Sierra Madre Community Nursery School

I have to say I am bewildered by the previous review/​reviewer. I don’t know their specific situation but I can tell you it is completely inconsistent with my experience in the last year that we have been attending SMCNS. There are minimum 5 adults in the class at all time… 1 teacher & 1 teacher’s assistant. 3 parents and often times a parent/​teacher who is a parent that has been trained and has dedicated more time to taking care of the children in the class. This is with maybe 15 children in the class. The parents are NEVER «sent out to work» and their ONLY job on their day working in class is supervising the children. They do not socialize with each other, they only watch the children. They are spaced out so that every area of the class (indoor and out) is always supervised. The teacher, teachers assistant & parent teacher are constantly on the move from child to child, seeing the projects they are working on, guiding and encouraging them, and addressing various social issues that naturally come with this age, all while overseeing the parents supervision. I have never seen children unsupervised and the play yard is safe and well cared for… where someone may have seen «dangerous equipment» in the playground is a total mystery to me. It saddens me to see the unkind things that were written about Beverly who is a warm, genuine woman and who is *clearly* dedicated to the wellbeing and development of every child in the school. Again, this is from my experience but it is abundantly apparent how much Joan (the multi-​age teacher) and Beverly care about the children and I can not even begin to imagine that a child was hurt and that they did not care or try to contact the parents after.
I am and continue to be immensely grateful that I found this wonderful school, our son is happy and thriving in the environment, and as a parent in a co-​op I have had a first row view of his growth which I will cherish always.

I really love this school. Both my children spent a collective six years here in preschool and kindergarten. They have the fondest memories of this place and still return to visit their teachers.
It follows a developmental philosophy, so please be sure to understand what that means before you send your child here. If you are looking for a competitive, rushed, academic environment where toddlers sit behind desks, quietly listen to lectures, and fill out worksheets, then this school is not for you. It is a place where children learn through playing and exploring in a mostly outdoor setting.
The teachers are creative and nurturing. The children have very enriching experiences here. They climb, zip line, use hoses, get dirty in the sandbox, handle earthworms and bunnies, cook their own snack, use real scissors, dress up, paint, dance, read great books, sing songs, and make a lot of happy noise. They learn just as much as they would in a traditional academic setting; however, they do it in a fun, age-​appropriate, emotionally supportive environment. They develop a love of school, something they will carry with them when they move on.
My children were able to get into a highly selective, private, academic school straight out of this kindergarten. They have both been very academically successful there. Some of the most sought-​after private elementary schools in the Pasadena area look favorably on applicants from this school. They know that young children do indeed learn academics in fun, play-​based environments and that these children are more likely to be engaged, curious, and excited about school.
I found the volunteering to be a wonderful opportunity to share my children’s experiences and see what was going on in the classroom. The school provided a lot of training and parent education throughout the process i.e. before I started working in the classroom and throughout the entire time I was there. Also, the volunteer requirements are not that much more than private elementary schools in the area. Even though we are no longer in a COOP, we still have to volunteer 45+ hours a year. This is the norm.
Volunteering in the school has a lot of benefits. You get to spend time with your child. You become very close with the teachers and other families. You learn a lot about parenting and teaching. Also, if you are trying to get into private elementary schools, their admissions directors look for families who get involved, donate their time, and take on leadership roles at the school. At SMCNS, many opportunities exist to get involved.
We started in a summer program at Pacific Oaks, and we heard of this school there. We wanted something similar, and we found SMCNS to be so. We are blessed in that there are many great schools in the Pasadena area. This is definitely one of them.

Horrible horrible school. Do not send your child to this school.
My child has been attending Pacific Oaks Preschool since he was 1 year old. Pacific Oaks is the best among any preschool so we were blessed to be exposed and learn how the preschool should be and what is the best early education for children.
Some of my friends were trying out Sierra Madre Community Nursery School and they seemed to like it so we went for a tour. Beverly who is a director of school seemed nice at first and very eager for my 24 months old to start right away saying he is ready to join at multi age afternoon group where the age group is from 2 ½ to 4 ½. I wasn’t sure, so I specifically asked if the class is appropriate for the my barely two year old.
She assured me how advanced he is and he should fit right in. I also asked if the class room wouldn’t be toI later found out from other parents that the school’s enrollment has been down and they are desperate to keep the class full.
With her assurance, we started the school. My child seemed to have fun in the class but compared to Pacific Oaks Preschool, it was really not good. Also we didn’t like there were only two teachers and almost 20 kids in the yard/​class running around with volunteer parents. Parents were put to monitor/​work kids but we were given no prior instruction nor education. Yes, we are all parents, but not all are qualified to teach obviously. Often times kids would roam around unsupervised since many parents would be out to work and would get too busy. It was disaster waiting to happen especially where their playground had full of dangerous equipment.
As I worried, my child fell one day and broke and dislocated his elbow while he was playing in their class. He had to so a surgery to correct it and then his arm was casted for weeks. It was the worst to see your child suffer from enormous pain. His other schools and classes he take, all contacted us asking how he is doing and even offered for refund for the classes he missed. But we NEVER heard back from Sierra Madre Community Nursery School. I emailed TWICE to Beverly. But never got any response. No checking on how he is doing or how they can better improve their facility so no other kids would get hurt like my child. This is not excusable. We stopped going to the school for obvious reason including not wanting my child to expose to danger. Yet still never ever heard back.
They are the worst school. Not only they are not providing good education for child and expose dangerous facility and lack of supervision to child where accidents are bound to happen, they do not care about their student what so ever. Do not send your child there.

Smcns offers a one of a kind early childhood education experience, for child and parents. Yes, it’s a co-​op – there are days in which you work at the school and help to maintain the school in the spirit of community. During the days you work, you get learn valuable tools for parenting & communicating with your child. Is the play yard and environment awesome? Yes! A true natural environment to the child be who they are — before having traditional academics and the pressure that goes with shoved down their throats. Children who attend learn science, math, art & music all through play — -but the most important part, they learn to use their own voice becoming thoughtful, insightful little persons.

I am disappointed to see so many inaccuracies about this school and misunderstandings of its philosophy in many of the other reviews.
We have had a very positive experience at this school. I have had two kids go all the way through the program at Sierra Madre Nursery School and plan to send my third child in the Fall.
In terms of politics, I am an independent, but I would guess that if anything, the majority of parents at this school are democrats. But like Cameron E. said, politics is not really something that I have heard discussed at all. There do seem to be some general values that many of the parents hold in common, such as a value for care for the environment and gentle/​natural parenting.
One must understand that in the preschool world, there are «academic» and «developmental» preschools. These are just two different approaches for children to learn. Some of the other reviewers should probably have sent their children to an «academic» school, where their children could have been directly instructed (often using worksheets) in learning the alphabet, numbers, colors, etc. At SMCNS, a «developmental» approach is taken, and therefore it appears that «all the children do is play.» I thought that too when I started at the school. But actually, much more than that is happening. Each classroom is stocked very intentionally with playground equipment, activities, toys and supplies which are appropriate for advancing the developmental level of the children in that particular class. The children do learn academic concepts, but they learn through exploring, playing and interacting with peers, rather than sitting down at a table being directly instructed.
Does this prepare children for an academic environment once they finish preschool? I wondered that too. In my experience, the answer is yes. Both of my children are at the top of their classes in a good public school and found the work in public school kindergaren mostly too easy! The nursery school has a reputation at my kids’ school for sending kids that are most able to sit at a table and work and behave properly in school as well.
Is it a lot of work for the parents? Well, compared to some other preschools, yes. Parents must know they are signing up for a co-​op, and that means taking ownership of the well-​being of the school and the kids through many of our own efforts. A bonus to being involved in a co-​op is that you really get an exceptional group of parents who want to be very involved in their kids’ lives, and therefore a lot of really nice kids too. Personally, I see more value in preschool in working on the kids’ social and emotional development, which this school is GREAT for. And I have found it to be a tremendous gift that this school has really taught ME how to relate to my kids in more effective way and to be a better parent.

Depending on what your views on child rearing are, this may not be the school for you. I believe children need discipline and structure to thrive. Unfortunately, this school provides neither. the School is more of a day care than any type of child development center. It would be nice if the «school» prepared my son to at least write his name by the time he is enrolled in Kindergarten. On the positive side the school is aesthetically pleasing, but that is the extent of it. We withdrew our child so he can home school and learn a thing or two.

The only other review on here says, it’s cool, if your white and Republican. Haha, what a joke! My child went there and I saw nothing but, tree hugging Obama supporters!
School is great if you don’t want your child to learn, all they do is play.

What a completely bizarre review from «Erich N.» SMCNS is actually on the progressive side, but even then, I’ve never heard politics discussed on the campus. Furthermore, my son has made friends from many different cultures and whose parents have a wide range of political leanings.
We love this school and have just started our 4^th year. Meeting kids where they’re at developmentally is the key to how successful they are at helping students learn to socialize and interact with the world around them. Learning takes place in a safe environment where children are given choices and increased responsibility as they grow. Every yard has a custom made playhouse full of dress up clothes, a big sand box for digging and building, tricycles, tactile activities, a play structure for climbing and sliding down, an art center, and a quiet spot for reading and reflection. Students are given the opportunity to cook, while closely supervised, and math, science, language arts, and civics are taught through play and developmentally appropriate activities.
Because it’s a co-​op you really get to know your child’s peers and their parents. It makes play dates easier to coordinate and we have met some really cool families who we will probably have in our lives for years to come. I would encourage anyone interested to come take a tour and see these things for themselves. Sending our son to this school is one of the best decisions we’ve ever made.