Pepper Valley Learning Center

My daughter has been going to preschool here for over a year and today is her last day. The staff is great and she has learned so much. Moving on to kindergarten I got my assessment on what she needs work on. What a great place to get your child started! Will miss all the teachers and staff.

My grandson has been at Pepper Valley Learning Center for 2 ½ years. Today is his last day and my daughter and I are very sad. Pepper Valley Learning Center is such a great place to leave your child. The staff is awesome and the safety of your child is top priority. The teachers and aides are very loving and really enjoy what they are doing. The private kindergarten is superior. Great place…

We lasted a couple months as well…
Kids were constantly watching TV (@various times). I started going in at random times to see what my children were doing and the TV was still on. I couldn’t get concrete answers on what my children were learning and my children couldn’t answer either. Our children hardly came home with art work. Just as the previous review states this place is more of a daycare and not a learning center.
If you have an issue with something and address it, nothing changes… so don’t bother.
Since we have stopped taking our children there, their behaivor has made significant improvements and certain behaivor suddenly stopped. I concur with previous reviews.

Our son attended Pepper Valley from January through August of 2014. We loved PVLC! Our son is now in a preschool that is hosted at his elementary school, and it doesn’t compare, at all. Carrie and Monica really do care about the kiddos. While our son was enrolled, we learned that his quirks were autism, and they had his main teacher, Miss Mireya, learn about it, which helped her to work with him.
If his current special day school schedule in Santee didn’t end at 12:15, we would still drive him to PVLC. The school was wonderful about communicating with us on how to best care for our son. We are truly grateful for their care, and only wish that all pre-​schools took the attention that they do.

The earlier reviews on here do not give this fine establishment the praise it truly deserves. I had no intention of reviewing but feel compelled to share. When more information is known abut this great school, hopefully you can see the whole picture.
Pepper Valley is an institution with its longevity in our community and it’s generational aspect — some parents attended when they were kids and trust it with their children today. The owners Monica and Carrie are incredibly in tune with what is needed to have a modern, well run state licensed preschool and kindergarten.
Carrie started out as a helper and rose through the ranks that the torch was passed to her by the founders. I have two daughter who have attended. One graduated from the kindergarten (more about that in a minute). My other daughter still attends and is thriving under the care of teachers like Ms. Mickey, Ms Jen, and Ms Sharon. Kudos to each teacher. Each one gives their all and truly connects with the children, learning their individual and special personalities. Each teacher is truly gifted and pays that gift forward in being an early role model to the children.
Pepper Valley is a large preschool. There are about 7 or 8 class rooms. As such, it is managed very well with ample staff and clock-​work procedures. Their safety record and compliance is impeccable and a model standard for other schools. What I like is that they do not cut corners on staffing and every teacher makes the parents feel welcome and personalized.
The children have daily curriculum, no matter what age, and they help each child develop according to their age level. They have full preschool, Pre-​K and Kindergarten programs. The craft projects are very creative and get the children involved. The field trips are amazing. The very dedicated full-​time cook Ms. Emelda, keeps a regimen with a variety and excellent nutrition for the kids snacks and meals.
If you are a concerned parent feeling (understandably) guilty about delegating time you wish you could spend with your kids to a preschool for much of the time, know that you could not have a better, safer place for you kids to thrive and socialize.
Okay, so now about the Kindergarten. Okay, you can send your kids to public school for free. But as long as you get accustomed to the expesne of sending them to preschool and pre-​K, I would strongly encourage you to keep them on fr Pepper Valley’s Kindergarten Ms. Robin has been teaching for many years and is the best of the best. Plus a class size of 12 – 14 kids, it is a wonderful and enriching experience she created for my daughter. And it was truly amazing. They came in knowing letters and numbers but left writing compositions, a 500 word vocabulary, and knowing addition, subtraction, fractions and money. She reads at a second grade level and has printing that is better than most adults. Kudos to Ms. Robin for excellence in education.
By the way I am in Santee and checked dozens of preschools before deciding it was worth the drive to Pepper Valley.
Tip: With my second daughter, it was necessary to start preschool part time at age two when she was still in diapers. The 2 year olds’ teachers have a tried and true regimen for potty training with the group dynamic, my daughter was potty trained in a matter of days-​and never looked back.
You may find smaller daycares that seem more personable because it is in someone’s home. But when your child hits their head on the corner of the coffee table, gets fleas from the family cat, is supervised by the owner’s boyfriend while she runs to the store… you get the idea, scary! Do your child a favor and step up to Pepper Valley, the locally favorite institution on Pepper Drive.

I took my kid to this school for a couple months and decided to pull out. The administration has no intention to work with parents. They will say whatever you want to hear then change it after you sign up. All they care is to fill up the space so they can make money. If you make a request they will roll eyes on you and make you feel so small. Like they know best what best for your child. I guess they forgot this is private school and we can pull our children out anytime.
More, the school is small and crowded. I had better experience from other pre-​school with lower teacher/​student ratio. And I agree with the previous review that this school is just a day care not a preschool. Kids watch TV all the time. Teachers not really attend children. I’d recommence parents to look some place else before consider this school.

I can’t say enough good things about Pepper Valley Learning Center — Carrie (its director), Miss Amanda (who was my son’s teacher there), and everyone there.
My oldest son’s new school transportation won’t take him to Pepper Valley due to district boundaries; and alternate arrangements for his daycare have been much cheaper frankly; but I am still not happy about it – would much, much prefer that he was able to continue at Pepper Valley.
My youngest son is now nearing 2 ½. Guess where he will be going? :)

I can’t say enough good things about this school. My daughter has attended since she was 3 (she is now in the Kindergarten class) and my son since 2. LOVE LOVE the teachers, they are caring and amazing with the children. There are great activities that they do for the children at all times of the year. I am so proud to say my children attend this school, and even more to brag how much they have learned! My 2 year old learned to write his name! REALLY amazing!

My son is 3 years old and has been attending Pepper Valley since he was 2. This school is amazing! The teachers are so good with the kids, and they offer nice extras that parents can enjoy in the evenings (such as spring open house, pumpkin patch in October, Santa in December, etc). My son has Miss Aubrey and he loves her! Miss Aubrey, Miss Kristi, Miss Mickey and Miss Chantelle are the teachers I have spoken to the most (that are around my son) and they are all wonderful! I highly recommend this preschool if you live in the area.