Schools in Manhattan Beach, CA

“Review for The Academy at Manhattan Beach: Bright Horizons

I can’t say enough wonderful things about Bright Horizons in Manhattan Beach! My son attended from ages 2 to 4, and he absolutely thrived there. The teachers are incredibly caring, patient, and truly invested in each child’s growth. Every day, he came home excited to tell me about the fun activities, songs, and lessons he learned. The environment is warm, welcoming, and feels like an extension of home.

Now, my daughter has been attending, and we have been just as happy with her experience. The only reason we are leaving is that they don’t offer infant care for our youngest, and it’s simply easier for our family to have both children at the same school. Otherwise, we would stay in a heartbeat!

On top of the amazing teachers, the center director and staff are absolutely fantastic—always helpful, communicative, and going above and beyond to make sure families feel supported.

If you’re looking for a nurturing, engaging, and loving daycare, I highly recommend The Academy in Manhattan Beach. We are so grateful for the amazing foundation they’ve given our children! We will truly miss them!”

“Amazing school! A great place for kids to explore and use their imagination. A highly supportive community of parents working together to empower our children with the tools and friends they need”

“I love this daycare! All the teachers are wonderful and you can see they truly love being with kids; It is more like a family than a daycare; It does not have fancy toys, high tech activities but kids learn how to become creative under the supervision of the teachers. Highly Recommend!”

“My kids attended Manhattan Academy from the Infant Center through Primary. We have loved everything about MA. The staff is wonderful and invested in giving the kids a really great foundation and fun education. The Director is super involved, knows all the kids by name, and really cares about the kids. My kids have learned so much and enjoyed every classroom they have been in.

Infant Center: We initially chose MA based on the infant center. Ms. Wroten has been the director in the infant center for years and she is a wonderful teacher. We loved that the teachers will ask you for your individual schedule for your child. All of the other places we toured had a set schedule that your infant needed to adjust to. You give them the schedule for feedings and naps and they will stick to it. The teachers provide updates throughout the day in real time (and pictures!) and they communicate with you about everything. Even in the infant center, the teachers will incorporate activities that encourage development. And I always appreciated the art projects and over the top projects for Mother's Day and Father's Day. We always trusted the teachers and felt that our kids were safe. Our kids flourished in the infant center.

Toddler Community: The Toddler community is really the jewel of the school. A really welcoming and cute space that is separate and really special. We got to know all of the teachers in Toddler (most of whom have been there for years) and loved every single teacher. The teachers potty train the kids at a pretty early age. It made the potty training at home super easy. The teachers are very involved in the kids' development at this age - teaching them so many important foundational skills. We saw tons of growth here. Our kids had Ms. Campos (Cornejo) and Ms. Schott - both really amazing teachers - they genuinely care for all the kids and teach them so much. They hold conferences with the parents about your child's growth, areas of improvement, things to look forward to. Of course there are fun activities as well. On top of the motor, language, and cognitive skills they learned in toddler, they also learned to be kind, confident, polite, and friendly.

Primary Community: The growth and development in the primary community is off the charts. Again, the teachers are amazing. Ms. Alcaraz is one of the best teachers I have ever known. She really cares for all of her kids like they are her own. Everyday I was amazed at the things the kids learned in primary. The development of reading and writing skills is really amazing. They also offer tons of activities that enrich the kids' experience - music, outdoor environment, spanish. I wish I had such a well rounded education myself at that age. The kids love the program, love their teachers, love going to school. I can't speak highly enough of our experience here.”