Pasadena Day Nursery - (626) 449-6220

I've never liked the idea of putting my child into daycare. When searching for childcare options for my son, a daycare was the last place I wanted to put him, but I looked into all my options. I talked to nannies, stay-at-home-moms, schedule shifting (so my husband and I could be with him more), and daycare. Pasadena Day Nursery was convenient to home and work and happened to have availability, even though they usually have waiting lists of over a year. I was impressed immediately with the infant/caregiver ratio which exceeds the state standards. Almost every time I go in, there are only 2 infants per caregiver, sometimes less! They encourage parents to come and go at any time, to nurse, spend a lunch hour or just hang out and be a part of the child's school experience. They are a non-profit organization focused on child development (not just child-watching) and require 'parent participation hours' every year. This could be a negative I suppose, but it just enforces their support of parent involvement. I'm always so impressed by how happy the babies are, and how well the older kids are doing (whether they're studying the cultures of each of the kids in a class or acting out The Nutcracker, I've seen both). They provide delicious, nutritious lunches, made fresh on site each day. I wish I ate that well! They are incredibly flexible and supportive of part-time schedules. My husband and I work to spend as much time as possible with our son, and they have been really accomodating with our part-time schedules. We chose Pasadena Day Nursery and have never regretted our decision. Our son loves it there. He is thriving, happy and learning wonderful things. I would recommend PDN to anyone looking for a really good childcare situation for their child.

Fantastic director, curriculum, small ratios! It has child-sized classrooms, child-sized playgrounds, great teachers, intelligent, warm, personable director. When there are problems, she acts quickly and decisively to correct the problem. She develops long-lasting relationships with excellent teachers to build an outstanding program. This school has the most innovative ways of educating preschoolers, like getting them writing very very early and visiting each others' homes as field trips to learn about one another, etc. I loved having my children at this school and trusted the staff completely.

PDN is the the best daycare/nursery school in Southern California. My daughter went there and my son is about to start. The low turn over and fantastic director makes it feel more like a family rather than a school. The multi-cultural atmosphere is a great environment for kids. There is nothing I do not like about PDN!