South Hills Academy
West Covina · Est. 1957
Now Accepting 2026–2027 Applications — Scholarships for qualifying High School students & Sibling Discounts. Apply today
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Preschool

Where Little Learners Take Flight

Ages 2–4 build confidence through play-based learning, early literacy, and daily discovery — safe, loving, and ready for kindergarten.

Title 22 Licensed FacilityAbeka Early LiteracyPotty-Training Support
Preschool Director Vanessa Linares
Meet Our Preschool Director

Ms. Vanessa Linares

I am passionate about creating a preschool experience where children learn through play, families feel supported, and teachers are empowered to help every child succeed.

Guided by my favorite verse, "When I am afraid, I put my trust in You" (Psalm 56:3), I strive to create a community rooted in faith, love, and a lifelong joy for learning.

Why Families Choose SHA

A Safe, Loving Place to Begin

Parents choose a preschool they can trust. Here is what families tell us matters most — and what we deliver every day. Our goal is simple: that every family who walks through our doors thinks, "This is where I want my child to be."

Licensed & Safe

A California Title 22 licensed facility with secure, supervised classrooms — your child's safety comes first, every single day.

Kindergarten-Ready

Children leave Pre-K writing their names, counting and adding, and reading early words — confident and prepared for the next step.

Abeka Early Literacy

A proven phonics and early-math curriculum, taught through hands-on, play-based lessons that fit how young children learn.

Loving, Experienced Teachers

Over 70 years of combined experience — warm, patient teachers who know every child by name.

Christ-Centered Care

Faith, kindness, and good character woven into each day, in deep partnership with parents.

Small, Caring Community

A close-knit campus where little learners are nurtured, seen, and celebrated for who they are.

Programs by Age

The Right Step at Every Age

2-Year-Olds

First steps to independence — settling into a loving routine and discovering the joy of school.

By year's end, your child can:
  • Recognize their own name, basic colors, and shapes
  • Count and sing to 20 through fingerplays and music
  • Follow daily routines and begin sharing and taking turns
  • Grow independent — handwashing, clean-up, and potty-training support at every step

3-Year-Olds

Curiosity takes off — with Abeka phonics, hands-on science, and cooking. (Must be fully potty-trained.)

By year's end, your child can:
  • Recognize letter sounds and begin printing letters (Abeka phonics)
  • Count past 30, sort objects, and finish simple patterns
  • Use scissors, glue, and crayons with growing control
  • Explore science and cooking experiments — and speak everyday Spanish

Pre-K · 4-Year-Olds

Kindergarten, here we come — a confident year of reading, writing, and real problem-solving.

By year's end, your child can:
  • Blend sounds to read first words and write their full name
  • Count to 100 and solve simple addition
  • Keep a journal and present at show-and-tell
  • Run science experiments and think through problems on their own
Inside Our Classrooms

A Day Full of Discovery

Our classrooms are built around hands-on learning centers — tap any center to see what your child does there and the skills it builds.

What happens here

Reading Center

A cozy nook of picture books, puppets, and a teacher's lap for storytime. Children turn pages, guess what happens next, and fall in love with books long before they can read.

Print awarenessVocabularyListeningStory sequencing
What happens here

Dramatic Play

Play kitchens, dress-up clothes, and a pretend grocery store where children act out real life. This is where language, cooperation, and imagination grow the fastest.

LanguageSharing & turn-takingImaginationSocial skills
What happens here

Art Studio

Easels, paint, clay, scissors, and glue — open-ended art where the process matters more than the product. Children express big ideas and strengthen the hands they'll soon write with.

CreativityFine-motor controlSelf-expressionColor & shape
What happens here

Fine Motor Area

Lacing cards, threading beads, tweezers, puzzles, and building toys that train the small muscles needed to hold a pencil and button a coat.

Hand strengthHand-eye coordinationFocusIndependence
What happens here

Math Center

Counting bears, sorting trays, shape blocks, and pattern games that make early math hands-on and joyful — no worksheets required.

CountingSorting & patternsShapesProblem-solving
What happens here

Sensory & STEM

Sensory bins, water tables, magnifying glasses, and simple experiments where children touch, pour, test, and discover how the world works.

CuriosityCause & effectEarly scienceSensory play
What Makes Us Different

Signature Experiences

Beyond the basics, our preschoolers enjoy enriching experiences that build curiosity, confidence, and kindness.

Garden to Table

Children plant, water, and harvest in our own garden — learning patience and where food really comes from.

Chef's Kitchen

Hands-on cooking projects that build early math, following directions, and healthy habits.

Storytelling & Bookmaking

Children create and "publish" their very own books — little authors, proud of their work.

Peace Corner

A calm space and gentle tools that help children name big feelings and solve conflicts kindly.

Bilingual Beginnings

A Daily Taste of Spanish

Every child is gently introduced to Spanish through song, play, and everyday routines — building early bilingual confidence and a love of other cultures.

Songs & Music

Spanish songs, rhymes, and chants that make new words stick — and make learning joyful.

Everyday Greetings

Hellos, please and thank-yous, colors, and numbers woven naturally into the school day.

Vocabulary & Culture

Simple words and cultural celebrations that open little minds to the world around them.

South Hills Academy preschool students
One School, Every Step

From Preschool to Graduation

At South Hills Academy, your child's journey doesn't restart at kindergarten. Our preschoolers grow up on the same campus that educates students all the way through 12th grade — the same values, the same caring community, the same high expectations.

  • A seamless transition from Pre-K into our elementary school
  • Priority enrollment for continuing preschool families
  • One Christ-centered community from age 2 to college
Tuition

Simple, All-Inclusive Pricing

Potty-training support is included for our youngest learners, at no extra cost.

Half Day

$820 / month

Full Day

$940 / month

Start Your Child's Journey

Tour our Title 22 licensed preschool and meet the team.

Get In Touch

Request Information

We're offering Scholarships for qualifying High School students and Sibling Discounts — ask us how to apply.

We respond within one business day. Prefer to talk? Call +1 (626) 919-2000 or email admissions@shacademy.org.

Ready to visit South Hills?Book a campus tour or start your application — we'll take it from there.