Grandview House Preschool, Marina Del Rey CA

Our 3 year old daughter has been attending this school for over a year now, she started the day after she turned 2. In the beginning it was a very new school with only a handful of kids, and we are so happy we chose to give them a chance. This last school year it got even better with Arlene as the director of the school and also an excellent educator (mainly for the older kids). She has decades of experience teaching children. To Arlene her role is clearly so much more than just a job. She is so passionate about the children and she sees them in ways other educators do not. She carefully observes the children, how they interact with others, how they engage in art activities, how they learn, what they are drawn to, their physical abilities, etc. She is so aware of each child, their strengths as well as areas that needs more focus. There’s continuous conversation with parents about this so we are aware of how our kids are developing at school. She cares deeply about each child. She has also spent the last year ensuring an excellent staff in the classrooms. She was strict in observing each educator and only let the ones who met her high standards remain beyond their trial period. The result is a very strong and consistent group of teachers who are not only skillful teacher but passionate about the kids.
This was not intended to be school we’d stay at long term. It was initially chosen because it’s walking distance from our house and they had an available space for a 2-year old who was not potty trained. We are now staying until kindergarten because it is a perfect place for our daughter (soon our younger daughter will go there too). We have spent a lot of time researching different options, toured different schools, some of them very impressive locations as well. I’m very particular about where I’ll send my kids. Their education is very important to me. I feel so confident sending them to Grandview. They are allowed to be kids, they play a lot, they socialize, they do really exciting art projects, they dance, sing, perform for the families. They also learn a lot, but not in a strict sit down and memorize the alphabet kind of way, it’s done in a way that is very appropriate for each child at their ages. The low child to teacher ratio ensures each child is given a lot of individual attention. I’m so thankful for this school, and feel confident my daughter will be well prepared for kindergarten in a couple of years.