Preschool Testimonials
WE LOVE WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT US!
My son adjusted so quickly to his new school. The Director and teachers are so kind, helpful and great communicators. We have nothing but great things to say!
- Brittany P. (2022)
The Village Children's Center is an awesome Children's Daycare Pre-School, with qualified leadership, teachers and support who put a whole lot of TLC and Humanity into their approach towards the development of the children under their care.
We researched, took tours and interviewed several pre-schools, including the supposedly prestigious Montessori formatted schools that so many parents seem to put a badge of honor in placing their child into. We found, there were so many pros/cons of every school, ranging from location, price, curriculum, hours of operation, student to teacher ratio and even more granular aspects to scrutinize. It gets to a point where it feels competitive on so many levels, signing up for waiting lists that spans months if not years, as well as everyone having their opinion on which is the absolute best or perfect school. At the end of the day, there were not "right" vs "wrong" absolutes, as many of our peer parent friends have enrolled their children in other schools, but there's an intuitive sense a parent gets for what is appropriate for their child more so than anything else.
The Village is located in Torrance, in the Riviera Village area where Redondo Beach ends and near where Palos Verdes begins. The weather is picture perfect in the area and there's very little traffic to access the school, located at the The Riviera United Methodist Church, it also has a spacious private parking lot for easy drop off and pick up as well as extended stay.
This school was formerly known as Riviera United Methodist Preschool (R.U.M.P.), and on their website is self-described as a "play based environment" but has key educational elements, so it's not simply baby-sitting, but there's many learning components. Although it's part of the church, you need not be a member (but membership does have it's privileges for a discount off of the enrollment fees, I by the way am not a member, so this is a testimonial review strictly as a parent of a child enrolled in the school), there is nothing overtly religious as many other faith based schools and it's a school that teaches children morality and the values of being a good person.
The student to teacher ratio here is excellent, where we felt confident our child was getting proper attention as well as supervision. There is a warm "home" feeling to the environment which our often times, clingy child took to immediately on the first day, not giving much of a care for us dropping us off, and since then he's been very happy coming to school every day, as I would say "no tears and no fears" are leading indicators to a good school and no problems. His teachers, Ms. Jeri and Ms. Elizabeth are caring, whom he is comfortable around, hugging them when he leaves class for the day. Ms. Yuli and Ms. Liz are also, very kind and instill confidence that The Village is a safe, fun and beneficial place to leave your child.
The kids enrolled right now are very friendly, and I'm imagining maybe it's coincidence that possibly "like-minded" parents gravitate towards this school and the children are well behaved and socially friendly. That was one of my concerns in looking at pre-schools, so I felt comfortable leaving our child here at The Village.
They offer half day and full day schedules as well as the full-time 5 days a week as well as customized days of the week in case you wanted to acclimate your child into pre-school without committing to a full 7:30am-6pm Mon-Fri schedule not knowing how they'd react and adapt.
In summary, I'd say The Village is definitely worth considering for parents who want to enroll their child into pre-school. I'd recommend calling or emailing to set-up a tour of the facilities to identify if it's the right fit for your family and child.
-Rick S. (2018)
You are seriously the best. Thank you so much for taking such good care of Adeline. We are so happy we found the Village and you!
- KC (2018)
I want to encourage anyone to consider The Village Children’s Center for their child. The staff has taken such wonderful care of my grandson. He had never been to school before and his mom passed away several months earlier. During this huge transition in his, and our lives; Yuli and the teachers all showed him tenderness, understanding and love. This school nurtured him and gave him time to adjust and hugs when he needed it. They always greeted him when he arrived in the mornings and helped him to feel “at home” every day. Their classrooms are clean and modern. Their outdoor play space is large, covered and filled with fun play spaces. My grandson quickly grew to love “going to school” and didn't want to leave at the end of the day! We’ve since moved out of state and we sure miss The Village!!
-Carol A. (2017)
My 4 yrs. old son has been at this school for 4 months now and we are so thrilled with his growth and development. Being a former educator, I am not easily impressed, but I can't say enough good things about the teachers; they are patient, kind, enthusiastic and have a true love of working with preschool age children. My son comes home each day with a smile on his face and a mind full of new things he wants to share. He is my third and I wish my older 2 had a chance to come here. My oldest daughter (now 13) always comments on how she would've loved it.
We are not a part of the United Methodist Church, but find that everyone we've come across has been open and welcoming. We feel so lucky to have found such a hidden little gem of a school. We highly recommend taking a tour with the amazing director, Yuli, if you are looking for a preschool experience for your child. You will find that this place has everything you would want for your child's most formative preschool years.
-Em C. (2017)
My little one has been attending The Village Children's Center since this past fall. It is such a wonderful school, my husband and I are so glad that we chose them to care for our son. The directors and teachers really genuinely care about the children and enjoy what they do. Also, they helped potty train my boy and he is almost perfectly potty trained at 3yrs. Being a teacher myself, I know how important both play and nuture are for a developing preschooler and this school does an excellent job of infusing learning through play and also teaching them how to care for one another. We are not affiliated with United Methodist Church, but we enjoy the warm hearted feeling of this school environment. Any family would be lucky to have their child attend here.
- Lauren R. (2017)
Most loving, sweet, smart, educational, thoughtful school/ staff. Our whole experience with them has been terrific. I’d highly recommend to anyone looking to bring their children to a local preschool/daycare.
-C Donnelly (2017)
I want to thank you and your wonderful staff for taking such great care of Leo during this huge transition in his life. You all showed him tenderness, understanding and love. He grew to love "going to school!" I pray the best for all of you.
-Carol (2017)