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November 2023 by Sarah Swift
Our experience with The First School has been a dream! The teachers are all so warm and welcoming. Kim is the salt of the earth. I don’t think there is a more compassionate and kind person on the planet. Our teachers and Kim were instrumental in guiding us in securing some early childhood interventions needed for our child. It is such a beautiful community and we are truly blessed to be a part of it!
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November 2023 by Catherine Kaplan
I am so grateful both of my children had a chance to be a part of the First School community because the teachers are fantastic——nurturing, kind, energetic, and supportive. They genuinely help each child be the best version of themselves and it was a joy to watch my kids thrive and blossom.
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November 2023 by Erika Walker
Hi Parents! Please be aware that if your child is energetic or can’t sit for 15+ mins at a time they will not be welcomed. I’ve been in the child care business for over 13 years and owned a licensed daycare for 5 of those years… never in my life did I think I would come across a school as unprofessional as this one. I nanny for a sweet, loving young family who enrolled their oldest child into this preschool (licensed as a daycare) with high hopes, and it was heartbreaking to see them be robbed of the joy and excitement of sending their child off to their first school. We experienced discrimination, unprofessional and lack of accountability. None of the staff was welcoming to myself, the parents but most importantly the child. They preemptively expected the child to do something wrong, so they wanted me there every day while he was in school to be a teachers assistant and watch him… From what I can tell their tuition is insanely high, so the fact that my boss’ had to pay for tuition AND a nanny is insane to me, personally. The parents of the child I nanny for expressed concerns several times. After the first time, we were promised a change, however nothing ever actually changed. I personally witnessed 2 of the teachers (Cindy and Brooklyn) bear hug children to the ground and hold them there for a few minutes which seemed extreme and unnecessary. I witnessed Brooklyn aggressively yell at a child in front of not only the entire class, but me, an adult. She had to step out and came back and apologized to the entire room. As far as discrimination is concerned, we are fully aware that our child is full of energy and curiosity, however, we were not expecting to be singled out and given a different set of rules. We were told by the director, Kim, I would only need to accompany our child till he got comfortable with the routine. At home, we potty trained, practiced lining up and sitting in a designated area for short periods of time in order to get our child ready for school. Once we were supposed to actually start to leave him on his own, the director said “he wasn’t ready” but couldn’t give an example as to “why” he wasn’t ready to be left at school without me (his nanny). The crazy part is his teacher (Brooklyn) said he was. So which is it? The director then changed her statement and said that THEY weren’t ready for him. Huh? What does that even mean? They accepted his enrollment fee, application fee etc. but weren’t ready? Doesn’t make sense, at all. Ultimately, we quickly realized that they just didn’t want him there due to him being a high energy child. The saddest part of it all, was that he was so excited to go to school… it’s all he talked about for weeks. Instead of The First School taking accountability for not wanting a high energy child, they blamed him and said he wasn’t ready. I couldn’t wrap my mind around that. Truthfully, I still can’t. It’s been 3 weeks since we had this HORRIBLE experience. I purposely waited long enough to write this review to see if I felt differently about the way they practically kicked us out before we even started, and I don’t so I’m leaving this review. Im hoping to save a potential family from disappointment, heartbreak, time and money wasted. It’s OBVIOUS this school is money centered and not actually invested in preparing children for pre-k, kindergarten etc. Your first experience sending your child to school should be a beautiful experience, save yourself the heartache and look elsewhere.
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November 2023 by Angela Thiagarajah
Amazing school, kind and caring environment with wonderful teachers.
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June 2017 by Sherry W.
My daughter attended The First School for all her pre-school years. I can not speak more highly of this school. The director Kim Isreal is such an incredibly caring, kind, accommodating, true professional who will take the time and consideration to talk to you and work with you and your child, There is so much attention to detail, so much support, and a wonderful community of parents and teachers that work together to make it a truly great experience. I absolutely love this school and all the staff and would highly recommend this for any parent looking for a pre-school on the west side. We are extremely grateful for this school for setting up our daughters foundation and creating beautiful memories that we will always be fond of.
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August 2016 by Amy W.
I am grateful every day that we found The First School. My daughter began in the 1x/week parent & me toddler program at 17 months old, started at the Ocean Park campus when she was nearly 3, went to Broadway as she was turning 4 and graduated from Pre-K at 5 1/2. This school does everything right, from the gentle separation process to the little pieces of masking tape my daughter wore home, giving me the day's highlights. The kids learn through play, with an emphasis on social development, becoming self sufficient, learning to work out their differences, solving problems and helping each other. Yet somehow the academics get in there, as my daughter came home writing her letters beautifully and full of excitement and information about eveything from the life cycle of a frog to making soup to the poetry of Maya Angelou. She is more than ready for Kindergarten. The excellent teachers are kind, nurturing and gifted at using language that connects with the kids and helps them adapt to new situations and challenges. As a parent, I learned so much from watching them interact with the children. The kids learn to follow a routine (with times for indoor play, outdoor play, snack, lunch, etc.) but within their days there is so much variety -- wildly creative art projects, singalongs, performing plays, yoga, dance parties, games, sports, stories and so much more. The First School tends to attract families who are down-to-earth, friendly and cooperative--it doesn't feel overly fancy or pretentious. It's an amazing community of parents and kids, and we made some lifelong friends. From a practical standpoint, The FIrst School has some special features I've never seen at other preschools. Rather than being scheduled into a morning program or afternoon program, all kids start in the morning and parents can choose the length of the school day - 12pm, 2:30pm ("after lunch bunch") or 4:00 pm (extended day, usually for working parents). This proved incredibly helpful as my daughter grew and changed and could handle a longer day, especially when I had a second child and needed some extra flexibility. I can't say enough good things! So glad my second child is about to enjoy it all.
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November 2013 by Shauna A.
The First School is a fantastic place. From the toddler teachers through pre-K my kids and I had a wonderful experience. The school is loving and nurturing while at the same time teaching the kids independence, limits and boundaries. They teach the kids to be decent human beings while at the same time giving them the foundation they need for kindergarten. Both my kids were ultra ready for kindergarten and are now thriving in school thanks in large part to their preschool experience. And did I mention Kim Israel is a goddess?
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November 2013 by Lilli L.
My three sons attended this wonderful school and I credit it with not only helping me be a better parent, but giving my boys the foundation of loving school. We started attending this school when we lived near by and continued years after moving farther away- commuting to Santa Monica just so each child could receive the the same amazing preschool experience as his older brothers. The teachers and director are kind, patient and very loving towards children and parents alike. I could not have asked for a better preschool, first school experience and highly recommend it with all my heart.
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October 2013 by Catherine M.
My daughter is a recent graduate of this wonderful school and I attribute her success in elementary school to the nurturing, supportive, and intellectual challenging environment provided by the school. She thrived in this incredible community and we will always remember those years with gratitude and love.
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August 2007 by Jason K.
So, it's been almost two decades since I was a student here, but I still have such fond memories of the 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.
