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December 2023 by Michelle Lin
We have been at ACGS since 2019 and love the wonderful teachers, beautiful grounds and well-balanced and engaging curriculum. This is a special place to send your children to for their first school experience. Miss Chadia is a gem!
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July 2023 by D M
Our daughter really loves it here, the teachers are so well educated and kind, and it’s a tucked away property in such a safe area. The constant updates we get and quick communication through the app makes me so much more at ease having her there :)
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June 2023 by Christianne E.
I'm posting another review since the school/church flagged and removed my original post on Yelp which had 19 helpful/likes from parents in the last three days -- apparently it's "due to a lack of detail as a customer" -- so I'll add some additional details and I encourage anyone whose posts have been deleted to do the same. Prospective parents, you do have a right to know what you're stepping into and if I can save you from that, it's worth it. With all the recent layoffs and changes at the school, ongoing investigations etc, I want to give prospective parents a glimpse into our experience as a family when we attended ACGS.We began in 2021 - it seemed great at first with warm and welcoming staff; the grounds are undeniably beautiful; tuition was affordable in comparison to other preschools of the same supposed caliber. The school director, Rose (no longer employed there) was bubbly, witty and knew everyone's names. My daughters teachers (no longer employed there), Natalie and Aileen, were super caring and took the time to get to know my shy daughter in room 101. My kid blossomed under their care. The first red flag as a parent was the constant pressure to fundraise (approx 1-2x per month; doing the math on the number of kids x tuition, the additional fundraising didn't seem necessary when the school was housed within the property of a 501c3 non profit that owns all of its buildings - millions of dollars of property including houses (I do not know this for a fact, I was told this by staff). At the top of the year, an iron gate that guarded the front entrance and kept our kids safe from traffic broke. Roughly 7 months later (and many thousands of dollars raised), it remained broken -- the surfaces of the school clearly needed paint, the outdoor sink needed repair, overgrown trees were falling and endangering our kids on the playgrounds, teachers were promised upgrades in the classrooms like iPads and were not given them, parents had to pay for staff bonuses etc. The glossy school we thought was safe and awesome started to seriously lose its luster. The second red flag, and perhaps the biggest one for me, was how teachers (women in their 20s and 30s) felt around the pastor, Jeff. They'd complain about feeling his eyes on them. About feeling uncomfortable when he'd drop by in class. That he'd yell and often lose his temper. Comments he'd make about their appearance. Again, this was all told to me by staff. So I will be clear that everyone has their own stories to tell. But it's telling that I know dozens of the same sounding stories about one person. A person who is deeply engrained with the school. And from my personal experience, his demeanor is not that of a man of God.Mid-year, my husband decided to join the parent board. After a particularly emotional first meeting with the board and the school director who was incredibly distraught about how the pastor was treating her, my husband began to ask questions of the vestry and pastors. And you know who doesn't like being asked questions? People who are hiding things or lying. That's not a fact, just something I've learned in life. The church vestry, who as far as I understand manages school funds, and the parent board were constantly at odds. The vestry/pastors were not allowing the parent board to approve needed fixes in a timely manner -- this is the same parent board that was raising the funds they were seeking to use -- not to mention pressuring families to donate in the midst of the pandemic. Getting approval before spending is normal practice, but what was very odd was that when the board asked the vestry to show numbers, they refused over and over. This destroyed us as parents. We felt pretty trapped as we didn't want to affect our kids experience at school. I felt guilty. Directly responsible for helping to raise funds that were going.... well we don't know where they went because they still won't show us the accounting. I also never received a single non-profit receip
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September 2022 by Elizabeth C.
All 3 of my kids have come to A Child's Garden School. It's a great place for kids to flourish and grow. The teachers are so great and so is the head of school. They truly care about all of the kids. We feel so blessed to have such a loving community.
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July 2022 by Kevin B.
Both of my daughters attended ACGS. My first daughter only attended ~half a year due to the beginning of the pandemic. My second daughter completed an entire year, and summer. She's currently scheduled to attend for another year.ACGS has been fantastic. I'm confident when I leave my children that they're safe, getting positive interaction, and growing mentally & socially. I still, at 6 years of parenting, have never used a babysitter or left my children with "strangers". ACGS is an exception. I have superb confidence in the institution.These are such critical years for my children. I'm thankful that ACGS has been a part of shaping them.
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July 2021 by S M.
ACGS is such a special school. The director, Ms. Rose, is a remarkable person and educator, endlessly dedicated to making the school a fantastic experience for the staff, families, and especially the kids. She pours her heart and soul into the school and it shows. The teachers and staff are all so wonderful as well - kind and caring, always striving to make things fun and nurturing. They take such a personal interest in each child and family. My son is very sensitive and he has absolutely loved his time there. We truly couldn't be happier with the school and feel so grateful to have been able to send our son there!
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March 2021 by Dulce G.
I was super hesitant to enroll my son at a preschool during the pandemic, but like many families, it was my only option. I toured many different schools in my area and what stood out the most to me about ACGS was the kindness from the staff and director. Rose, the director, took so much time answering my millions of questions about the schools curriculum, safety protocols, and the overall program of the school. My son has now been attending the Tiny Two's classroom for about 5 months and one of my favorite aspects is the app they use to communicate with families. When I have a question, I can send it through there and they will reply fairly quickly. The other day, my son had a rought start in the morning and I was thinking about how he was doing, coincidently, his teachers sent me a picture of him engaged with dinosaurs (his favorite at the moment) to let me know that he was doing much better. I can go on about the many positive experiences we have had at ACGS, but I highly recommend you check it out for yourself with a tour. Trust your instincts when choosing the right preschool program for your child. I did and I am so happy with our choice. On a side note, my professional background is Early Chilldhood Education, I am a classroom reviewer. You can imagine how difficult it was for me to find a school that met my high expectations. When I walk into a classroom, I naturally scope out the environment, observe teacher and child interactions for quality, and pay attention to what the children are actually learning from their environments. I can say with the classroom observer lense, ACGS is among one of the best schools I have come across.
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February 2021 by Carey R.
We love A Child's Garden School! Many friends have raved about it but we are happy to say it met all of our expectations! Our daughter is in the tiny-two's class and loves it! From the moment she steps on campus, the director and teachers great her by name. She gets to play and learn in a fun, safe environment! She always asks if she can go back to school! We are so thankful for ACGS!
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February 2021 by David G.
Our youngest daughter previously attended Kids Klub in Pasadena, but we switched her over to ACGS for a number of different reasons, with one of the main ones being how our friends raved about them (they also had moved over to ACGS from KK).The staff has been great. Very earnest, and our daughter seems to really enjoy them. Every time I pick her up, she's all smiles. We also appreciate the clear photos the teachers send to us every now and then, which is especially nice given how COVID has restricted the school's ability to invite parents onto campus for different events. We love how tucked in the campus is, giving the school a really quiet and calm vibe. All in all, we feel pretty fortunate to have such a top-notch program with caring teachers nearby, when being able to work from home is critical. We rest easy know our daughter is in a happy and healthy environment everyday. She is always so eager to go back, telling us multiple times each weekend that she wants to go back to "child garden."
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February 2021 by Angela A.
Sending our son back to school mid-pandemic was a tough decision, but A Child's Garden School made it incredibly easy with their processes and procedures ensuring that kids and families are staying safe. The environment is always clean, safety guidelines are in place and there is a sense of community at the school that we are "all in this together." This doesn't happen by chance. Led by a passionate director, Ms. Rose has managed to not just make it through the pandemic, the kids are thriving and are not nervous or aware that the world is in fact different than it was. Grounds are well kept, curriculum is on point with play and academics balanced and teachers are incredible with the kids! Cannot recommend this school more. Give your kids an experience they will cherish. We have neighborhood kids who are well into their teens and still remember their early days here.
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February 2021 by Stacey H.
Our son has been going to ACGS for 6 months and we couldn't be happier. They have had to make major adjustments due to Covid, but have maintained a fun, safe and nurturing environment for the kids to continue to learn and grow. We were very drawn to the beautiful grounds as well as the established program and genuine teachers and staff. Our son is so excited to go to school everyday, and has formed incredible bonds with his teachers. We have seen huge developments in his fine motor skills, social development and self confidence. We feel this has been the perfect place for our son to begin his education and will have him well prepared for Kindergarten in the coming year.
