Dove's Landing School - Thousand Palms, California

Avery Webb

This school is a private Christian school, though they do not disclose the fact that they are religious on their website. While they used to meet at The Living Desert, the school currently meets at the College of the Desert campus in Palm Desert. Students have little supervision and are allowed to run wild around campus and are very disruptive to the ongoing college classes. Kids should get to play… but the COD halls and cafeteria is NOT the place for that. Why a private religious school is operated here, I don’t know. But they need to be respectful to the people who attend COD, or find another place to hold their activities.

Em Sabogal

I don’t often leave reviews but I feel like this one is important. If you have young children who just turned 5 years old this school may not be the fit.
Especially if your child is the typical 5 year old who loves social interaction, loves to play, and needs stimulation through play.
Early on I had my concerns with safety due to the fact that it is not a typical school setting. They are based out of a church or college and access to anyone from the public to be able to walk into these areas is very open. Front door at the church was always open and often unattended.

This school prides them self as
an Abraham Lincoln teaching which means k-12 is all in one room. For my little it was intimidating to walk in and immediately have to go and sit by older children he did not know. He voiced he was nervous. Which makes sense. The patience and attention for the younger kids is not there.(There are about 4 “teachers”)
Many times I was told “he does not need to be here it’s only kindergarten”.
My son is not a bad child. He does not hit, bite, or have bad behaviors but he is a normal 5 year old, active, loves to learn through play and very happy.

One time I was confused with an other parent, and the gentlemen came up to me to tell me they had to “bear hug him down”. Turns out it was NOT my child but was someone’s else’s. The patience for the younger children is just not there.

The last day and final straw was when we had just walked in, my son was nervous and voiced his concern again, there was no comforting or getting down to his level to speak to him. My son grabbed a small toy chirping bird the teachers had out. The main director said do not to touch it after he did as any child would,
she yelled, “HE HAS TO GO HOME”. A child for touching a toy? You would have thought he had hit someone or done something horrendous.

As she walked me out she points to another student “he use to be the same way and look at him now.” I was appalled she would single out another student. To say the least the child did not look happy.

This school should not say they take in children of 5 years old. When they have no care or patience to work with them. They need more people to work solely with these young children and not relay in the older students to do so. And if the older kids “can’t deal with them” they are sent home.

Many times i also asked the teacher for a breakdown of curriculum, and also a print out of the time he would be doing certain activities, and it was never provided. When I asked my son, what did he learn he would say all they would do was read to him about God. I asked him did he color? Did he interact with any kids? Did he learn ABCs? Did he count? Did he practice tracing, writing etc and he said no and never were there any sheets of paper or work sent home that showed me he did.

I am aware of this is a private Christian school, but there needs to be more of a curriculum for the younger children, more focus on the little children, and more PATIENCE for them. Also Plenty of time to have them get their wiggles out and structure play.

I messaged the director as well to voice and let her know and never received any communication to apologize or to imply they would work on any of these issues in the future.

If your child is a typical five-year-old who seeks things like this, this is not the school for them.

Colin Ficke