Joyce’s Toluca Lake Pre-School

This school is great. My son went here from 2 through 6 and my daughter will be starting shortly. Almost all of the same teachers are still there and that’s comforting to see, it not only speaks of their experience, but it’s a clear indication they love doing what they do, which they all do extremely well.
Some negative reviews I’ve seen are pure garbage. One review said they don’t speak English well and they felt bad vibes. I’ve spoken to every teacher and trust me, they all know how to speak English very well. Bad vibes??? The children are all participating in activities together, playing, singing, having fun, there are no «bad vibes» to be found anywhere.
As a parent it can be a stressful experience to find a good school where you know your child is safe, and not have to worry about their well-​being. What I value most about Joyce’s, in addition to their amazing staff, great curriculum, and clear communication, is my peace of mind, and my child’s happiness.

This school is simply amazing! My son went there right at the age of two and we just recently left only because we moved out of state. To this day they still haven’t taken my little boys name off the chair because they miss him that much. My boy learn to speak so well, art work came home every day, had enough active activities throughout the day, and each week learned sign language, Spanish, dance, and so much more. At two and three years old. The school is amazing and I to this day have not found something I love as much as Joyce’s. I recommend the school over anything else in the area! I’ve seen so many kids come out of there just shine! Truly! I don’t do a lot of reviews on Unilocal but I had to make sure that people knew how amazing this place was! Thank you joyces for all you’ve done for our family.

My son who now is in kindergarten attended Joyces’ from the age of 3yrs old. He is now at a LAUSD school which was just awarded the Blue Ribbon Award for high academic achievement. Stellar school. Needless to say, the academic bar is high in LAUSD. Standards have changed rigorously & kinders are learning 1^st grade material.
Any parent planning to enroll thier child in LAUSD system needs to know that its crucial thier child come away from preschool prepared. Joyces provided my boy w/​a balanced enviroment, an ever important social foundation & the academics he needed to be kinder ready. But i hv to say i was always surpised &just charmed by how sweet thislittle school is. there were lessons about artist frm Degas to Warhol, they got to be scientists with thyr own ‘invention convention’.They hv theyre own personal music teacher on campus who leads them in perfomance for every season. They are exposed to eveythg from yoga to sign language &gardening. Theres great parent involvemnt w/​a constant offering of more enriching experiences for the tots. Theres also a full kitchen serving meals &snacks thru out the day. Its a great school. We love Joyces!

This school is horrible, most teachers sound like they don’t speak English well. Instead of talking to you about a problem they talk to each other and are very nose about children and their families. They don’t know how to praise the children and they give bad vibes. I heard a teacher telling a child that’s not how you write your name that’s horrible do it again (in a mean tone). The staff also doesn’t greet you when u walk in. I just felt like my daughter wasn’t liked by the staff and I always felt uncomfortable.

I attended their open house recently. My husband and I arrived extremely excited due to the positive reviews. As we are walking to the back house where the meeting was being held we observed the play areas. Here’s my thing. If my house has better play equipment then the school that’s a problem for me. We gave each a look because we are both thinking the same thing. No problem, we continue to the teachers «lounge» and we are greeted by the director who promptly informed us that she was only going to be there for one more week and then she was leaving to do her own thing. My husband and I looked at her like what?! This woman had tattoos, piercings «sigh» whatever. So we sit down and let the woman talk about the school. Nothing she is saying sounds great. At this point we knew we weren’t interested but to be polite we stayed to listen. She finally get around to showing us the property. On the way out the door she pauses and points to this rickety tv on a tv desk and says «when it’s too hot for the kids to play or too wet then the kids will come in here to watch tv»
People this is not a joke. So I stop and I say
” excuse me, are you telling me that when it’s hot and it’s hot all summer long because this is the valley. That you sit these kids in front of a tv“
This woman lol looks me in my eyes and says
«Yes of course! You wouldn’t want your kids outside in the heat right?»
I look at her and I laugh, I turned to my husband and I said honey lets go.
We proceeded to leave.
If I wanted to sit my 4yr old in front of a television I can do that at home.
I was appalled that she thought it was perfectly ok to do this.
Next time madam director you may want to say «we offer indoor play, puzzles, reading time, art, music SOMETHING!
These parents leaving positive reviews clearly just need their children at a daycare due to work obligations. My daughter is now enrolled at Bel Air Presbyterian Preschool.
I’ve been to every preschool in the valley to check out their campuses and developmental offerings they may have. Joyce was in the bottom. Oh and I almost forgot. The director informed us that the two women that owned the school weren’t really involved in the school anymore. She said that one of them you will absolutely never see. She only handles the money. And the other one you may see once in awhile.
Haha terrible. Maybe she just didn’t give a damn since she was leaving to teach for a year so that she could open up her own school.
Yes
She told us that as well.
Smh

My daughter has been attending Joyce’s for little over 6 months now and my husband and I could not be happier. Our biggest factor in sending our daughter there was the curriculum and balance of academics, enrichment studies, arts, music and play. We wanted her to be learning a variety of things, because we believe that helps in her development. Every month they learn about a different artist, visit a new place, learn about any special holiday or person that is celebrated that month and begin to learn basic academics to prepare them for school.
We also love that the school offers a healthy menu and has a personal chef prepare the foods. Sometimes I want to stop in for lunch, because their menu is better than my basic lunch.
The staff at Joyce’s is beyond amazing. Transitioning my daughter from a daycare she had been at for two year into Joyce’s was hard, but the staff, especially Ms. Jill made her very comfortable, us as well. Every day we drop off or pick up my daughter, the staff is very friendly and always there to help, even if they aren’t my daughters specific teachers.
We are very pleased with Joyce’s preschool. My daughter has already learned so much in such a short time. She is always coming home singing songs she learned at school and asking mommy and daddy to participate in circle time, while she teaches us. Beyond cute!!!
All in all, I highly recommend Joyce’s preschool!!!

My daughter has been going to Joyce’s for 2 yrs. I was very nervous sending her to a school after being at Grandma’s for close to 4 yrs; but, my nerves were put at ease when I saw how much she was enjoying going to school. On the way home she would tell me what she did, who she played with, never once did she bring any negative things to my attention.
As for the staff, I truly adore the teachers. She started in the Kinder house with Ms. Tati and Mr. Johnny; they were great! Even now, especially in the mornings, Ms. Tati is a time-​saver, she is able to get my daughter to feel more at ease especially when I am in a hurry.
She then moved on to T/​K with Ms. Christie and Ms. Grace (no longer at Joyce’s) and their curriculum was fantastic. My daughter would come home singing, dancing, showing us time and time again how she knew the alphabet using sign language… she even used word «hypothesis», which she learned during science! I was truly impressed. When Ms. Grace left, Ms. Alie joined the group… my daughter truly bonded with her, considering they’re both vegetarians. Unfortunately, Ms. Alie was switched with Ms. Princess (previously in the Rejoice house). Don’t get me wrong, Ms. Princess is terrific and my daughter adores her, she was just slightly sad that she didn’t see Ms. Alie as much. However, Ms. Christie is the primary T/​K & Kinder teacher and she is absolutely pure gold!

I had reservations about my daughter going to school for the whole day at only 4. Prior to this she attended a pretty basic 3 hour a day «preschool» for about 8 months after having spent the first few years of her life home with me. So naturally I was fearful of how she would handle a «real» curriculum in a true learning environment. However, my fears were soon eased. This school and it’s teachers were AMAZING! My daughter went there for almost a year, taking her right up to kindergarten and she just loved it. As a matter of fact, at the end of the day she never wanted to leave! She learned so much from this place; art, music, Spanish, sign language, caring and sharing and so much more. Within 2 weeks of starting she already was writing her name, a skill she hadn’t even begun to learn prior to that. Her teachers Ms. Tati and Mr. Johnny are true gems in the teaching world. They incorporated things into the learning you don’t get other places. One day my daughter was in the bath and broke out singing Norah Jones «Don’t Know Why», getting not only the melody correct but all the words too. Being her dad is a jazz musician her singing didn’t surprise me so I asked him if he had been listening to Norah Jones lately (as I knew I hadn’t) and when he said he had never listened to her I asked Carly how she knew the song. I was stunned when she said from Mr. Johnny! I found out then that he always plays great music during nap time. Personally, I find the inclusion of contemporary music so wonderful. I wish my daughter could have them for all 12 years! They were so caring and so nurturing. When I suffered a head injury and became very sick for most of her time there, they, along with the principal Ms. Waffa, did everything they could to help my daughter cope and were unbelievably supportive of our family. Ms. Waffa was particularly wonderful to me during that time and many times I found myself in her office just talking about everything and she was a rock. I have no clue what the reviewer below is referring to, but it can’t be Joyce’s! It was always super clean and my child did not get sick one time while there. They were always diligent and vigilant when it came to the health and welfare of all the children. If it hadn’t been for my injury and subsequent loss of income, we absolutely would have continued at Joyce’s for kindergarten. It was with a very heavy heart that we ultimately had to decide on public school, after all $ 900 a month ain’t cheap! However, had she not gotten into an excellent school (Valley View Elementary), we would have sold everything to keep her at Joyce’s.

My daughter has been going for one month now and this is our first experience of leaving her with someone other than my husband or myself. I could not be happier with the transition to Joyce’s, the staff, teachers, and owners are amazing. They have made us feel welcomed from the very beginning. I am so thankful that I found Joyce’s for my daughter. This is a wonderful place for children and I feel great about leaving my daughter each day with caring people and I know she loves it just as much!

My son has been going to Joyce’s for 2 ½ years, and I plan to send my daughter here as well. I love the school! I’m not sure what the below parent was so upset about regarding the school as far as cleanliness. It is a very clean school. They continually make improvements to the floors, kitchen, gardens, play areas. I love the curriculum. Each month they study an artist and proceed to create artwork inspired by the artist. They study a new country and its culture every month. There is music, sign language, Spanish, dance, etc. Every teacher my son has had as been wonderful. He feels so comfortable at Joyce’s and loves school!
There was a small admin change about a year ago. The school is still working out some kinks, but the same amazing teachers and curriculum remains. Also, one thing I love as a parent is not only the amazing education my son is getting, but the school’s community astounds me. A while back I knew a family who lost their house in a fire. They have a little boy who lost everything he owns. This child and family were never associated with the school, but I asked if I could put up a notice to see if anyone had something they could donate. The out pouring of love from the parents and the school with donations was unbelievable! I had two carloads of new and used goods to take to this boy who had lost everything! I feel like Joyce’s is more than just a preschool — it is a family.

THIS IS A DIRTY LITTLE SCHOOL! My son went here for only six months before I pulled him out. He was getting horribly sick on a regular basis! the bullshit «curriculum» they marketed to us upon interviewing them was simply NOT implemented by their 19 – 22 year old teachers. Its hard to demand quality from your teachers though when you hire under qualified children and pay them 12 – 13 per hour. Overall I was nervous and anxious every time I dropped him off and, inevitably, he ended up in urgent care wit 102 degree fever. TEACHERS at Joyce’s…I know its hard to do to paying parents, but when a child has snot running down their face tell their parents NO and send the child home!!!

I checked out 6 pre-​school/​daycare facilities before I walked into Joyce’s. From the moment I walked in, I knew I had found the place for my little one. Two years later we are still impressed with the care, the nurturing and creative atmosphere that Joyce’s provides. All of the staff are excellent. Every month they have parent’s night out, Mom’s night and about every 3 – 4 months they have fun activities like the one day Carnival Festival, a great time for the parent’s to get to know each other and mix and mingle. My daughter even learned sign language! It’s like better than a Montessori!