Ranked among the top 10 childcare centers in Lakewood. Fewer than half of all centers in the city reach this level across our full 11-dimension scoring.
Full Ranking Detail
childcarepreschooltoddlerschool-age
M.A.W. Children's Center is a long-established, CCLD-licensed center in Lakewood serving children ages 2–5 full-day Monday through Friday, 6:00 am to 6:00 pm. Operating since 1971 with a capacity of 56, the center has over 50 years of community presence and distinctly accepts non-toilet-trained toddlers—a meaningful accommodation for younger enrollees. Hot meals, a broad curriculum covering language, math, science, art, music, and physical development, and extended hours support working families. Parent reviews on Yelp (20 ratings, February 2026 update) consistently praise staff warmth and family-like care. However, CCLD inspection citations from March 2025 and November 2022 merit review at ccld.ca.gov, and the teacher-to-child ratio of one per 10–12 children, while legal, sits at the higher end for preschool-age groups.
Safety5.0
Curriculum6.0
Art / Music5.0
Infant care3.0
Kindergarten readiness5.0
Teacher quality6.0
Compassion7.0
Management6.0
Culture7.0
Extracurriculars6.0
Programs & curriculum
Curriculum & approach: Instruction focuses on language development, math, science, health, art, music, physical development and dramatic play. An Educational Director evaluates each child's needs and creates individualized programming.
Programs & activities: Full-day preschool for ages 2-5, academic instruction across multiple developmental domains, and outdoor play with equipment for large muscle development.
What sets it apart: Open 6:00 AM-6:00 PM Monday-Friday year-round; ratio of one teacher per 10-12 children. Hot breakfast, daily hot lunches, and snacks provided via the Child Care Food Program; licensed by the State Department of Social Services (License #191601006).
Recognition of Excellence — Website Badge
🏆 For Center Directors
Your center has earned independent recognition based on verified parent reviews. You are welcome to display this badge on your website. Paste the snippet below into your site's HTML — it links back to this verified recognition page.
Top 10 in Lakewood
<!-- Recognition of Excellence: M.A.W. Children's Center -->
<a href="https://creativemindsmontessori.com/US-wide-childcare-preschool-rankings/california/los-angeles/lakewood/m-a-w-children-s-center/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" style="display:flex;align-items:flex-start;gap:16px;padding:18px;background:#FFFBF0;border:1px solid #EDD97A;border-radius:10px;max-width:420px;text-decoration:none;color:inherit;font-family:-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,'Segoe UI',Roboto,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;">
<img src="https://creativemindsmontessori.com/US-wide-childcare-preschool-rankings/badges/rank-10-city.jpg" alt="Top 10 in Lakewood - M.A.W. Children's Center - Lakewood, CA" width="80" height="80" style="border-radius:8px;flex-shrink:0;" loading="lazy">
<span>
<strong style="display:block;font-size:15px;color:#1A1A18;margin-bottom:5px;">Top 10 in Lakewood</strong>
<span style="font-size:13px;color:#4A4A46;line-height:1.5;">Ranked among the top 10 childcare centers in Lakewood. Fewer than half of all centers in the city reach this level across our full 11-dimension scoring.</span>
</span>
</a>
This recognition is awarded independently by Creative Minds Montessori based on publicly available parent reviews and public records. Centers do not pay for or request these rankings. Scores reflect editorial synthesis of verified parent experience — not center marketing materials. Rankings are updated periodically as new reviews are analyzed.
