Camelot Kids

4/16/2016

Our son has been at Camelot for seven months now. On one hand, I'm thrilled that he loves his pre-school so much. On the other, trying to get him to leave for the day takes an act of God. Some of my lowest moments as a parent have been spent trying to coax him from the sand area because Camelot was closing for the day.

Anyway.

As a parent, you feel like everyone--teachers and administration alike--truly care about your child. Every day when we pick our son up we are provided with an update of how things were for him that day, and all of the staff, including teachers who don't even have him in class greet him and/or say goodbye. They host really fun events for the kids--the Winter festival, the Halloween walk, Kidchella(!!!)--and foster an environment which balances play and learning. The space is creative, nurturing and inviting. We love it.

8/31/2015

Camelot Kids is an amazing, creative, warm, diverse and inclusive community that we feel blessed to be apart of with our two children.

The owner Renae and her husband work TIRELESSLY to continue to create a SAFE space (physically and emotionally) for our children to grown, learn and explore. If there are times where very hard decisions have had to be made about the running of the pre-school that compromise these efforts we know and trust  it is in the best interest of our little ones.

The negativity here in these reviews is heartbreaking, driven by the very very few out of hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of families over the years that have lovingly called Camelot home.

It is a well known that someone who has had a negative experience in any aspect of their lives will tell 100 people versus someone who has an awesome experience will tell 5 people. If all of the wonderful families who love and cherish this special place shared their positivity we would smash these very few negative and fear mongering individuals out of our universe.

8/31/2015

I am so sorry to hear all of this negative feedback about Camelot and Renae.  My son graduated from Camelot a few years ago and had a wonderful experience, as did I!   I am so grateful for Camelot, the teachers and Renae for providing such a warm and caring environment for my son. He loved  going to Camelot and never wanted to leave when it was time to go.
I am a former preschool and elementary school and I was ( and still am) very impressed with the program.  The children were able to explore independently, but also experience structured activities and lots of hands on learning! It was truly enriching!
Although we are no longer at Camelot, we are close with Renae's family and will forever support them, Camelot and ALL their endeavors to improve our entire community!

9/5/2015

We arrived to live in the USA for the first time 4 years ago. We started our new adventure with a fair amount of excitement and anxiety. Our youngest attended Camelot Kids within 2 weeks of arriving. There began 2 wonderful years of happiness and contentment that our child was in the very best hands. She absolutely loved her experience in Camelot Kids. Now a 2nd grader, she still remembers with fondness her time there.

It is a nurturing, enthusiastic, colorful world. We were warmly welcomed and included from the very first day. We grew relationships with many of the gorgeous people that we met there.

I think it's low to mention Renae by name to attack her. That's real tyranny. I will name her name to celebrate her as a Woman who indefatigably works for the better of the school. Renae is a generous, energetic and intelligent person. Her door was always open.

9/24/2015

We have entered our second year at Camelot and my son absolutely loves it. I literally have to drag him out of school each day because I'm fairly certain he would live there if I'd allow it.

We started taking baby classes there when he was 8 months old. I feel that made his transition to starting preschool there at age 2 much easier.

He has so much fun there each day and at this age, that is what is most important to me. He is also learning a lot as well. We taught him his alphabet and numbers at home, but at school he has learned sign language and Spanish which I think is great.

If you have a toddler you know how hard they can be to keep entertained. I'm so glad he has this school where he can go learn, play and explore.

I also like that the kids get lots of time for out door play. There is a good balance between classroom and playground time.

We started going three days a week half days and now do five days a week which has been perfect for us.

9/2/2015

My daughter attended Camelot Kids preschool and had a truly wonderful experience. She loved every minute she spent at Camelot Kids and flourished tremendously while she was there. The environment was safe, nurturing and wholly enriching. After three years. she left socially, emotionally and academically prepared to start Kindergarten.

Whether it is building Camelot Kids (from the ground up) or transforming Thomas Starr King, the local middle school, Renae Plant's contributions to this community are significant, and we, along with many other families, are fortunate to have benefited from her hard work and dedication.

8/27/2015

Camelot has an incredible community and Renae has worked endlessly to make this place happen. The teachers and administrators are caring and nurturing and the parents are just wonderful. Renae's positive energy carries throughout the campus and it's just contagious. Kids learn so much, play and just have a great time! I love all the animal pets and it's a very safe and homie environment.

9/10/2015

My son attended Camelot from Parent and Me classes all the way through pre- school. My daughter just completed her stint there as well. We absolutely loved Camelot. The hours and days and times are flexible. The staff and teachers are skilled, passionate and fun. Both of my children looked forward to going to school every day. The parent community is inviting. Two of my great friends I met at Camelot. The headmaster Renae is actively involved and inspiring. We saw the school grow over the last 7years and what she and her team have been able to accomplish for the children and the school is truly outstanding. The only bad thing about Camelot is that it doesn't go through 6th grade. :)

11/11/2015

What a great experience. Our child loved going here.  Great facilities and staff. Our child moved to kindergarten confident and way ahead in reading and math skills.

11/12/2015

Camelot is a creative, fun, and inspiring environment and I love the teachers. It's a wonderful place for a little one.

9/8/2015 Updated review

Given all the rumors flying around these days, I feel compelled to update my review. Camelot has been an amazing place for both of our kids. Ms. Renae has created a truly special place in Camelot. While everyone is talking about (not to) her I feel compelled to remind the world (or at least the parents out there) that there are two sides to every story. The only thing I know for sure is that Camelot is awesome, and the teachers have consistently, for six straight years, been great.

9/25/2015

When we moved here in 2012, I was especially worried about finding the right place for my daughter, who was struggling with all the change and for my son who had not had great experiences at preschool back east. But, 3 years later ...and now being Camelot alums, I can say, they are better, smarter, more well adjusted kids because of Camelot. We didn't just get a preschool, we got a community of love and support. My kids have never been happier than they were at Camelot. Renae and Livinio have created an amazing space. I tell every parent I know about the school!

9/3/2015

I asked  my child  what she think about Camelot as she now on 2 grade she said
I wish that Renae and Livinio could have all grades in Camelot I wish I could stay at Camelot till high school ( I love that school and the staff)  
That is it Camelot is more them a pre school it's a family and a great community we made friends for life there . Thank you for an amazing memories for all of us.

8/31/2015

Camelot kids is a magical pre school! The staff is very professional and loving, as are the owner's Renae and Livy Plant. I fell in love with the school on my first visit and was welcomed with open arms by Renae herself (never meeting her before) I immediately put in my application and had the most amazing 4 year experience for my son. He learned so many valuable things in such a short time. Reading, counting, performing, socializing, art, music and made the best friends of his life. My expectations were exceeded by the yearly upgrades Renae would make to the school . Her on going drive to make the school better each year for our kids were not ego driven , but her mission,  to give back to her school for our families.
I would recommend Camelot kids to any family who wants a safe and healthy learning environment for their children . It was the perfect fit for our family!

9/1/2015

Sadly, I have to agree. The same thing happened to our family way back in the day. Good teachers were fired and replaced by unqualified personnel.(this termination happened at a juncture we felt was not beneficial in any way to the kids)  When we requested information as to why, we were given the same response (summary):"my way or the highway." We were shockedbt the tone of her response as well as the notion that we had no voice in the institution teaching our child. We tried to gather other frustrated parents to simply discuss the matter but too many were concerned about expulsion. We hit a brick wall and felt alone and were made to feel adversarial.. I'm sorry this is happening to other families but thankful for parents willing g to speak up.

8/31/2015

I should have done this two years ago - I'm a bit slow.   My now 1st grader needed 5x a week care all day ASAP as I went from a stay-at-home mom to a full time job with travel. I was completely freaked out. Not my first kid but I had two weeks to find a place for him. I came to visit Camelot because it was convenient. When I walked through the gate and saw all the kids playing, learning, running, doing "dangerous" things that other places wouldn't let happen (like slides and swings-so risky), I really wanted my kid to go there.  It seemed magical. I walked into the Director/Owners office and promptly burst into tears.  Maybe it was pity but she handed me an application and said something I really needed to hear, "It will all be ok."
And it was. He spent two years there. Learned to read, learned important social skills, was loved, learned that he wasn't one in a million but rather one in seven billion...part of a bigger whole.
Renae works hard for her school and community.   She likes honesty, transparency and honor...I really loved our experience there and continue to be part of their community.

6/13/2014

After two years at this beautiful but over-hyped preschool, we were disappointed, clearly not the school for us!

1) Baby Dragon and Admissions:  An 'in-the know-parent' told me that I'd have a better chance of admission after attending 'Baby Dragons' so we signed up for Camelot's toddler program. We paid $1500 over the course of a year to attend classes that were repetitive in nature. I ignored my toddler's boredom, thinking 'admissions, admissions, admissions.' At admissions time for preschool, we wrote our required entry essay (in essence, "your school is the BEST and I REALLY want to go there!") and provided our family portrait (to be judged on looks, apparently? why did they need our picture?). We clearly passed the strange admissions process because we got in. However, the whole thing left a bad taste in our mouth that set a tone.

2) Diversity: Diversity seems non-existent at Camelot Kids. From what we could tell, few, if any, families are divorced, minimal if any LGBT families attend, it's almost all Christian and maybe 1 or two families of color attend per 'grade' - if that. Camelot does not reflect the real world or even Silver Lake. Not your school if you want your child to grow up around a variety. We also realized that many families had one, if not two ex-pats and as the school year went on many of these families returned to their country of origin for lengthy periods while still paying the hefty monthly tuition fee to hold their spot. What director wouldn't want to collect cash without providing services for a month or two at a time???

3) Director: The director is a savvy businesswoman whose online press states she has nothing more than a high school education. She is amazing at fundraising and really focuses on ways to clear more money for the school (and her pocket, as she owns Camelot 100%) including the festivals and 'enrichment classes' on top of high tuition. However, most parents of preschoolers are anxious, and, in our experience, it appears she does not have the education or true warmth to manage issues or concerns. A former parent of the school herself, she took over after the prior director left. However, being a parent does not automatically qualify someone to direct an early education institution.

4) Turnover - In one class last year, 5 different care providers switched in and out in one month's time! Not good. We watched the school fail to provide a stable environment for the kids and ignore class parents seeking to understand why this was happening or how they were handling it.   We got a chance to look at the emails sent about the turnover - they were minimal and dismissive. This scared us.

5) Academics: Zoophonics, which Camelot 'teaches', is something you can buy off Amazon. Instead of academics, Camelot fosters lots of creative play and primarily spends the majority of 'class' time singing and performing. Think of Camelot like a primer for a performance charter. This will work for some and not others. We actually want our kid to be school ready and are not stage parents. So umm....no.

5) Grounds: The grounds are beautiful (bunnies! birds! bikes!) and this is why I am awarding the school a star at all. Truthfully, the grounds are why we applied in the first place. Stunning. However, there is no indoor lunchroom, so if it's rainy and cold it means your poor preschooler is eating in the rain and cold. The classrooms are small and crowded, and because of the baby dragon program (cram more in! make more money!) it's a mad house at the parking lot and at pickup time.  We were, however, told by one teacher they've had problems with fleas in the past and ourselves saw several mice in the lunch area - but given the fridges and food are outdoors, this isn't surprising.

6) Working parents: In our opinion, this is not a good school choice for families with two working parents.  Expect many emails about volunteering and lots of early dismissals and random off days for which you are still expected to pay tuition. Factor in taking time off work or the cost/time of finding additional babysitting coverage. In our experience, those lunchtime outdoor rainy and wet days contributed to winter illness, so remember you'll also have to take time off work or find babysitting coverage when your kid is ill.

7) Injuries - over our time there, we watched several kids get bitten, hit and punched while the teachers took their sweet time before intervening.  There a lot of 'oops' reports being handed out, but seemingly no repercussions for perpetrators (because several perpetrators we witnessed continued to attend). This was another factor in our disappointment.  We want our kid to be safe.

In our opinion, Camelot is all style with no substance.

1/29/2015

You simply cannot get any better than Camelot. It is pure magic. Each and every single one of the staff members cares deeply about the children and the overall philosophy of the school, and the Director could not be more passionate, considerate and caring, not only about the children, but about her community, inside and outside of the school. She is a true inspiration, and frankly, I do not know how she does everything that she does, day in, day out, and with such an amazing attitude!

If you are lucky enough to get a spot at this school, take it and don't look back. It will be the best decision you ever make for your child.

PS Per the comment below with respect to allowing unvaccinated children, all schools have this policy. California allows for every family to file a personal belief exemption, or "PBE," allowing them to opt out of some or all vaccinations.  I personally believe that all children should be vaccinated, but I can understand a family opting out for personal and/or health reasons.  I also believe, as does California, that every family should have this right.

9/3/2014

Camelot Kids is  a community.  I'll start with the teachers who arel FANTASTIC, well educated, and really care about the children.  The classes are small, with two teachers, and have great variety in the curriculum.  The facility is about 4 times larger than you expect based on the exterior.  They have safe and comfortable classrooms, a large playground with soft flooring, birds, chickens, swings, slides, just everything you need to tire out your toddler and have them come home beaming with joy and full of stories about their adventures.  Everything is beautifully decorated, well manicured, clean, and very organized.

ALSO, and this truly left me pleasantly shocked:  The owner and administrative office staff are extremely professional, kind, have a sense of urgency, strictly adhere to all practical guidelines and run an extremely "tight ship."  I'm serious:  All e-mails are answered almost immediately, there's always someone at the front office to "buzz you in" when you arrive, the billing is automated with detailed invoices, and all parent-teacher conferences and other events are scheduled efficiently, well in advance and conducted/executed perfectly.  They should run LA Unified.

Finally, Camelot is a community.  In Los Angeles we, like many busy parents, are pressed for time and far away from friends and family.  Every Camelot parent we've met has been friendly, supportive and a great resource for play dates, activities, mutual consolation (hey, toddlers are hard work!), birthday party planning and attendance, all the things our kids need to foster a healthy and happy environment for socialization, learning and play.

Things you should know:  I'm a tough critic, extremely protective of my daughter, and have extremely high service expectations.  Our daughter has been at Camelot since age 2 and enrolled in 2012 after an exhaustive search of schools in our area.  We could not be happier.  Period.  If you're looking for peace of mind, a safe and happy environment, awesome teachers, a professional administration and happy kids, Camelot is for you.  Outstanding and so appreciated.

11/12/2015

Our daughter went to Camelot Kids for four years.  We love the campus, the teachers and the owners, Renae and Livi.  Long Live Camelot!