La Petite Academy

My son has been going to La Petite since he was 9 months old. He is almost 4 and I couldn’t have asked for a better day care /​school. The teachers and Director treat the kids with such love and respect, that I always say it’s like my son’s second home. He always comes home and tells me what he learned. .just the other day was how reptiles like to sun bathe! They are more than just a school to us. They are family and I am so grateful to have picked such a great school!

My daughter has been attending here for about a year now and my wife and I could not be happier. She is just about to be 17 months now. They have always shown a lot of attention and care for my little one. Miss Sam is the director and is always involved in the daily activities. One of the most caring person in her profession I have ever met. In my opinion it’s the best care for your money in Santa Clarita. Her staff is on point and I can see in my daughters face when I pick her up that she was well taken care of. Miss Jaime makes my child’s morning a smooth and easy start to her day. There are 2 doors to get into this place with security key pads on each. You have a code that tells them who you are and it logs in the time. Not to mention the guards desk (Miss Sam) is between those doors so I know my child is safe. Since we started here they have provided us with an app to see updates of our child throughout the day. It tells you everything from diaper changes to what food was eaten to when they took their nap. They also send you photos throughout the day. Miss Sam is always getting the families involved with programs like movie nights to themed days for the children. It’s tough when you have to work and leave your child in someone else’s care. I can tell you that it feels good knowing while you are at work that your loved one is being taken care of and you are not stressing out all day thinking the worse. That is what La Petite has done for my wife and I. I highly recommend this child care to anyone that is new to the whole daycare seen.

Well, my second review is two years old, so here I am, updating again. I do this so that you can see an up-​to-​date review from an actual attending family, if you are wondering whether or not this place is the right choice for your kiddies. We’ve been a La Petite family for going on 7 years now. My kids are 11 and 9, and the oldest will be going into his final year at La Petite as he enters Junior High. This is a huge relief for me! Yes, he is older than most of his playmates, but the transition from elementary is so huge that I’m glad he has a familiar after-​school place to play. I just received a «Useful» vote on my 2014 review, and wanted to see what other folks had to say about La Petite. I want to specifically address the recent review that said kids here are ill-​behaved (from a parent that only did a trial-​run). This could NOT be further from the truth. Every child is respected here, and every child is asked to give the same respect to their peers. There is a LOT of free-​play time. I am a mom who was out on the street playing, without parent supervision, while mom did the household chores, from the time I was three. I do not see free-​play as a negative. I love that the La Petite before– and after-​school program duplicates the experience of having a range of kids to play with, age-​wise, during this free-​play. It motivates the older children into leadership roles among their peers. My kids have come home telling me about the spontaneous theatrical production they produced, the fantastic stories they devised, and the silly games they played with their diverse group of friends. Now, having acknowledged the free-​play, I want to clarify that there is also responsible supervision of that play at all times. Just because something appears to be chaos does not mean that it is, parents! Kids that misbehave are given a firm reminder, and in cases where a break is needed, are given a time-​out to go to the office with Ms. Sam. This really helps them if they need to decompress, and if it does happen, my husband and I are notified. If a major behavioral issue comes up (and, believe me, your child is not an angel and they will from time to time), teachers work with parents to address in a sensitive and loving manner before it becomes untenable. In addition, my kids have their homework finished every day before coming home, thanks to Mr. Cody’s and Mr. John’s gentle reminders. The latest thing they’ve implemented is that I am given regular e-​mail updates on how they are doing, snacks they’ve eaten, whether they are outdoors, and sometimes photos of them having fun with craft activities. I love these photo updates! My kids are encouraged to draw, and also help out their teachers in making paper craft snowflakes and flowers to decorate their room. During school breaks and summer, there are regular field trips to places like the Pumpkin Patch, the Fish Hatchery, Ralphs, and CPK. As for the cost, it’s on par with many places in the SCV and much more affordable than a lot of places in the basin. And, like I said in my original interview, these are your children, so be willing to accept the cost of their loving care. Ultimately for me, the proof is in the pudding. Thanks to great SCV public schools, La Petite, and loving family, my kids are being nurtured into accepting, compassionate people. It takes a village, and Ms. Sam, Ms. Julee, Mr. Cody, Mr. Jon, and Ms. Carrie have been an essential part of my village. I am forever grateful.

I was very disappointed here.
I took my daughter for a trial and they were so unstructured and the kids just seemed to just run wild and behave so poorly.
There were kids «playing a game» where one had a trash can over his head and the other kids were hitting him and throwing balls at him.
Really uncool. I had high hopes after my tour a few days previously.
Also safety is an issue– when I came in, in the morning it must have been «rush hour» time and the parents were opening both doors so basically I walked straight in, same when I left. No security at all during those peek periods.
Outdoor areas not well shaded in this heat and sun? Come on.
I gave 2 stars only because the Director Sam and a few of the teachers were really nice and friendly. Other than and the price, I would have given one star.
After I left I stumbled on the Montessori school literally across the street– and wow am I glad I did, I almost cried when I toured it and how wonderful it was compared.
The kids were playing but they were well behaved and having fun– no chaotic mess, structured learning and the teachers had full control. My daughter begged me to leave la petit and at the Montessori she was there for an hour and didn’t want to leave.
Do your self a favor and go across the street instead.

Our family has relied on La Petite Academy to nurture and care for our children 2 – 3 days a week for the past two years. We have experienced the pre-​school, pre-​K and school age programs. We also experienced the transition to new leadership team. I could not be more grateful to a group of educators, caregivers and upstanding people. Ms. Sam has brought new life and inspiration to La Petite. I have always felt that my daughters were safe, cared for, well fed, stimulated and challenged. There is clear communication and weekly newsletters, fun family events and special «extras» like a precious Pre-​K graduation ceremony that celebrated the kiddos and their individuality. We are especially thankful for Ms. Sam, Miss Julee and Mr. Cody who have been our primary contacts and teachers the last year.

My son and I were so happy here and honestly loved them all! Every time we walked in we were always greeted with friendly smiles and genuine «hello’s!» We only left for financial reasons and will truly miss this place :-(
Sam is the greatest! She has always worked with my schedule and it’s because of her we would look into coming back (if we are able to)!
Mrs. Carol is super fabulous as well! Great with my son and the other children but was still firm as well. My son loved her and was very comfortable with her and he is VERY shy and it takes him a while to get used to his surroundings!

If I could somehow rate «La Petite Academy» higher than a 5 star rating I would most defiantly do so. All three of my children have attended this child care facility and still do for a little more than 2 years. I’ve searched throughout many and none have came quite close to how proficient and hard working these people are everyday and how well and natural there jobs come into making our children trust, feel comfortable and at ease on taking the first steps into growing up and learning new and exciting things. I would highly recommend them to anyone. Awesome Child Care!

La Petite Academy is beyond exceptional Ms. Sam and ALL teachers Carol, Julie, Jamie to name a few are great and my 2 little guys love it here. They are always in contact for anything going on and way to go to Ms. Sam for the insightful emails. I feel completely comfortable having my boys here.

I recently enrolled my daughter at la petite. I completely loved the school and the director Ms. Sam, she was so sweet and really seemed to know the school. She took me and my husband around and it really seemed like a positive place for our daughter. The outside play yards are big and they have a lot of variety! Since beginning La Petite my daughter is excited each day to go to school. After touring multiple schools in the Santa Clarita Valley we finally found a place we love!

I enrolled my 2 year old daughter a few months back and the teacher she had was very friendly; we truly loved her. From one day to the next she was gone. I do not know if it is just me, but I would like to be informed when a new teacher is hired and I did not get informed. Also after paying $ 100 for tuition, they still made pay $ 40 for summer activities or she would not be able to attend. Um, this makes no sense to me since I had just payed $ 100. So they also make you pay for the days that they are closed like holidays. So I had to pay for a holiday in which they are closed and are not even watching my daughter. If your child misses a day, they charge you $ 51 just to keep your child’s spot when they miss a day. I was already paying $ 200 a week, which is about as much as rent.

I made the mistake of requesting for someone to contact me via La Petite’s website so I could obtain tuition information. Instead of being contacted by an employee of the location, I received a call from an 855 area code, from a lady who was only interested in scheduling a tour. I explained that I’m not looking to tour facilities just yet but need to get an idea on pricing in my area and she continued to push to schedule the tour only. Now I can only hope not to receive spam mail and future phonecalls.

I bring my 4 year old son to this location. There is nothing bad I could say about this facility. Melanie is the sweetest and best director I have ever met. The entire staff is caring, and really takes the time to let every parent see the love they have for our children.
Everytime I drop my son off, I am greeted by just about every staff. My son is greeted, and he never ever has an issue with saying goodbye to me and running off to play. Everytime I pick him up, he runs up to his teacher and hugs her goodbye.
I wish my son could attend La Petite Academy for his entire K-​12 school years.