La Playa Cooperative Nursery School

When we first reviewed preschools in LA I was convinced that adequate preparation in academics were the key. After touring La Playa and learning about their philosophy and focus on «conflict resolution» we decided to give it a try.
Our son just graduated last year and I can say with quite certainty that La Playa has prepared him exceptionally for kindergarten. I feel the skills he learned at this school cannot be duplicated in more academic settings but is just as crucial to his development as a solid person. His confidence, communication, and charm belie his age. He handles new social situations with poise, is a master of resolving conflict with others his age (and older), and is driven to learn and grow with play.
The teachers are highly credentialed (holding double Masters in Child Psychology, Dev) and education. The parent involvement is inspiring (not hovering).
This school has been here for 30 years supported only by parents devoted to the coop philosophy and learn through play model. It has endured for good reason, but it isn’t for everybody and not for every child, but I am definitely a believer.

La Playa has been a wonderful environment for my two sons grow and learn over the past three years. After seeing my oldest son graduate La Playa and move on to kindergarten at Farragut, I can say unequivocally that the play-​based education offered at La Playa prepared my son to thrive in his education moving forward. At La Playa, he developed social skills and awareness, and a love for learning that comes from a child being able to learn through play, which is, in my opinion, the way it’s supposed to work.
I love the teachers at La Playa. They are, in my opinion, an intrinsic part of the school. They each have their own wonderful way on interacting with the kids.
It’s a cooperative school, so you will certainly get the most out of it if you are willing to just jump in with both feet and get involved. Is a cooperative education for everyone? I don’t know… BUT I know that it is definitely the right place for our family!

I now have my second child at La Playa, and the school continues to improve since my last review, 2÷14÷13, which was also 5 stars. REGARDING the 1 star review from Bruno M — the review was cut and pasted from a old review he wrote back in August of 2012, that was posted on
. Please read all the reviews on this site AND
!

We’ve got a 3 year old in La Playa, and it’s pretty great. Nice community, reasonably priced (which in Los Angeles feels like a miracle) and the coop aspect of everyone chipping in is great.
The best part about the school, however, is the approach to dealing with kids of this age. It is patient, calm, and it’s focused on giving them the space to play. It avoids the use of rewards and punishment to get compliance, the teachers embrace an Alfie Kohn model of unconditional love/​acceptance, and it leads to a really wonderful environment.
I notice complains from, for example Bruno M, using terms like «if you want your kids to learn anything…» in reference to the relaxed atmosphere the teachers and parents take to giving kids their own space to explore.
Besides the fact that more and more research shows that kids learn best when allowed the space to play (and not by being big t «Taught») at pre-​school ages, it seems so ludicrous to give a school a single star for having a philosophy that you don’t identify with or support — okay, so find a school with a philosophy that you DO like!
As for our family, philosophically, we are totally in line with this school, and we love it, the families we’ve met through it, the physical location of the school, the amount of outdoor time, the amount of unstructured play and the opportunities for exploration — if that sounds appealing to you, you can’t ask for more.

This school used to be good many years ago. All the reviews about this school on Unilocal and other places are based on its past Glory days when the teachers were competent, motivated etc… Lately in the past few years, every time I witnessed how this school was run, it wasn’t more than teachers not involved, sitting on their behind, leaving the participating parents mishandling our kids. Your kids are not safe in this very often unsupervised environment. Maybe if you are looking for an everyday social club for the parents, it may be the place for you. If you are looking for a simple daycare, it may be good for you. If you want you kids to learn anything, anywhere else is better.
Lastly, my opinion are not just mine. I tried to summarize the content of many conversations i have had with many parents who have left «La playa». However, most people are affraid of social retribution in the community by speaking out loud about this mediocre school. I am not.

La Playa is a wonderful environment for you and your child to grow together. I love working there once a week because I’m able to gain insight into my child’s development and learn from the other parents, as well as the terrific full time teachers. It is a truly welcoming and nurturing community. We started when my son was two and a half and I look forward to more years at La Playa playing and learning with the great families we’ve met.

La Playa has been an amazing first school for my daughter and for our family. I love the parent participation component — I get to be a part of her first school experience, I get to know her first friends, and I get to learn about parenting a preschooler along with her. The teachers have so much experience and are well versed in child development and conflict resolution. My daughter has learned how to express her feelings, get her needs met, and talk out conflicts with peers. It’s amazing to watch preschoolers talk out problems! La Playa is a play-​based environment, and my daughter has learned many things, including some writing and reading, at her own pace and interest level. I have been very happy with La Playa and I am looking forward to sending my younger daughter here too!

My son and I both LOVE La Playa Nursery School. It is a parent participatory, co-​op school where parents each work 1 day per week. I love getting to see my son learn and grow and develop in the preschool setting. I am learning so much about child development and parenting from working with the dedicated, loving and truly remarkable teachers there. My son loves the back yard which has tons of room to run and play, digging in the sandbox, playing with his friends and joining his teachers at Circle Time. I have nothing but positive things to say about La Playa. I’m looking forward to sending my younger daughter there. The parents, kids and teachers create a loving and dynamic community together that nurtures our children and our families way beyond our time at the school.