Carousel School

Me and many other teachers and aids want to make you all aware of how this school really is. I worked at this school long enough to see all the bad things that go on. They DO NOT care about your children, all they care about is your MONEY. They are LIARS. They make themselves look good only when they know a visitor is coming. There were many times where we had many children and not enough help and they would only send help when a visitor came. They will do anything to cover themselves up. You will see children Who are extremely aggressive and will regularly hit and bite the other children in a DAILY basis and the «Administators» will not even give their parents a warning or anything like that because one less child means one less check. So they rather get that big check instead of worrying about the other children’s safety. The parent handbook states that if a child bite the parents will have three chances or else they can be suspended but of course they never do that. They DO NOT follow the rules or state regulations. They can seem very nice but they are liars who DO NOT CARE about their staff or children. They are aware that what they are doing is bad but they do not care and will keep doing it. Parents I’ll advise you to be very careful with the school that you choose for your children.

Not meant to be! Disappointment Customer Service.
I stopped by this daycare about 2 weeks ago with my co-​worker as I have been daycare searching. Other daycare’s welcomed me in with open arms, answered all my questions and gave me a tour. Well this daycare, one of the teachers said that the director was out of town and that she was the only one who could give me a tour and gave me a brochure with some information. I was a bit confused and taken back as I believe I should be able to stop by the daycare anytime to see what’s going on, how they interact and treat their kids and the fact that only one person can give me a tour is ridiculous. Ok, so 2 weeks later, I tried to call to schedule a tour and see if they are accepting babies who are 9 months, apparently the director is out and won’t return until next week and she is the only who knows this information. I mean is the director ever there??? Does the director not have any assistant??? I am beyond disappointed as this daycare is super close to me but the fact that only ONE person can answer questions and tour me is ridiculous!!! I guess God is trying to tell me something and it was not meant to be.

Carousel was our first experience with daycare and we held off reviewing until we either had other experiences or our kids were finished with the school.
Background — We had two kids go to Carousel. Our oldest recently graduated and will attend kindergarten in the fall. Our youngest was moved to a daycare closer to our home.
Care — 5 out of 5. This was our most important aspect of a good daycare. The instructors here are genuienly caring. They have some who are firm, some who are lenient, but all care about the kids. When you engage teachers, assistants, and coaches about your child, they will be more than happy to take time and discuss concernes and follow up with you when you speak next. My kids all liked their teachers and I could tell how much the teachers liked our kids by observing the reactions during their last day. Some teachers were emotional as if their own child were leaving. As a comparison point, after a week at a different daycare, my daughter comes home sunburned and the school never asked for sunscreen or told us how often they would be outside. This kind of thing never happens at Carousel, they tell you what to bring and notify you of special outdoor events like water play, petting zoo, etc.
Communication — 5 out of 5. The teachers are all great in communicating needs, concerns, and important matters with the parents. Simple things like eating habits and social interaction nuances are observed and shared if the parent engages the teachers. More serious issues like accidents and behavior issues are also handled very well. We didn’t understand the importance of certain procedures until things actually happened where the procedures diffused potentially confrontational situations. Ms. Jane, the Director, is great in handling all issues large and small and has a great staff. As a comparison point, a different daycare, takes weeks to provide a receipt for payment which delays our FSA claims. This kind of thing never happens at Carousel.
Education — 5 out of 5. The daily structure for older kids is much like a school with instruction in the mornings and more free play in the afternoons. My son was so used to this setup that kindergarten summer school was a walk in the park for him. He was already familiar with the routine. Basics like alphabet, counting, sight words are developed accordingly and kids are well prepared for kindergarten. As a comparison point, my son tells me he can’t read anymore because his new daycare doesn’t teach him anything during the day. My daughter isn’t learning alphabets or counting, all the teachers say she’s smart because she knows her body parts. Carousel actually does teach kids age appropriate lessons. Older kids even have science and social studies. Added benefit is the integration of special needs children for portions of the day so kids learn to accept everyone.
Facilities — 3 out of 5. This is where Caoursel falls short, but that’s because they lease space and can’t do as much updating as they like. Don’t let the looks fool you, the staff is caring and your kdis will be safe. We’re glad we didn’t let the looks of the place steer us away. I just wish they didn’t have sand play areas, I feel like my kids have brought a dump truck full of sand home in their shoes over the years.
Safety — 4 out of 5. My children were never seriously hurt here. Carousel is also accommodating with OTC medication and as long as parental consent forms are filled out, they will take care of your child. My only concern is that Carousel is slow and sometimes don’t communicate if a common childhood ailment is making the rounds. My children caught some stuff (not cold or flu, that’s to be expected) but we were not told of an outbreak. I’m not sure we would have done anything different, but it would be nice to know so parents can make decisions that best suit them.
Price — 5 out of 5. You can’t really put a price on good child care, but compared to surrounding daycares, Carousel was the most reasonably price option we found.
Conclusion — total 4.5 stars out of 5 rounds up to 5. We would go back in a heartbeat if the location were still convenient for us. We didn’t know how good things were until our kids left. We’re sad to have to part with Carousel, but are greateful for the time our kids were there and the care and education they received.

Both of our daughters have attended Carousel, and we’ve all been pleased with our experience.
Carousel came highly recommended by a friend whose preschool-​aged twins had been there since they were toddlers. We needed a pre-​K for my eldest a few years ago, and my toddler attends now. My friend warned me that the facilities themselves were by no means fancy, but the care could not be beat. Unfortunately Carousel is limited by their rental agreement about how they can physically change the school, but everything is clean and tidy, despite their limitations.
The majority of the staff has been there FOREVER, which speaks volumes about how happy the staff is to be there. And that’s evident with how kind and loving they are with the kiddos and how pleasant they are with the parents. It’s like leaving your kids with a group of trusted aunts/​grandmothers. The director Ms. Jane is kind, attentive, and I swear, I’ve never seen her have a bad day.
I appreciate the diversity of the students, as well as the well-​rounded curriculum. My eldest left able to speak some Spanish and Mandarin. And the preschool graduation ceremony/​celebration was simply amazing and such a great send-​off.
My toddler adores all of her teachers, and I appreciate the daily communication I get about her day.
The tuition is probably the most reasonable I’ve seen, especially on the Westside and especially for full-​time care. I also appreciate that the fundraisers are very minimum. When I was first researching preschools, I was taken aback by the amount of fundraising parents had to commit to at a lot of places.
Carousel has a hard stop at 5:30 p.m. which could be tricky for some working families, so that’s something to keep in mind.
Overall, I’ve enjoyed our Carousel experience and I highly recommend it to any families in our area.

We were desperately looking for a daycare situation that we were comfortable with when my baby was 5 months old and found it at The Carousel School. The first time you have to leave your first child with virtual strangers it feels impossible. Thankfully Ms. Maria and Ms. Aleyda were wonderful with her, they both have been at the school and working with babies for over 15 years and are amazing baby whisperers. Just seeing them everyday at drop off was the reassurance that I needed that my baby would be safe and thrive. And she did!
She is now 18 mos old and loves going to Carousel. She loves her teachers and when I come to pick her up I can barely peel her away! They have taught her some sign language and she loves circle time and crafts.
Ms. Jane is the school director and really makes you feel comfortable and truly wants to know about your child’s needs and personality. She is very easy to work with and is communicative.
Child care is expensive, and this is definitely one of the more reasonable places in the area. And we looked all the way from Redondo Beach to Culver City.
The grounds are a bit old and rundown and could use a layer of paint, unfortunately they are just leasing the area and don’t have control over that.

My daughter has attended the Carousel School since she was 5 months old! She is 4 now and I have been here long enough to say how experienced and caring the staff is. I can remember dropping her off as a baby and feeling confident that she would be taken care of and loved. (By the way, the baby room is AWESOME– the ladies in this room are amazing and have been there for many years– yet another testament to a great work environment.) As my daughter grew and moved on to older classrooms she has had wonderful teachers at every level. I am impressed with the curriculum that embraces language, arts, writing, numbers and the alphabet. But what’s more impressive and telling about this school is the absolute love my child has for her «Carousel» family. Overall, I couldn’t be more pleased with Carousel!

I can’t say enough good things about this school. My son, who is now 9 attended Carousel for 3 years as a toddler and my twin daughters, now two have gone since they were only 4 months old. The staff at Carousel is amazing and they are the reason I reccommend the school to all my friends. The teachers and aides don’t just work with the children, they make a family for them. My daughters run eagerly into school in the morning and can hardly be dragged away in the afternoon. The love and warmth for the children would be enough for me, but Carousel also does a great job teaching academics. My daughters are learning Spanish and will learn Mandarin when they move to an older class. They know their numbers, shapes, colors and the entire alphabet, all before they turned two. They have learned how to take turns, cooperate and socialize. The only slight negative to Carousel is the facility. It is an older building and doesn’t look very inviting, but honestly I think of this as a plus as well since it keeps this gem of a school nearby and available. I am confident that my children are getting a quality preschool education in a safe, caring and enriching environment.

My daughters have attended Carousel for a year and a half. Carousel is our first daycare/​preschool experience and I have to say we’ve been extremely satisfied. The staff clearly love the children, and do a wonderful job of managing their varied personalities. My girls love going to school, and I’ve been amazed at how much they learn. I appreciate the early exposure to multiple languages (Spanish, Chinese and American Sign Language) and the well structured days. Carousel serves special needs children as well as traditionally developing children. The children with additional needs are integrated in whole or part in the «traditional» classrooms giving all the kids the ability to learn how we are all different and have unique needs. I’ve dropped in to the school a number of times and have never witnessed the staff behave in anything but a professional, caring manner. I do not hesitate to recommend Carousel to my family and friends.

I have 2 kids that have gone through Carousel and we are very happy with our experience. My oldest is now thriving in kindergarten and carousel helped him to be prepared. My youngest son has been there since he was 18 month old and he is soon turning 4. He is a very happy to be at carousel! The teachers and staff here are very friendly and caring. My husband and I both feel safe and peace of mind with our kids here.

This is my sons first preschool experience! He loves going to school! I was able to practice with him two days before he started to get prepared for preschool! It really helped him get established! The director was very accommodating and informative about the program and the staff! So I witnessed the teachers and aides in action for two days in a row! They were firm but loving in their approach! My son loves going to school! If he didn’t he would tell me! I love the variety of subjects they teach him! Foreign languages, PE, academics, and social skills. I would highly recommend Carousel school!

Before taking your child to this school do some research! They sell you the school pretty good and you leave your child believing it is a good school and will be well taken care of. NO, IS NOT!!! Not enough of staff for all the children they have in each classroom, I noticed the teachers yelling at the children who are only 2 or 3. My daughter loved it at first but after a month was terrified when dropping her off. They lied to me about diaper changing and I had to remove my child from this school. This school is for children with special needs and it’s sad that they don’t have the correct staff or training to do so. Parents before making a decision please, please do your research and stay with your child or make surprise visits… I did a surprise visit and what I saw was not what I expected. I don’t recommend this school at all!!!

My two children attended Carousel since they were 2 years old. I just want to say that these has been a great experience for the children and for us as parents. The curriculum is really good. It covers circle time to help children develop different skills, such as motor, writing, creativity, reading, etc. In the afternoon the kids could have dance, mandarin Chinese and Spanish sessions, among other activities. The staff is the most professional and caring that I have ever seen in another school. We have moved to another city and I still miss all that high quality service and added value that the children and parents receive at Carousel. We do not get that even at a higher fee elsewhere!