Frequently Asked Questions

GALC is licensed through the Department of Social Services, Child Care Licensing. Our preschool holds two licenses- Our Infant license allows us to accept children 6 weeks to 18 months. And our preschool license allows us to accept children 18 months to 6 years.

State Licensing allows Infants 6 weeks to 18 months at a ratio of 4 infants to 1 adult. Toddlers 18 months to 33 months at ratio of 6 children to 1 adult. All preschoolers, 2-6 years, to be at a 12 child to 1 adult ratio. So that is the "right" answer you would get in an inquiry in any licensed preschool or day care. At GALC our standards involve much more than meeting minimum Licensing requirements, and we commonly do better than this minimum ratio. Small group lessons and even one-on-one attention is available to our students throughout the day.

GALC is open Monday through Friday. 6:30AM to 6:00PM. Children are not allowed to exceed 10 ½ hours per day.

We offer full time, part time and half day schedules.

GALC has been serving families since 1988 and the same Administrator has been teaching in Southern California for 30+ years.

Well beyond the six units in Early Childhood Education that State Licensing requires to qualify as a “teacher." GALC teachers have advanced college degrees in Early Childhood Development and years of experience. They excel in patience and kindness, which are prime requisites for working with children. In addition to their specialties, all staff keep current in CPR/ First Aid and Disaster preparedness.

Staff turn-over at GALC is rare. Many of our staff has been with us from five to fifteen years. This is a reflection of the Administrator's commitment to high-quality Early Education, and her firm belief shared with GALC Staff that helping children get the best possible start in life is not only a privilege but also the most important job on the planet.

GALC is a year round program. We charge an annual registration fee based on your child’s start date. Our registration fee is much lower than most preschools. Our tuition is low compared to other quality private preschools, while providing a number of features that other schools charge extra for, or simply do not offer.

GALC has two “park-like” fully fenced play yards. Each landscaped play area is age appropriately equipped for running, climbing, swinging, and other large motor and creative activities. GALC is a four-classroom schoolhouse with a shared Dramatic play Room, Large motor Room, and Children’s Garden. GALC has lots of room for the friendly, close-knit community atmosphere that most of our families cherish. By comparison to larger facilities, our small preschool offers many more learning spaces, all with a warm, cozy feel.

GALC focuses not only on social and emotional skills, child development, and academics, but on children's passionate interests. When a child is capable, and encouraged to question and explore ideas and make connections, wonderful things happen. Our children love whatever they do! With the help of trained staff and involved parents, children who attend GALC achieve results that are often quite exemplary. We generally find these children to be self-motivated learners, well-prepared with a sturdy foundation in academics and problem-solving skills. Young people who are a credit to their families and their community. If you are interested in what GALC parents especially appreciate about our school, you may want to read our reviews posted on superpages.com. These reviews are significant statements about the value our families feel they have received at GALC. Family referral cards are also available on you school tour.

Much of the "discipline" at GALC is actually built into the design of our child-friendly environment. With the gentle flow of the school day, and the authentic respect for the children's needs modeled by the staff, all serve to dissolve much of the need for what tends to be called "discipline." When behavior is understood as information about what has been learned and believed, it is quite natural to respond to children's challenging behavior as opportunities for them to begin learning alternative ways of handling conflict and developing more effective communication skills.

Parents can send sack lunches or purchase lunch for their child on M, W, and F. On T, and TH, all children need to bring a sack lunch. We gladly heat (microwave) and/or refrigerate them as needed, to support families in providing well-balanced, nutritional midday meals for their children, while respecting individualized needs and cultural preferences. Three nutritious snacks are served with 1% milk or 100% fruit juice to assure that all children have ample opportunity to meet their nutritional needs. Snack times are morning, afternoon, and mid-evening.

We offer several guidelines: first of all, come for a visit with your child to see for yourself what we have to offer. Observe your child's response to the environment. Join him or her in our activities; have a chat together with our pets-“Pom-Pom” the guinea pig, “Leo”- the gecko lizard, “Fred”- the Russian tortoise, and “Sammy”- the tree frog. Tour the GALC classrooms and talk with our staff. Discuss with us what you are looking for in a school for your child, in the long-term. Get your questions and concerns answered, regarding your child's and your family's needs. Let us help you make an informed decision about a very important commitment; one which we believe – based on years of feedback from our families – is going to have a lifelong effect on how your child feels about school, about learning, and about life.

Yes, you will be able to observe our classrooms in session, once we have met with you for a Tour of our facility. We encourage both parents and child to visit, observe and participate.

After having browsed our website, you may call to answer any questions that you may still have. We have an “open door” policy for school tours or you can call and make an appointment for your child and both parents (if possible) to tour GALC with the director.

At the end of your school tour, we can discuss your best course of action. You may choose to place a deposit (registration fee) and take home the enrollment packet to complete. Your child may enroll any time during the year, as long as there is space available. A child is not officially enrolled in GALC until the registration fee received. We also have the option to decline enrollment for a child, if it is determined by our staff or physician that our environment is unlikely to be able to meet that child's needs.

You may secure your child’s space by placing a deposit (registration fee) and completing the enrollment packet. This allows GALC to save your child's space for your planned start date. We look forward to having you as a part of our growing GALC family.

GALC provides several avenues of communication for keeping abreast of your child's progress. Informal daily communication between staff members and parents. A daily progress report can be completed upon a parent’s request. Parents may arrange for a Formal parent-teacher conference at any time. Observation of your child's class is another option. Parents are always welcome to call our preschool at anytime.