Les Enfants

5 teachers leaving in less than 6 months...\r \r The school's administrators are horrible, they lack social skills, very disrespectful, very RUDE! Nancy, the owner is money hungry and power tripping. Nancy has been known to reprimand her staff in front of the children and the parents, which lead to unhappy staffs. She's also been known to discourage the teachers from formally teaching the children. Classrooms are untidy and equipment is often broken and not maintained well. \r \r There was been so many chances the last few months, by chances I mean bad chances. Teachers left because they are unhappy, parents are pulling their kids out for the same reason. \r \r Pros:\r Some of the teachers there are great! \r \r Cons:\r Money hungry\r Power tripping\r Lack of social skills, i.e. Barbara walks away from you when you are talking to her. Nancy just straight out scream at you if you are planning to pull your kid out. \r Dirty classrooms, broken toys, dirty sandboxes more

I totally agree with ChiChi. \r \r I went for a visit in late 2011 and the owner lady was badmouthing all the other daycare centers around her. No question about that. She does not seem like she actually cares about the kids but she just wants to get more kids in the door.\r \r Despite my gut to say no, we put down a deposit in the spring because the location was ideal. I was still struggling with the decision. They rushed us to make a commitment not soon after (don't be fooled, they don't get filled that quickly), so foolishly I did because I desperately needed to find daycare. I wanted to make sure my doubts and uneasiness were settled before I start my baby there. I did more research, talked to more people, and the results were more negative than positive. \r \r So I went back for another visit. Barbara the assistant was rude and resisted my visit. I said, I've already paid you and are about to start in a few weeks. She was on my tail the whole time and rushing my out. I was not happy nor feel safe to leave my kid there. The receptionist has always been friendly and helpful though.\r \r So nancy heard about the whole thing and we met again. She was defensive and condescending. She first questioned my education and occupation, then said, you think all these parents are stupid? So stupid that they'd send their kids here? I was so livid I just gave it to her. She didn't start backing down until I raised my voice and listed out all the things that are reasonable for a parents to verify before they start a daycare. They weren't willing to provide teachers' background nor let me talk to them during break. I had to demand three times to get a piece of paper that i don't know why they held close to their vest for.\r \r Yeah, and their motto is just a cop out for ""we're too lazy to clean up the place, so you're just going to pay big bucks for your kids to play in filth."" more

I don't understand how LoveToSail could dislike Geta. I adore Geta. She's my favorite teacher. She's this lovely Finnish matriarch. My son lights up around her. Sure, she gives advice, but so does anyone and everyone when you have a baby. Comes with the territory. more

I went to visit a couple of daycares in Santa Monica and West Los Angeles.. Someone told me about Les Enfants and I went on a tour.. Something didn't seem right. Nancy the owner kept bad mouthing all the other daycares around and was more interested in knowing what they were doing.. I took a tour anyways and the place was filthy and I asked her so many questions she could not respond.. When I called her a month later to ask more questions, she was CONDESCENDING and so rude and I had to hang up on her.. I am so happy that I did not pick her dirty daycare.. She is more concerned about money and not about the kids and she lets the infants run around with the toddlers.. She is PATHETIC more

Our daughter has been attending Les Enfants for years (starting in the infant room) and she absolutely loves it. The teachers are terrific, loving and truly care about the kids' development. Importantly, Les Enfants has stood the test of time--it has been around for decades. We have not had an issue with cleanliness (the rooms are professionally cleaned every night). As for the complaints about the owner/director, the school is her baby so she can no doubt be defensive. But we have come to find the school very responsive to our questions and requests--which we understand to be unusual in preschool-land. We really enjoy being part of the Les Enfants community and are grateful that our daughter is thriving there. We do agree with the last reviewer that parents sending their children to Les Enfants need to be comfortable with the learn-through-play approach. more

Our older child was at Les Enfants from 2 until pre-K graduation, and our younger child is currently there and has been since she was an infant. The teachers are good, and the kids love it. The school has a learn through play approach. Even so, my older child knew his numbers, letters and shapes upon graduation and was ready for kindergarten. However, if you want a more academic school, this is not the place for you. As for the owner, she cares about the kids and the school, and that's what's important. It's true she has a strong personality and can clash with parents at times, but we all want the same thing, and she works hard to try to make the school better. We've never had a problem with her. If we had another child, we would send her/him to this school, too. We recommend it. more

While we had our child at the school for several years, it was the 2-5 year old classes we found to be chaotic and unstructured. The owner, Nancy, was also very condescending towards her staff and at times would reprimand them in front of parents. We did find the infant and toddler rooms great. The caregivers for those rooms were experienced and cared for the children well. The older classes though, were unstructured and chaotic. The rooms were also often dirty and my child was usually a mess at pick up times, which I believe may have been because the staff were often overworked with too many children. Though, their philosophy was about learning through play, the owner often discouraged the teachers from any kind of ""traditional"" teaching methods. Pros: extended hours Cons: horrible owner/principal more

I've been at this school for several years. Had I known back at the start what I know now i would have choosen the Growing Place. The teachers are great, once your child is above 1, and they take great care of my child. Under 1 you have to deal with Geta who is HORRIBLE. She tells all the parents they are doing everything wrong and argues with them and even other teachers. Pros: Caring teachers for kids above 1 Cons: No one cares about parents at all! more

I've been in the Les Enfants family for over 2 years now and love the school. Emphasis is on learning through play and letting kids be kids. Good outdoor play space and teacher to child ratio. Pros: staff, extended hours, in diapers is ok more