Children’s Paradise Preschool & Infant Center

Honestly not even sure where to start. This place is a freaking nightmare. The most unorganized unconcerned staff I have ever encountered at any establishment, let alone a place that cares for young children. First let me start by saying I’m not the overprotective parent. My second child went here for a few months this year. I’m no first time mother with unfounded concerns. I don’t even know how to sum this up without going on and on. First, as many parents do we applied for some aid to help with the enormous cost of childcare. The woman in charge of such applications submitted the application for the wrong year and didn’t bother to tell us until 6 weeks later. The entire time we were paying full cost which we could not afford, anticipating a bit of aid to offset cost. When she finally called to inform us, she had no information as to what to do next. I asked her basic question such as when the last day of the year was etc, and she had no idea. She said she’d follow up which surprisingly she never did. When she straightened out the application and we spoke, I asked her how long my daughter would qualify for aid. She had no idea and again promised to follow up. Guess what? No call. The children are ushered from class to class with different teachers every morning. No routine. I’ve seen staff be so short and rude with very young children. They force the children to sleep for hours, and if they can’t fall asleep they are told to sit there without moving or speaking for hours. They are 3 and 4. This is nearly impossible for children of this age. But here’s the final straw, doubt anyone is still with me. On Friday I picked up my daughter… The assistant said, «yeah she’s over there» and pointed at the sand box. I found her crying bleeding from her knee, elbow, and face. No one noticed. Now I understand kids get hurt, but no one noticed my usually very vocal, slightly hyperactive child in the sand box crying with blood running down her leg? No cool. Bottom line, never going back again. Don’t take your kids here.

Ms Eva is absolutely amazing!!! She always keeps me informed of changes/​events & takes wonderful care of my princess!!!

This preschool has been very accommodating and compassionate towards my sons needs and I have been grateful to have both my children in a caring and clean environment where I felt they were safe while I had to be at work.
My son was in QPI and my daughter will be starting QPI in a couple of weeks. The only reason I gave 4 instead of 5 stars was because I didn’t feel like working parents hours were really considered during some of the planning (example, making a mandatory class at 11 am on a Wednesday is pretty much impossible since I have to be at work during that time). It would be nice if there was a later day option for the parents that can’t easily take time off from work but do want to be involved, like me.
The teachers have all shown that they care about my kids, beyond them just being «bodies» in their class. I would regularly get updates about their days upon pick up. Eva has been very helpful when we’ve run into any issues. My son left children’s Paradise for the summer to go to the school districts summer program since he will be starting kindergarten this fall. It turned out to be a horrible mistake and things did not go well in that program, just in the first week. I called Eva, very upset about the situation and sort of in a panic since I needed somewhere for him to go since I work. Eva made it clear to me that my son was welcome back immediately and I was able to breathe a huge sigh of relief. That feeling was invaluable and I am forever grateful for that.
Overall, this preschool is clean, the hours are great, the teachers and staff care and the environment is warm and welcoming. I would definitely recommend it.

I sent this email to 4 of the administrators when they asked why I pulled my son out. I sent this email 2 days ago without a response from anyone what’s so ever…
There are a number of reasons for us leaving. I haven’t been happy with the school for a couple months now and Monday was the last straw.
I had Brody scheduled to go from 8am until noon on Mondays and Wednesdays. However, I had been picking him up at 11:30 because having him sit in the dark while the other children were napping for that half hour between 11:30 to noon seemed rather pointless and well, cruel. On Monday morning when I dropped him off, he and I waited in his empty classroom for a half hour and no one ever showed up. There was no note, no phone call, no information for us as to what to expect or do. I wandered into classrooms until we saw familiar faces from his class. I was forced to yet again, leave him with another stranger in another unfamiliar classroom. This has become a pretty common occurance, getting there at 8am and no teacher. On top of that, it seems as though every few weeks, as soon as we do get used to a another new teacher, they are gone again and he is left with yet another stranger. It is not fair to him.
Now, back to his schedule. He is only there for 3 ½ hours per day. In that time, he as 2 meals. Breakfast and lunch in a period of only 3 ½ hours. I feel like I am only paying for him to sit and eat. I have already taught him how to eat. He is not learning anything. Another issue I am having trouble dealing with is the monthly billing. Some months I am charged $ 460, some months it’s $ 380 and some months it is something else. I understand that some months have an extra week. But even that doesn’t make sense as far as the totals for each month go. Again, no note, no phone call, or explanation for the extra charges. That’s unfair to me.
I’ve done my research. I have found a school that he can go to 3 days a week for 4 full hours each day and I will spend less than I do now. It is an academically based preschool, where learning is the priority. They have 3 year olds doing addition and writing in cursive. There is a professional musician there once a week to teach the kids how to sing and play instruments. They put on 2 concerts a year. It is just a better opportunity for him to learn. The teachers there have all been there for over 10 years, so he will always see a familiar face, and he will not be shuffled around from room to room. At this stage in life, kids need stability and consistency more than anything.
I am not trying to come off brash. You asked why we are leaving, I am just honestly telling you how we feel.
I gave my required 2 weeks notice on Wednesday and have decided not to bring him back for the remaining 2 weeks. He is not happy there and I won’t put him through it.
Thank you,

This review is only going to be on the staff up front at the receptionist desk. My second review for the day care will need a different rating.
The owner is not involved or interested in getting to know or greet parents so i can’t say much about her other than she is not personable.
The girls that do assist the parents with checking in and out as well as monthly payments are friendly. Eva G. who is the assistant director is really nice and friendly. She always greets me and my daughter with a smile. She manages the the stress from upset parents very professionally and seems to be concerned with finding a solution. Eva is one of the very few staff members that are friendly and able to answer my questions.
There are several teachers that seem to have no interest in working with children and the very crowded class rooms serve a lot of over processed foods.
However Eva is a great help and i can she has compassion for children and does what she can to improve the day care. There are just a lot of things that need to be done and is probably a lot to ask of one person.

I have two children that have been with Children’s Paradise for over 5 years now, and I couldn’t be happier with the care, attention and education they receive. My son was lucky enough to have Miss Eva as his teacher prior to her moving into her administrative position. While Miss Eva was amazing in the classroom, she is a huge asset in the front office! Always so welcoming, attentive, informative and pleasant. Even though my kids cant be with me and my husband during the week while we’re at work, our kids are in the best, most capable hands. Thank you Miss Eva for making our experience such a positive one!!!

THIS PLACE IS A SCAM!
READ THEIR CONTRACT!
THEY CHARGE MIN 2 FULL DAYS A WEEK IF YOU NOTIFY THEM OF SCHEDULE CHANFE TWO WEEKS AHEAD. Otherwise ITS FULL PRICE FOR EACH DAY YOU MISS. IF YOU BREAK CONTRACT, THEY STILL WILL CHARGE YOU TWO FULL WEEKS BECAUSE BY THE CONTRACT YOU NEED TO NOTIFY THEM TWO WEEKS IN ADVANCE, again!
My daughter took my grandson there. It only lasted a few weeks because we were very disappointed. The nannies were ok. But the business and the owner are the ones that made us not come back. Those who started to work there when the mother of the current owner ran the place are nice and care for children. I think people are referring this place to each other based on how it used to be ran by the mother of the owner. That’s how we found this place. But it’s not good. It only looks good from the outside. I agree with those who say this place isn’t there to help parents or to take good care of our children. We take our children and hope they come back healthy and safe. My grandson cried and got home sick after a few days there. Those days we didn’t attend we got charged fully and they don’t care about the child. Their interest is strictly money. They require two weeks in advance to be notified of any changes in schedule. How can you if your child gets sick? Do any of you pre-​plan your child’s illness? But even those days when we notified them we got charged full price and not minimum. No matter whether you take your child or not, they will charge full price for the week unless you notify them two weeks in advance and you changed your child’s schedule to two days a week (their minimum charge is for two days a week). But even though we did notify them once, they treated us like if they didn’t understand this and kept charging. When we decided to end the contract, they charged us still two weeks after that because by THEIR CONTRACT you need to notify them TWO WEEKS IN ADVANCE you are breaking the contract.
So THIS PLACE IS A SCAM! And is there only to make money. We were overly charged. Staff is rude and we will never recommend this day care to any of our friends!

One of my children goes to this preschool. We did have her in another one but we were offered a great free program. I was VERY worried at first but I will have to say I do like the school and the staff. The core teachers are wonderful and many of the assistants. Yes there is «better» but overall I think it is a wonderful program. It is all about you as a parent being involved and really finding out who your teachers are, being committed. My daughters teachers are the best I love all 3 of them. I am not sure of the others in the facility but I am sure they are wonderful too.

Nice facility. But its all about the money and not your children. If you want to find angry under-​paid and under appreciated teachers this is your place. The teachers are always frustrated and tend to take it with them in the classroom. Oh and watch out… because the teachers definitely play favorites with your children…

I pulled my son out even with a $ 200 credit. Yeah, it’s that bad. No information about your child’s day and if you ever need to ask any questions, don’t bother. You’re wasting the director’s time.

I’m giving this review three stars because my son loves this daycare. There are a few problems I have with the facility. #1 being with how clean everything is kept there. My son has been to a few different daycares and at this one he gets sick by far the most. #2 is how dirty my son comes back home at the end of the day. I have had to throw out a lot of clothes due to stains. But like my son comes home happy, and sometimes doesn’t even want to stop playing. The staff is all friendly and nice, and I feel like they genuinely care about my son, and not just about getting paid. Another thing I like about the daycare is they call me while at work and let me know of any ouch reports. Overall my son and I are happy with Children’s paradise.

I LOVE the teachers that work with my son… and the QPI program that is offered!
I do feel that the administration is a bit unprofessional in their attitude, communication to parents, and for some their attire… there is a lady who wants to accentuate her breasts and thinks a dinky little scarf is professional, I understand if you got em flaunt em but this is a child environment…
The admin thinks in a preschool/​daycare environment HIGH HEELS is acceptable I see them hobbling around by 12pm which worries me because if there was an emergency I know they wouldn’t be able to respond in a timely manner…
I apparently was late picking my son up from school and they should have told me I owed the $ 9 that day… right…no they told me a week later that I owed them and when I asked for her to show me what day she said it was to far back but it was from the previous week and she couldn’t tell me how long he was kept I fought her on this by saying «if this was last week why wasn’t I told then» after repeating myself a FEW times then it was waived but the next time I would have to pay later when I went to pick up my kid I apologized for the attitude I responded with, she said no problem the admin does not feel the need to feel sincere about anything EVER…
I signed my son up thinking they were there for the kids NOT THE DOLLAR apparently I was wrong
The menu is not really «home cooked» which is fine but don’t make it seem like you put emphasis on what you feed my child if you really are just feeding them processed, high in fructose corn syrup food. It would please me if they switch to organic or at least a non processed food diet…
other than these issues I am quite pleased:)

Oh my, where do I even start? Much like An L., I feel very compelled to write a review about this location and the experiences I’ve been through. I talked to the receptionist about pulling my son from the school because I didn’t feel they were doing a good job. I came to Children’s Paradise because of what I saw; a structured learning environment that actually had a solid curriculum, a chef that cooked them meals for breakfast and lunch, a small ratio of students to teachers, and the list could go on. I felt that this was the place for my son. Wrong. It’s only been two months, and I put my two weeks notice in (Oh, make sure you read ALL of the fine print before you sign anything).
So what is so bad about this place?
–My son has learned nothing from this «preschool» (it should be dubbed a daycare). I was told they have a schedule to follow and they prepare the kids for kindergarten, but there is nothing. Unless you count story time as teaching the kids their alphabet.
–The first day of school for my son, I picked him up in a different outfit than what I dropped him off in. That’s fine, he slipped in mud and changed, but the teacher lost his clothes, and was unapologetic about it. After some questioning, and almost three days later, I found she gave my son’s clothes to the wrong person. Again, unapologetic. Red flag #1
–The «chef» is missing. The breakfasts I’ve seen consist of teachers scooping cottage cheese out of a tub, mini bagels, and giving kids fruit for breakfast. Which is fine by me, but what they serve vs whats on the menu isn’t always the same. I’ve never seen a home cooked meal in the 3 months my son has been there.
–My son has complained to me that the teacher forces him to stay under a blanket during nap time, and he gets in trouble if he takes his blanket off. I mean, seriously?! If a kid is hot, you’re forcing him to stay under the blanket? I told him to take his blanket off, and he told me he’s scared the teacher will yell at him and he’ll get in trouble. Unacceptable. Red flag #2
–There was an addendum to the contract saying all parents are allowed 1 vacation week, but if you signed up before November 2013, this doesn’t apply to you? I tried to take a week off, and they told me I still had to pay, because the addendum didn’t apply to me. Another red flag.
–I put my two weeks notice in today, and told the receptionist to drop me down to part time days, instead of my normal full time days, and she agreed. But when the director came out, she had a meltdown. Let me tell you, she is one of the most unprofessional people I’ve ever met. I left feeling like I was forced to pay them, and her only remarks, aside from some rude comments, was «You signed the contract, you read it, you’re gonna pay.» She told me I HAD to pay because she’s holding my spot for son, but when I told her to give his spot up, and I’ll pay for the rest of the week, she told me I have to pay for the full two weeks. A part of the contract states that a two weeks notice was not required for «unforeseen» circumstances, and apparently nothing to them is unforeseen, especially unexpected financial problems. Now I understand I signed a contract, and I’m legally bound to abide it, but the route they took when I wanted to leave was completely unprofessional and appalling.
All in all, I STRONGLY advise anyone to stay far away from this place. The education your child will get is the equivalent of a daycare, and its just a place to take as much money from you as possible. I will be looking for an alternative school that actually withholds the promises it makes.
Oh, and I’m scared to send my son to the school for the next two weeks for fear of them treating him poorly. So what am I doing? I’m dropping over $ 200 for the next two weeks to not send my son to school, because even if he doesn’t go, I still have to pay. Makes perfect sense, doesn’t it?

I don’t review a lot, but felt compelled to write something about this particular Children’s Paradise. My son is 4 years old. He started here in August ’13. One day he came home with a pretty big, deep, scratch on his face. We were told nothing about it. I get it, he’s a boy he gets dirty and he gets hurt, and it happens often. No big deal but I wanted to raise concern because there was nothing mentioned about it. They do have these «ouch» reports telling you if your kid gets hurt and why. At the very least, it’s a courtesy. It also let’s me know someone is watching. The next day we asked his teacher about it and it was confirmed he was playing with some kids and got scratched. Cool, no damage done.
Another incident was he got a little bump on his head. We asked him what happened, he said he was playing with so and so, and fell and hit his head. Again, no mention. We called that day and they said they didn’t know what happened. That he didn’t tell them that he fell. Take note, I don’t think it’s a 4 y/​o responsibility to report his/​her injuries, but we let it go.

A few weeks later, my mom picked him up from school and he had a pretty big knot on his forehead. It was already starting to bruise. My mom was pretty upset, asked the teacher what had happened. Now I wasn’t there but my mom said they tried to tell her that they didn’t know what happened and that if she was sure it didn’t happen at home. My mom was pretty pissed, as was my wife when she found out. We definitely didn’t send him to school like that.
Again my wife called and the said that my son is a pretty tough kid and he plays rough and doesn’t cry and that if he gets hurt he needs to tell a teacher. Makes me wonder if they are even watching the kids there? They also said that they did ask him about it and he said it happened at the park. My kid isn’t a dummy, if you ask him what happened he’ll tell you. We simply asked him how he got that bump that day when he got home. «I was running, and I fell and hit the my head on the stairs.» It’s not his responsibility to report injuries. Again, makes me wonder if anybody is even watching.
We are not over sensitive parents. Our daughter went to Children’s Paradise on Vale Terrace in Vista and we had no problems. My son has also attended a pre-​school program last year at Temple Heights, with no problems.
I have also volunteered there and, though it’s not everyone, I feel like they are just going through the motions. Kids are just bodies there. Several times when I volunteered I saw other teachers/​employees walk in the classroom and just gossip. Unprofessional.
At any rate my wife had a meeting with the school administrator. We voiced our concerns, pretty much much as I explained it here, and her reply was simply, «I’m sorry you feel that way.» Needless to say we pulled him out. After all of this I heard other horror stories about the place, but it’s all second hand… I can only tell you our experience, and it was not a good one. I’d give them 0 stars if I could…

Here is m summary of m experience with Children’s Paradise (albeit, a short one):
1. Parking at the Melrose location is a NIGHTMARE!!! People block in other cars, the dumpster, and park in fire lanes just to drop off/​pick up. Some parents even park in the shopping plaza next door and walk.
2. The QPI program does have a 1:8 teacher: student ratio, however, 27 bodies in one classroom makes for a chaotic environment.
3. The QPI program starts out very basic (i.e., teaching children the first letter of their first name, focusing on one letter for a week, et cetera). For a child that is academically above this, the program may be boring.
4. Children are always in the front office hanging out. Unprofessional.
5. I often heard conversations about «Where is _​_​_​_​_​going to go?» Conversations about which classroom staff and/​or students will go should be held behind closed doors. And, in m opinion, all staff and students should have a home classroom for stability and continuity of care.
6. I did not feel like m daughter was part of the school. I felt as if she was just another body. This is probably due to the fact they have many students and teachers.
7. On my daughter’s first day of school she tells me she got punched in the stomach and sand don her pants. Unacceptable! I often witnessed children being aggressive towards one another with no redirection. Possibly due to the number of kids in the room.
8. Documents for the QPI program ere misplaced and asked for repeatedly. I am not okay with documents that contain private and identifying information being misplaced.
And last but not least, after having a father nearly hit m car driving too fast entering the parking lot and asking him to slow down through the parking lot I was cursed out in the parking lot. «F-​you, who the F do you think you’re talking to, B****, get the F back in our car.»
My recommendation is this:
If you can afford an academic environment, go some place else. If you have experience with other schools (good experiences anyhow), you may not like this school.

The last person to post explains, so very well, the features of the school, that I couldn’t have said it better myself. To add to her comments, my 4 yo attends the Brengle location for preschool and also loves it. He is so excited to go every day and loves to tell us everything he did each evening. His teachers Miss Becky and Miss Elluz are amazing and so caring towards the kids. As a parent, they are very approachable and easy to talk to. Miss Becky is an angel and I am so glad that my son had her for his first teacher because he’s starting school loving it and loving his teacher and school.
And, to top it off, their «Preschool for All» program is free! They also offer daycare for younger children at a very reasonable price.

My 4yo attends the Brengle campus 5 half days and loves it. This is my second child to go to preschool and I can say that this school is A+ in my book. My daughter’s teachers are attentive and caring, friendly and observant. The curriculum is exciting and age-​appropriate with several extra-​curriculars like cooking (!) and field trips (!!). My daughter has food allergies and the staff is super at being dilligent and attentive with her foods. Did I mention the meals are made on-​site? Fresh and healthy-​ish. :)
I have yet to see any kids who didn’t look like they liked it there, any kids with feverish faces and unwiped boogery noses, or neglected children.
The play area is diverse, safe, clean and partially shaded.
I cannot say enough good things about this school.
Hooray for Children’s Paradise!

My son has been attending Children’s Paradise for almost 2 years now. I could not be happier with this daycare. The facilities are fantastic, clean and fun! They are always having activities and parties and everyday, my son comes home with tons of new words he’s learned.
The staff are awesome and they really care about the children and the price is very reasonable. I can truly focus on work knowing that my son is in such excellent hands!

My 2-​year-​old daughter attends Children’s Paradise Melrose campus. She’s been in the toddler classroom since September, three half-​days per week. The tuition is quite reasonable for our area, though tuition has gone up a few dollars per week since September.
I’ve been very happy with the general care, and my daughter genuinely likes going to school. I have good confidence about her safety, though all kids get bumped, bruised and scraped occasionally.
I’m concerned about the high turnover rate of «teachers» in the toddler classroom, although all of them have been very nice. The toddler «teachers» are generally on the young side, straight out of college with little experience. But at least they seem to handle the children well.
Classrooms are clean (most of the time depending on the teacher) and full of fun toys and activities. They also do art projects regularly. There is a nice backyard playground, too, and Fridays are water days where they wear their swimsuits and run through water.
The kids don’t always have the cleanest faces at the end of the day. I would like the teachers to pay closer attention to runny noses and such.
The school is very inflexible with schedules. They will not allow you to (even occasionally) swap days that you need care but they have been accommodating with me if I’m late picking my daughter up as I commute to Orange County and sometimes have to battle traffic.
Overall, I recommend Children’s Paradise. They have a very nice facility and program.