Parent Testimonial: Yana Gordon

With a goal to enroll my daughter into a preschool at the age of three (August 2009), in May 2009 I began touring Santa Monica’s center-based preschools.

In my selection of a preschool I was guided by two factors: (a) the center had to meet all my rigid criteria for suitability and (b) the center had to instill an absolute sense of trust for my child’s safety and emotional security.

Beginnings Learning Center was the fifth preschool that I have toured, and unlike the previous four, it evoked a very distinct feeling of comfort and belonging. The following aspects were apparent upon the end of a tour:

• The BUILDING is safe: there is a gated security entrance and a continuous video surveillance of all rooms and playground areas in the Director’s office. It is also bright and spacious: floor-to-ceiling windows along one wall of a classroom provide plenty of daylight. The facility is clean: the staff maintains classrooms, restrooms, kitchen, playground and teachers’ lounge clean and well-disinfected.

Finally, the center is engagingly decorated: each of the four rooms has its distinct color, age appropriate furniture and developmentally fun and suitable wall-art.

• The STAFF is genuinely amiable, nurturing, dedicated, professionally trained and responsible.

• GENERAL MANAGEMENT under the skillful guidance of the Director Michelle Raz revealed excellent organization, structure, planning, respect for and compliance with health and safety rules and regulations and continuous interest in enhancing the curriculum.

• OVERALL AMBIENCE was exceptionally pleasant. The children appeared well-maintained, healthy and mannered. Upon entering a class, my daughter was approached by three girls, each of whom offered a toy to share. To me this signified that positive social behavior was successfully reinforced and attained. Overall, the children looked happy, involved, and well-integrated. Teachers showed no signs of favoritism. Praise and disapproval were unbiased and situation-appropriate.

I was extremely pleased with the experience of touring Beginnings Learning Center, and I had no doubt that this was THE place for my daughter in which to receive her early childhood education.

With my husband and I being the sole care providers for our daughter up to the age of three, we were slightly concerned for the ease of her comfort in adjusting to a collective environment. In addition to this, I was worried for my ability to establish peace with the idea that I need to entrust my child to caregivers. However, the center’s policy of gradual transition provided for an incredibly smooth and painless adjustment. For a week I have attended preschool with my daughter, and either participated directly in all activities, or
observed her play from the administrative office. At first, I stayed full time, and gradually I limited it to a few hours. I really appreciated this gradual approach because it offered me the much needed confidence of knowing that my child feels comfortable and enjoys herself in a group setting. On the first day of her independent being at preschool, I exited the facility gate and felt worry-free for my child’s safety and well-being. This was the ultimate indication that we have indeed chosen the right preschool!

Having been at the Beginnings Learning Center for eight months I developed great appreciation and respect for the quality of care that the center’s staff exhibits both towards children and their parents.

The Director assures that all students’ files are complete and updated with current contact, medical and emergency information. Furthermore, she distributes a monthly Newsletter, which routinely contains a section on major policy guidelines, as well as
updates parents on the community news, special events and upcoming educational initiatives. Overall, Michelle Raz does an excellent job in ensuring the center is operated effectively and efficiently.

I am profoundly pleased with my daughter’s teacher. Ms. Klaudia is an exceptional teacher, who is adored by children and highly respected by parents. In her approach to teaching, she exhibits an effective combination of European pedagogy and North American Early Childhood Education methodology. She is highly responsible, observant, focused, confident, decisive and calm in critical situations, genuinely committed, diligent, a disciplinarian, and nurturing.

The program offers a healthy balance between academic and social development. I believe that the multifaceted daily activities including language learning –both writing and communication, familiarization with basic math concepts; science and art projects;
music lesson; outdoor play; free choice activities; and clean-ups will prepare my daughter well for Elementary School. Concepts of problem-solving, conflict-resolution, cooperation, sharing, kindness, respect for peer’s choices and feeling, and recognition of consequences to one’s actions are integral part of daily activities. Moreover, I appreciate the emphasis that the program makes on the development of self-sufficiency.

Finally, Beginnings Learning Center offers breakfast, lunch and snack services, which to me is extremely important. The kitchen is always clean, organized and gives off appetite- inducing aromas. The meals are fresh, nutritional and invariably tasty! There is a bi- weekly schedule of menus provided to parents, making it easier to plan the nutritional value of the remaining daily meals.

I commend Michelle Raz and her devoted staff on delivering such great standards of care, and highly recommend Beginning Learning Center to other parents.

- Yana Gordon

Parent Testimonial: Jennifer Hui

First things first: Thank you for opening another preschool in Santa Monica!
We were so fortunate to find Beginnings as we were looking for preschools for our son. I can’t begin to list the things I love about
your school – the dedicated and caring staff, the clean bright rooms, the wonderfully shaded play area, the fact that meals are served family style (a “big plus!”), and last but certainly not least, the fact that your teachers were able to help toilet train my son! Since attending Beginnings, we have seen him make great strides in socialization, confidence, and in academics as well. We have received excellent feedback from your teachers, both informally and in parent-teacher conferences. Our son, who does not transition easily, now runs into school happily and talks about his school friends and teachers when he is at home. He brings home artwork daily, and sings songs he learns at school. Another characteristic that differentiates your school from the rest is the quality field trips that you offer. Our son has loved these opportunities. These have been a great way to learn about the outside world and for parents to participate in their child’s school experience.

Beginnings has been a real blessing for us. It is a school that combines a caring, safe, and beautiful environment together with quality education in an open and non-pretentious manner. It is what I envision a preschool should “look and feel” like. Once again, thank you for the opportunity to start our journey at Beginnings; I’m sure our whole family will look back upon these years fondly.

Sincerely,
Jennifer Hui

Parent Testimonial: Karsha Chang

Beginnings Learning Center beats out the competition on so many levels.

First and foremost – the teachers are outstanding. You truly see how they love and care for the kids. They work closely with them to nurture their skills. And they genuinely praise and support the children every day – making it a loving and warm environment. Best of all, you clearly see that these teachers truly LOVE their work. They’re happy and excited to be there – this isn’t just a
job for them, and it shows.

The facilities are brand-spanking new. It’s a bright, cheerful environment conducive to learning and having fun. Additionally, on top of their numerous everyday activities, the children are kept engaged with a wide variety of weekly classes – from music class, to cooking sessions, to share day, to science experiment day. There’s something different to look forward to nearly every day of the week.

And this may seem like a small thing, but not having to worry about breakfast, packing a lunch, or sending my daughter to school with snacks is a HUGE time saver for our busy family.

Although there are lower-priced options available much closer to our home, we truly value everything that Beginnings Learning Center has done for our daughter and are thrilled to be part of this fabulous school.

Sincerely,
Karsha Chang