Tutor Time

The facility is severely understaffed, and the teachers are clearly exhausted. The class sizes are enormous and the classrooms are chaotic, so teachers resort to yelling and screaming at children. The facility itself is very beautiful; however, don’t let the tour fool you with ‘the village’. Most classes rarely go in there, if ever. The food is disgusting, and I’ve seen many children go home hungry on a daily basis. The children don’t learn much of the curriculum. As a concerned parent regarding any of the aforementioned, you will simply be brushed off by administration. The administration desk is often left unattended. Subpar in every category, yet tuition is expensive. Your child is better off elsewhere.

Both of my boys have been attending this center for a year now. My husband and I have been very impressed with how much our boys have learned and grown. Before our youngest boy started, he was home with me for 2 years. When I decided to go back to work, we knew it would be a difficult transition for him. The first week was hard and the teachers, Ms. N. AND Ms. S, gave him so much love and attention! They gave me daily updates on how well he was progressing. It was a relief to know they cared so much. In no time, he was happy to be at school and didn’t cry when I left him.
In all my time here, I have never seen the kids teased, called names, or harmed in any other way by the staff. The staff are friendly and inviting. They take time to communicate anything about my boys throughout the day. Many parents I’ve spoken with are happy to have their children here. My kids, and many others, are thriving because these teachers show they care and love these kids everyday!

We first toured Tutor Time while I was pregnant last spring in hopes we could get our daughter in for October when I would have to go back to work. My husband and I fell in love, we felt it was the perfect spot! About 2 weeks prior to my daughter starting we did a practice day and realized the environment in the infant area was not what we thought. One teacher called a baby lazy and teased another with food. I called the next day to say we would not be sending our daughter there and I would like our $ 150.00 deposit back. They obliged, but said it would take a few weeks to receive. I called back again in December to say we still had not received our check and Dana, the director, said it must not have been processed when the previous director retired. Fine, a little annoying, but I understood. February come and still NO CHECK, I call on ²⁄₁₁ and it’s now been processed, but Dana tells me it will be another few weeks! If I hadn’t paid my daycare fees on fine surely my daughter would have been kicked out, but it’s ok for them to take months to send me my deposit. Horrible teachers and horrible staff. Please don’t send your children here, we found a much better day care for $ 500.00 less per month.

My son has been going to Tutor Time since he was just under five months old. He’s in the infant room and we couldn’t be happier about our decision to enroll him at Tutor Time. He’s our first child and the decision to enroll him in daycare, instead of me quitting my job and taking care of him, was naturally very difficult. Tutor Time has put my mind at ease with this decision to go back to work. We were deciding among Tutor Time, Hoag Hospital’s day care, a private home daycare and a part time nanny. We truly believe that enrolling our son at Tutor Time was one of the best parenting decision we’ve made. The staff at TT is amazing. They’re all so sweet and genuinely caring. Even though my son is in the infant room, almost all the teachers know him by name. The director, assistant director and administrator are also so wonderful. They’re always so friendly and happy to help. I love that when I pick up my son at the end of the day, they’re able to tell me how his day was. They know every child by name and are so attuned to what’s going on with each child. My son’s teachers are also great. They have years of experience, understand infant habits so well and are able to provide them with the best care with this knowledge and experience. I’m so pleased with the care my son is receiving and his development in this learning environment. Even the infants have lesson plans that teach them about things like textures and colors. I like knowing that my son’s senses are being exercised and he’s learning to play with other children at such a young age. Tutor Time is a phenomenal learning environment for children. The teachers and administrators have some of the kindest and most loving hearts. Being around them, you can tell that they love their jobs and care for the well being of the children there. My husband and I are over the moon thrilled with our experience at Tutor Time.

My son has been going to Irvine Tutor Time since he was a baby. We have always liked the school, teachers, and staff. My son has learned so much including academics and socialization. I think their curriculum is very strong, especially the Pre-​K-​B class. My son is able to write, loves books, learned sign language, and knows his sight words in Pre K-​B. I feel they have prepared him well for kindergarten. Most of the teachers have college degrees, including some with Masters degrees. They also bring in other vendors that do karate, soccer, dance, etc. So its nice to not have to run around for the extra classes and have the vendors come directly to the school. They have an annual Halloween costume party, holiday performance, and many other parties and an annual open house and family gathering.
I’ve been pretty close to all the teachers and they have all treated my son well. The cook is also great and I feel she provides many healthy options. The Administrators are all great as well. Although the Director may come off as strict and not as social, she’s just doing her job to ensure they are always in compliance so she has to be focused upon the business aspects. The Assistant Director knows every child’s name and is so nice and the Administrator is wonderful as well. I feel very comfortable having my child there and trust them. We’ve never had a problem there and if we did, I feel that the teachers and administrators would listen. I do know that a few parents have had some issues, but for the most part, it always seems like the Director and staff are trying to ensure the best possible environment for the kids and do listen to the parents’ concerns.
We have had nothing but a great experience at this school and my son has been there for about 5 years now. I would recommend them.

Worst teachers… they scream, yell to kids.
Kids are all scared… and my daughter and my son hated going there…
I felt so so sooooo sorry for them…
Especially, twadler class’s teachers were the worst… very very bad.
please don’t put your kids there…
Oh, their lunch is very unhealthy, too. Principal is very mean and she only wants the money. that’s all…

We recently moved to Irvine from Palo Alto and enrolled our 4 y.o. daughter at this Tutor Time. The school is very clean. The teachers and administrators are friendly, attentive and available to parents. They are approachable and genuine. The curriculum is organized and standardized across classrooms of the same grade and across centers, which is unusual. Typically at daycare centers, the head teachers create the curriculumand there is no effort to standardize across grades.
The tuition includes lunch and snacks which I absolutely love. No more lunchboxes smelling of sour spilled milk, and no more washing tiny little plastic containers every night. A monthly menu is provided each month to the parents, and it is very well thought out. They use a wide range of veggies and fruits so the children aren’t eating the same thing every week. Pasta is served only once a week. They won’t serve bananas, cheese and yogurt on the same day so your child is constipated the rest of the week! (Don’t laugh. That actually happened at a previous daycare.)
One other observation that I give them kudos for is that they promote and encourage independence in children. For example, at our other daycare, the children weren’t allowed to pour their own milk or juice. Here at Tutor Time, the kids are required to pour their drink. When I’ve been in the classroom, the children are respected and taught that there opinions matter. This may seem trite, but how often do you see teachers or even adult relatives speak down to your children. It happens all the time. As a mother, I want my child to know that they can express their views and opinions and that it is valued. I think Tutor Time shares in this philosophy.
And finally, the school is very international with most of the families being from Asian countries. Several of the children speak two languages. I find this to be a plus. However, if you are uncomfortable in this type of multicultural setting, then this school is not for you.