The Academy at Manhattan Beach: A Bright Horizons Preschool - Manhattan Beach, California

Jessica B.

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!

Morgan D.

We had an amazing experience at Bright Horizons! All of the teachers my son had were absolutely wonderful; Ms Nikki, Ms Jocelyn, Ms Tanya, Ms Christina and Ms Alyssa. Each treated my son with kindness and played a huge roll in helping him advance his social and language skills. On drop offs days when he was having a hard time they made sure to comfort him and make him feel happy to be there. I also really appreciated the morning and afternoon snacks given to the kids. They were always a healthy choice and I never had to worry about what my son was given to eat.
The school itself is a run smoothly and very communicative, thanks to Ms Sylvia and Ms Diana!
I would highly recommend Bright Horizons in Manhattan Beach to any family sending their kids off to school for the first time.

Karen L.

Bright Horizons in Manhattan Beach is the best, I'm so happy to have them in my corner and don't know what I'd do without them. I dread the day when we graduate out of the center. We love the teachers and the administrators, the curriculum, the special care they take to accommodate our food allergy, the hours are great, parking is easy. They allow for what I find to be the perfect balance of opportunities for parental involvement. 5 stars without a doubt.

Update: It's 8 months later since I left my last review, and we're about to graduate from this Center. They've been taking care of my child for the last 2 years and while I know they've prepared my child to be her best self in TK and beyond, I'm not emotionally ready to leave behind this partnership that has played such a meaningful part of the last 2 years. We will be back to visit now and then because we love them all that much, and for drop in care until my kid ages out of that as well. If you're looking for care that feels like family, check them out.

Nicole E.

My husband and I truly enjoyed having our children attend The Academy at Manhattan Beach: A Bright Horizons Preschool. I was a stay at home mom for 3.5 years and had a lot of anxiety about what my children would experience as their first daycare/preschool. When I decided to return to work, it was important to me that our children would be in an environment where they would not only thrive but they would feel safe and nurtured. Sylvia, the center administrator, was exceptional at communicating and helping our family when we had questions and assisting us with backup care when needed. She and other teachers like Ms. Andrea, Ms. Ally, Ms. Christina, and Ms. Allysa truly embraced our children and made them feel protected. Our children started as 2 and 3 yrs old and after one year they learned and grew so much. We’re thankful for the guidance and love The Academy has poured into our children. We are forever thankful as well as advocates for this program. We highly recommend this preschool for families who are looking for a well designed center that focuses on nurturing children to be curious beings.

Stephanie R.

Hands down the best preschool in the South Bay! The teachers and administrative staff are caring and compassionate to all the little kiddos! My son was in the green room and had Ms. Jocelyn and Ms. Nikki and he loved them!! The director Sylvia knows all of the kid’s names, classrooms they’re in and their parents. Feels like family - We love it here!

Lynn M. M.

We love The Academy! Our 4yo son has just been attending a couple of months now, but he absolutely loves it, and gets excited to go in every day. At random times at home he’ll just spontaneously say to us ‘I love my school’ - so that deserves 5 stars and more I reckon 😉 Highly recommend!

Natalie P.

I can’t say enough good things about The Academy at Manhattan Beach. Our son has been here for over a year (since the age of 2) and this is like a second home for us. He is loved and so well cared for, he’s learned so much, and most importantly he is kept safe (which is quite the feat since he’s incredibly active and a daredevil). The wealth of activities that they have on a daily basis is impressive - an amazing playground, a really great indoor gym space (I think it was designed by MyGym), tons of arts and crafts, sensory activities, free play, reading, music, yoga … they have and do it all. And the teachers are all amazing, happy and engaged at all times. I truly think this is the best daycare/preschool around!

Mike A.

I recently used The Academy at Manhattan Beach for Back-Up Daycare and I couldn’t be happier. The administration staff were super friendly/helpful and the teachers welcomed my son with open arms. I also thought the facility was really well maintained and clean. My son really enjoy his time there and we will be using the program again. Ty, Mike