The Sunshine Shack Preschool

I have 3 children, all who have attended different pre-schools. Well, third-time is a charm! I wish the Sunshine Shack had been around when my older kids were pre-school age. This school is a fantastic environment. The teachers are patient and truly adore and respect the children. The Reggio philosophy has allowed my son to be curious, explore new concepts that he and his classmates have raised in the classroom. He is excited about school and learning. He has fun and loves going to school. The director and her support staff are wonderful and nurturing. My prediction is that this school will out-grow its space very soon, because so many more children would benefit from it.

You MUST get up-to-speed on their track record with regard to following basic child care regulations required to obtain and keep a license with the state of CA. Call Child Care Regulations and ask for a Duty Officer: 323-981-3350 License Number for Sunshine Shack: 198013923 Get informed before you make a decision to enroll your child.

I am surprised and so sad to read the two bad reviews for the Sunshine Shack because as a parent with two children currently enrolled at the school, I have become really attached to the entire parent/teacher/child community. My oldest daughter who is in Pre-K has flourished in this environment and LOVES to go every day. My youngest daughter who has just started this year asked when she was going to her big sister's school with great anticipation almost every day this summer. Now she cheers when it is a school day. It was important to me to find a preschool that was more than just glorified day care, but also not an introduction to the dreadful trend of memorization and testing. I wanted to find a place that would nurture my children's natural curiosity and expand on their eagerness to learn teaching them to explore their little world, and the world outside. I wanted them to feel empowered to teach themselves. This is what I found at the Sunshine Shack. What is more, is the incredible community. As a family we have made life long friends through the school. When I have a bad day, I know that going to the Sunshine Shack will cheer me up not only because I see my child's sweet face, but because her teachers are there to ask how I'm doing and give me a hug if I need one! It is important to note that before coming to the Sunshine Shack, I took my daughter out of a very well known and well respected preschool because I felt that they were not addressing her needs developmentally, and because I was appalled by how badly they handled what could have been a tragically fatal security incident. I see this school with some measure of experience. I personally know other parents who have left to attend bigger more established preschools, have come back because they just were NOT the Sunshine Shack. Of course, no school works for every family. This one could not be more perfect for ours.

The quality of this school has seriously decreased due to very questionable business and fundraising practices as well as extremely poor school administration. The most experienced, core teaching staff and the long time assistant director have all left the school in the past 2 years. Tuition was raised without warning a month after our child started at the school with no help offered to current families to make up the large increase. The director was totally unsympathetic to families for whom the increase was a hardship (or impossible) and the director cited her divorce and bad business management as the reason for the increase. It felt like a bait and switch. There has been no transparency with the parents when we had questions about the school's finances, staffing and the ownership of the school's building (it was recently sold). We didn't want to put our child through another school transition, so we were stuck there. Most of the other families are nice and the teachers are sweet, if not green (I don't think they get much training or support). This just isn't the school portrayed on the website and at the school tour and it's definitely not worth the cost.

My daughter LOVES attending the Sunshine Shack and they have been incredible getting her (and me!) used to her first preschool experience. How anyone can have anything negative to say about this place is beyond me. We are so pleased with our teachers, the staff, the resources in the classroom, etc. It truly is a special place and I'm so glad we found it for this year.

My son has been at the Shack for two years and will continue next year in Pre-K. I really really wish the Shack would add more grades as the whole family will be so sad to leave such a warm loving school atmosphere. The teachers are amazing, the staff is fantastic and the community we have there is truly amazing especially in a city the size of LA. I hear so many stories from friends about their children's schools and it just makes me even more thankful that we have been blessed to have made the right choice!!! My son ADORES is school. It's in a convenient location, it's safe, good parking but the biggest factor is that the head of the school (Miss Sara) is AMAZING and leads her staff to excellence. The teacher training is impressive. I also love the parent seminars that Sara has (for free!!! and with very impressive guest speakers). I really can't say enough about how great this school is and how very truly lucky we have been to be here.

Fantastic school. Fantastic teacher and directors. I think the people who wrote the poor reviews have something against the school and are trying to ruin its reputation. Anyone who takes a tour or enrolls their child knows what a loving, nurturing, and truly special place the Sunshine Shack is.

Like many others who wrote reviews (most of them filtered, it seems) I can't imagine how anyone could speak negatively about this place. Sara and the teachers there create an incredibly warm and encouraging environment for the kids to grow and develop. Our daughter has been going there for the past six months and I've already been amazed and delighted how she has developed over this short amount of time. She is finding her voice as an individual and more importantly, is learning how to respect the voices of others, child and adult alike. She loves going to school, which is every parent's dream. You can't go wrong with this place.

Having been at another preschool for some time now I have come to realize just what a terribly run place the Sunshine Shack is. My child was humiliated in front of their peers, allowed to run outside on the pavement without shoes and came home bloody almost everyday. I asked the staff to have my child keep their shoes on and I was met with disrespect and a basic no. The staff has no idea what they are doing. Having been an educator myself for over a decade in both elementary and secondary education I knew more my first year student teaching then these people know now. The director has NO experience or formal training in education, she was once an actress. I was made to feel like a bad parent with no right to ask questions or participate in my child's educational journey. I left in tears on many occasions as did my child. I am so blessed now to be at a well run facility that respects myself and my child. I am allowed in the classroom at any time and my child has had not one day of tears or self esteem issues. Please for the good of your child do not attend this school. There are so many amazing places in Los Angeles seek them out.