Hazel Woods Preschool

My 4.5 year old son has been part of Hazel Woods since Spring 2014 and he’s absolutely blossomed under their care. My husband and I are very pleased with the school’s emphasis on social and emotional development. The teachers model empathy, constructive conflict resolution, kindness, and patience as they gently help children build these skills and gain independence. Hazel Woods is a mixed-​age preschool which has helped teach my first-​born son social and motor skills through aspirational play and «positive peer pressure» that he wouldn’t have learned as easily in a same-​age preschool. Patti Binder, the director and founder of Hazel Woods, is a former kindergarten teacher and Hazel Woods’ curriculum achieves comprehensive kindergarten-​readiness milestones for the transitioning children without disrupting the feel and flow of the school. Patti and her teachers (a 1:4 teacher student ratio!) are very engaged with the children and communicative with the parents — they share funny stories about the day, concerns about behavioral blips, advice on how we can reinforce positive change at home, etc. I feel like I have an open and collaborative dialogue with them about my son’s day-​to-​day experience and his developmental arc. As a parent of two other small children, it is a huge load off my shoulders that Hazel Woods provides healthy and organic snacks and lunch every day. Perhaps my favorite aspect of Hazel Woods is that it seems like an extension of my home (an idealized, tidier, more magical version, sure). When Patti created Hazel Woods, she was very intentional about how she wanted Hazel Woods to look, smell, and feel… and it shows in the details. The smell of fresh-​baked bread wafts through the air. The day flows rhythmically from lower energy activities to higher energy and back down (art/​crafts in the morning, followed by circle time with songs and dance, snack time, indoor play, and outdoor play — lots of running, garden digging, chalk, water play, etc. Then tired bodies come inside to wash up, cuddle on couches for story time, eat lunch, and more songs and stories before parents pick up). Children are welcome to participate in meal preparation during free play, and they eat at a glossy wooden table set with beautiful china, glassware, and vases of flowers. Delightful play spaces abound inside and out. Dotted around the house are baskets of Waldorf dolls, silk scarves and capes, fuzzy animal masks and cuddly stuffed animals. There are Waldorf puppets and two beautiful dollhouses — one Waldorf-​style and the other an intricate Victorian confection. A workspace beckons with blocks, wooden tools, pegs, and clamps. There is a well-​stocked wooden Waldorf kitchen with felt produce, carved foods and serving dishes, and miniature pewter goblets. Hazel Woods’ back garden has grass for rolling, running, and slip-​and-​slide water play on hot days, as well as space for vegetable planting and the bunny hutch for Cookie, the school’s bunny. Other backyard amenities include a big covered porch (lots of chalk drawing happens here!), a wooden play house, and a wooden play ship. It really is an enchanting school and I often joke that *I* want to be a student there. We feel very lucky to be part of the Hazel Woods family and are excited the staff are partnering with us in raising our children to be empathic, brave, kind, and confident little souls.

I am more than willing to take the time to review Ms. Patti, Ms. Kelly, and Hazel Woods Preschool. When this gem of a school showed up in our daughters life, we immediately breathed a sigh of relief. With no exaggeration, it is everything we could have hoped for. Beyond the nurturing, beyond the individual support and recognition of every child, there is the magic. It is truly the best way we could spend our money. We know that every day we drop our daughter off, she is in a total web of care, learning, exploration and play. Ms. Patti has such a twinkle in her eye and compassion in her heart. My husband and I learn from her and her team constantly. I wish I could go back to preschool there myself! ~Tiffany Chambers-​Goldberg

We could not be more thrilled about having our daughter attend Hazel Woods Preschool — it is a GEM in Los Angeles.
We toured a number of preschools on the Westside of LA and here are a few things that make Hazel Woods so special:
— Thoughtful environment with handmade toys from all over the world
— Outdoor garden where children grow plants and try all sorts of new vegetables
— Kitchen where kids help bake bread and healthy snacks
— Mixed ages from 2.5 to 5 — they are a little family!
— Ms. Patti and the other teachers genuinely enjoy being with the children, they take wonderful care of them and the children ADORE them
— Beautiful projects the children work on with all sorts of materials and the freedom to create
— Emphasis on being kind to one another and resolving conflicts in a way that supports all the children involved
— Ms. Patti makes it so easy on parents — healthy snacks and lunches are provided, we’re not scrambling to make food each day and all the events at the school are hosted by the teachers so parents can just come and enjoy themselves with the children — and NO fundraising/​donation obligations
— Personal attention — Ms. Patti and the teachers know exactly what is going on with each child and keeps the parents up to date
I smile every time I drop off our daughter at Hazel Woods — not only do I know she is safe, secure, being looked after with love and having wonderful experiences, but Hazel Woods is a little bit of magic that every childhood should have. My only concern is that our daughter will love Hazel Woods more than home! :)

My husband and I are very happy about sending our daughter to Hazel Woods Preschool. The moment we walked in to the school for our interview, I felt comfortable and very welcomed. This has not changed even after having our daughter attend for her second year. We chose Hazel Woods because we live within walking distance which is very convenient and the hours work out well for us. The tuition is very reasonable for the experience and quality of teachers. Ms. Patti makes it a point to keep us updated on our daughter, not only the concerns, if any, but also the positive things she notices! They also provide very healthy snacks and lunch which is a bonus! Our daughter was not potty trained at the time that we were looking for a preschool and we were delighted that this school accepts children who are not potty trained yet. They worked with us on helping out daughter get potty trained which was very helpful! I really appreciate the fact that the children can be themselves in a supportive and safe environment without having to perform or worry so much about academics just yet. This is so important for their development! We are truly grateful for all of the hard work, thought and care that the teachers at Hazel Woods put in to caring for the kids!

I’m not sure what I can say that hasn’t already been said, but I can tell you you will not be disappointed in this school… it is pure MAGIC! Ms. Patti and her teachers spend so much time preparing, planning and organizing for the day… this is a very well run school with a lot of attention to detail. Having experienced 2 other prestigious Westside schools, I can tell you that this is a real gem. It is warm, nurturing, and your child will have great one on one attention while they are learning through play. Natural, low tech, beautiful toys (no cheap plastic toys here) that engender creativity and imagination. Even the books they read are selected carefully.
When I met Ms. Patti I didn’t care what the activities were — I just knew I wanted her to be instructing and guiding my child every day. The fabulous learning experience (through nature, play, art, reading, puppet shows, etc) was all a bonus. My son was on the older side (his second year of preschool) and he got to be a leader and guide the younger children, while still having the freedom to engage in a lot of role play and typical boisterous, high energy behavior. We loved every second of our time at Hazel Woods and we are all sad to be saying good bye as he moves on to K. Five stars!

Hazel Woods is a fairly new Waldorf preschool that we had the good fortune to stumble upon. Having known nothing about the Waldorf philosophy prior to our experience here, we were pleasantly surprised and grateful for the environment this philosophy and its teachers have provided for our son. From our experience, we have observed that this school is built around nature and natural materials, non-​idea-​imposing play materials to promote the child’s own creativity and space for exploration, age appropriate socialization experiences, family-​like nurturance and care, but also, just good, old-​fashioned fun for the kids! It is a mixed age school where my son learns to interact with younger and older friends.
On any given day, he might learn kindergarten readiness skills (e.g., learn letters and scissor skills), go for nature walks to collect flowers and rocks, grow a garden, nurture caterpillars into butterflies, help care for the resident bunny, help make soup for lunch, learn nursery rhymes and songs, watch a puppet show with learning themes, enjoy a visit from the Star Eco Station critters, or even just enjoy some slip and slide fun on sweltering hot days. It is also a very rare benefit to have the ratio of teachers to students at Hazel Woods, usually 3 – 4 kids:1 teacher/​assistant. My son always gets very loving, personalized attention that I doubt he would receive elsewhere. When my son has challenging days, the teacher informs me in detail what went down and how they are working with him to help him with his behavior so that we can reinforce good behaviors at home. Although our family is not vegetarian, this school’s daily homemade lunches and snacks are all organic and vegetarian, and an added bonus for us has been that our son has become a power veggie eater, eating almost any vegetable (whether kale, collard greens, or asparagus!) I serve him at home without batting an eye!
What makes this school possible is a wonderful head teacher named Ms. Patti who genuinely personally exudes the tenderness and warmth that this school provides. She loves each child very much. There is no school leadership drama as you might find at larger preschools; just an unfettered and beautiful execution of her idealistic vision for a preschool. The parents of students who attend are friendly, down-​to-​earth and clearly devoted to their children without being overbearing. The school has periodic events to include parents and show a little bit of what the kids are learning and doing (like very sweet birthday celebrations, tea parties, and a winter performance), but they do not require or even ask parents to volunteer or contribute time or resources. They do and take care of everything and respect parents’ time/​work schedules which is a huge plus if you’re a working parent or have other kids! I would not hesitate to make the decision to send my son here again.

If I could post a million stars, I would. My daughter has been attending Hazel Woods this year and I cannot say enough about Ms. Patti and her two assistants and this beautiful, sweet school– it is the most cozy, loving, nurturing environment imaginable. The school is always so sweet and beautifully set up each morning, with fresh flowers and crafts set out, sometimes (on chilly mornings) a fire crackling in the fireplace, bread baking in the oven. Warm weather brings homemade fruit Popsicles and slip n slide fun in the garden. And not having to worry about packing a lunch is a godsend– the food is healthy and organic and the children sit together at the table after a blessing is shared. Everything is so well thought out and lovingly prepared. Ms. Patti puts so much care and attention into everything, and she gladly holds my baby girl in her arms if my daughter is having separation anxiety at drop off. I cannot say enough about Ms. Patti’s gentle, loving, maternal nature, I’ve never experienced anything like it, you have to meet her to understand :). And Waldorf is v important to me, so I appreciate the celebration of the seasons and the season-​themed songs and rhymes that they do. I love this gem of a school and highly, highly recommend you get in now before word spreads!

Hazel Woods is truly a magical place and Ms. Patti is hands down the most incredible teacher any family could ask for. Before finding Hazel Woods, I did the circuit of all the local pre-​schools and none of them left me feeling like it was the «one». In fact, we had decided to hold off putting our son in school another year because I couldn’t stomach any more interviews, tours, and ridiculously high tuitions. Not to mention after all this money you were supposed to shell out up front, many times you were ALSO expected to do numerous fundraising events throughout the year. Thankfully, the teacher of our son’s RIE (Respectful Infant Educaring) class told me about Ms. Patti and the opening of her new school and I decided to meet with her… but this was going to be the last stop for the year! I couldn’t be more grateful for that referral because after meeting with Ms. Patti, I knew we had found a home away from home. As a business owner, Ms. Patti is always professional. But more importantly, she is one of the most loving, generous, compassionate, and patient woman I know. We have watched our son grow and thrive into a confident outspoken boy over his first year of school. Ms. Patti cares for the children like they are family and not just another «kid» at the school. She always goes the extra mile in every way. Birthdays, holidays, and special events are always highly creative and beautifully orchestrated celebrations. And she never ceases to amaze us with thoughtful gifts throughout the year. Her attention to detail also extends to the overall environment of the school always keeping it safe, clean, and organized on a daily basis. Our son loves going to school and having Ms. Patti as a teacher and we have never worried or felt hesitant leaving him in her care. Dropping him off at school is more the feeling of taking him to a family members’ cozy loving home. My mom and I always joke that we wish we could go to Hazel Woods too! I truly can’t say enough wonderful things about Hazel Woods and how fortunate we are to have found such a special loving teacher as Ms. Patti.

Best school ever for my quiet son to find his voice. Beautiful loving healthy environment

So happy to have found this sweet, nurturing preschool for our 3 yr old! Healthy, mostly organic snacks and lunches freshly prepared each day; natural, hand-​made toys from around the world; quality art materials with paints imported from Germany; outdoor play in the garden, including a splash pool in the summer and planting in the spring; Waldorf inspired… My child seems to be having good old-​fashioned fun and loving every minute. Ms. Patti is a darling and the loving, joyful environment she’s created makes every day a positive experience for our daughter. Although more children will be admitted in Fall 2013, there will still be at most a 1:6 teacher student ratio to continue the sense of closeness and belonging that we all value as Hazel Woods families.

Hazel Woods is a darling, little, waldorf inspired preschool. Ms Patti has collected beautifully hand crafted toys from all over the world and has made some herself too. The whole aesthetic of the school is very warm, calm, welcoming and a little magical.
The school is based out of Ms Patti’s home. Her family lives mostly upstairs and the downstairs and backyard is all preschool. Ms. Patti is calm, patient, loving, creative and my son has said she has sparkly eyes, I agree. Ms. Patti has two children that are in middle school (Kathryn and Laura), they both seem like great girls — walking/​living proof of what a good person Ms Patti is. If you are interested in a waldorf education for your child, and even if you are not, I believe this is a truly wonderful start.

Where to begin? We’ve known Ms. Patti for years, she is one of the most inspiring, kind and compassionate individuals we’ve ever met.
Ms. Patti has combined her extensive, Waldorf-​based child development knowledge with her angelic, kind and infectious personality, to create a vibrant kiddo community that offers children an opportunity of a life time.
Hazel Woods Preschool is dreamy, idyllic and quite frankly, exceptional. Under Ms. Patti’s leadership, we know our daughter is safe, happy and thriving.
For our daughter, who is 4 years old, the cement is «starting to settle» as they say. In deciding what preschool environment would best suit her needs, it was clear that Hazel Woods was the perfect choice for our daughter and family. The setting is serene and the activities are stimulating. The food is healthy, and the toys are pain-​stakingly chosen by Ms. Patti and must meet her strict criteria before entering the school.
We truly feel blessed to have crossed paths with Ms. Patti & Hazel Woods Preschool. Knowing Ms. Patti has touched the lives of both our son (she was his kindergarten co-​teacher!!!) and our daughter, and gives us solace because her influence has undoubtedly contributed to the ultimate goal of giving our children the foundation to grow into even happier, stronger and more grounded and balanced human beings!

I was so lucky to find this school for my daughter, it’s a great pre school run by Patti Binder, she is great with the kids and the parents too, she is loving, caring and my daughter adores her. They have different activities everyday, a lot of playing in the garden, stories, art, if you are looking for a preschool you have to check this one out.

This school is fantastic!
I spent the time with the owner and her students at her school based on the «Waldorf» method. I noticed a very happy atmosphere with free play mixed with carefully thought out activities such as baking bread and arts and crafts.
The house is immaculate and cozy. Patti is loving and caring. Every parent I spoke to
had positive things to say about the school. What a great environment to have your children be nurtured and to learn social skills at the same time.
Truly a «gem» for families in Los Angeles!