Metro Gateway Child Development Center

My daughter Marley attended Metro Gateway from 5 months to 9 months. Enrolling my daughter in daycare was one of the scariest things I’ve had to do and as a new mom I didn’t know what to expect. Metro Gateway was one of the first child care facilities I visited and I was in love instantly. We were very lucky a spot opened up.
The teachers in the infant room were amazing, wonderful and caring women. Every day I dropped my daughter off I knew she was receiving the best care and love. The room was very clean and large enough for mobile babies to explore. There are plenty of toys that engage sensory learning and motor skills. The women always sanitize the toys as they are used by the children. Ms. Dina would always sing a song in the morning welcoming the children to school and I still sing this song to my daughter and she claps her hands. My daughter and the other children were always engaged in a new activity including drawing, painting, music, and outdoor/​indoor play. They even had a safe cart to take the infants out to see the aquarium at the train station. It was obvious these women knew all the children and their personalities and loved every one of them. I would pick my daughter up later in the evening and she would often be the last child there. It would make me so happy to come in and see her and Ms. Gloria sitting and reading or drawing. My daughter never cried when I brought her there. She loved the ladies in the infant room like they were family and my husband and I felt the same.
Unfortunately, my family decided to relocate to Georgia. It has been a difficult transition and now that I’m retuning to work, it has gotten harder now that I’m looking for a daycare for Marley. No place has remotely come close to giving me the confidence and comfort in leaving my daughter like Metro Gateway did. This facility and the people who work there are irreplaceable. I highly recommend this child care center.

My son has been in this daycare for two months now (he’s 5 months). Two other people I know also have their children there and I found this place on the recommendation of a coworker. The teachers in the infant room are fabulous. They really care about the babies and give your child a lot of love. Unlike other places I’ve toured when looking for a daycare, they try to make sure that your child isn’t left to cry. They hold crying babies and try to calm them by interaction like singing, reading books, and playing with toys.
They don’t have swings and playpens so you don’t have to worry about someone leaving your child in a swing or playpen all day. The sleeping area is in the same room thus when your child awakes there is always someone there to pick them up and take them out of their crib right away. They regularly practice tummy time and everyday you can ask them to do different activities with your child to improve the area of development you want them to work on.
The best part is they don’t get irritated by frequent visits from parents. I come to visit my baby a lot almost daily sometimes and they are always happy to have me there. The week before my son started they let me come and sit with them for a few half days and then I left him for a couple hours. They helped me transition my son to a full day and he now enjoys the time he spends there.

I never write reviews (even though I spend $ 1,000s each year for online goodies and local goods and services), but I just have to write about our kids’ school. I want other families who live and/​or work in Downtown Los Angeles, so they can benefit, like our family has. I hope Unilocal doesn’t filter this to hold my lack of reviews against me – here it goes…
This child care center is top notch, and our two preschoolers are thriving here! What we love is the low child to teacher ratio (for kids 4 years+ it is between 1:5 to 1:9, depending on how many children are there), and the warm environment. Our teachers spend time with each child, getting to know them as individuals, yet also teaching the importance of classroom rules and societal expectations. Even though this school focuses on playing and learning about the world we live in, my kids have learned to write their alphabet (upper and lower cases), and numbers to 100. There is no «rote» learning, this is all done through art and song — no wonder they love it!
They have AMAZING toys and materials! We have been using child care for many years, and have never seen the vast assortment of toys, art, building, «house» or learning supplies. Magnatiles, Mobilios, all sorts of counting and alphabet games and activities, great kitchen areas are all at kid level. I like to research toys and learning materials for home, and they have things I have never heard of before! The classroom rule of two or three kids to an «area», helps keep the kids in small groups and keep conflict down, and friendships way up.
They are in the process of getting a large play structure in their outside play area. Until then, they have all sorts of outside equipment and toys that our kids really enjoy. The teachers make an effort to get the kids involved in physical activity and group movement in their three outside play times each day, so while some kids are playing and doing their own thing, other kids that might need more encouragement will find that, too. Works for both of our kids.
Their healthy food program provides a full breakfast, full lunch, and good afternoon snack. Looking at the menu today, it is «chicken» in a blanket with oranges for breakfast, tuna pita sandwich with melons for lunch, and cheese quesadilla with veggies for afternoon snack. Of course, there are still birthdays at school with cupcakes, but in general, the sugar is very low, the grains are whole, and the protein and fresh fruits and veggies are there. 1% milk with each snack and meal. The food program is $ 100 extra a month, but for the amount of time it saves me each morning packing two kids snacks, for us it is really worth it.
They are about $ 200/​month less than the other preschools we looked into near our house. So, good kid experience, good food, convenient location, and good price — we only have great things to say.