Bonita Learning Academy

«I’m a bad kid and I don’t know how to be better.»
–My 3 year old son when he was at BLA
This review is years in the making, but since they solicit positive Unilocal review (and shockingly only have 10) I think it’s appropriate they get a well-​deserved negative review.
When I started a family, I bought a home in Bonita and on the recommendation of a neighbor checked out BLA when my son was preschool age. Really impressed during the visits — shocked at how well behaved these tiny children were. So my wife and I sweated out the approval process and our 3-​year old was accepted. Great news? Read on…
1) My son was «different». Of course we didn’t know this when he was 2. My son did a lot of developmental things really early (think: walking, talking, etc.). But I could also tell as he got a little older he had social problems like what I thought may be anxiety. We’d go to Padres games and he would hide because of the crowds, was far less social around people than other kids his age, etc. This translated to his relationships at the school which meant…
2) He didn’t fit the typical kid at BLA and that was a problem (read other reviews on this bit). We got calls about my son quite often. Lots of parent meetings to talk about my son’s problems (I can’t express enough how emotional and inconvenient this is). He cried a lot. Spent a bunch of time in Ana’s office. Didn’t participate enough. He was a pain. But.
3) Those meetings often turned into action plans. I insisted on that. We were a team (I thought). They would give me intel on his day. I’d act accordingly based on the info. I read child psychology books and my wife and I STUDIED how to become better, more effective parents. We had specific strategies we agreed with the teachers they could implement during his days there to get him in line with lots of leeway. Of course…
4) It was hard for the teachers. Over time I realized my son stopped progressing at the same pace. For a kid that did everything early (and at an age when kids should be learning at an increasing rate), this was weird. What I found out during a teacher conference is that the teachers didn’t follow through on their commitments — in fact, they did the opposite. Instead of instilling the necessary and agreed upon discipline, they started putting him in a corner to avoid dealing with him (for hours). Of course he wan’t progressing enough. My son was high maintenance and needed more attention than other kids — I get that. But I was still paying good money to have him looked after, learn, grow, etc. and I feel like the school let me down — I didn’t get my moneys worth nor what they committed to doing. As hard as it was on the teachers…
5) This experience was harder on my son and his self esteem. He went into some really dark times where he communicated and believed he was a «bad kid.» That pissed me off. But not as much as…
6) At the time we didn’t know where the problems were. We still hoped to keep him at BLA because we saw these other well-​behaved and talented kids growing. Who wouldn’t want that for their kids? We knew he was on the edge of being «invited back» from our overly stressful and frequent teacher conferences. On their advice, we sent my son to a child psychologist they recommended who who could only tell me he was too young to assess. I then found out from the teacher that Ana had already decided to kick him out before telling us to go to the psychologist. WTF?! Net result.
7) My son exited his BLA experience with what I think was the worst self esteem of his life. My wife hit a low point as a parent believing she was a failure. Please understand…
8) My family isn’t losers they thought they were. The psychologist told us my son could be autistic or immature or gifted, or he could be a combination of things. He was simply too young to assess. Now that he’s older, my son appears to be very gifted (according to his current school). My wife is a confident and great mommy. We were validated when…
9). The following year my son had to go to another school down the street. I’ll probably write about them later. Instant turnaround — he was high-​performing, happy, teachers loved and praised him, he was growing again! Validating points #2:
10) The best part of BLA is the other parents we met. Our son actually made quite a few friends (he was popular with kids). We hosted regular parties and invited the other families of his classmates over. We heard about the other parents experiences and realized the stress BLA created wasn’t unique. In fact quite a few other parents had to pull their kids out because they didn’t fit the exact mold. Interesting.
Overall — this was the most stressful experience my wife and I ever had in our role as parents. I look back years later and really blame BLA for it. If you have an average kid, maybe this is the right place.

Since my first child was in utero I desired for him to go to this incredible school. Years ago (the first year BLA opened) I was in the after school Spanish Program at BLA with the director, Ms. Ana, as one of my instructors. It was truly a wonderful experience. I scored higher on the Spanish SAT than the English even with Spanish being my second language.
This is currently our third year at BLA. I now have three boys, two of which attend BLA, one in kindergarten and another in pre-​k 4’s. My four year old will also be attending kindergarten there next year. I plan on sending my third little one as well once he turns three.
Both of my boys absolutely love the teachers and staff at their school. My kindergartener is now reading and writing at a second grade level in both English and Spanish! I am just amazed! The teachers consider every child. They solidify their strengths as well as recognize their weaknesses and encourage them to do their best. My boys also love the enrichment activities. They look forward to music and movement and yoga. My oldest was just telling me that he couldn’t wait for «Mommy and Me Yoga,» (a special activity that the staff arrange for the mother’s and students celebrating Mother’s Day).
The school is emaculate. The vision that the director Ms. Ana as well as the incredible staff has made possible for the children of our future is simply outstanding. I could go on and on. If only they could expand to 1^st grade all the way up to high school! We never want to leave!

I now feel I can give a fair and honest opinion about BLA. My son attended BLA August 2013 through Feb. 2014. Being in academia; I naturally wanted my son to attend a school that showed a strong commitment to academics. My 2 stars are for several reasons: this school has a a high turn over of teachers, they expected my 3 year old to go to the bathroom by himself and they did not appear to have sufficient training in actually working with a diverse group of students. When I say diverse, I mean (personality wise and learning preference among the students). In my opinion, if your child is quiet, more on the introverted side and tends to do exactly what you want them to do, then BLA is perfect. The teachers did not appear to have the skills to work with children in different positive reinforcement manners. The only thing they really knew how to do is to put a child on time out. One of BLA’s former teachers stated «if your child does not fit the box that Miss Ana wants (robot like) then BLA is not a good option». The teachers appeared on edge at times and I imagine it had to do with their leader. They are NAEYCE accredited which follows very specific guidelines in developing and following a plan to assist a child to flourish. I am surprised that BLA still holds this accreditation as they do not follow their guidelines. At the end of the day; you have to listen to your gut, do your research and have your child attend a school that is a better fit for them. Now that my son is finishing kindergarten at another school with before and after care; I can see a huge difference. He is so happy to go to school and has flourished emotionally and academically.

I want to preface this review by saying I am a huge fan of BLA; I love the program, the attention to detail, and I especially admire its director, Miss Ana. She is the real deal when it comes to education and also about being a good human being. But my 3 stars/​update has mainly to do with my second child’s experience at BLA, and how it did not mirror my first child’s. I feel it’s only fair to those who turn to these reviews to be fully informed, so I’m going to include additional info based on the additional experiences we had there, and only in regard to my second child’s time. Academically, there was teacher turnover and my second had to deal with the learning curves of two new teachers and that took its toll. It was a bit of a disappointment compared to the seasoned teachers my first had had. I also think the child’s gender and/​or personality-​behavior plays a big role in what that child’s ultimate experience there will be like. My second was more willful than my first, not nearly as much of a people-​pleaser. Nonetheless, I feel a school, regardless of the child’s personality, needs to be consistent in how it treats the child. My second child was not nearly as empowered as my older one was at BLA, yet has as many positive attributes, they’re just different ones. She was dealt with sometimes punitively for being willful, which I don’t think given her disposition, was entirely constructive in trouble-​shooting the issues at hand. We were referred by BLA to a child psychologist and lost no time to seeing him. Based on this professional’s recommendations, we ordered a book called «1, 2, 3 Magic» which we started to implement right away; it talks about positive reinforcement and how to discipline the child without lecturing them, or guilting them. (They’re simply too young at age 3 and 4 to hear too much yackety-​yack, so you count down warnings and then that’s it – at 3, without much explanation, they get a time-​out.) BLA, however, when it comes to discipline, does not follow this same practice even though there’s a «1, 2, 3 Magic for Teachers» version, and my child would be given loftier explanations (along with her class) and she just felt overall bad about herself. Additionally, the school had taken on a practice of giving awards to children who had earned them. I had no issue with my second child never earning an award in the 1.5 years she was there; I did take issue by the end of that time, however, to her feeling less-​than for sitting in on these awards ceremonies, having to participate with dance and song, yet never feeling like she would ever achieve an award. In her mind, she «needed to speak more Spanish» but it wasn’t that – she needed to be more malleable, like the good girls. We ultimately left BLA because the commute and lack of before-​care and a later after-​care was too straining on our family, but I see that my little one is much happier at the school she is at right now, and it gives me food for thought. I would most definitely recommend this school, but if for whatever reason it’s not a match, I also wouldn’t keep my child any longer than is necessary. Even the most wonderful things aren’t always a fit.

As a homeschooling parent, I was hesitant to send my child to a full time program. It seemed like alot of hours away from home. The academics also seemed rigorous for the age group. Because I felt that learning Spanish so important, I took the leap.
WHAT A GREAT DECISION it turned out to be. BLA is an amazing combination of dedicated, caring and nurturing teachers and well planned and thought out academics. My son had the most wonderful experience in this school. All aspects of the school are excellent: curriculum, activities, safety, enrichment. The reviews on Unilocal are not exaggerating. It is a wonderful place for a child. The teachers are sweet and nurturing, but at the same time firm and learning focused.
The administration is very organized and follow all the standards/​rules/​requirement. The families are wonderful and the kids have great friendships.
I would highly recommend this school.

Our family will be completing 6 years at Bonita Learning Academy this week. Both our daughters completed the 3 year curriculum here. If you are looking for a pre school that addresses the whole child, this is the school for you. Bonita Learning Academy is a billingual school that is highly academic with enrichment classes like yoga, Zumba, music, art, dance & PE. Our daughters loved going everyday because they learned so much and had so much fun doing so! The teachers are caring affectionate and supportive to each child’s needs. The school supports and encourages recycling and nutritious eating. The administration is organized and approachableI can’t tell you enough how wonderful this school is! When I drop my daughters off I feel so secure knowing that they are safe and well taken care of! This school is worth every penny you will not regret enrolling your child here. It is a true investment in your child’s education and first experience in a school setting.

My oldest daughter is finishing up her 3^rd year here and my youngest is completing her 1^st. I can’t begin to express how happy we have been with this school. The academics are phenomenal, both girls amaze me with the things they have learned. My kindergartner is completely bilingual now and is able to read and write beautifully in both English and Spanish. But this school goes above and beyond just the high academics, the staff has a wonderful relationship with the kids. They nurture each individual child and teach them important character values as well. They have put together the most well rounded program I have ever seen.

My son just finished his second year at BLA and we are so happy with the magical introduction to school life he received here.
BLA is the perfect combination of academic rigor and nurturing love for young children. Our five year old left BLA reading in English and a little in Spanish (we are not Spanish speakers). We chose BLA because our son will be doing Chula Vista public schools’ dual immersion program and we thought this would be a good foundation for him. We had no idea how amazing and comprehensive the program actually is. Everything they do is deliberate and thoughtful — from yoga, to zumba, to art, the kids are taught to value themselves and their community.
The program director, Ms. Ana, is a force of nature who provides the positive spirit to the school. This year our son had Ms. Melissa and Ms. Susanna as teachers both of whom are the IDEAL teachers for 4 – 5 year olds. They have high expectations for our children, huge smiles to encourage them, and a thoughtful, thorough pedagogical approach.
Parenting is hard work. BLA makes choosing a preschool easy. Do it, you won’t regret it!

My wife and I began our search for a quality dual language pre-​school for our son about a year ago. BLA’s thorough application/​screening process has shown us just how committed they are to not only the educational aspect but also the safety of all students attending. Having interviewed numerous pre-​schools throughout San Diego county, I feel very confident in stating that BLA is the première dual language school. They cover more subjects than I expected and even go further by offering Zumba, yoga and other forms of exercise for their students. They also teach the children to be environmentally conscious. They are a certified green school. Really there is too much to mention in a review and before you ask, no I do not work here. I’m just a parent committed to his child’s educational future. BLA is exactly what we want for our son. Fingers crossed he is accepted.