Schools

Children's Center



Favorite Preschool & Best Christian School
Loma Linda Academy Children’s Center provides early childhood care and education for children ages 3 months to 5 years old. The Children's Center is licensed by the State of California Department of Social Services.
Our fundamental commitment to Christian values is deeply rooted in our mission to provide a nurturing environment for children. We support a community of students, staff, and parents who love God and reflect His character by serving with passion and excellence.

We strive to maintain a safe and loving environment with the physical, social, spiritual, emotional, and intellectual development of young children in mind. Our teachers are caring and committed to helping your child develop foundational skills. We focus on developmental milestones, learning styles, and educational needs to help ensure that each child receives hands-on, one-on-one attention.

Contact

25228 Shepardson Dr. Loma Linda, CA 92354

Director: Mariana Mitroi

Tel: (909) 796-0161 ext. 4000
Fax: (909) 796-7279
E-mail: llacc@lla.org

License, Facility Numbers
Infant Center: 360908231
Day Care Center: 360908232

Sunday: Closed
Monday to Thursday: 6:30am to 6:00pm
Friday: 6:30am to 4:30pm
Saturday: Closed

List of 6 items.

  • How can I apply?

    If you would like to apply, begin by completing our Interest Form. Please call or send us an email if you have questions. We would love to tell you more about our center.

    Call: (909) 796-0161 ext. 4000
  • Enrichment Classes

    • Sports
    • Cooking
    • Interactive Literature
    • Food
    We offer a range of vegetarian snacks that are prepared fresh daily. We also offer a vegetarian hot lunch program. Lunch tickets are available in the front office for purchase.
  • Outdoors

    Playing outside is an important part of childhood development. Our outdoor space not only helps support what children are learning in the classroom, but it also is a great place to play! In addition to our playground equipment, we have an outdoor chapel area, spaces for sensory experiences with sand and water, garden boxes, and even some barnyard animals. The Musical Center is where children are encouraged to think outside the box, explore, experience, and improve their musical style.
  • Activities

    We have several fun activities throughout the year. Some activities include:
    • Teddy Bear Picnic
    • Jumpstart Read Across America
    • Art Show
    • Grandparents’ Day
  • Do we need to be Seventh-day Adventist to attend?

    No! We welcome all families from religious or non-religious traditions and strive to create a safe space for learning. We encourage students to make good moral decisions. Christian beliefs and values are presented in a positive way in all classes and activities.
  • Are you licensed?

    Yes! We are licensed by the State of California Department of Social Services.
Give us a call or email if you have questions. We would love to tell you more about our center. If you would like to apply, begin by completing our Interest Form.

Call: (909) 796-0161 ext. 4000

Learn More

List of 3 items.

  • Our Curriculum

    CREATION KIDS: A Comprehensive Faith-Based Curriculum Creation Kids is a faith-based curriculum designed for our threes through Pre-K age. This comprehensive, self-contained digital curriculum uniquely promotes the whole child's development—head, hand, and heart. It provides a framework for the day’s events that supports children’s security and independence by following a consistent routine day after day. This unique approach gives children the sense of security they need to make choices and take risks and reassures parents and caregivers about their child's development. With its comprehensive approach, Creation Kids is designed to meet the diverse needs of our students.

    Teachers and students are active partners in shaping the educational experience. The Creation Kids curriculum has teacher-facilitated and child-directed activities. 

    Teacher-facilitated activities
    allow teachers to provide instruction on new skills through engaging, hands-on, and interactive lessons and activities. During teacher-facilitated activities, the teacher is also intentional about observing specific skill development and collecting data regarding the children’s performance. Teacher-facilitated activities and lessons address the following content areas/developmental domains: Faith/Bible, Character/Fruit of the Spirit, Culture, and Community (Social Studies), Physical Development (large and small motor skills), Literacy, Math and Science.
     
    Child-facilitated learning in the Creation Kids curriculum gives children the freedom to explore, discover, and create on their own. Under the watchful eye of our teachers, children are encouraged to interact with materials and their peers, fostering their independence and decision-making skills. This approach not only nurtures children's development but also reassures parents and caregivers that their child's educational journey is in a supportive environment.
     
    LLACC incorporates Zoo-Phonics in our curriculum, a unique addition that enriches the educational experience. This phonics program not only enhances literacy skills but also fosters a love for reading and learning, ensuring a well-rounded educational journey for our students.
    • Zoo-phonics uses Animals in the shapes of lowercase letters before teaching the actual letters for easy remembering
    • Zoo-phonics teaches the sounds of the letters through the animal names ("a" as in Allie Alligator, etc.), and letter sounds are taught before letter names.
    • Zoo-phonics teaches lowercase letters before capital letters. After all, reading materials are written 95% of the time in lowercase letters.

    At Loma Linda Academy Children’s Center (LLACC), we use the North American Division (NAD) Early Childhood Developmental Learning Standards as a guide. These standards outline benchmarks and skills that young children acquire from birth to five years of age and are developed through a Seventh-day Adventist worldview. They provide a clear, research-based framework for our curriculum, supporting the young child's well-being across five domains: Spiritual, Physical and Health, Socio-Emotional, Language/Communication, and Cognitive.
    Teachers use the standards to plan lessons and individualize activities based on each child's strengths, from Nursery to Pre-K classrooms.
     
    LLACC is piloting a new curriculum for Infants and Toddlers, Little Sprouts. The North American Division Office of Education developed the curriculum to guide young children to grow like Jesus. The curriculum units use all five areas of development (Social-Emotional, Language, Cognitive, and Physical) and assess children through developmental milestones. The Infant-Toddler Developmental Milestones enable caregivers and administrators to determine each child's progress and plan educational experiences to encourage further learning.
     
    The Infant-Toddler Curriculum is based on the principle that children learn best through direct, hands-on experiences with people, objects, events, and ideas. During this active learning process, infants and toddlers are encouraged to discover the world around them by exploring and playing. Learning and development are anchored by long-term, trusting relationships with caregivers, who are close at hand to support the children as they play. Adults scaffold further learning as they interact with children throughout the day.

    The space and materials in the infant-toddler settings are arranged to promote active learning within a safe, comfortable, and secure environment. Each center is divided into areas organized around specific play and care, such as small toy areas, book areas, movement areas, art areas, and spaces for diapering, meals, and naps. The areas are around the room's perimeter, and the middle space is used for large-muscle movement. The teachers give children control over the day's events by planning a predictable yet flexible daily routine. The routine includes arrivals and departures, choice times, group times, meals, and outside times. These daily events are scheduled to accommodate each infant or toddler's eating, sleeping, and bodily care cycles.

    In the vision of preschool education, children are doers and problem solvers, and adults are partners who share in children’s discoveries and gently guide their learning.
  • Our Facilities

    We are pleased to provide the following to our program.
    • Classrooms are fitted with art tables, bulletin boards, changing tables, a circle time area, cubbies, an eating area, learning centers, manipulatives, potty training facilities, a reading center, and a science table.
    • The outdoor play areas are equipped with fall zone material, playground equipment, picnic tables, a dramatic play area, easels for painting, a library/ reading area, sensory tables, Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) equipment, musical center, swings, a sandbox, bikes, tricycles, and garden areas.
  • Our Program

    INFANTS AND TODDLERS
    This program emphasizes meeting the needs of the individual child ages three months to 24 months. Nurturing, loving, stimulating, and responsible care is provided. The staff works with the parents to develop an optimum schedule for the child. Toys and materials are provided to challenge, promote discovery, open up exploration, and develop new skills. A 1:4 teacher-child ratio makes careful observation and charting possible.

    PRESCHOOLERS 2-4 YEARS OLD
    The program emphasizes age-appropriate activities and experiences for preschoolers ages two through four to enhance spiritual, physical, emotional, intellectual, and social development. We strive to help each child develop a healthy self-concept. Every child's creativity and individuality are encouraged and respected. The classrooms are staffed with a 1:12 teacher-child ratio, making teaching within quality care possible.

    PRE-KINDERGARTENERS
    While there's no perfect formula that determines when children are truly ready for kindergarten, here is a checklist to see how many skills your child will work towards mastering in our pre-k room: count to twenty, cut with scissors, trace basic shapes, speak understandably; identify some alphabet letters; recognize rhyming sounds; listen to stories without interrupting; button shirts, pants, coats and zip up zippers; sort similar objects by color, size, and shape; look at pictures and then tell stories; understand actions have both causes and effects; and recognize groups of one, two, three, four, and five objects. The pre-k teachers want to encourage children to be independent, capable, and eager to learn. This room has a 1:12 teacher-child ratio.

    CHILDREN'S SCHEDULE
    The daily schedule begins with worship, followed by indoor and outdoor playtime, teacher-directed learning, art, music, learning centers, creative experiences, and story times. Each room develops its curriculum based on the child's individual needs.

    AMAZING ATHLETES
    We are excited to offer our athletic program to children ages two to four. The children are instructed in a non-competitive environment in several popular sports. They learn the importance of practice and preparation and lessons in teamwork, sportsmanship, patience, and perseverance.

    SNACKS AND MEALS
    All snacks and meals served are vegetarian. At an additional charge, we offer a hot lunch program prepared fresh daily by a local chef. The children enjoy a healthy variety of lunch items.

    CLASSROOMS
      • Tadpoles: 3 - 12 Months
      • Bunny/Lamb: 12 - 24 Months
      • Kitten/Duck: 2 Years
      • Puppy/Pony: 3 Years
      • Panda: 3.6 - 4+ Years
      • Koala/Monkey: 4 Years by Sept. (pre-K)
Mission.   It is the mission of
Loma Linda Academy for all to:
 • Grow in God’s Grace
 • Thrive Intellectually
 • Develop True Friendships
 • Embrace Healthful Living