Summary
Contact Info
Playfactory Preschool
9723 Garibaldi Avenue
Temple City
, CA
91780
Tel:
(626) 285-9223
Parent Ratings
| Parents at this school would recommend this school to other parents. |
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| Quality of teaching |
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| Development of social skills and work habits |
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| Home-school connection |
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| Parent community |
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| Discipline |
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| Facilities |
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| Health |
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| Safety |
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| Handling of separation |
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Survey Information
Number of parents surveyed:
3
Savvy Source survey: Yes
General Info
Transportation and Drop-off Policies
Transportation
Accreditation, Membership & Awards
| Accreditation by the National Association of Young Children |
Yes
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Facilities
| CONDITION OF FACILITIES RATING (3.3) |
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| Building, bathrooms, hallway |
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| Classroom equipment and furniture |
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| Outside play equipment |
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Parents' Comments
Parent #1
Read up on the major different preschool educational philosophies before picking a preschool. Playfactory is mostly play-based but with age-appropriate guidance, materials, and structure. That works well for our kid. We like most of the teachers. They all have child ed degrees. Our child has always looked forward to coming to PF each day after getting over the separation anxiety (which the teachers helped with nicely). Good outdoor play area. They try to encourage parental involvement, but some parents are interested and some aren't. Teachers always gave us reports on the little scrapes and bruises which are part of growing up, and always knew what happened. By contrast, a parent from another school said their kid got two head bruises and that the teachers at that school hadn't even noticed. So, Plafactory pays good attention and keeps a good student/teacher ratio. I saw young Playfactory kids have little spats sometimes and the teachers did a great job of handling it so that it became a socialization lesson.
Parent #2
There currently seems to be a status quo that is concerning. The staff seems overwhelmed by it's students. It is non-profit, so funds are limited. They do have several teachers that are gems, and part of the reason we stayed here. Children begin with Marilyn and Tabassum, who are direct, patient and kind. The next two classes, the children seem to get lost in the program, and then they finish strong in Polly's kindergarten class.
Parent #3
This is one of the few preschools in San. G. Valley which is accredited by the NAEYC which is a big plus. The Playfactory kids' families are pretty diverse -- mostly 'white collar' with some 'blue collar', very middle income. Some parents are doctors or Caltech faculty/staff. Maybe about half the families are Chinese-Americans in the Temple City-Arcadia region. We have found the other kids and families to be almost all nice and decent. None of the children has been a bad influence on our child. Our child has found some good friends there. Most of the children seem pretty bright. We like the school's nonprofit attitude. Their goal is to help the parents, not squeeze money out of the parents. It's a solid education program which is in a good middle ground, not too unstructured and not too strict/formal. They have great field trips several times a year to places like the zoo, the aquarium, KidSpace, puppet shows, pretty educational stuff. The teachers are experienced and handle the children well.
School Philosophy & Day in the Life
School Philosophy and Mission
Director has not yet submitted this information to the Savvy Source
Typical Day-In-The-Life At This School
Director has not yet submitted this information to the Savvy Source
Quality of Teaching
Teachers Are:
| OVERALL RATING: (3.4) |
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| Full of energy and seemingly happy in job |
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| Patient and affectionate with children |
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| Talks with children and listens carefully when they are talking with him/her |
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| Praises children for accomplishments and good behavior |
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| Provides feedback on what my child does during the day |
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| Shares insights on my child that are helpful and accurate |
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| Identifies my child’s strengths and weaknesses |
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| If necessary, provides additional support to my child during pickup and drop-off |
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| Resolves disputes quickly, calmly and fairly in a manner that allows children to learn from the dispute |
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| Notices children who are not on task and/or engaging with other children appropriately and quickly reengages them |
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| Manages the energy level of the children so that all children feel safe and able to learn |
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| Provides additional support to a child when s/he is clearly failing in her/his efforts |
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| Strikes the proper balance between active and quiet play for children |
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Director's Comments on Individualized Teaching
Parents' Comments
Parent #1
Student to teacher ratio is about 6 to 1 so teachers are able to give some individual attention. The kids are ordered and encouraged but not mercilessly pushed to work on classroom projects. Teaching approach is 'learning by doing'. The teaching approach is midway between a highly controlled classroom and a completely unstructured setting. School time is partly unstructured play and partly structured sit-down projects. The focus is on education but they do it by trying to make learning fun. Also they pay a lot of attention to developing children's social skills (e.g. 'we use words when we are angry', 'we share', etc) and emotional development. I think they do a very good and balanced job of helping the kids develop intellectually, emotionally, and socially. The teachers are nice to the kids and set a good example, based on the reports I hear from the kids. Parents get detailed written feedback reports on child's progress twice a year but not otherwise unless you want to make an appointment to talk about it. Teachers are friendly and accessible but during school time they focus strongly on watching the kids so they can correct behavior, rather than chatting with parents and ignoring the kids, which is a good thing. Parents are free to visit and invited to sit in at any time.
Discipline, Health and Safety
Discipline
| OVERALL RATING (4.2) |
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| Parents at this school, on average, believe that conflicts between children:
are handled extraordinarily well in a way that not only gives me confidence in the safety of my child but also reassures me that my child (and his/her peers) are learning the early skills needed to socialize effectively with one another
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Parents' Notes on Discipline, Health and Safety
Parents' Comments
Parent #1
Teachers maintain good watch on the kids at all times so while there is no 'guard station' you have to get past they will know if you are a stranger or not. Strictly enforced that only authorized people may remove a child. We are not worried about safety. The teachers carefully watch the children t enforce social rules and resolve little arguments. If kids fight over a toy, teachers take it away from them and explain why. Occasional timeouts are used. Most of the children have been nice and well-behaved as preschoolers go. Very few 'problem kids' at this school which is one reason we like it. The facilities are in an old church building so they look a little shabby and used at first glance but they're in 'good used' condition. It's a nonprofit school so they try to save money in ways where it won't hurt the education quality. Great play area outside.
Parent #2
The climbling structures are over sand. There have been stray cats seen deficating in the sand daily.
Health
| OVERALL RATING (4.2) |
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| Temperature and overall air circulation is comfortable |
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| Healthy and nutritious snacks are provided
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| Toys and furniture are cleaned regularly |
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Safety
| OVERALL RATING (4.0) |
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| Screen and identify all visitors
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| Parents may not bring sick children to school where they may infect others |
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Ages, Schedule & Tuition
Director and Parents have not yet submitted this information to the Savvy Source.
Application & Admissions
Director and Parents have not yet submitted this information to the Savvy Source.
Kindergarten Placement & Tips
Parents' Admission Tips
Advice from Parents to Prospective Parents on Admissions
Parent #1
It's nonprofit so they will accept any child after an informal screening to make sure there aren't serious developmental problems.
