Mary Alice O’Connor Family Center

I sent my son here for three years (2−5yrs old) and my 4 yr old daughter is in her second year (currently in the preschool classroom). I have been very happy with MAOFC… the teachers nurture and care for my children, they are very involved, the facility is clean and well equipped and most importantly it is safe. As others have mentioned, originally getting a spot was tough (we went in as soon as we were pregnant and it still took a few years — super frustrating), but once we were in the center everything has been smooth. We have a new director who has taken the reins and is doing well. My son is currently in kindergarten and was extremely well prepared from his time at MAOFC. I also like the other families who attend the center. I recommend this facility without hesitation.

I toured close to 25 daycare centers during my maternity leave and was so discouraged by what I found. The minute I walked into MAOC, I knew this was the place for my baby girl. We were very fortunate to get in, and haven’t looked back since. I love my daughter’s infant room teachers. I see them as part of our extended family. My baby loves them so much. I love all the art projects and daily reports we get. Being a working mom is hard but I know she’s in the best care available. I truly appreciate all the extras they do, like music classes and fun activities. If there was one area I wish could be improved, it would be to make the nap room more quiet. But the pros outweigh this. My baby is loved there and you can’t beat that.

I’m lowering my rating by one star just due to the level of administrative drama that pops up here. We enrolled our second child somewhere else. The teachers are fabulous, but they seem to suffer under a lot of corporate red tape and politics.

I’m sure this is a wonderful family care center — however; I will never know since no one bothered to contact me back for an orientation of the facility. I walked in hoping to speak to someone regarding scheduling an appointment, some woman in the front (didn’t even bother to introduce herself so I have no clue what her name was) was so quick to rush me out the door. All she said was that the person who usually gives tours was not available. She asked me what my name was but didn’t bother to write it down anywhere — and then sent me off on my way. Of course, just as I expected, I never received a call from them regarding this tour of the facility I was supposed to have. Since then, I have been looking else where for my child to attend.

Our little one has been going to Mary Alice since he was 3 months old. We love the teachers and staff. Our LO has learned so much, both social, verbal and creative skills. He gets a ton of free play and time in the «big yard». We feel so fortunate to have gotten in and have made great friends with the other parents. The school has a wonderful sense of community. Yes, we got on the wait list and paid the application fee when I was pregnant, but frankly that’s standard for any reputable program in LA. A day care or preschool without a wait list is suspect, IMHO.

We don’t recommend. Administration is really bad.

This is a wonderful day care /​preschool. My daughter has been attending since she was 4 months old and loves it. There is a welcoming sense of community here. The teachers, care givers and program management really have a passion for child development, which can be seen in the broad assortment of enriching activities.

This review is specifically for Jamie P., the director at Mary Alice O’Connor Family Center, who hosted a recent tour of the daycare facility. My child is not currently enrolled in the program.
I am currently an expectant mother and have recently started my search for daycare centers as I plan to return to work after my maternity leave. I was already warned by my colleagues that getting into daycare is one of the most stressful events, so I started this process as soon as I found out that I was pregnant.
Since then, I have been on several daycare tours, but this one stood out more than others. First of all, my husband and I were scheduled to tour the facility with other couples. After 5 – 10 minutes of waiting, no one else showed up, so Jamie proceeded with the tour. I appreciated that she was mindful of our busy schedules and was secretly delighted that my husband and I were getting a private tour.
The tour was great. Jamie was approachable and well-​informed — she knew all the answers to our questions and made us feel good about them. The facility itself was great — clean, organized, good care-​giver to child ratio, and the kids seemed engaged and happy. No red flags. She quickly hit all the notes that expectant mothers want to hear, but she knew what was most important — the whole wait-​list process. I really appreciated her candor and ability to manage my expectations. Of course, our focus is to gain enrollment in this specific daycare, but Jamie was happy to discuss our other options — which no other daycare provided.
My husband and I also attended a tour of their sister facility on Ontario Street. Our tour was hosted by Evelyn C. who was also warm, friendly, and approachable. We were just as pleased with that facility.
One of the big points Jamie hit was how low turnover for the teachers/​care-​givers was vs. the national average. I think that is a testament to how well a facility selects their employees and how well it is is run. I would feel really comfortable enrolling my child into this institution. I’m sold!

Unfortunately, I don’t have a «review» to write about the facility, this is more towards how the office is ran. Sadly to say, I never got a opportunity to enroll my child in this day care facility.
We put our son on the wait list in 2007 as soon as I found out I was pregnant. It was highly recommended so we went for a tour, paid $ 75 and were told they’d call when a space was available. Totally normal.
My son is now going on 6. We have received ONE phone call saying a space was open-​it was 2010. Not only do I call back the next business day, but I was told «we’re sorry, that call was made in error. there is no space open».
I’ve exchanged several emails with Jamie and my last request was: clearly there is no space ever to be offered, may i just get a refund and call it a day?
Denied.
I will tell my story to anyone who thinks to enroll their child here. VERY disappointed.