St Luke’s Christian Preschool

Great non-​profit school with a loving and dedicated staff!
So happy I selected this preschool based on referrals from several friends and family who also sent their children here. It is a great, safe and nurturing environment focused on children’s physical, intellectual and creative development and rooted in the Christian faith. The school was recently featured in 908 magazine, see page 10 at the following link:

There is often a waiting list, so be sure to schedule a tour to check it out for yourself! you won’t be disappointed.

I had my daughter at St. Luke’s Christian Preschool for a couple months for daycare, but I started feeling uncomfortable leaving her there so I changed preschools as soon as I could. I want to mention that the teachers, specifically Ms. Maria my daughter’s teacher, are very sweet and dedicated so there was no problem with them. That said, the following is a list of reasons I decided St. Luke’s wasn’t a good daycare option for my child:
1. There is a group called Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous that meets on the campus, not at the same time, but they have access to the campus. When I questioned the preschool director about the group, I was told no such group met on the church campus. Once I confirmed the group did, in fact, meet on the campus, I went to the pastor, Pastor Gary, and he led me to believe he would look into whether parents were comfortable with it or not. But nothing was ever done and he told me to not tell the other parents. It was unsettling that potential sexual predators could clearly see where the preschool was, and I felt I couldn’t trust the preschool since they had been dishonest about the situation from the beginning. And the fact that they didn’t want other parents to know about the Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous group made me feel that they didn’t have the children’s best interest at heart.
2. There is not much security in the facility, especially given the types of people who have access to the campus. Every time I went to drop off or pick up my daughter, the gate was open (there is no lock on the gate) and the front door was unlocked. There is also access to different classrooms from different parts of the church campus– someone wouldn’t have to go through the front door to get in. There is a camera at the door, but most of the time nobody is watching the video footage, as it is in the director’s office and she is not always in her office. There is also an area of the playground that is not visible from certain angles. When picking up my daughter, I noticed a couple times that children (including my own child one time) would play alone there and none of the teachers could see them.
3. The preschool has multiple classrooms with lots of doors and little areas children can get into without proper supervision, and I don’t think these areas are secure enough or monitored enough to keep all the children safe. For example, one day my daughter came home with paint all over her clothing and skin. When I asked what happened, I was told she got into some paint in another room. She is 2 years old, so I don’t know how or why she was in a different room for long enough to get into paint that was probably put away somewhere. This just told me they are not supervising the children as well as they should be.
There are a couple more little things, but I won’t go on forever. The staff is sweet and mean well for the most part, but I think they are a little innocent in thinking that nothing bad could happen to kids when you combine minimum security and improper supervision. Add the Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous group knowing the ins and outs of the church campus, and it’s enough for me to not feel that my child is safe there. I found another preschool with more security that cannot be accessed by people other than parents and children and I feel relieved.

St. Luke’s is a wonderful preschool! My son started about a month ago and he loves going to preschool every day. The staff is loving and caring. I always feel welcomed there and I know my son does too! They work together as a team and there is zero staff turn over which says a lot about the school. A happy staff makes for a happy preschool. Ms. Candice, the preschool director is great! She plans awesome activities for the kids and you can really tell that she loves the kids and her job as preschool director. I am so glad that we chose St. Luke’s. We could not be happier!

St. Luke’s Christian Preschool is the best. Both of my daughters have benefitted from their teaching, love and caring. They are not just child care but have a real preschool curriculum, and as a result my oldest exceled in Kindergarten. Ms. Maria had both of the girls potty trained within two weeks of joining the school which I couldn’t have been more excited about. St. Luke’s also has a great playground, extra-​curricular activities and a supportive volunteer community. My wife and I don’t have to drive the girls all over Long Beach as they attended Webby dance, amazing athletes and gymnastics all at St. Luke’s. Our youngest daughter loves going to school each day to see her friends and awesome teacher, Ms. Alejandra. Our oldest still likes to go back to share her Kindergarten accomplishments with Ms. Claire and the others. Tuition is very reasonable and I highly recommend St. Luke’s.