North Huntington Beach Community Nursery School

My 2 daughters attended this school from 1998 and 2000. The teacher at the time was Miss Victoria. She was a phenomenal influence on my parenting approach and my kids’ early childhood experience-​both at school and home.
I would love to reach her and tell her how much of a positive effect she had on our family. If anyone knows her, of her or about her please forward this review to her or send me her contact info. I cannot remember her last name! erg. It was just always… Miss Victoria!
Thank you Christine

My daughter only attended this preschool for a semester, but it was a wonderful experience. It’s the stuff of a magical barefoot childhood. There is an organic garden where the kids can pick fresh mint to eat. She still talks about her friends and the celebrations she experienced during her time there. The class room is filled with open ended natural toys and play stations where the children can do activities that help cultivate their creativity.
It’s Reggio inspired, which is very play based and exactly what we were looking for.
We decided not to continue for a few reasons.
1) Proximity to our house. We found it was a bit too far for us. I work from home and my husband works in the opposite direction. Our needs dictate that we need something closer to home.
2) I’m a working mom and there is a strong parent commitment. Since I run my own business, it’s hard to devote extra time to working in a co-​op. I found that my workload was too great to put in the time required. However, this was a wonderful introduction to preschool for my daughter and she thrived in that environment.
A co-​op is only as strong as the community and for a very short time, there was some disruption. But, that minor hiccup seems to have rectified itself.
We still keep in touch with many friends from the school. We think about going back when/​if my work situation changes. I would highly recommend the school.

Our family sent our two children to NHBCNS. When we first began Suzanne, the current Director, was the teacher. My son, who was part of one of the first classes she worked with at the school, still considers the preschool a special part of his life. Once he started Kindergarten, he told me «preschool taught me how to make friends, now school teaches me what to learn.» If you want an environment where children learn how to communicate and build self worth, then NHBCNS is definitely a place to visit and consider. My second child just graduated the preschool and she will be starting Kindergarten this Fall. She too had a positive, loving experience at the school. When selecting a school for your family, especially one that will have the first impact on your child outside of your home, it is important to visit and get a feel for the environment to see if its the right fit for you. There have been many complaints specifically about Suzanne, the Director, being a gossip. For me Suzanne is very transparent. It is difficult to be a director of a school that considers all of its members a community. You deal with many personalities and the balance of keeping professional and forming friendly bonds is a tenuous one at best. It was my experience that if I wanted to see something changed at the school, Suzanne was always open to talk about it. Did changes always happen… no. But, did some things I encourage change… yes. I also served on the board one year. I can assure you that the board does review and vote on any changes that happen at the school. The Director is not the end all voice. As for gossip, as an adult I choose to stay away from that and children by nature do not gossip. My children walked through gardens with Suzanne, sang with her, learned how to climb trees, flew kites, and created an imaginative world that will stay with them for life.

NHBCNS has been a wonderful experience for our family. As a parent, I knew I wanted something different than just dropping my kid off at the door type of school. I wanted to know what was going on. I wanted to feel like I had a connection with the hired staff and ability to have a say in decision making. I am a working mom and was concerned about the time commitment of a co-​op school. Well, our son just completed 3 full years at NHBCNS and I couldn’t be happier. I love the school, the child-​led, play based philosophy, the outdoor environment, all of the hired employees (director, teacher and aids), the community of parents, everything. I love it so much, that I made time to be on the board of the school.
I am sad that my son has to go to kindergarten next year, but am so glad that he will be able to climb a tree better than any of his classmates.
I am looking forward to another 3 years with my daughter.
I can’t recommend this school enough. If you want something different, this is the place for you.

I refer to this as our little hippie school. I love that my children have started their schooling experience in a play based learning environment. The play yard is like no other. My kids have learned such great social skills through the ideology of the school. With it being a co-​op, I have learned such valuable parenting skills from watching how the teachers and director deal with the children, info provided to us through parent ed and in general just being a great sounding board to ask for advice. My oldest is heading off to elementary school and I’m positive all his experiences at NHBCNS will benefit him so much on his new venture. I’m looking forward to our younger children continuing on as part of the NHBCNS community!

We chose to leave NHB because of the lack
of professionalism from the director. This school is a co-​op meaning a parent ran school. We are the employers, thus the director and teachers our employees. It is so dysfunctional, and most of the time full of drama from the gossiping of the director (who is a walking contradiction of what she says NHB represents) The ONLY reason we stayed as long as we did was because of one teacher (whom I believe was the heart, love and light of the children) Jalene. After seeing and witnessing her being treated so poorly by the director we couldn’t stand to rough out another year, leaving behind Jalene and all the love, support and advise you search for at an early childhood school. Now it will be a mediocre day care ran by half wits who have been blinded by the woman destroying what would and could be an amazing school. Run as fast as you can
away from NHB, look at schools like Hilltop and Waldorf School of Orange County.

Our son has been attending here for the past two years and LOVES it. The teachers are amazing, patient and very caring. Everything is natural in the classroom and crafts are done to their perfection never by following an example. The outside play area is even more amazing! Garden with fruits/​veggies for them to munch on, tons of fun areas for creative play, and tricycles. On hot days they get the water hoses out for them to have fun with making puddles or just splashing. The school allows you to work your day with a baby in arms under 1 which is great! The working parent schedules are flexible and the party events they host are a lot of fun! It’s a great school with a lot of fun families that make each of our children’s experience one to remember.

We’ve had our daughter at NHBCNS for 3 yrs and absolutely LOVE everything about it! The staff is amazing, truly cares about creating a near-​perfect learning environment, and have knowledge and professionalism in providing an individualized program that allows children to learn while playing and engaging in a non-​forced academic environment. I love that they have an outdoor play area with a garden, animals, and «old school» toys (paint, monkey bars, slides, see-​saw, etc). Additionally, as it is a co-​op school, there is strong sense of community among the families. There are numerous activities throughout the year in which families get to participate, raise funds, and do this while having fun and getting to know each other better. Overall, I highly recommend doing a tour, and seeing if it’s the right fit for your child and your family!