Santa Monica YMCA Child Dev Center

This place was quite horrific five years ago. We are still good friends with another couple who had a child here and we cannot believe what passed for child care all these years later — complete shell shock. Our sons were anticipating a year-​end smoothie party that was hyped up for weeks; they were giddy with excitement. On the day of the party, their son wouldn’t (couldn’t) take a nap because he was so excited (the next year at a different daycare, a teacher correctly flagged sensory processing disorder, which was caught in time for an IEP so the son is now doing splendidly by all measures in 2^nd grade). To punish him, the director specifically ordered that he watch everyone else drink smoothies while he got none. Our son tried to share some of his smoothie and they wouldn’t let him! Talk about cruel and unusual punishment.
While this is only one anecdotal example, similar things happened all year. They were symptoms of a general dysfunction largely propagated from the top with classroom caregivers who were totally green and petrified of the leadership. This explains the high turnover rate pointed out by others, which we saw our year as well.
For the other family, the smoothie party was the last straw. It single-​handedly convinced them to move out of the state despite both holding excellent jobs. They are wonderful people and a net loss for the neighborhood. We stuck around the area longer but thankfully found a much better daycare the following year, which is no small feat in the area. The development center might have changed since then, but I highly doubt it based on the same leadership listed and some of the other reviews. Caveat emptor!

My child has been here for more than a year and he loves it. The teachers have been so great helping us to figure out when to transition our son to new routines and encourage him to reach new milestones. They are really amazing and have taught me how to be a better parent.
He has a best friend who is around the same age and they have just started to play together. So cute.
I have loved seeing all of the kids in the infant room grow and thrive. It’s so much fun to see their different personalities and how they develop.
The director has been great as well. She knows all of the children and is great with them.
Another convenient thing is that some of the teachers will babysit after hours which is awesome. No awkward transition with a stranger and someone you can really trust.
The hours are great for working parents. 7:30am — 6pm.
Parking for drop off is usually available on street at meters or temporarily in front of the school entrance. They allow you to leave a stroller or baby seat in the hallway for pickup later on.
They don’t have extra stuff like email updates or a webcam, but they are great at quality care. If you want detailed updates, just ask the teacher when you drop off or pick up your child — it’s a great way to build a lasting relationship with them.

As a very satisfied parent who has had two children at two different times attend this child care center, I am very surprised by the review dated May 13^th. But what can I say, you can’t please everyone. It is my experience that the teachers in the infant room are fabulous! As a new mom I couldn’t feel more at ease dropping my infant child off to Gisel (lead infant teacher). She is caring, professional, and very attentive to the needs of all the babies that she cares for throughout the day. I have also had my older child cared for by Mrs. Gizelle and Mrs. Brown in rooms 4 and 5. What more could I ask for in any two early academic teachers?! These two ladies have taught my child wonderful skills, that have far surpassed the requirements that they have in any kindergarten classroom of present. They encourage the children to use their words to solve their problems. I am very satisfied thus far with the teaching program from the infant room to room 5. Very Satisfied.
As far as the director, I have never had a problem with her. It seems that she is always accommodating to my children and I, very friendly, and very professional. I feel like she cares for the children and the parents. I have also seen her console children with a love and gentleness (is that a word?) that any parent would feel their child deserved in their absence. She goes far beyond the office on many occasions just to show she cares.
I would recommend this child care center to any parent who wants quality care for their children and a positive child care experience.

I wish I could leave 2 separate reviews: For infant care this place is outstanding, but for preschool it is sub-​par.
Between my 2 kids I spent 4 years coming here twice a day, have had a child in every room, and dealt with a myriad of issues, so I feel pretty knowledgeable about this place.
The good:
The teachers are very good.
The infant care is excellent– the teachers are caring and enthusiastic. I have popped in at odd times very often and all the children always seem well cared for. The facility is also at least as good as any others that I have seen. The outside areas are great and they even use the larger YMCA facility at times– particularly in bad weather.
The hours are great.
The price can’t be beat.
The parents. They are nice and down to Earth. Most children come from 2 working parent families, so it’s hard to get together, but it was nice for me to have connections to people in the same situation.
The mediocre: The preschool program. For the most part the kids are stimulated with a pretty good balance, in my opinion, of play and academic time. These kids leave preschool well-​prepared for kindergarten. However, I found the program to be a little depressing. The kids pretty much do the same thing every day– and some kids are there in the preschool rooms every day for 3 years! True they have a theme every week, but I never saw new materials introduced. The rooms have had the same toys and set-​up for 6 years now. I pulled both my kids out while they were on the preschool side of the school and was so happy I did– their new school thinks of creative activities for the kids to do every day, introduces new materials regularly, and just generally stimulates their minds much more than the Y. Again, the teachers are good people, but I feel they are run-​down by the long hours, lack of support, and really lack of anything. I also think they are quite heavy with discipline. Many kids spend a lot of time in time-​out. I agree with consequences, but when that many kids can’t stay out of trouble either the bar is too high or something is wrong– like the kids are just bored!
The bad: There is enormous teacher turn-​over and it effects the children– there are times when teachers leave without warning and when classes are understaffed. My guess is that it has to do with the director. I don’t know how the other reviews described her positively, or why Unilocal hid the negative review about her. In my experience she is rude, she has terrible communication with the parents (for example, she won’t even tell parents when their child’s teacher has quit or introduce the new teacher), she actually discourages parent involvement (for example, they discourage parent volunteering and she actively worked to dis-​ban a parent-​support network), and has lied to me personally on several occasions.
Bottom line– if you’re willing to put up with the director, this place is a great start, but I would recommend looking into alternatives for when your child is older.

I too am a very happy parent of a child in this center. I find all the teachers with the exception of one really bad egg, exceptionally loving and caring. It takes much prodding to get my child to actually leave the center. My child learns so much there and has been positively affected since becoming a part of the Center. And Ms Kellie is delightful, responsive and has a very difficult job to do, but she does it without the appearance of effort or dismay.
If you are honored by having your child accepted on the waiting list at the Y, please know that your child will be treated almost as well as you could treat them yourself. It’s a great place and is worth the expense.
Who is this supposed Doctor with the poor command of the English language? Maybe you should work on your grammar before insulting a person or persons in the future. It really makes what you have to say unbelievable and provides great fodder for dinner time chuckles.