Little Acorn Montessori Academy

Was so fortunate to have my son attend this school for almost a year. He was in the infant room and loved it. He started crawling after only 3 days of attending the school and walking at just 8 months. Love the teachers and staff especially Miss Dolores the school chef and the awesome team in the infant roon lead by Miss Niki… they made my son feel welcomed and cared for and I was really sad that we moved this month because I wanted him to stay. Miss Susie is such a great director and took time to personally call me when anything came up.
The ladies that were teaching the older children would switch off to help out in the infant room when needed… great team work and just a wonderful experience we had there… thank you so much.
We will miss everyone there… Vanessa, Annie, Patty, Nicole, Amanda, Melissa, Tiara, Johanna, Monica and many more… you ladies are awesome… :)

I took my kids out of previous daycare and enrolled my 3 year old daughter and 1.5 year old son to little acorn because it was on my way to work and it provided lunch and snacks (additional monthly)
my BIGGEST CONCERN is the employee turnover rate in the infant room is a concern. 1) they don’t notify a new hire 2) new teacher does not introduce themselves 3) during these last 5 months, there has been at least 4 new teachers. where’s the stability for any child there?

If you need infant care then this is the place to go. I had my son here starting when he was 3 months old, and having never had a child before I was slightly hesitant to leave him anywhere — but we do need to work. After a very short time we were so happy that we had gotten into Little Acorn. The amount of growth and knowledge that he acquired during his time in the infant room continually amazed us! I mean, we had no idea he could read the alphabet and read numbers 1 – 9 in both English and Spanish until he did it at home. We most certainly cannot take the credit for that… other than sending him here.
If you have an infant and need day care then I’d definitely recommend Little Acorn.

My four year old son is attending Little Acorn. I wholeheartedly believe that the staff at Little Acorn are first rate. Although the tuition has been increasing recently, I believe that it is well worth it. The owners of the school have invested heavily into both the staff and the school itself. My son enjoys going to school each day, and most importantly, he always shares with me how many things he has learned at school.
The staff also offers outside programs in addition to the regular schedule in order to enhance the experience of each child and to cater to their interests. For instance, they offer sports, soccer, dance and music. My son is involved in both sports and soccer programs. He did try the dance program but told me that it wasn’t for him after three sessions. I appreciate that he knows what he doesn’t like at such an early age. So, I won’t push him in that direction.
The teachers are open and always share with me everything about what my son had done that day. I couldn’t be happier with his progress and his enthusiasm for learning. Also, I mentioned to Susie the director that I appreciated the open floor space that this school offers, I really hated the thought of enclosing my child in a tiny classroom with four walls this early in his education, they have partitions but thankfully they aren’t walls (just my preference). I like that the teachers can all see each other when standing, it makes the place feel more like playtime (which is what I hope my son experiences, learning while playing).
Also, I love his teacher Ms. Tiara, she always greets me with a smile and takes time to tell me all about how my son is doing. I couldn’t be happier with my decision to make Little Acorn our preschool of choice. It is a wonderful family-​run business that really cares about their reputation, their staff and ultimately the kids.

Our twins just «graduated» from preschool here and we couldn’t be happier. Little Acorn was just the right mix of learning, quietly doing your own activities, and fun play time for us. And they were so close and convenient that we walked to school whenever we could. We’ll miss you guys.

As a new parents we must confront decisions that will make critical differences in the life of our child. Such was the decision to 1) move from an at home nanny to a preschool setting and 2) choosing a preschool that will provide the warmth and nurturing every child needs plus the careful guidance and positive encouragement for their developmental growth.
Little Acorn Montessori Academy has been a wonderful experience for our daughter and for us. As parents we are informed of school projects, activities and learning progress. Our daughter enjoys every day — we know because we asked her daily — and has blossomed from her traumatic first days in the infant room into a happy toddler navigating social interaction with classmates and then into a confident four year old with manners and critical thinking skills. The Montessori approach to child development and self determined learning has prepared her well academically — she scored very well in private school entrance exams.
We highly recommend this school. It’s diverse, welcoming and everyone is nice, cordial and respectful — qualities they impart to the children.
Our experience with the parents on the birthday party circuit has been terrific too. The friends our daughter has made at Little Acorn Montessori Academy are deeply cherished.

My review is an attestation to the administrators and teachers at Little Acorn Montessori Academy for their competencies, kindness and dedications.
My son was attending another preschool before we enrolled him into Little Acorn. With our busy schedules, my husband and I desperately needed longer and more flexible daycare hours for our son. Not only was Little Acorn able to accommodate our schedule, they also provided a safe and supportive environment for our little guy to learn and grow.
I recalled my son’s first days at Little Acorn and vividly remembered how pleasantly surprised at how very happy and sociable the children were at Little Acorn. They came right up to my son and began to talk and share with him. The children’s display of respectful and socially-​acceptable behaviors stemmed from the teachers’ encouragement and teachings at Little Acorn. My son has learned many social skills and responsibilities since he has been there. The administrators, especially Ms. Susie, and the teachers took great care to ensure a loving and positive environment for the children.
Their well-​rounded curriculum helped foster the children’s academic development and confidence. My son was encouraged to socialize, develop and learn at his own pace. What a wonderful philosophy and concept! Little Acorn Montessori Academy was a great fit for my son. He benefited so much from being there. He was taught math, science, languages, art, music, computer and had plenty of play time every day. Since his initial enrollment at Little Acorn, there have been many improvements to their clean facility and curriculum.
Breakfast and lunch were prepared daily, in their own kitchen, and were healthy and fresh. This was very helpful, since we didn’t have to think of what to pack for him everyday or worry if he could have hot lunch.
He was always well supervised and the teachers were so loving and attentive to him. Ms. Tiara took care to update me on my son’s progress EVERY DAY. We initially had our son enrolled 3 days a week, but soon saw the benefits of having him there all 5 days. I felt so comforted, knowing he was well taken care of. He was just as happy being dropped off as when he was picked up. Sometimes, he would ask to stay for a little longer even when I get there at 5:30 pm to pick him up. My son is 5 years old now and has been there since he was 3.
I feel good writing this review because Little Acorn Montessori Academy is a great preschool and I am grateful for their exceptional care for my son.

My daughter has been coming to Little Acorn Montessori since she was about 2 ½ years old and she just turned 4 years old. I wanted to voice my opinion on here because of how grateful I am for this school and their teachers.
Teachers:
My daughter is currently in the preschool room with Miss Tiara (head teacher) and Miss Johanna. Let me just say how amazing Miss Tiara is with the children. I am so amazed everyday about the new things my daughter tells me after her day at school. She already knows how to write her name, spell her name, letter sounds, ABC’s, and so many more things. What I was especially impressed with is her knowledge of the continents and different aspects of the world. I couldn’t believe that my daughter asks me about what continent we live on, what different animals live on each continent, and their sizes. She loves learning about the ocean and all of the animals and plants that live in it. She is always singing different songs and telling me about their garden outside that the school is growing. Anytime I have ever come across a problem that has happened at the school or needed to ask a question, Miss Tiara or Miss Johanna were able to help me the best they can. They truly are very nice and I’m glad that my daughter is in their class. Miss Tiara also has a board on the wall so I am able to see what the children are doing during the week and she also leaves any announcements that are for the parents.
The facility:
There are different ages of children inside of the school and the children are placed in the rooms according to their age. Inside of the classroom they only are with the children in their age groups, but outside the children are able to play with the other children, their similar ages, together. I think this is important because it exposes the children to not just their class rooms and get to play with other children. The outside is a huge playground with a jungle gym, and other things to climb on, and shade! They also have a grass area for sports, a bike area, and other various outside toys for the children to play with. They are a lot of things to keep the children busy and having fun. Also, during the summer is my daughter’s favorite time to go to school. They have a special summer calendar where they make it fun for the children to be at school. On Wednesdays, they have in house field trips which consist of different people coming to the school. Last year my daughter got to ride a pony, watch a magician, and other great people for her to learn. On Fridays is «swim» day, where the children are able to wear their swim suits and get wet outside. I thought this was really cool because my daughter loves things like this, and it was something for her to look forward to. My daughter also participates in dance classes and was also in the soccer class. She especially loves the dance class, even though she’s young, I love watching her dance and tell me about her classes and what she learned that day.
Lastly, I met Miss Susie when I went in for a tour to see the school for the first time. Since day 1 she has always accommodated anything that I needed. It’s really nice to see a director who actually cares about what the parents need and say. I really enjoy talking to her and it is really comforting knowing that if I ever need anything that she will do her best to help me.

My child has been going here for over a year. He has liked all of his teachers so far. He recently moved out of the toddler room where he was very attached to Ms. Syeda and Ms. Monica. Ms. Syeda always comforted him when he arrived. He is now in the next class which also has good, caring teachers. I feel that he has learned a lot and has progressed. Besides the teachers, Ms. Susie has also been great. All of the teachers have worked with my child and have kept me updated on his progress and needs. I’m happy with this school, it’s staff, & it’s program.

This review is long overdue, but my husband and I recently met a mother who has a child currently enrolled in Little Acorn and who expressed her doubt about the facility. This prompted me to write about our short experience with Little Acorn.
We enrolled our 2 ½ year old daughter in the Mon-​Fri morning class in September 2013. My husband and/​or I walked her to school, and my parents-​in-​law picked her up after lunch. Her separation anxiety increased over the next several days, which was something we thought was normal, since she was transitioning into a new environment. We talked to Susie, the facility’s Director, who was committed to ensuring that my daughter would receive extra comfort during her transition period.
Over the first week, we noticed that our daughter’s pullup diapers were always wet and the supply we had given to Little Acorn was depleting quickly, to which her teacher, Ms. Seyda, responded that our daughter wasn’t taking off her pullup and pants and that we needed to train her to do so. Given that our daughter’s gross motor skills were still developing, and that our fee included potty training, I had expected much more hands-​on help from the teacher during potty breaks.
My husband also had an opportunity during the first week to pick up my daughter from school. He arrived at the classroom early. He saw that she was eating lunch, but her face was covered with sandy dust leftover from playtime. When Ms. Seyda saw him, she immediately walked over to my daughter and cleaned her face with a wipe.
Another morning, when my daughter’s separation anxiety was at its peak, we brought her into the playground and a staff member who had been sweeping the grounds stopped her work to hug and comfort her. A few minutes after we left, my husband and I ducked around the corner to peek into the playground. We saw our daughter sitting on a bench, head hanging low and obviously still upset, with the staff member sweeping the leaves around her. While I realize that my daughter can’t have someone constantly wait on her, I did expect much more than a brief show of affection while my husband and I were there.
During the second week, we had picked our daughter up from the grandparents and saw a huge gash on her knee. My in-​laws confirmed that they hadn’t done anything during the day that would’ve caused such a wound. The following morning, I inquired with Ms. Seyda about the injury and she said that my daughter got it after falling off the merry-​go-​round, and though she was crying a lot, Ms. Seyda felt that it didn’t warrant an «ouchie» report. I was sorely disappointed that I was the one who had to approach Ms. Seyda about an injury my daughter sustained while on the premises.
Based on the things my husband and I witnessed, I could never be sure about what happened to my child at Little Acorn when we weren’t watching. We decided to pull our daughter out of Little Acorn after just two weeks. During our exit meeting with Susie, we relayed what we saw. She thanked us for providing the input, indicating that she would never have known that such events occurred without parents like us telling her.
Because of this experience, we waited another few months before enrolling our daughter into another school. We enrolled her in Kids Klub at Pasadena, which was much better staffed to give her the nurturing and attention that I think she needed.

Both of my sons went to Little Acorn Montessori. I have to say, I was very happy and felt it was a safe, friendly, and loving environment. The director Susie was always so professional and easy to talk to. My boys loved her because she was always so warm and caring towards them. The teachers are also wonderful and worked strongly as a team. My kids learned independence, respect, and daily life skills. I noticed a difference at home as my kids became more helpful with cleaning up their own toys and putting things back were they belong. I am grateful that my boys attended this school. The owners are so sweet and made this an awesome learning environment !

My three daughters have been at Little Acorns for the last year. We have been delighted and the girls skip to school excited every day.
The teachers are warm, friendly and give individual attention, they were especially helpful with our transition as we moved in from another city.
We love their resident chef that serves healthy breakfast lunch and snacks.
They arrange extra curricular activities that happen during school time, which beats the endless evening shuttling to different events! Their dance, sports, music and soccer classes are brilliant.
Their kindergarten class is small with a wonderful teacher, our daughter thrived there and it prepared her well for first grade.
Our twin four year olds are in separate classes by our request and it has been great to see them flourish and grow at their own pace and develop their own friends.
The centre director and owners are very involved and ask, then listen and act on feedback a lot.
We toured a lot of places when we moved here and this place stood out.
We couldn’t have wished for a better place to send our three girls.

Everyone who has a child understands how difficult it is to entrust their care to someone else. I was hesitant about placing my son in care at a very young age, but when I toured Little Acorn I noticed very important details: The school was clean, bright, and cheerful. I loved the energy and camaraderie that was apparent. Secondly, the teachers are warm, loving, patient and kind. The curriculum teaches the children a well rounded mix of academics, social responsibility, and classroom decorum. Within just 3 months my son is becoming a loving, intelligent, self sufficient and productive little man. I owe much of his personal accomplishments and confidence to the loving guidance of his teachers. Thanks to everyone at Little Acorn Montessori Academy!

My child has been at Little Acorn for the past 2 years. I have nothing but praise for the school. The staff has always been attentive, caring and loving towards my child. The teachers are always available if you have any concerns. My little girl can’t stop sharing her day as soon as I pick her up. She loves going to school and she always enjoys herself. The school is always so clean. It’s been under new ownership over the past two years and they are doing such a great job at remodeling and upgrading the school. I feel safe and confident in leaving my child at Little Acorn, the staff goes out of their way to make me and my child feel comfortable. I can’t recommend this place enough.

Just a quick update: They apparently broke out the WD40 because the squeaky door to the infant room is GONE! Thanks for listening, James!

Little Acorn Montessori Academy is a loving and nurturing environment
Our son has attended Little Acorn Montessori Academy since he was 4 months old, he is now just over 3 years old. A lot of changes have occurred in that time, and I have to say all have been for the better. One of the most important things that has stayed the same is the loving and caring teachers.
Our son started with Ms. Maria, Ms. Nikki, and Ms. Vanessa in the infant room. We couldn’t have been happier with the love and attention that these ladies gave our son. Except for the normal mom guilt of leaving my child, I never had any reservations in leaving my baby with them. They kept us apprised of what went on each day and even started flash cards with him at 9 months.
Eventually he moved up to the Toddler room. At that time it was primarily Ms. Susie, who is now the director of Little Acorn. He did also spend some time with Ms. Seyda and Ms. Monique. In the toddler class his communication skills blossomed. They did a wonderful job teaching him his ABCs, reinforcing good manners, and potty training him.
Currently he is in Ms. Edina and Ms. Noemy’s class. Here he has been learning to write his letters, numbers and his name. He has also come a long way in his coloring and motor skills. They also do a lot of singing. In fact he has learned the continents as well as colors in Spanish through singing.
There are several other teachers there like Ms. Fausta that have taken such good care of our son. Ms. Fausta will be the next class that our son will be in, but he did have her as a teacher for a little while during some transitions and loved the attention she gave him. The other teachers that I am not as familiar with are usually there during the day when I’m at work. On the occasion that I have come in at odd times, they have displayed the same love and attention that I’ve witnessed by the other teachers.
Our son also participates in several extracurricular activities that they offer. He loves the music class, his dancing class as well as the sports class. It’s so nice that they offer these classes, because as working parents, it’s really difficult to fit other experiences in during the week.
At times in each of these classes our son has had many emotional days during the transition time at drop off. Each one of the teachers as well as the director has helped make that transition easier on both our son as well as my husband and I. They don’t think twice about picking him up or putting an arm around him to comfort and distract him. I’ve also had the director call me to reassure me later that day that he was fine or let me know if he was having an especially difficult day for some reason.
Overall, we feel that our son is in a loving environment where they are encouraging his development socially, educationally, and creatively. They have been instrumental in helping him become the independent little man we are so proud of today.

I am very impressed by this school and all the upgrades they have made to ensure the safety and well-​being of our kids. The director, staff and owners are great and I would highly recommend this school.

I have had my two boys in Little Acorn Montessori since they were infants. The older one (3) is now in the preschool program and doing so well. He has learned so much and just thrived in the warm, caring environment. The teachers are loving, but firm and teach manners and life skills along with letters, numbers, and other academic content.
My younger son (16 months) is still in the infant room and has been there since he was 4.5 months old. He loves his teachers and they do so much to make sure he is happy and safe.
In the past year the school has become even better, with new owners who have put so much time and effort into making the school the best it can be. They have re-​done much of the outside, bought all new Montessori materials for the classrooms, made sure the meals and snacks are healthy but liked by the kids, and much, much more. They even have both of their kids enrolled in the school, and are very hands on with the running of the school.
Ms. Susie, the director, is a wonderful, caring woman who was my older son’s teacher when he was a toddler. She knows so much about child development and works with the teachers to make sure all children feel safe, happy, and secure.
I am so glad I found Little Acorn Montessori, and can’t say enough positive things about it!

I’ve had my daughter at Little Acorn Montessori for the past 10 months. I am very pleased with the school and staff. The environment is so welcoming and warm. The staff is very nurturing and caring. My daughter has learned so much in the past 10 months and she looks forward to going to school everyday. I am so thankful I enrolled my daughter into Little Acorn Montessori.

I’m all about attachment parenting, and I don’t think it OK to let your toddler cry constantly without trying to calm him or distract. Yesterday I was just having tour with director and we saw the boy about 2 years who was crying loudly. It was obviously that he he had been crying long with runny nose. The director said it’s ok, because he was on vacation and now homesick. I asked why nobody try to calm him, she answered he will stop crying himself, some children need more time to cry, some don’t. My son will definately not go to this school