CDI Early Learning Center

Nice place — great that the infant /​toddler room has a door for «flighty» children such as my toddler — clean & variety of activities —will be back to check out the garden & playground when construction is done

If this facility was NOT free, then there would be more bad reviews. You get what you pay for.
The place is nice for being free. However, because it is free, the staff members have horrible attitudes and bad service. Many volunteers work there but they stand around like flies on the wall. These volunteers are supposed to have an interest in early childhood education. However, they DO NOT do anything to interact with kids other than the few scheduled activities which is not much.
The most disturbing aspect about this facility is the very cold and rude management. They punish and shame parents when they make mistakes, which is unnecessary because most of the time the parents are unaware about the rules. They should politely just let them know that something is not allowed and the parent would certainly abide by the rules. However, do not shame parents when they are merely unaware about the rules. That is horrible and deplorable customer service.

FREE kids place to hang out, play and learn. The place is not big and grand. It’s small, cozy and comfortable. The kids love the tree house with slide. They have a toddler room, reading area, puzzles/​art area and a garden. The workers and volunteers are so nice and good with the kids and they are also very attentive. If you want to go somewhere fun and comfortable with the kids and don’t want to spend money this is the place for you.

Initially a friend invited me and my 2 yr old to playdate at this place. We also attended a party (on Sundays). Finally decided to revisit again bc traffic going to Topanga mall was ridiculiously busy so I turned here for some playtime with son. It is much better decision, they had music 1030 circle time and storytime 1130 this Saturday. Totally free but I decided to donate $ 12 for membership since I was going to spend it on train/​carousel rides at mall anyway. Person who assisted me, let me know all is free and I didnt have to join, (thought that was nice). Lots of young but inexperience volunteers, mostly to clean up. A couple of them seemed experience in circle time activities.
Good place to introduce among peers. Only wish there were more orgnanized activities, thus — 1 star. Other than that, play area clean and organized. They also have free developmental screemings. If you go Sat, theres a small farmers market just outside. Highly recommend place, so check it out.

Excellent place for kids! I’ve been bringing my son since he was a few months old. He loves the activities and toys available. And it’s free!

Have started coming here with my 9 month old and it’s such a great hidden gem in the Valley. It has both pros and cons so let me start off with the Pros.
Pros:
It’s free! There are many learning areas, reading area which is then provided with story time at a certain time, drama area with kitchen, house and dress up, art area with many art supplies, music, and even a nature resort area that has outside play. Parking is around the corner but is usually pack so best bet is to park on the street. There is no music playing. No outside food in any of the areas. there is a cafeteria area in the front of the building or inside the building when it comes to feeding. There are licensed professionals to help with many ranges of therapy from speech to other different developments etc There is also a nursing nook in the Infant but… I wouldn’t suggest using it.
Cons:
It seems that alot of parents just come and drop off their kids to play without ever supervising them and let them run wild. I’ve seen parents just sit there on their phones ignoring their children and what they’re doing such as… Throwing, yelling, hitting… the works. So be vigilant of your child because the staff won’t do anything. The infant room is suppose to be 2 and under ONLY. Pff. It isn’t. It would be nice if staff would make that a strict rule and redirect older children to another play area to keep the younger children safe. I have asked staff if they can redirect older children out of the infant room because they were throwing or running around to the point where it was endangering my 9 month old. The staff did nothing. Before you’re allowed to go in, you will have to sign a waiver that if your child gets hurt or dies from an injury you can’t sue. So after signing this it would be nice if Staff would be more hands on and make sure parents are supervising their children and that the Infant room remains the infant room.

This is a gem in the Valley. Not only is it free, but CDI is filled with toys that I would actually like my son to play with (educational, clean, and interesting) instead of the usual plastic stuff which fill other indoor playgrounds.
At CDI, you have a feeling of peace and there are several hiding areas for kids who need additional calming spots. There is no loud music blasting overhead and there are many outdoor areas if the noise level inside gets too high.
Mr. Randy’s Discovery zone is always great, and of course the staff is great. I started volunteering in the garden and everyone has been very supportive!
They even offer free developmental screening if you are concerned about your child.

Been here many times great place. FREE FREE FEEE and comparable to all the other places we tried for $$$.
Bring wipes to sanitize things or don’t I do I’m a germaphobe that way.
Infant room, books, toys, blocks, mats, slide, jungle gym, arts and crafts and other kids to socialize with.
Perfect!

We come here on monday, wednesday and friday for Mr. Randy’s discovery zone, he does different projects every week. My girl enjoys her time at this place.
Volunteers are very helpful and nice

Before today I would have given this place four or five stars; clean, spacious, outdoor and indoor spaces, space dedicated to two and under, nice volunteers circulating, and plenty of activities.
But today a staff member, and I’m 99% sure it was a staff member and not a volunteer, decided to make a rude, unsolicited, and inappropriate comment to me about my physical appearance (body). I don’t want my child learning about relational aggression, cruelty, and bad manners at what should be a «safe space».

We went to this place last week on weekdays, Wednesday and Thursday. Both times, we went around 9:30am. It is very nice play area for kids. Books, toys, puzzles, toy train table, you name it, they have it. The facility looks fairly new and pretty clean.
On Thursday, we attended outdoor gardening session. We picked fresh basil, and staff member made fresh basil sorbet at the spot. We also learned about bugs and gardening without using pesticide. It ws educational and fun!
We totally enjoy this place. I can’t believe it’s completely free and no obligations! Since it is free, it does get pretty busy and packed, so if you are planning to visit, you might want to go early, as soon as they open, then leave before it gets too busy.
All and all, it’s a nice place for kids!

I’m so glad I found this place! They have an assortment of toys, costumes, books, puzzles, and musical instruments for kids 6 and under. There is also a special room for infants with soft climbing surfaces and a rocking chair. They have regular story times of varying quality (depending on the staff person reading) and music & movement sessions (which we haven’t tried yet). There’s an outdoor garden area and an indoor treehouse with a slide. My 2-​year-​old son spends most of his time here playing at the Thomas the Train table. The facility is kept neat and clean. For $ 12 you can get a membership which allows you to borrow toys and books like a lending library (along with a few additional benefits). The best thing about this place is that it is a free resource for parents trying to find opportunities for their toddler to play with other little kids.

It is clean, new and free.
I was really attracted to the idea of the CDI people working there who seem friendly and young, but they actually do very little. This may be a good thing; they generally stand back and observe and only intervene if a child is in danger of hurting themselves or others. I would like to see them be more proactive in starting art projects with the kids or stuff like that though. I have talked to several of the assistants and found that several were very uninformed or new to the place.
There isn’t a huge amount of things to choose from, but for my one year old it is enough right now.

Great place! Clean, friendly staff, lots of interactive toys, imagination games and a good library