Good Shepherd Preschool and Infant Center

I cannot say enough great things about this school. My son has been coming to Good Shepherd for almost 2 years now and he absolutely loves it here! They have many fun and exciting events for the children throughout the year which we all love. Every single teacher truly loves what they do. Not only does it show in the care they give my son, but it shows in my sons reaction when we arrive and when we leave. My son loves learning and playing with all of his friends so much, it gives me comfort and reassurance everyday when I drop him off. I know he is well cared for and know that he is learning something new everyday. There isn’t a doubt in my mind that we made an excellent choice by enrolling our son.

This is our first year at Good Shepherd and we like it very much! The environment is extremely nurturing, creative and upbeat. Our son is absolutely gaining the tools and confidence needed for Preschool. Parents are welcome to participate as much or as little as you like. Every class has an open door policy. Parents can come in and read to the class etc… The kids really do seem to be having fun while learning.

We were looking for a great school and we found it! The teachers are awesome and friendly. Our son loves his teachers. Thank you to all the staff at Good Shepherd Preschool.

So thankful that my husband and I were able to find Good Shepherd. We recently relocated and were both dreading not being able to find a school that measured up to my sons last one. He enjoys going to school everyday and teachers are wonderful.

I am very satisfied with Good Shepherd preschool I had to find my 3 year old son another preschool after his first preschool was closing. I was worried for my son that he would be too shy and he would have problems starting all over, but Good Shepherd was there for him and made the transition very smooth. My son comes home with so many great stories and the school has so many activities for the little ones. Not only is the school very close to my home but the teachers and the staff are amazing. I would recommend this school to my family and friends with little children, and I am very glad with our decision with Good Sheperd Preschool!

I love Good Shepherd Preschool. The teachers are wonderful with my infant. They go above and beyond to make sure the kids are having fun and taking care of.

We love Good Shepherd Preschool and all the teachers. Our daughter has been going there for over a year she has learned so much and loves going to school. When we drop our child off in the morning we know she’s in good hands. Would highly recommend Good Shepherd to everyone.

After looking at a number of different schools in the area and Long Beach, my husband and I settled on Good Shepherd and couldn’t be happier. Having just relocated, we left behind a great school and were worried about finding something new. However, Good Shepherd is a wonderful fit for our family and our son tells us all the time how much he likes his new school. We happened to arrive at an opportune time and managed to snag a last minute spot in the infant room for our daughter, and now both our children — the older is in pre-​K — have been enrolled for a couple of months.
Children are separated into the infant room, 2+, 3+, and pre-​K. However, Good Shepherd feels very much like a family, and the teachers have fostered a warm and caring environment where all the teachers know all the children, even those in classes other than their own.
Miss Coco and Miss Mariah and the infant room are absolutely fabulous, keeping even the babies engaged in lots of fun projects in addition to play and songs — I have a whole wall full of art from my baby!
Mrs Rose and Miss Kathleen in pre-​K are attentive and always have a variety of fun things going on, providing the kids options for play and learning, allowing them to decide what activity they may want to focus on at that moment. My son loves to show off all of the different toys and stations and art all around his classroom. They also do a lot to ensure the children are prepared for kindergarten, practicing and writing letters and sounds, writing numbers and counting, and even some basic math.
In fact, I found all the teachers to be friendly and caring, as they often rotate in afternoons when the kids play outside or as substitutes. Even the other teachers are able to tell me at the end of the day how my kids have been doing. For the record, the student/​teacher ratio is 4 to 1 in the infant room and 12 to 1 in the 3+ and preschool classes, which seems to be pretty standard. I believe it is either 6 or 8 to 1 in the 2+ class.
The location is also great, as there is no outside foot traffic and any visitors are there either for school or the church. Of note, the school is not affiliated with the church and there is no religious instruction. While I preferred this, it is something to know if you are looking for a school with a religious focus. If not though, do not be deterred by the name. The school just leases space from the church, which works very much to the school’s benefit.
Overall, we are very happy with Good Shepherd!

I can’t say enough good words about this school! My daughter loves it here and so do I. She is learning all kinds of stuff and getting to do fun art projects. Lots of activities and a fun playground. She cries when it’s time to leave. All the teachers here are awesome! Wished I would have brought her in sooner! Thank you Good Shepherd for giving my precious baby a safe fun place to go everyday. :-)

My son has been coming to Good Shepherd for almost two years now. I’ve seen him go from a shy boy to very social and out going thanks to the loving environment at GSPS. The staff is all very friendly and they all know every child by name not just the ones in their class. I am always so happy to see my little boy walk in super happy and without a fuzz because he loves going to school. When i pick him up he is always happy as well. Thanks to this school I know I can work and not worry.

Great school and great staff. My oldest went year when he was in preschool and now my youngest is here. I would not have my kids go anywhere else. Teachers are friendly, fun, and creative. It is in a nice area and very safe. The owner is amazing and she really cares for these children. My son comes home happy every day. I completely trust them and have no doubts that he is safe when I am at work.

Good Shepherd is a great school! My sons loves the teachers there. I love the fact that they have a huge outside area and lots of outside time. The communication with teachers is great. The teachers are very professional and friendly. I would recommend this school to any friend !

We just started a couple months ago and here is what I think so far…
CONVENIENT:
Easy parking, great location within a church (no affiliation).
SAFE:
The church buildings sit up on a hill. The only folks going up the hill are church or school related. The entrance/​exit gate is very tall with a top latch. Even my son, the climbing superhero, would have a tough time with it.
My only thought for a little more safety would be a locked or ‘buzz in’ gate with an authorized employee allowing entrance.
I feel, though, with that said, that the people who work there are vigilant and observant and know pretty instantly when someone has entered the grounds.
FRIENDLY:
Everyone I’ve met so far has been all smiles, friendly, accommodating, professional, and nurturing. Even the other kiddos seem at ease and happy to be there.
RATIO:
Teacher to student ratio in the older classes is I believe a max 12:1, with other teachers available in the same vicinity to help when demands arise.
FACILITY:
Great space. They have I think 4 classrooms, and a shared indoor class area, a kitchen, bathrooms, and 2 or 3 separate playground areas divided by age group, and the entrance courtyard.
EQUIPMENT:
Nothing is broken or too far aged. Typical, age appropriate, classic toys and games, roomy cubbies, well organized.
PRICE: We had looked at several preschools in town. Price is comparable. It seemed high to me until I checked in with other places and realized our top 3 were all within about $ 10 of each other (except for one that was a full day less for the same price). The only exception was the Co-​Op on 8^th (price is much lower, compensated by parental volunteerism — a fantastic program btw if you have the time).
TIMING:
Here, you have the option to go half or full day, 3, 4, or 5 days a week. Drop off is as early as 7 am and pick up I believe is until 6 pm. Half day pick up is no later than noon.
FOOD:
One place in town feeds kids lunch made on premises (dangled as a perk), but if you are more of the healthy organic type, or any kind of vegetarian, you’ll have to send lunch with your kids anyway — no perk there. Here, they provide a fairly healthy snack. That’s good enough for me. I like to have more control over what goes in.
POTTY TRAINING OFFERED:
You can’t go wrong here. Well worth it. There is an extra fee, but trust me, for the on the go family, this is a blessing.
CONCLUSION:
Good Shepherd has turned out to be a great decision. In all honesty, it wasn’t our first choice, almost entirely due to the fact that I didn’t know it had the half day preschool portion of the day. I feel my son is learning to socialize (aka share, take turns, share, use words, share), follow directions, all the essential abc’s and 123’s, and all this in an environment that is nurturing, well established, motivating, accepting, affordable, and local. I feel my son is safe and flourishing there. Thank goodness all roads ended up leading us here. I highly recommend without reservation

This place is great. The teachers are responsive and caring. We were able to potty train my daughter while working with teachers. My daughter comes home full of stories, and projects. She clearly enjoys going to school each and every day. We never have trouble dropping her off. I highly recommend this daycare.

Between my two children, our family has been with Good Shepherd for over 3 years and my youngest has another couple of years to go. I cannot say enough about how happy my husband and I are with the entire organization. The facility is very clean and organized and the layout is set up very efficiently. We are beyond thrilled with the owner and staff. Simply stated, they just really do care. I have always felt very comfortable leaving my children in their care and just the same, my boys have always really liked it there and happily march in every day. The teachers do an amazing job at keeping the children safe, organized and engaged.
Apart from caring for the kids throughout the day, the teachers do a fantastic job at the academic level. They prepared our son for Kinder and he is doing remarkably well thanks to their exemplary preparation. Similarly, our youngest is constantly surprising us with what he’s learned at school. Good Shepherd Preschool is like a home away from home for our boys and the staff is like family to us. I could not be happier with our decision to enroll our son all those years ago and I cannot recommend them enough.

My son has been going here for just over 2 months and LOVES it. From the beginning, he is happy when I drop him off and happy when I pick him up. I trust this place so much, it is a safe and caring environment.
The prices are very reasonable for such great care and peace of mind. The communication from the staff is great, every day we know how he was, what he needs, his naps, feedings, etc.
I am so glad people recommended this place to me because I can’t imagine taking my baby anywhere else :)

This school is amazing!!! We have been using good shepherd for nearly 3 years now and our children absolutely love it.. I have had nothing but great experiences with our children there– there are so many activities through out the year where parents and grandparents can also come and get involved. The classrooms are extra clean (huge plus)
I fully trust both of my children to the staff at good shepherd! And to us they aren’t just staff they are family!!!.

Great school! My daughter has attended for 2 years. Staff is attentive and professional. Curriculum is helpful in preparing my daughter for kindergarten

This is a great school. Friendly stuff and in a great location. Highly recommend it.

Good Shepherd Preschool & Infant Center is a GREAT school! They provide a wide range of activities and curriculum to stimulate the minds of all their children from infancy to 5yrs old!
The staff is hands-​on with the children, making sure each child gets the full learning benefits from each project they create!