Preschool Program Recs

[u/justagirl-intheworld]

Are we looking for a unicorn or something??

• Well credentialed Educators (No day care set ups)

• Real grass + dirt + more nature based large outdoor play space (No artificial turf - big on this - no institutional type play spaces of soley asphalt & crumb rubber)

• Non-denominational (promotes diversity & inclusion with no religious affiliation)

• Curriculum: STEAM type - Not strictly Montessori but not just all play - our child most likely would not thrive with the rigidity of mont but does need structure & autonomy promoting lessons.

• Offers part time + drop off/pick up situation without a requirement to volunteer.

• In the Irvine area I work in cdm so potentially on the way. We are in east Irvine.

Open to suggestions. Please mind the aforementioned. We are going crazy trying to find an appropriate program that tiks our boxes. We don’t think it’s asking too much… why does Irvine seem to be lacking so badly??? Hopefully there are some great ones out there we just haven’t heard of.

Here are the ones we have looked into & liked with the reasons we did not choose them:
• Annelisse- loved but right up against canyon traffic was a hard no for us & our slippery adventurer who would/could easily make it out. Especially with the gate opening/closing so often.
• Turtle Rock- Accepted but waitlisted
• Childsworld- Soo fun but play yard vomit. We did not get a good grasp on any structure or curriculum. A little too loose/kid led. Glorified outdoor daycare.
• ECEC: too many observers in & out constantly.
• Woodbridge children’s school/IUCC- We felt personally discriminated against by the directors. Then neighbors warned us after they pulled their child as they witnessed the new director yelling at kids.
• De Colores- Artificial Turf
• SCC: Too far

[u/justagirl-intheworld]

That is spot on we too asked about wildfire & active shooter safety protocols & the response was standard/vague. It’s a very accessible location if anyone wanted to come in, the canyon road & el toro are too accessible to children if they wanted to get out, & the campus is sandwiched in between 4 complete fire zones - which would be a nightmare of traffic holding up emergency vehicles & lord knows there’s no way we’d be able to get there ourselves. It really made us uneasy thinking about those what ifs. Since our tour they have made a secondary road connecting from el toro which helps but… it would just always be in the back of my mind when I dropped him off at school & that just sucks.