Kiddie Academy of Huntington Beach

Enrolling my son with this daycare center was one of the best decisions that me and my wife have made. We love their camera system. Having able to watch how he is doing during the day is giving us peace of mind. My son has been going over there for almost one year and his teacher is alway well prepared. We cannot wait to have our 9 months son to start going over there too.

Our son started a few months ago and we love it. The app to see a live feed of the class room is great. Jess is so friendly and caring. She answers all our questions and always puts us at ease. She provides that personal touch. His teachers, miss Laura and Miss Claudia, are awesome as well. Always willing to comfort him but letting him be independent at the same time. Im just glad we got in early before the waitlist because Im sure it is going to be a long one for a long time.

My daughter has been here since November 2015 starting at 14months old. I was a little hesitant at first because we had issues with a previous daycare center. And also she was coming from an in home daycare which the lady closed up shop for medical reasons. All of the teachers and the office manager, Jess, were nothing but caring and understanding of my nervousness and anxiety leaving my daughter. I hate that feeling of leaving her in other people care, but The teachers would hold my daughter until she felt comfortable and were very doting which she needed. It was a plus I got to watch her on their awesome security system right from my iPhone! It only took a couple weeks for my daughter to get used to everything. And now she’s thriving! She doesn’t want to come home when we go to pick her up! She’s always smiling and laughing and playing. And still when she has her bad days, the teachers are right there for her giving her all the support she needs. I love all of the art projects we get to bring home. They really keep the kids stimulated and busy, all while teaching them manners and signing! We can tell that my daughter is soaking up so many learning experiences by being at kiddie academy. I have no doubt bringing other future babies here! It’s always clean and up to date. A really big plus too is that they work with you and what you can afford. I recently lost half of my monthly income and they have taken care of me and my family by working with us so we don’t need to remove our daughter from here. Highly recommend it!

We are so lucky to have found a place where our 1
year old is treated like a family member and truly cared for by the loving staff, in an educational environment. The staff here truly care about the children and keep parents informed. They have been flexible and accommodating with our ever changing needs. I can tell they are passionate about the care they provide my daughter. Everyone knows our child’s name and greets us in such a friendly manner. Ms. Esperanza and Ms. Amie in infant 2, are so in tune with the kids, so mellow, and awesome at communicating what they observe and sharing with us and giving our little girl the time and attention she needs to grow and develop. There are also cameras so we can watch in real time or play back her day which is totally unnecessary since she’s always getting the best care but reassuring nonetheless.

Please please do not enroll your child. They will pressure you into depositing money and negotiate price like you are buying a car! It’s child care, not a material thing. Last thing I want to feel like about my child’s care is that it’s all financial. I made the sad mistake of enrolling my child after being told they are the best and they had one spot left and all about their huge camera system (it’s what they sell you on). Once enrolled, and due to a family emergency, I had to postpone our start date. Thank goodness for small miracles. Upon return to tour the new classroom my daughter would be in, I saw a dirty floor, less than enthusiastic teachers, and a teacher who was less than gentle with a crying child. Please understand, not abusive, but not how I would want my child to be treated. Owners are rude and only care about money. After a week of calls every single day, I was finally told no. I realize I signed a contract, but in a few short months (maybe because they already had my money) the school was not what I signed up for. I’d rather lose money than have my daughter spend a minute at this school. They called me judge mental and didn’t even address my concern with the teacher. Only hammered me on the fact that I signed a contract and that I had too many complaints (dirty room, teacher, and no parking). If you truly cared, you would have take my calls a week ago. They also accused me of changing the date 3 times which is not true. I changed it ONCE and when we went back to get started, I was told there was no spots available until July? Now that I’m making some noise, all of the sudden they have a spot. So which is it? They said I was given wrong information by a new girl who didn’t know we had already paid a deposit. However she pulled our file and knew we had money down from months before. The owners don’t listen and speak over you. There is no reasoning with the unreasonable. They also made a very rude comment about the fact that I have a nanny and how it’s not good for my child… She’s not learning, etc. seriously? Now they know what’s best for my child who they have never met. And have no idea my nanny has a masters in childcare administration. I work for a LARGE corporation and manage a huge client book of business and would never treat a client this way.
I’d give zero stars if I could.
FOLLOW UP/​RESPONSE! I did NOT change date 3 times. I changed it ONCE due to a family medical emergency. And, I told you MONTHS in advance. Please do not continue to lie. You were not holding a spot. Only AFTER a week of calls every single day did our spot magically come up. And, that is when I was offered an in person talk! Way too late. Maybe treat potential clients better. People want to take their child somewhere that focuses on child care more than contracts and you didn’t seem to care about my serious concern with a staff member. And lastly, how do you know what my child care situation is? It’s amazing to me you seem to know I have «more convenient child care». You do NOT know my situation so please refrain from commenting on that. Thanks to Unilocal for allowing me to warn other parents.

My son is in the Toddler class with Ms. Stacy and Ms. Judy.
He started in January, right in the peak of flu season.
Yes, he got sick the first week he was there, but that was to be expected.
The teachers and staff helped my son adjust in every way possible.
After a month of attending, he no longer cries at drop-​off and loves being there.
I have nothing but great things to say about Kiddie Academy.
They try to help out parents and work with our schedules.
Sonia (owner) and Jessica are very welcoming and friendly.
My son’s teachers, Ms. Stacy and Ms. Judy, are exceptional!

I am an avid believer in quality care when it comes to working with children. I just wanted to commend a staff in Infant 3 Ms. Nallely. She is a very hard worker who knows her duties and responsibilities as an Infant/​Toddler Teacher. Ms. Nallely has many years of teaching experience with Infants/​Toddlers. She knows the concept of working for an NAEYC accredited school and is trained to know Title 22 as well.
She brings importance in Inf. 3 by having this knowledge with her and is also sharing this knowledge with her co teachers. By what Ms. Nallely knows, she has instilled her best practices in the classroom with the children and the other Teachers in the room.
I have great confidence in Ms. Nallelys leadership and knowledge on how to run the classroom with great success and prosperity.
Kiddie Academy is very fortunate to have Ms. Nallely as one of their Teachers on board their program. Team work, togetherness, and quality care is what Infant 3 has. Keep up the great work ladies.

I started taking my 15 month old at the time here at the beginning of the year, and love it so far!
I had her at an at home day care but had too many issues and was on the search for something better for her. Kiddie Academy was referred to me by a friend of mine and they were so helpful from the start.
Jessica showed me around the school and talked over with me all my concerns I had in the past and I felt so reassured she would be in great hands I signed up that same day.
It has been a month and half now and my daughter is doing great I love that I can see her on the cameras which is huge for a parent to get that reassuring comfort. The teachers always keep me posted on how her day was and they get to do fun activities and have learning projects as well which I love.
Dropping your child off anywhere is hard but here they make it a little bit easier. My daughter and I both cried on the first day but it has gotten better over the first couple weeks she doesn’t cry anymore she smiles and is in good spirits when I leave which also makes it easier when leaving.
She did get sick a few times the first month but its just being in a new environment with new kids so that is expected but nothing major :).
They provide the kids with food which is great one less thing to worry about my daughter is a vegetarian which they fully take notes on make sure your child doesn’t have any meat products. If your child has any diet restrictions you just let them know and they will be accommodating.
Shout out to Jessica who still is so helpful and lets me know how my daughter is doing every day she is the best!
Overall I would recommend Kiddie Academy. :)

My daughter who is now 10 months has been attending Kiddie A for 6 months. I have 3 kids and this is the first time I had to put my kid in a day care. When we first toured the facility it was nice, clean and organized (maybe because it just opened). But till now it’s still the same. The owner can be a little pushy in enrolling ur kid, but I didnt mind it too much since everything else was perfect. One of the main reasons we said yes was the cameras in every classroom. I have very little complains about this place. Teachers are great. They update me on how my daughter did for the day and get an updated report on my phone at the end of the day too. Jess and Esperanza are the best. Everyone is great too, but those 2 I love. My daughter has grown so much since being there. She had some anxiety issues (separation) before coming here, but now it’s non existent. Can’t express how much I like this place. Only issue is I wish they opening earlier because of work. Lol

I’m basing this review after having my children at Kiddie Academy HB for 3 weeks. I have 2 children that both enjoyed being there everyday. They are 2 ½ years apart and were able to spend mornings and afternoons together which I appreciated. They loved the facility and were engaged with all the clean and educational toys. I loved the high tech cameras and security system that gave me peace of mind.
Now on to the part that did not sit right with me. From day one I happened to be looking for after school care for my oldest and preschool for my youngest. The owners were both there and they had an interesting way of negotiating childcare prices. He asked my budget, I found that odd– then he asked me what other rates I was getting from other facilities. I told him to do his homework and not to ask me. Ultimately I chose them because they had great hours. (Open Until 6:30p).
During my children’s time there I saw teachers that seemed less than enthusiastic to be there and who should have dressed a little more conservative. There were some great and caring teachers, however I don’t think they are treated too well. They were all younger teachers and when I recommended a fabulous teacher for them to interview Sonia mentioned that older teachers don’t get along well with the younger ones that they have. Not the response I would like to hear.
Also, I experienced a last minute school change due to a school closure and I gave a week and a half notice but they did not refund me for an additional week. I know that was the corporate policy as they explained to me but it goes to show it isn’t a family environment that they are running it’s a corporate one.
You decide what environment is best for your child.
Hopefully they work out the kinks very soon as it is a beautiful facility.

Oh my goodness I have to say I was so fortunate to find this little haven for my precious 4 month old daughter. I came into their office a sobbing mess upset about having lost my daycare provider and having just returned to work, overwhelmed by fear of the unknown. One of the owners took me into her office, consoled me, listened to my needs, and reassured me like a friend. She helped me choose a plan that was affordable and fair. The facility is top of the line, it looks brand new and sparkling clean. The security is tight, and there are cameras you can watch your baby all day on via your cell phone. This was so reassuring as a control freak and a parent afraid to trust anyone with my sweet little baby. The teachers all treat my baby like a little person, having conversations with her, reading her books, working on her development with tummy time, and learning to sit up. One of the teachers, Maria blows bubbles and makes hand puppets to use for story time with the babies. I am so happy I found such a great and safe place for my baby. I pop in all the time to feed her and feel that everyone is happy to see me.

I absolutely love this place! When me and my son first moved back to HB and I was looking for a school for my 18 month old I knew that this was the place for us. I have been nothing but happy with my son here. They all know my sons name and greet us with a smile everyday. My son has learned sign language since starting here and is actually excited when I drop him off. He reached for Ms. Maria and waves bye to me. Nothing gives me a better feeling than knowing he is actually excited to be there. I have seen my sons development take off since being with Kiddie Academy. I love it so much that I turned down a great job opportunity in a different city so that I could keep my son here. I highly recommend this facility, the staff is wonderful, the facility is wonderful, they have themes everyday for summer and it is just a great place. There are cameras where you can view your child during the day and they send you a report at the end of each day telling what your child ate, how he/​she slept, what activities they did and even include pictures of your child. I love, love, love it here! I will be keeping my son here until he starts kindergarten because I literally cannot imagine having to take him anywhere else.

I did not get a good vibe with the owners. They hardly acknowledged my baby and seemed like all they cared about was their business. I definitely didn’t get a warm feeling with them. I really wish I had and wanted to like them. When I told them my husband and I just started looking at daycares, they kept saying we would never find a better place and that we would definitely come back. They were very aggressive and wanted us to sign up right then and there. We kept saying we needed time to think about it. Sonya kept saying she wasn’t worried and that we would be back. I got a very rude vibe from how she said it… just because she said that I absolutely will NOT go back there… The place is absolutely beautiful, but it takes more than that to leave my baby with someone. I have found a wonderful place for my baby with very sweet and down to earth people. The owners need to learn how to be more personable and welcoming… acknowledging the baby would also be nice.

My husband & I toured the school & wasn’t planning to sign up our 5 months-​old daughter (now 8-​months). We were immediately blown away by the brand new facility & curriculum. We were so impressed with how legit this place was & signed up the very same day. The selling factor was the cameras. I loved the fact that I can check up on the baby anytime. It really gives me a sense of peace.
As an elementary school teacher, I am happy to see my daughter do activities that really promote learning. She does many hands-​on activities like finger painting, songs, 5-​senses exploration, & etc. With the new common core standards, schools are lacking activities that allow students to learn through arts and play. My daughter will go to kindergarten better prepared & more well-​rounded. I can already see her good fine-​motor skills!
The owner/​director, Sonya has been so amazing to both my daughter & me. She has great interpersonal skills that makes it easy for me to communicate with her my wants, needs, & concerns. She is very understanding!
My daughter’s teacher, Miss Esperanza is my favorite! She is so good & attentive with her. She reads, sings, & plays with all the babies. I believe that this is so important at infancy. My baby adores her and actually cries for her! She is great with updating me & very specific with her daily reports, which I love!
The Tadpole App gives parents a digital daily report of a child’s feeding, naps, activities, & diapering. It’s great that my husband & I can reference to it anytime on our smartphones. The best part are the videos and photos that the teachers upload.
I would highly recommend this daycare!

I started my almost 2 year old daughter on April 20^th. I was so worried about how she was going to do in preschool since this was her first time being away from me. I could not be happier and I have to beg her out of there when it’s time to go home. The teachers are wonderful and the video surveillance cameras ease a worried parent’s mind. Also, the facility is spotless and 5-​star. I would advise anyone who needs child care for their children to just go for a tour. You will sign up with them. The owners are wonderful and supportive too. :)