour crap, and sugary junk from their menu.

Our experience in the 18-month to 2-year old classroom was generally good. The ratio was 4 kids to 1 teacher and usually it was even less than that. Teacher Monique was attentive, creative, and wonderful at keeping me informed of my child's progress. Care in the late afternoon (when teacher Monique would not be there) was hit and miss. Depending on which teacher was there occasionally my son would have diaper rash or would be in wet clothes. He would also be really hungry when he was picked up leading me to believe that he wasn't always offered his lunch again around 4pm as I had asked. My take on it was that the care from 4-6pm was not as consistent as the care from 9am-4pm and greatly depended on who was working that day.

The two to three year classroom was much more chaotic and less structured. There were usually 12 kids to 2 teachers. The teachers were caring and doing their best with 10-12 kids. The snacks were usually pretty sugary. But the environment was always fun and my son was really attached to the great teachers. I would cross my fingers though that the teachers he was attached to would be there for a while.

We kept him at the school because of the caring teachers and families there. All in all we had a good expereience and my loved going. The school had special party days and performances. It made it seem like a real school and less like a daycare. They truly wanted the kids to have a good experience.

Our older daughter is a '05 graduate from Creative Kids (we have the cap and gown to prove it). Our younger daughter is now in the three-year old class. The warm and friendly culture of the school is set from the top by KJ, the owner. She has an excellent knack at dealing with both the three year olds and their stressed out parents. She emphasizes the importance of the children having fun and learning to interact in a social environment, over more formal structured environment. Her staff of teachers are top quality and make plenty of time for kids (or parents) that need a litte extra attention. We certainly benefitted from this extra attention with our older dauaghter who really struggled with having to separate from her parents in the morning. Facility is not the greatest, but it's nice,clean, and very convenient for drop-offs.

PROS: Great environment for kids
CONS: Older facility, but clean, safe and convenient for drop offs