But it’s time to talk about them. Because after years of brushing up against the Westside Mormon mom clique, working out beside them at Equinox on the rare weekend I’m up before eight, small talk at the park, and one genuinely deep conversations about whether to have more kids, I finally have to ask the question I’ve been sitting on for a while now: what the actual fuck.

Here’s the thing: most of the Westside is out here trying to buy a village. We do it with tuition, with our muted group chats, with birthday parties where we invite the entire freaking class and the neighborhood and the person you met once at the park. That’s our version of community: expensive, effortful, and booked six weeks out.

But the Mormons… they just have one. Built in. Whether it’s from BYU or someone they know from BYU. In either case, it’s pretty enviable.

Oh, and you can’t join. Don’t even try.

The confusing part is that they are nice. It would be easier if they were openly mean, so we’d know to avoid them and move on with our lives. But they’ll compliment your baby (and talk about why you should have more), chat about weekend plans, and remember your conversations.

And then… they won’t even think about following you back on Instagram.

Is it a cold shoulder? A little, yeah. It’s also a full calendar: Tuesday youth group, Wednesday something else, Saturday the ward. In between, the sisterhood does the thing the rest of us keep hiring people to do: help, lend a hand, drop by, pick up the kids. It’s not a metaphor in a caption. It’s a real functioning system.

But if you ask for a car seat for your kid in a pinch…tough luck. They might be warm in the lobby, but don’t ask them for a favor. You aren’t part of their world.

The consolation, I guess, is that you wouldn’t fit in anyway. Because it’s a very specific kind of perfect: the houses decorated like a sophisticated nana, the (blonde) hair, the birthday that is a wellness class in a Santa Monica living room with the yoga mats already laid out because they have to match for the photo later. And yeah, we all do the Botox. This is the Westside, and nobody is going to pretend we don’t, but they do it as a group sport. Absolute curation. You don’t want that life.

But also, you do sort of, right?

So here’s where I land. I don’t want the theology (or the underwear). I don’t want the matching mats or the sophisticated-nana living room or the pathological ability to get your entire workout and face put on before 7am (though I might want their doctor). I want the part we keep trying to buy and somehow never own: the other moms who stop by on a whim, the “I’ll pick up your kids and you can grab them from mine,” the assumption that you’ll definitely see another adult today.

And that’s something to envy, for sure. Hands down. But also: they’re a little mean. So we can all stop pretending it’s only logistics or a scheduling problem, because it isn’t. Villages only work because they have an edge. And they guard that edge like the temple door.

So no, you can’t sit with them. But honestly, you wouldn’t last if you could.

September still looks like summer: sweltering heat, half of the kids still out of school, a lot of PTO used due to the insanity of school expectations. So, might as well squeeze some fun.

SANTA MONICA

Tongva Twilight: Sounds and Cinema — Saturday, Sept 5 (Yacht Rock) and Saturday, Sept 12 (Summer of Soul), 7–9:30 PM

Free. Last Santa Monica outdoor-movie summer, Tongva Park lawn, 1615 Ocean Ave. City events calendar is 7–9:30 PM; a couple of city mirrors say 7–10. Sept 5 is The Windbreakers plus HBO’s Yacht Rock: A DOCKumentary (director intro). Sept 12 is Myra Washington plus Summer of Soul, a music documentary, not a cartoon. Picnic, layers, complimentary popcorn on movie nights. The series does not run past Sept 12.

Libros Con Amigos — bilingual storytime — Saturday, Sept 5, 11 AM–noon

Free. Pico Branch Library, 2201 Pico Blvd. Walking to 3 years, first come. Followed by Family Conversation Time. Labor Day weekend morning if foam or wetlands is too much foam and dirt.

Annenberg Community Beach House pool — daily through Labor Day, Monday, Sept 7; then weekends only through Sunday, Sept 27

Through Labor Day: weekdays 12–6 PM, weekends and Labor Day Monday 10 AM–6 PM. After Labor Day: Saturday–Sunday 11 AM–5 PM on Sept 12–13, 19–20, and 26–27. Last pool day of the season is Sunday, Sept 27, not Labor Day. Day-of, first-come at Guest Services. Official page still does not list 2026 dollar amounts, so confirm at the window. 415 Pacific Coast Hwy. Capacity waitlist is real on the holiday Monday. Bring towels. Parking $4/hour or $15/day.

Americana in the Park — Sunday, Sept 13, 1:30–6:30 PM

Free (food trucks for purchase). Gandara Park, 1819 Stewart St. The strongest free all-ages concert of the month, and Bob Baker Marionettes are on the bill, which is the kid hook. Blankets, chairs, a stroller that can handle grass. This is also Rosh Hashanah Day 2. Some Jewish families will be at table, not at the park.

Coastal Cleanup Day — Saturday, Sept 19, 9 AM

Free. Heal the Bay’s 37th annual. The official event page lists 9 AM–1 PM; the campaign check-in window is still 9–noon, and sites wrap at different times, so register and follow your site captain. Sign a waiver; 12-and-under with an adult. Bring a bucket, gloves, a reusable bottle. Westside sites include Santa Monica Pier Northside, Venice, Will Rogers, Topanga Beach, Dockweiler. Heal the Bay Aquarium is closed Sept 19–20 and 26–27.

Dance with Baila Baila! — Saturday, Sept 19, 11 AM–noon

Free. Main Library, 601 Santa Monica Blvd. Bilingual music-and-movement. Same morning as cleanup. Pick one.

Hispanic Heritage Month: Mexican Ballet Folklorico — Saturday, Sept 19, 12–2 PM

Free. Pico Branch Library, 2201 Pico Blvd.

BRENTWOOD

Skirball — Nature New Year Cards — Sunday, Sept 6, 12 PM and 2 PM

Included with admission. Bloom Garden, 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd. High Holiday family craft before the holiday: apples and honey on site. One adult per four children. Skirball is closed Mondays (so closed Labor Day) and closed Saturday, Sept 12 for Rosh Hashanah. Bank of America Museums on Us is free for cardholders Sept 5–6. Call 310-440-4535.

Beneath the Harvest Moon — Thursday, Sept 24, 7 PM

Skirball. Evening live music, art, Sukkot traditions. $20 / $15 / $10 members. More all-ages cultural than a toddler program, so confirm the age fit. Sukkah decorations Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays only, Sept 3–Oct 4, in Founders Courtyard. KCRW Family Day is Sunday, Oct 4. Save it.

VENICE

Family Foam Party at Club Joyful — Saturday, Sept 5. Cafe/play 9 AM–1 PM; foam 10–11 AM

$15/person; babies 12 months and under free. 2121 Lincoln Blvd. First Saturdays May–October. Bring a swimsuit, two towels, goggles, a change of clothes. Foam is one hour. Closed Mondays, so no Labor Day foam.

Stories and Crafts at the Venice Farmers Market — Friday, Sept 11, 9:30–10:30 AM

Free. Second Friday monthly, 500 Venice Blvd at Ocean. 9:30 stories/songs, 10:00 sensory craft. Rosh Hashanah begins at sundown that day. Daytime is still fine for most families.

Abbot Kinney Festival — Sunday, Sept 27, 10 AM–6 PM

Free admission. The boulevard’s once-a-year takeover: three stages (Spirit of Venice, Annex, Kids Quad), food trucks, vendors, beer gardens. Official site says over 100,000 people, which is not a stroller-nap day. Kids Quad is the family zone. 2026 ride prices were not posted. Festival parking is valet only, $25, at Santa Clara & Electric, Milwood & Electric, and Venice & Irving Tabor. Free bike valet at Abbot Kinney & Venice and Abbot Kinney & Main. Walk, bike, or bus if you can. Same day as Autry Block Party, RUNWAY’s Hispanic Heritage Celebration, and Palisades Cars and Coffee. Pick one.

CULVER CITY

Bike-In Movie Night: E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial — Friday, Sept 25. Bike valet 6:30–7:30 PM; movie 7:30 PM

Free; 2-hour parking validation at the Ivy Station table. Ivy Station lawn, 8840 National Blvd. Last outdoor movie of the Ivy Station summer series. Blanket or low chair. Eventbrite is live.

Sunshine Makers Market x Helms Design District — Saturday, Sept 19, 11 AM–4 PM

Free to browse. 3280 Helms Ave. Shopping, not a kids fest. Same day as Coastal Cleanup.

Julian Dixon Library — Home Tweet Home — Saturday, Sept 19, 11 AM–12:30 PM

Free; register. Ages 6–12. Build and paint birdhouses. 4975 Overland Ave.

Julian Dixon Library — Hojalata: Mexican tin art — Wednesday, Sept 16, 3–4 PM

Free. Grades 6–12. Hispanic Heritage Month craft.

PACIFIC PALISADES

Palisades Village reopened Aug 15. Complimentary parking through Sept 30. Grocery is still limited. Be a good guest. This is not back to normal.

Kids Club with Apple TV — Wednesdays, 10 AM and 11 AM (Sept 2, 9, 16, 23, 30)

Free. The Park at Palisades Village. Storytelling, music, puppets. September’s performer roster was not posted. Go early. The Park is small.

Weekend live music near the Bay Theater

Free. Friday and Saturday 6–9 PM; Sunday 4–7 PM. Free parking through Sept 30.

Cars and Coffee — Sunday, Sept 27, 8–10 AM

Free. Fourth Sunday, Swarthmore Ave. Car-loving kids will be happy. Not a playground. Abbot Kinney opens at 10 the same morning, so do not try both.

Palisades Branch Library (temporary) — Baby and Toddler Storytime — Wednesday, Sept 2, 10:30 AM only

Free. Ages up to 36 months. Temporary branch parking lot, 861 Alma Real Dr. Green Bungalow. First Wednesday of the month only. Saturday, Sept 26, 10 AM is the middle-grade book club (Beyond the Bright Sea, grades 4–7), not baby storytime.

PLAYA VISTA

Kid’s Club at RUNWAY with Wild Child — Tuesday, Sept 8, 10–11:30 AM

Second Tuesday monthly, 12775 Millennium Dr. Active play, music, games, bubbles. Price not listed. Confirm when you register.

Hispanic Heritage Celebration — Saturday, Sept 26, 10 AM–2 PM

Free. RUNWAY / The Turf. Live entertainment, local makers. Same day as Autry Block Party and Abbot Kinney.

Playa Vista Farmers Market — Saturdays, 9 AM–2 PM; Homeschool Bunch STEAM Saturday, Sept 5

12775 W. Millennium Dr. KidZone is weekly. The first-Saturday STEAM thing is Homeschool Bunch, which is Sept 5.

PLAYA DEL REY / MARINA

Open Wetlands at Ballona Salt Marsh — Saturday, Sept 5 and Sunday, Sept 13, 9 AM–noon

Free. Back after August. Dirt lot behind 303 Culver Blvd. All ages. No strollers, no pets. Closed-toe shoes. Toddlers in carriers work. Toddlers who need a stroller do not.

Friends of Ballona Salt Marsh and Dunes Tour — Sunday, Sept 6, 10 AM–noon

Suggested donation $5. Ages 7+. Same lot. Registration and waiver required. Gates lock.

Coastal Cleanup Day at Dockweiler — Saturday, Sept 19, 9 AM–noon

Free; register. Check-in: Dockweiler Youth Center, 12505 Vista del Mar. Printed parking pass required. Digital will not work. 12-and-under with an adult.

Marina Movie Nights at Burton Chace Park — Saturdays, 8 PM, through Sept 26

Free. RSVP recommended. 13650 Mindanao Way. Low chairs/blankets only. Dockweiler’s Friday beach movies ended Aug 28, so do not show up in September looking for those.

• Saturday, Sept 5: Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (PG-13) — skip under about 10

• Saturday, Sept 12: Michael (2026) (PG-13) — skip little kids

• Saturday, Sept 19: Addams Family Values (PG-13) — tweens+

• Saturday, Sept 26: Hocus Pocus (PG) — the family closer

Marina del Rey WaterBus — last full summer run through Labor Day, Monday, Sept 7, 11 AM–9 PM

$1 one way. No reservations. Regular summer service ends Labor Day. After that, WaterBus is Dance MDR Friday nights only, 5–11 PM.

WEST LA / MAR VISTA

Coastal Cleanup — Kuruvungna Springs — Saturday, Sept 19

Free; register. 1431 S. Barrington Ave. Inland site if the beach lots are slammed.

Mar Vista Farmers Market last-Sunday stack — Sunday, Sept 27, 9 AM–2 PM

Grand View and Venice. Craft workshop every Sunday; last Sunday also gets face painting and the kids cooking class. That’s a full morning, and it collides with Abbot Kinney. Choose your chaos.

WORTH THE DRIVE

Two or three, not a second newsletter. Cool Fam Fest and the LA Kids Book Festival were Aug 23. Dino Fest was Aug 30. Already happened.

Autry Museum — Family Fun Day: Who Framed Roger Rabbit — Saturday, Sept 5, 10 AM–3 PM (film at noon)

Museum admission $20 adults, $15 students/seniors, $9 kids 3–12, 2 and under free. Registration required. Crafts and plaza games 10 AM–2 PM, film at noon. 4700 Western Heritage Way, Griffith Park. Free parking. Labor Day weekend indoor option if the beach is slammed.

LA Zoo — Zootoberfest — Saturday–Sunday, Sept 19–20, 10 AM–5 PM

Included with general admission: $27 adults 13–61, $24 seniors 62+, $22 kids 2–12, infants free. Confirm at the ticket window. Live bands, lawn games, keeper talks, root beer floats. 5333 Zoo Drive. Same weekend as Coastal Cleanup. Last entry 3:45 PM.

Autry Block Party — Love Letters to L.A. — Saturday, Sept 26, 10 AM–5 PM

$4.75 adults, $3.50 seniors/students, 12 and under free. Carnival, Ferris wheel, bounce houses, horses, live music. The biggest family day of the month if you are willing to drive to Griffith Park. Conflicts with Abbot Kinney and RUNWAY’s Hispanic Heritage Celebration.

Did We Miss Anything?

We’re always looking. A one-off, a school night, a thing that is not the museum you already know. Hit reply or email losangelesparentsguide@gmail.com. We read everything.

Well, it’s August 26, and tomorrow, your whole child is still at home when the rest of LA is back at school.

Today is Wednesday, August 26. LAUSD went back on the 12th. Culver City on the 19th. Santa Monica–Malibu on the 20th. Those kids have already lost a water bottle, had a lice scare, and likely came into contact with at least three mild viruses. But not those LA private school kids. They’re still at home, keeping tiny camps alive and driving parents insane during a heatwave that’s preventing anyone from going to the park.

Okay, not all private schools. Wildwood’s middle and upper school went back last Wednesday. Elementary Thursday, with Santa Monica USD. Harvard-Westlake opened a few days ago. JTD and Crossroads, yesterday. Congratulations. But don’t get too excited. Enrichment classes — the things you pay a few hundred dollars for each quarter at private school but are pennies at public that keep kids off the street while their parents work — don’t start for a few more weeks. Good luck explaining to your boss why 3:00pm calls are off the table for the next three weeks.

That’s if the school is back at all. Apparently, no one told PS1 about summer being over. Or the Willows. Or Seven Arrows. Those schools start next week. On whatever random weekday suits them, and frankly, it feels like they picked that day out of a hat. Seven Arrows on Monday. PS1 and Brentwood on Tuesday, a date that feels like a dare. The Willows on Wednesday. Then they close for Labor Day, having been in session for three days. Three days of the whole child, then a long weekend.

And then there’s WNS. And Calvary Christian, still in the Palisades. Those two are on a whole other version of WTF. Perhaps they’re trying to hold out for the solstice because they don’t start until after Labor Day. Calvary on Tuesday, September 8. Noon dismissal. A full month after LAUSD.

And then in June they end for summer at basically the same time.

Harvard-Westlake’s last day is June 2. LAUSD is June 4. Santa Monica hangs on until June 9. Calvary and Brentwood go to June 10 or 11. Calvary started four weeks later than the public schools and will give you six extra days in June. That is not making it up. That is not more academics. That is a coupon.

Maybe the days, when they happen, are longer. Fine. Wildwood elementary goes until 3:15, 3:30. Some of these schools get a two-week spring break and a Wednesday that starts at 9:30 so the faculty can meet about the whole child. That is a nicer year. It is not why the building is dark on August 26.

Here is the mean little paragraph: Harvard-Westlake is $54,900 this year. Crossroads is $49,262 for elementary and $58,541 for 6–12. JTD is $46,096. Calvary, the bargain, is $25,425 for TK–5 and $30,200 for middle school. Call it 170 days, which is generous. That is $320 a day at Harvard-Westlake. $340 at Crossroads upper school. $270 at JTD. A hundred and fifty at Calvary, and they still don’t start until after Labor Day.

Don’t worry. We all know why you chose it. We are not confused. Nobody picks Crossroads for the start date. Nobody sits in a JTD information session and thinks, I would like my child to have a later Wednesday in September. You chose the class size. The writing program. The ceramics studio. The way the kindergarten teacher talks about your kid like a person.

It is also true that kid is still at home. Or at a tiny camp that should have closed two weeks ago. The ceramics studio is locked. The small class is not in session. The academics will start when they start. Until then you are paying private-school money for a school that has not opened, and camp money for the hours in between, and calling it a calendar.

That’s the plot recently: Two Westsiders at the farmers market. One of them goes home and packs the backpacks. One of them preps the zinc oxide and tries to figure out how to block their work calendar without making it too obvious they aren’t working.

“I can’t believe you’re already back!” One says to the other. “I can’t believe you’re still off!” The other replies. Both of you are telling the truth. But one of you is paying for the student-teacher ratio. The whole child. The art.

The whole child who is, tomorrow morning, still going to be at home.

This month you’ve got Fiesta La Ballona turning 75 (petting zoo, pony rides, $1 ride tickets, the works), free kids’ concerts in the Getty garden that feel way fancier than they have any right to for $0, robots doing Shakespeare in Culver City, a brand-new car-free art festival taking over Ocean Avenue, and a library that literally pops up on the sand. Almost everything on this list is free, which feels right for the month when you’re also buying three backpacks. We organized it all by neighborhood so you can find the stuff that’s actually near you, flagged what’s worth the drive, and told you the honest stuff too — like what’s not happening in the Palisades this year, and which events took August off. Consider your last month of summer handled.

SANTA MONICA

Baby Time at the Main Library — Wednesdays, Aug 5, 12, 19 & 26, 11:30 AM–12 PM

Lapsit storytime with books, bounces, and that specific brand of chaos only a room full of pre-walkers can produce. First come, first served, so don’t dawdle.

SMPL at the Beach — Friday, Aug 7, 10 AM–3 PM A pop-up library ON THE SAND — the only one in Southern California.

No library card needed to check out a beach read, plus nautical crafts, games, a Seaside Storytime, and a live set from Sweet Potato Music. Books + beach = the ultimate parenting cheat code.

Art on Ocean — Saturday, Aug 8, 11 AM–6 PM Ocean

Avenue goes completely car-free for Santa Monica’s brand-new arts festival: 100+ artists, live music, and a legit Kids’ Area with sensory play, face painting, bracelet making, and free Paint Lab workshops (plus a toddler-sized Little Artists Studio for your tiniest Picasso). Then stick around — there’s a free Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle screening in Palisades Park at dusk, 6–9 PM.

Sunset Picnic at the Beach House — Thursday, Aug 13, 5–8 PM

Pack a dinner, claim a courtyard table, and let the golden hour do the heavy lifting. Hit the new Sand & Sea Room first for crafts and games — the kids will be occupied before you’ve even unwrapped the sandwiches.

Santa Monica Summer Market Days — Friday, Aug 14, from 10 AM

A daytime market in Palisades Park with ocean views included at no extra charge.

A Talk Through Pier History — Thursday, Aug 27, 7–8 PM

A free hour of wild true stories about the Pier — great for older kids who’ve outgrown storytime but not storytelling.

Ongoing all month:

• Beach House pool + splash pad — The historic heated pool is open daily through Labor Day (Mon–Thu 12–6, Fri–Sun 10–6; pool passes sold on site), and the splash pad and playground are always free. Marion Davies really did leave us the best hand-me-down in LA.

• Pier History Walking Tours — Sat & Sun at 10 AM, plus Monday sunset tours at 6 PM. FREE.

• Wellness & Waves — Saturdays 8–10 AM at the Pier: group run, then oceanfront yoga or pilates. FREE. Bring your teen; earn your pancakes.

• Cayton Children’s Museum — 21,000 square feet of climb-it, pretend-it, paint-it glory for ages 0–8 (yes, there’s a real helicopter). Weekend STEAM programs are free with admission; reserve ahead — walk-ins wait at peak times. (Santa Monica Place, Level 3)

• Santa Monica Playhouse Family Theatre — Weekend matinee musicals for “kids 2 to 102,” with birthday parties hosted by costumed fairy tale characters available at every show. Historically $15 kids / $17.50 adults, free under 2. Call (310) 394-9779 to confirm the current show and dates. Their last summer theatre camp week also runs Aug 3–7 (9 AM–3 PM, $545).

• Main Street Farmers Market — Sundays. The one with the music, the pony-adjacent energy, and the best people-watching per square foot on the Westside.

BRENTWOOD

Getty Garden Concerts for Kids — Saturdays & Sundays, Aug 1–16, all shows at 4 PM

The Getty’s Central Garden turns into the chicest kiddie concert venue in America, and it’s FREE. Aug 1–2: Grammy winner Dan + Claudia Zanes with Tyree Austin (folk-jazz-gospel with beatboxing — trust us). Aug 8–9: Flor Bromley’s joyful bilingual bangers. Aug 15–16: folk queen Elizabeth Mitchell celebrating 20 years of her landmark family album. Bring a blanket and a picnic; leave the lawn chairs, glass, and wine at home (sorry).

Ongoing all month:

• Brentwood Farmers Market — Sundays on San Vicente, now supersized: after the fire, the Palisades market merged in, stretching from Gretna Green to Bundy. Come for the peaches, stay for the community reunion vibes.

• Brentwood Country Mart — Littles Storytime at 11 AM (check their calendar for the day), plus the toy shop and courtyard that were basically engineered for stroller life.

VENICE

Abbot Kinney First Fridays — Friday, Aug 7, 5–10 PM

The boulevard’s monthly block-party glow-up: food trucks as far as the eye can see, live music, and shops open late. The 5–7 PM window is prime family time — go early, eat everything, exit before it turns into date night.

Sunset Sessions at The Penmar — Fridays, Aug 7, 14, 21 & 28, 5:30–9 PM

Live music on the edge of the Penmar Golf Course, aka Venice’s favorite “concert where the kids can sprawl on a blanket” situation. Aug 7 kicks off with a celebration of FX’s The Shards featuring Camber; bring blankets or U-shaped frame chairs (the only chairs allowed) and set up around the putting green. Kids welcome and supervised — golfers are still out there swinging.

Last Thursday Venice Summer Concert — Thursday, Aug 27, evening

A free concert right on the boardwalk at Dudley Ave, and yes — kids, dogs, blankets, and low chairs are all officially encouraged. August’s headliner drops on the series’ socials closer to the date.

Ongoing all month:

• The Penmar’s weekly lineup — Beyond Fridays, The Penmar runs movie nights on Wednesdays and jumbotron sports all week — a solid low-lift dinner-and-a-show for families in the Rose Ave orbit.

• Club Joyful — Venice’s family social club (café + play space + community, ages 0–5 sweet spot) runs a steady rotation of ticketed events: Breakfast, Bubbles + Bounce mornings, Family Game Nights, a monthly all-ages Foam & Dance Party, and Mermaid Playdates with actual mermaid meet-and-greets. August dates book via their app.

CULVER CITY

Two Gentlebots of Verona — Every Saturday & Sunday, Aug 1–23, 11 AM

The Actors’ Gang’s beloved free family Shakespeare is back, and this year the Bard gets robots: two best friends both fall for Silvia Dot Matrix (yes, a robot), hilarity and forgiveness ensue. One hour, big laughs, actual Shakespeare underneath. Register early online, arrive 15 minutes ahead, bring low chairs or a blanket.

Summer Sunset Music Series — Thursdays, Aug 6, 13 & 20, 7–9 PM

Free concerts in Town Plaza at the Culver Steps while the kids dance themselves into an early bedtime. Aug 6: Soul3Sixty + Lester Lands & Sonny Green with The Midnight Blues Revue. Aug 13: Adelaide Pilar. Aug 20: Tatiana Tate & Her All-Star Band closes out the season. Low-back chairs and small blankets welcome; park under the complex or at the Cardiff/Ince structures.

KCRW Summer Nights at the Wende Museum — Friday, Aug 14

A free evening of music, museum access, and general Culver City cool. Skews slightly older-kid, but all ages welcome.

Fiesta La Ballona — 75th Anniversary — Fri Aug 28 (4:30–10 PM), Sat Aug 29 (12–10 PM), Sun Aug 30 (12–8 PM)

The Westside’s biggest party turns 75, and it shows up in style: carnival rides, a petting zoo, pony rides, K-9 demos, two stages, ~130 vendor booths, a pancake breakfast, a magic show, and roughly 25,000 of your closest neighbors. Three days; pace yourselves.

Ongoing all month:

• Culver City Farmers Market — Tuesdays 2–7 PM on Main Street. The perfect “we survived the day” dinner plan.

TOPANGA

Family Fundays at Theatricum Botanicum — Sundays, Aug 2 & 9 ONLY, 10:30 AM

A half-hour of interactive storytelling, music, and friendship under the oaks for kids 7 and under — pure canyon magic. Fair warning: the season ends Aug 9, so these are your last two shots.

Treasure Island — Sun 8/2 at 3:30 PM; Mon 8/10, Sun 8/16, Thu 8/20 & Sat 8/29 at 7:30 PM

Pirates! Sword fights! An outdoor woodland stage! Theatricum’s family-friendliest mainstage show delivers swashbuckling for the kids and surprisingly thoughtful storytelling for you. Come early and picnic in the gardens — the journey is part of the magic.

Ongoing all month:

• The full rep — By August all five Theatricum plays (including A Midsummer Night’s Dream) are in rotation, so theater-loving families can binge the whole season in a single week.

• Topanga Farmers Market — Fridays. Canyon produce, canyon people, canyon vibes.

PACIFIC PALISADES

Palisades Village Grand Reopening — Saturday, Aug 15

The comeback moment the whole community has been waiting nineteen months for: Caruso’s village at Sunset and Swarthmore reopens with a full day of curated events, immersive experiences, and community programming — and roughly a third of the storefronts are brand new. Returning favorites include Loomey’s Toys, K Bakery, and Erewhon, and the center plans to resume its year-round family programming from here on out. Bring tissues; this one’s going to be emotional.

PLAYA VISTA

PV House Presents: Dirty Honey — Saturday, Aug 1, 6:30–8 PM

A free outdoor rock show at RUNWAY to kick off the month. Loud enough to feel cool, early enough for bedtime.

Sunday Wellness Social — Sunday, Aug 2, 10 AM–12 PM

Morning movement on the green with The Studio (MDR) — stretch while the kids roam the turf.

Country Music Nights — Fridays, Aug 7, 14, 21 & 28, from 6 PM

RUNWAY’s Friday lawn series swaps jazz for country all month: blankets, boots optional, dinner from the surrounding restaurants, extremely toddler-tolerant.

Kid’s Club at RUNWAY — Tuesday, Aug 11, 10–11:30 AM

The monthly second-Tuesday morning of songs, stories, bubbles, and wiggles, with rotating partners like Wild Child Gym, Zooga Yoga, and Books & Cookies. Free, but RSVP on Eventbrite.

Taste of RUNWAY — Thursday, Aug 27, 5:30–8 PM

Sample your way through the whole neighborhood’s restaurants in one go.

Ongoing all month:

• Concerts & Movies in the Park — Playa Vista’s resident association runs Sunday concerts (5–6:30 PM, food trucks from 4 PM) at Central Park Bandshell and Concert Park. August acts post at playavista.com.

PLAYA DEL REY

Dockweiler Beach fire pits — Every night, all month

The last great free bonfire beach in LA. S’mores, sunset, sandy pajamas — the whole August dream. Pits are first-come, so stake your claim early on weekends.

Heads up: LA Audubon’s free Open Wetlands events at the Ballona Wetlands take August off — they’re back in September. And for more free outdoor movies and concerts within driving distance, LA County Parks is running 108 of each through Aug 29 (soundsoflacounty.com).

WEST LA

West LA Regional Branch Library — Weekly, all month Toddler storytime Wednesdays at 10 AM (18 months–3 years), Family Storytime & Songs Thursdays at 4:15 PM, and Read With a STAR volunteer Saturdays 2–4 PM — three visits earn kids a free book to keep. Air conditioning included.

WORTH THE DRIVE

Water Lantern Festival — Fri Jul 31, Sat Aug 1 & Sun Aug 2, gates 5:30 PM

Thousands of glowing lanterns released across the water at sunset (launch 8:30–9:30 PM), plus food trucks, music, and a scavenger hunt beforehand. Genuinely magical — bring tissues and a camera.

Marina del Rey Summer Concert Series — Saturdays, Aug 1, 8 & 15, 7 PM

Free waterfront concerts at Burton Chace Park — and Aug 1 is THE kid night: a full symphony orchestra, chorus, and celebrity cellist Tina Guo playing video game scores from Zelda-adjacent epics like God of War, Fallout, and World of Warcraft. Aug 8: Monsieur Periné; Aug 15: D Smoke & Carl Thomas. RSVP recommended, first-come seating, low-back chairs only, food trucks on site.

Hollywood Bowl Film Concerts — Jurassic Park Sat Aug 8, How to Train Your Dragon Sun Aug 9, Top Gun: MaverickSat Aug 15

Full movies on the big screen with a live orchestra playing every note. The dragon one is the family sweet spot.

Perseid Meteor Shower — Peaks Aug 12–13, late night

Nature’s free fireworks. Topanga and Dockweiler are your closest dark-ish skies — pack blankets, hot cocoa, and low expectations for anyone under 6 staying awake.

Nisei Week + Natsumatsuri Family Festival — Aug 15–23 (festival); family fest Sat Aug 15, 11 AM–3 PM

Little Tokyo’s grand celebration of Japanese American culture, with a parade and plaza festival — and the Natsumatsuri Family Festival at Terasaki Budokan is the kid centerpiece: origami, fan crafts, a Paul Frank stamp rally, Bon Odori dancing, and taiko drumming.

Marina Movie Nights — Sat Aug 22: The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants; Sat Aug 29: Sonic the Hedgehog 3

Free movies under the stars at Burton Chace Park. Bring a real blanket — that marina breeze does not play.

They are, for lack of a more clinical term, soft AF. Not soft like they’ve given up. Soft like they’ve relaxed. They make extended eye contact. They mean it when they ask how you’re doing. They cry tears of joy when they see Gaviota strawberries are only twenty bucks for three containers. These aren’t women overwhelmed by the chaos of living in a place like LA. No. These are women connected.

This is not the Westside of three years ago, when the dominant emotional register was a specific kind of controlled panic dressed up as thriving. When “we’re just going with the flow” was said with the expression of a person who had not slept since the first Trump administration. When every conversation about your child eventually became a competition no one admitted was happening.

Something changed. And if you follow the evidence, it leads, fairly directly, to the farmer’s market.

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How It Actually Works

Here is what happens, and what no one explains to you when you move to the Westside: there is a tiered system. At the base is the functional stuff — the capsules, the tinctures, the $22 lattes at the wellness café on Montana where everything on the menu is described as “nervous system support.” This layer is legal, visible, openly discussed at the playground. This is not the layer we are talking about.

The layer we are talking about operates on referral. You get in through someone who is already in, who vouches for you, who decides — based on criteria that are never stated explicitly — that you’re ready. People describe these experiences as journeys, which is a word that can mean many things and in this context means many things. How people find their way to a journey is considered a private matter. There’s a therapist in Brentwood who has opinions. There are retreats in Topanga. There is, you know, the farmer’s market.

The journeys themselves happen on weekends when the kids are at their dad’s. Carefully arranged setting. Eye mask. A playlist assembled with the gravity someone might bring to a state funeral. At least one throw blanket from the boutique in Venice that doesn’t list prices. A guide who is either trained or a trusted friend or a trusted friend who has done enough of these that the distinction has become somewhat academic.

By Sunday evening, someone in the group chat sends a message that says, simply: I love you all so much. Everyone knows. No one says anything. Heart emoji. Heart emoji. Heart emoji. The thread moves on to scheduling carpool.

The Before Times

To understand why this is happening, it helps to remember what Westside mom culture looked like five years ago. The dominant activity was optimization. Optimizing the child: sleep schedules, enrichment, the preschool pipeline, the narrative you were building for the admissions consultant who cost $400 an hour and who assured you the process was about fit and not also about money, which everyone understood to be a thing you say. Optimizing yourself: Pilates, infrared sauna, the cold plunge, the elimination diet, the functional medicine doctor who didn’t take insurance but had a four-month waitlist, which was itself a form of social proof on the Westside.

The performance of having it together, maintained at considerable cost, while not having it together at all.

“I was tracking everything,” one Brentwood mother told us, with the specific tone of someone describing a previous relationship they’re mostly over. “My sleep. My HRV. My son’s sleep. His bowel movements, honestly. I had a spreadsheet.” She paused. “I don’t have the spreadsheet anymore.”

What she has instead, she says, is a different relationship to control. Which is something people say. But she also seems, genuinely, less difficult to be around at pickup. So there’s that.

What It Looks Like From the Outside

The clearest sign that something has changed is the quality of the conversations. There used to be a specific kind of Westside small talk that was essentially a status exchange conducted in the grammar of wellness. We’ve been doing a lot of beach time. He’s really thriving at his new school. We just got back from a digital detox in Costa Rica, it was incredibly restorative. The information content was low. The subtext was dense. You came away knowing less about the person than when you started.

That register still exists. But alongside it, increasingly, there are actual conversations. About hard things. The specific texture of finding parenthood both beautiful and relentless. Marriages that are fine and also kind of aren’t. The gap between the life you built on paper and what you actually feel inside it. Things that people were not saying at drop-off three years ago. And I, for one, really appreciate that.

The Children Are, For the Record, Fine

The kids seem okay. Better than okay, in some cases. There is a six-year-old in Pacific Palisades — his name is actually Cosmo — who has absorbed enough of the ambient therapeutic vocabulary that he now actively coaches adults through emotional moments. His mother was crying at the market recently, not from distress but from the kind of generalized awe that has become common in this community, and Cosmo patted her hand and said, with complete sincerity: “Let it move through you, Mama.”

He is six. He has, to his parents’ knowledge, never been to therapy. He has simply been around a lot of people doing the work, and some of it has stuck. Whether this is wonderful or mildly concerning is a question we leave to the reader’s own nervous system.

Is This, On Balance, Good?

The honest answer is probably yes.

The mothers of the Westside were not doing great. That’s the part that gets lost in all of it — the oat milk and the ceremonial cacao and the playlist assembled like a state funeral. Underneath the performance, there were a lot of women managing a genuinely difficult situation: high-pressure parenting culture, expensive real estate, ambitious careers, a wellness industry that monetized their anxiety and called it self-care. That combination was making real people miserable in ways they were not permitted to say out loud.

If whatever is happening in this community — the retreats, the circles, the journeys, the farmer’s market runs that take two hours longer than they used to — is giving people access to themselves they didn’t have before, it’s hard to argue with the outcome. The research on various wellness modalities is increasingly legible. The stigma around emotional openness is decreasing. The conversations now happening in this community, even in code, are conversations that weren’t happening before.

The caveats are predictable. Access tracks money and social capital, as everything on the Westside does. The integration work varies wildly, and “my friend held space for me” is not a clinical standard. And there is always the possibility that a culture which turned self-improvement into a competitive sport will simply do the same thing here, and whatever is in those paper bags will become another item on the wellness checklist, stripped of meaning, available at Erewhon next spring in a $48 tincture that does nothing.

But that hasn’t happened yet. Right now, the moms seem — if not healed exactly, then at least a little less at war with themselves. They are having conversations they weren’t having before. They are crying at the farmer’s market for reasons that, on reflection, are not that strange. Some of those reasons are available at the farmer’s market.

We will leave it there.

This is not a piece about morality. There are hundreds of other writers covering that angle. So no. This is a piece about the specific and largely unacknowledged experience of living inside a social world where the Epstein files are not an abstraction — they are a drop-off dad, a familiar wave from a Range Rover, a name you now know differently than you did six months ago. A name that maybe appears in the logs not once, which could mean almost anything, but multiple times, which could mean something narrower, or could be nothing. In some cases, a name attached to a civil judgment. A settlement. Public record that doesn’t leave much interpretive room.

But in LA, they aren’t just names. In fact, in LA, some of these folks might have kids on your kid’s soccer team. You might talk to them every Tuesday at swim lessons. You know the people I’m talking about. And so does everyone in the group chat. And we are all, collectively, still figuring out what we’re going to do about that birthday party.

Spoiler: we’re going.

WHAT FILES, EXACTLY?

The Epstein documents are a collection of flight logs, deposition transcripts, and civil litigation filings that have been releasing in tranches. They name names. Some of those names are globally famous. Some are locally famous. Some are familiar in a different, more specific way — the kind of familiar that means you have made eye contact with this person over a shared plate of crudités at a school fundraiser and thought nothing of it, because why would you have.

Being named in the documents does not mean someone did something wrong. This is true and it is important and it is also, in the social ecosystem of the Westside, not the variable that is making people uncomfortable.

What is making people uncomfortable is the flight logs. Specifically: not appearing once, which could mean almost anything, but appearing many times, on a specific plane, to a specific destination, which means something narrower. And then there are the people who didn’t just appear in documents — they lost. Civil suits. Settlements. Judgments that are a matter of public record and that don’t leave much interpretive room.

These people are also at drop-off.

WHAT ACCOUNTABILITY LOOKS LIKE IN PRACTICE

On Instagram it looks like this: dark background, white text, something about justice and survivors. A repost. A link to a petition. Posted to Stories, naturally, where it will disappear in 24 hours, which is either responsible platform hygiene or a metaphor so on-the-nose that a first-year MFA student would be told to cut it.

In the group chat it looks like this: okay but Nobu Malibu and honestly Caden has been talking about it for two weeks.

These are not mutually exclusive positions. This is Los Angeles. We contain multitudes. We also contain a remarkable and largely unexamined capacity to hold moral clarity in one hand and a save-the-date in the other and experience no particular friction between them, at least not friction we’re prepared to act on.

Here is the thing about accountability that rarely gets said plainly: it is much easier when it doesn’t require you to do anything socially inconvenient. Posting costs nothing. It requires no conversation, no confrontation, no explanation to your child about why they’re suddenly not going to their best friend’s birthday. It is clean. It is digital. It evaporates.

Declining the invitation because the father of the birthday child appeared in documents you yourself reposted — that is a different transaction. That requires a reason. And we saw something in the files is not a reason anyone in this zip code is currently prepared to give out loud, because it opens a door that nobody wants to walk through at school pickup.

So instead you get the architecture of strategic ambiguity. You are probably going to be out of town. You have something that weekend. The kids are disappointed, but what can you do.

THE DROP-OFF

There is an experience that doesn’t have a name yet. You are in the school pickup line. You are in your car. And then you see him — a person whose name you knew before, but know differently now. You’ve seen it in the logs. Not once, which could be explained. Multiple times, which is harder to explain away. And you watch him collect his kid’s backpack and wave at another dad and laugh at something, and you are supposed to feel nothing, and mostly you do, because what is the alternative.

You tell yourself: being named isn’t being convicted. You tell yourself: I don’t actually know what any of this means. You tell yourself it would be wrong to assume. All of this is correct.

And then you think about the party. The venue is genuinely incredible. Your kid has been talking about it for two weeks. You have already bought the gift.

The fear isn’t irrational. That’s the part nobody says out loud. Not the fear that something happened somewhere far away — that’s abstract enough to post about. The fear that it was closer. That the infrastructure of your child’s social life was built, in part, by people whose relationship to a federal investigation is not fully resolved, and that the $20 million house at the top of the hill is exactly as knowable to you as it has always been, which is to say: not at all.

You are probably being paranoid.

Probably.

THE REALITY NOBODY TALKS ABOUT

There is no protocol for this. No guide. Nobody sends a note home. The people in your circle are making the same calculation you are, arriving at roughly the same place, and not discussing it — because discussing it would require deciding something, and deciding something would require doing something, and doing something would cost you more than a repost ever will.

So the stories go up. The RSVPs go out. The party will be epic.

This is Los Angeles. We’re all just living in it.

The files are public. The names are searchable. The party starts at four.

Bookmark this, drop it in your group chat, and enjoy your weekend.

Springfest Carnival — Teen Night

📍 Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center, 1935 Manhattan Beach BlvdFree admissionFriday, April 17 · 5–10pm

Now in its 44th year, Springfest is the South Bay’s signature spring festival — four days of carnival rides, games, live music, food trucks, and a dedicated Kids Zone. Friday is Teen Night, with live performers competing in the Teen Talent Competition. Admission and entertainment are free; ride tickets and food are purchased separately. Wristbands for unlimited rides available in advance at nrbba.org/springfest.

Springfest Carnival — Live Music Day

📍 Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center, 1935 Manhattan Beach BlvdFree admissionSaturday, April 18 · 11am–11pm

The biggest day of the festival. Over 20 carnival rides (Kiddie Favorites through thrill rides), live bands including Journey Jukebox, carnival games, artisan marketplace, student entrepreneur booths, and a Kids Zone. Admission, parking, and entertainment are free. One-day all-you-can-ride wristbands available.

Blooms on the Steps + Spring Artisan Marketplace

📍 The Culver Steps, 9300 Culver Blvd, Culver CityFreeSaturday, April 18 · 11am–5pm

Two events in one at downtown Culver City’s outdoor plaza. Blooms on the Steps brings fresh florals, live music, face painting, kids’ crafts (including a “Keep Growing” take-home planter), and spring photo ops on the sweeping architectural staircase. Alongside it, the Spring Artisan Marketplace fills the Town Plaza with 20+ local makers, curated goods, and live bands. No registration required — just show up.

YMCA Healthy Kids Day

📍 Santa Monica Family YMCA, 1332 6th St, Santa MonicaFreeSaturday, April 18 · 10am–1pm

The Y’s annual free community blowout kicks off the summer season with a youth band performance, dance show, face painting, bouncy houses, rock climbing, arts and crafts, and a dance floor. Sponsored by Peanuts and Gatorade. A great way for kids to meet other families and check out what the Y has to offer over summer. Free and open to all — no membership required.

Douglas Park Playground Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

📍 2439 Wilshire Blvd, Santa Monica CA 90403 Free Saturday, April 19 9-11am

It’s finally finished! Douglas Park unveils its shiny new makeover. Bring a picnic, and don’t feed the ducks.

Books & Cookies with Chudney Ross + Illustrator Loveis Wise

📍 Children’s Book World, 10580½ W. Pico Blvd, West LAFreeSaturday, April 18 · 10:30–11am

Chudney Ross brings her signature high-energy, interactive storytime to Children’s Book World, joined this week by illustrator Loveis Wise, who will read from their newest book Hello, Beautiful and talk about their artwork. Signed copies available for purchase. A genuinely special Saturday morning for little ones — Chudney’s story times are a beloved Westside institution.

Getty Villa Family Floralia Seed Ball Workshop

📍 Getty Villa, 17985 Pacific Coast Hwy, Pacific PalisadesFree (parking fee applies)Timed-entry reservation at getty.eduSaturday, April 18 · 11am–3pm

A bilingual (Spanish and English) drop-in family workshop celebrating the ancient Roman season of Floralia. Families mix and mold seed balls filled with fragrant flowers and herbs from ancient Roman gardens, then stroll the Villa gardens before taking them home to grow. All materials provided. A beautiful and genuinely unusual thing to do with kids — one of the more memorable Westside activities going on this weekend.

AquaSpring Festival in the Park & Pool

📍 West Hollywood Park & Aquatic Center, 647 N. San Vicente BlvdFreeSaturday, April 18 · 11am–3pm

The City of West Hollywood’s annual spring festival fills the park with live music, arts and crafts, interactive outdoor games, and free recreational swim. The highlight for older kids: the 4th Annual Cardboard Boat Races at noon in the competition pool — two-person teams build a boat out of cardboard and duct tape (provided) and race to see who can paddle across and back. Free to watch, free to enter (pre-registration required to race). A crowd-pleaser every year.

Gloria Molina Grand Park’s Easy Mornings

📍 Gloria Molina Grand Park, 200 N. Grand Ave, Downtown LAFreeRSVP on EventbriteSaturday, April 18 · 10am–2pm

A calm, thoughtfully programmed morning in the park with puppetry, family yoga, storytelling, arts and crafts, and a live DJ. Designed as a gentle weekend start for families — “deepening relationships with self, community, and the park.” Free, all-ages, and a nice change of pace from the bigger festival energy elsewhere this weekend.

LA Times Festival of Books

📍 USC Campus, Exposition Park areaFree (outdoor events) · Tickets for indoor panelsSaturday & Sunday, April 18–19 · All day

LA’s biggest book festival, back on the USC campus for the weekend. Two children’s stages run family programming all day both days — past years have featured Dr. Becky Kennedy, Max Greenfield, Drew Daywalt, Lucky Diaz, and Blippi. There’s also a YA stage for older kids. All outdoor entertainment is free; indoor panels require a (free but limited) ticket. Hundreds of author booths, food, and a real festival atmosphere that kids love even if they don’t read yet.

K-Pop Party at Castle & Crown

📍 Castle & Crown, 2012 W. Burbank Blvd, Burbank$35/person (child + adult tickets required)Saturday, April 18 · 10am–12pm, 1–3pm, or 4–6pm

Castle & Crown’s fairytale indoor play space hosts a K-Pop Party with live “Huntrix”-style performers, a group dance lesson to “Golden,” K-Pop keychains, temporary tattoos, photo ops, and play time. Three sessions to choose from throughout the day. Best for ages 1–8. Reserve your session at castleandcrownus.com.

Kidchella at Club Joyful

📍 Club Joyful, 2121 Lincoln Blvd, VeniceSaturday, April 19 · Check clubjoyful.com for time + tickets

Club Joyful — Venice’s beloved family social hub and play space — is hosting Kidchella, their outdoor family music festival experience. Expect live music, dancing, crafts, and the signature Club Joyful community vibe that makes it one of the best family spaces on the Westside. Check clubjoyful.com or their Instagram @clubjoyful for exact times and registration details.

Touch-A-Truck LA

📍 Westfield Fashion Square parking lot, 14006 Riverside Dr, Sherman OaksGA from $20 · VIP availableSunday, April 19 · 9am–2pm (Quiet Hours 9am–12pm · Honking Hours 12–2pm)

The Junior League of LA’s annual Touch-A-Truck lets kids climb into, explore, and honk the horns of fire trucks, construction vehicles, buses, and more — while meeting the real people who drive them. Paw Patrol character photo ops, arts and crafts, food trucks on-site, and a dedicated quiet hour block (no honking) for sensory-sensitive kids. Proceeds support JLLA’s community programs. Tickets at losangeles.jl.org.

Earth Day Festival at Brookside Park

📍 Brookside Park, 360 N. Arroyo Blvd, PasadenaFreeSaturday, April 18 · 10am–2pm

Pasadena’s official Earth Day festival takes over Brookside Park (right next to the Rose Bowl) with interactive activities, expert chats, giveaways, and a live demonstration of goat grazing as wildfire prevention — a surprisingly compelling thing to watch with kids. City departments, One Arroyo Foundation, and Remainders Creative Reuse are all participating. All ages, free, and the park setting is gorgeous.

Springfest Carnival — Final Day

📍 Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center, 1935 Manhattan Beach BlvdFree admissionSunday, April 19 · 11am–9pm

Last chance for the carnival if you didn’t make it Saturday. Rides, games, live music, food trucks, and the Kids Zone. Free to enter. Wristbands for unlimited rides available on-site.

🖼️ Pacific Palisades — Earth Day & Veg Fest

📍 Palisades Village Green, 15280 Sunset BlvdFreeSunday, April 19 · 11am–2pm

Resilient Palisades returns to the Village Green for a joyful community afternoon with vegan food vendors, a native plant sale, live music, kids’ activities, and local organizations focused on community rebuilding. This year’s return carries extra meaning for the neighborhood. A great Sunday option for Brentwood and Palisades families

First, Let’s Establish the Scale of What’s Coming

The tournament runs from June 11 to July 19. Los Angeles hosts eight matches, with the last one — a quarterfinal — on July 10. This means that for roughly five weeks this summer, your city will be in a state of organized chaos, presided over by international soccer federations, a municipal government with a well-documented relationship with logistics, and an estimated several hundred thousand visitors who did not grow up navigating the 405.

For the purposes of this article, we will set aside whether this is exciting. (It might be.) We are here to talk about what it means for the Westside parent who has camp pickup at 3:30 and a 4 p.m. appointment in Culver City and genuinely cannot absorb another variable into her Tuesday.

It’s Not Just Inglewood

Here is the part the host committee brochure does not lead with: the World Cup is not staying in Inglewood. It is coming directly to your neighborhood.

U.S. Soccer House — the official fan hub for the tournament — opens June 11th at Venice Beach, with watch parties, appearances by USMNT legends, celebrity guests, and live podcast recordings running for the duration of the LA matches. Venice Beach. Where you park on Saturday mornings. Where your kids rent bikes. That Venice Beach.

And then there is the Santa Monica Pier. Michelob ULTRA is bringing its Pitchside Club fan experience to the Pier for the entirety of June, with live match viewing, brand activations, and special guest appearances — designed, in their words, as a “Superior Soccer Social Club experience.” The activation runs June 11 through 27, with capacity between 1,000 and 5,000 people at any given time, and total projected attendance of up to 75,000 visitors over the 15-day window. The Santa Monica City Council approved it. It is happening. The Pier, for most of June, will be an international soccer bar with ocean views.

The Commute Nobody Is Talking About Enough

SoFi Stadium is in Inglewood. On a quiet Sunday morning in February, it is twenty minutes from Mar Vista. On a match day, it is a different city. The five-mile radius around the stadium includes Westchester, Playa Vista, the stretch of Lincoln that is already functionally a parking lot at 5:15 on a weekday, and every feeder street you use when Lincoln is backed up. All of it surges on match days.

The two USMNT matches — June 12th, a Friday evening, and June 25th, a Thursday evening — will be the peak of it. These are the days when people who don’t normally go to Inglewood for anything decide to go to Inglewood. They will not know which streets to avoid. They will be on those streets when they figure it out.

What The City Is Doing About It

Santa Monica has been quietly amending its transit ordinances for months, giving itself authority to designate additional transit-only lanes on short notice — explicitly in preparation for the World Cup and, while they’re at it, the 2028 Olympics. LA Metro has approved shuttle service and expanded transit routes for match days. There is genuine effort happening.

There are also, historically, a lot of people in Los Angeles who are not going to take the bus.

The Question Nobody Wants to Ask Out Loud

Here is the honest version of the conversation happening in every Westside school parking lot right now: are we supposed to just leave for the summer?

Not forever. Just strategically. The same calculation we run during Coachella weekends when the 10 becomes a parking lot, scaled up by eight international matches, several hundred thousand tourists, a Venice Beach fan hub, a Pier activation that runs three weeks, and a city that is managing all of this while facing a serious budget shortfall.

Early plans for neighborhood CicLAvias, murals, and local arts programming tied to the World Cup have been scaled back due to budget constraints. Which means the Westside may absorb the disruption without as much of the promised local upside.

What You Should Actually Do

The match dates are June 12, 15, 18, 21, 25, 28, July 2, and July 10. Mark them. On those days, avoid Inglewood, LAX, Lincoln south of Washington, and honestly most of the surface streets you’d normally use without thinking.

More importantly: adjust expectations for the Pier and the Venice Boardwalk for most of June. They will be there. They will just also be hosting an international soccer festival with 75,000 projected visitors. Plan your farmers market run accordingly.

The city is preparing. The buses are coming. Snoop Dogg is the official Community Chairman, which is something that is genuinely true and requires no embellishment.

The world is coming to Los Angeles this summer. It always does, eventually. The question, as always on the Westside, is whether you can get where you’re going before it arrives.

You probably can. But leave earlier than you think.

This is not a list of the friends you have. This is a list of the friends you need. Curate accordingly.

The One Who Reads All the Emails

She has actually read the school newsletter. All of it. She knows about the fundraiser, the early dismissal, the new drop-off policy, and the passive-aggressive note from the HOA. She synthesizes it, distills it, and texts you the three sentences you actually need to know. Without her, you’d definitely forget the field trip form, you’d show up to soccer practice at the wrong field, and you would absolutely — absolutely — send your child to school on a day off. You possibly owe this person your entire sanity. Also: why are there so many days off of school? Who approved this calendar? Many of us have recommended this friend starts a Substack strictly to keep us organized. But she reminded me I probably wouldn’t read it.

The Spiritual Guru

Part therapist, part alien, fully essential. She knows your human design, your gene keys, your rising sign, and probably something about your past life that explains the thing with your mother. She will tell you stories about how she’s communicated with Pleiadians with the confidence of someone reciting Plato, and somehow — somehow — you will believe her. You can ask this one anything without being judged. Conversations will make you question if anything is real. You absolutely cannot find her outside of LA. [Side note, you can find her on Substack. Because, of course you can. You don’t want to miss out on ’s feed!]

The Over-Scheduler

Camp sign-ups opened at 7am on a Tuesday in February. She was there at 6:58. Your child is enrolled. You didn’t even know it was a thing. She has a color-coded spreadsheet, a reminder system, and zero interest in being thanked — she just cannot believe you haven’t done this yet. She texts you deadlines the way a lawyer sends notices: with urgency and a faint air of judgment. You would be completely lost without her and she knows it and is, honestly, fine with that.

The “I’ll Host” Friend

The rarest creature in all of Los Angeles. Her house works. The kids disappear into some back situation and the adults can actually talk. There is always food, and it is somehow both healthy and delicious, and there is enough of it. Nobody is standing in the kitchen looking stressed. No one is asking people to move their cars. You don’t know how she does it. You’ve stopped questioning it and started just showing up — ideally with wine and zero expectations of reciprocating.

The Soft Influencer (Who Swears She’s Not an Influencer)

She just “shares things she loves.” That’s all. She’s not a brand, she’s not a business, she just happens to have 47,000 followers and a gifting suite situation that would make your jaw drop. Her parties are sponsored and also genuinely the most fun you’ve had all year. The activities are themed. There is a photo moment. The kids leave with goodie bags that are better than any birthday party favor you have ever assembled at 11pm the night before. You leave with a probiotic, a face mist, and something in a very clean white box that you’d never buy yourself but will absolutely use every day. You don’t fully understand her business model. You are not complaining. [She has a substack, of course…Peep + Follow .]

The Legacy LA Friend

She’s from here. Not moved-here-in-her-twenties from here. Like, is actually from here. Her parents are from here, too. She has opinions about what the city used to feel like and she will share them, but not bitterly — more like someone watching a beloved old restaurant get a rebrand. She knows which farmer’s market vendor will hold things for her, which restaurant doesn’t technically take reservations but takes her, and which neighborhood was the neighborhood before the neighborhood was the neighborhood. She is your city in human form. Also she probably has parking.

The One in the Industry

She is not famous. She is somehow better than famous. She knows which screening has the best after-party, which premiere is actually worth going to, and which showrunner is quietly the most interesting person in any room. She gets you in — not in a transactional way, just in a of course you’re coming way — and suddenly you’re doing the things your friends back home ask about with that particular mix of excitement and betrayal and remind you why you left your small time to live in the big city. You never take it for granted. You also never say no.

The One Who Knows Every Restaurant Before It Opens

She’s been to the soft open. She knows the chef’s last project, the investor behind it, and why the one on Melrose didn’t work out. She has a standing reservation at the place you still can’t get into. Dining with her feels like living in the city six months ahead of everyone else, which, in Los Angeles, is the only way to live.

The Contractor Whisperer

She has the guy. Plumber, electrician, tile person, painter — all of them reliable, all of them pick up the phone, none of them have ghosted mid-project. She gives out his number like it’s currency and he still, somehow, answers for her. You have spent actual years of your life dealing with contractors who are not her guys. Grown-adult-crying-on-the-bathroom-floor years. The difference is not small. You owe her your house, your marriage, and your blood pressure.

The Tastemaker

She is not on Instagram in any meaningful way. She doesn’t need to be. She found the ceramicist before the ceramicist had a waitlist, the vintage store before it got written up, the dinner series in someone’s backyard before it became a ticketed event. She recommended the book, the show, the neighborhood, the denim brand — all before you’d heard of any of them. You don’t know how she does it. It’s not a job, it’s not a network, it’s just some kind of cultural radar that operates slightly ahead of everyone else’s. Following her taste is the closest thing this city has to a cheat code. [By the way, she has a Substack…Follow !]

The Functional Medicine Friend

She’s not a doctor but she talks like one and she’s right more often than your actual doctor. She found out about your cortisol before you did. She’s already sent you the protocol. Her supplement shelf looks like a very organized Erewhon and she has thoughts about your sleep, your cycle, and your nervous system that are, annoyingly, spot on. You used to roll your eyes at her. Your inflammation is down thirty percent. She has not said “I told you so.” She absolutely has thought it.

The Shamanic Facialist

She will read your aura while extracting your pores. She lights something before she starts. There are crystals involved. At some point she will say something about your lymphatic system that makes you cry a little, and your skin will look genuinely incredible. You have tried to explain her to people outside of LA. You sounded unwell. You stopped. [Side note, also on substack, naturally. Give her content a read ]

The One Who Knows The Famous People

Here’s the thing no one says out loud: you cannot fully live an LA life without knowing at least one or two famous people. Not in a parasocial,-screenshotting-their-stories way. In a “she texted me about the tomatoes at the Studio City farmers market way.” This friend makes that connection happen. She knows them from somewhere real — the school pickup, the Pilates studio, the dinner that turned into a whole thing — and she introduces you like it’s nothing, because to her, it is. You will never admit how much this matters to you. It matters enormously. Don’t worry. This is a safe space.

The One Who Knew You Before

Before the house, the kids, the version of yourself you’ve been running for the last several years. She knew you at 26, when you were figuring it out, when you were a little bit of a mess, when you were fun in a different way. When you’re with her you stop performing. You laugh differently. You remember who you actually are underneath all of it. She is, in many ways, the whole point.

Find your people. Hold them close. Text them back.

Los Angeles will test you. But it gave you these people. So.

Bookmark this, text it to your group chat, and have a wonderful Easter weekend.

DON’T MISS THIS EASTER WEEKEND

LA Zoo Bloom — Big Bunny Weekend

📍 LA Zoo, Griffith ParkPaid admission🥚 Egg HuntFriday–Sunday, April 3–5 · 10am–4pm

Big Bunny is BACK for the Easter weekend — the most popular weekend of the entire LA Zoo Bloom season. Expect live performances, springtime strolling characters, seed bomb activities, keeper talks with spring-themed animal enrichment, and photo ops with Big Bunny (additional fee). Mission Safari Maze runs all weekend. Most activities are free with zoo admission. Book at lazoo.org before you go — this weekend fills up.

Venice Beach Spring Eggstravaganza

📍 Venice Beach Recreation Center, Ocean Front Walk, VeniceFree🥚 Egg HuntSaturday, April 4 · 10am–Noon

Right on the beach. The Venice Beach Recreation Center is hosting their Spring Eggstravaganza — games, arts and crafts, and an egg hunt for kids. A rare community event happening literally steps from the sand. Free and open to all families. Bring your own basket.

Easter at Brentwood Country Mart

📍 Brentwood Country Mart, 225 26th St, BrentwoodFree🥚 Golden EggSaturday, April 4 · 11am–2pm

Easter at the Mart! The Easter Bunny will be there for photos, you can pet real bunnies, hunt for a Golden Egg to win a prize, and soak up the beautiful Brentwood Country Mart courtyard. No professional photographer on-site, so bring your phone. One of the most charming Easter setups on the Westside — and it’s free.

El Segundo Egg Hunt Eggstravaganza & Camp Expo

📍 Recreation Park, 401 Sheldon St, El SegundoFree (Rec ID) / $5Registration required🥚 Egg HuntSaturday, April 4 · 9am–11:30am

One of the best egg hunts close to Venice and Playa Vista. The Easter Bunny makes their first appearance at 9:30am for photos, then it’s hunt time with age-divided groups. Register online at elsegundorecparks.gov to secure your wristband — times and slots are limited. A bonus Camp Expo runs alongside so you can plan your kids’ summer at the same time.

El Segundo Underwater Egg Hunt

📍 Wiseburn Aquatics Center, 2240 E. Grand Ave, El Segundo~$5 resident / ~$11 non-residentRegistration required🥚 Egg HuntSaturday, April 4 · 1:30–3pm

This is the one that makes all the others look dry. Kids hunt for eggs in the water. Bring a waterproof basket (yes, really), your swimsuit, and your camera. Limited spots — register at esrec.org. Ages 3–12.

LA County Arboretum Spring Fling

📍 LA County Arboretum, 301 N. Baldwin Ave, ArcadiaPaid admission🥚 Egg ScramblesFriday, April 3 · 5–8pm

A gorgeous Friday evening kickoff to Easter weekend. The Arboretum throws a Spring Fling with continuous egg scrambles every 15 minutes, live music from Dance Syndicate and the Heart of LA Eisner Big Band, seasonal crafts, photo ops, and special guests from the Bunny World Foundation. Worth the drive for a magical opening-night feeling.

LA Spring Fair — Free Easter Bunny Photos

📍 Fairplex, Pomona (also runs through April 19)Admission requiredApril 4–5 · Easter Bunny photos 2pm–6pm

The 46th annual LA Spring Fair — the largest spring festival in LA County — is underway. Free Easter Bunny photos (with your own camera) on Saturday April 4 and Easter Sunday April 5, 2–6pm, first come, first served. Carnival rides, live music, local artisans, food court, pony rides, and a butterfly garden. Bring tennis shoes — no open-toed sandals.

Gilchrist Farm Spring Fling — Last Saturday!

📍 Gilchrist Farm, Santa Clarita (~45 min)Activities $5–$55 · Entry free🥚 Egg HuntSaturday, April 4 ONLY · 9am–4pm (CLOSED Easter Sunday)

This is your last chance — Gilchrist Farm’s Spring Fling runs March 21 through April 4 only, and they are CLOSED on Easter Sunday. Saturday April 4 is the final day. Baby animals (goats, chicks, piglets), egg hunts at 10am, 12pm & 2pm (divided by age), pig races at 11am & 3pm, pony rides, horseback rides, archery, axe throwing, and a giant slide. Get your tickets at gilchristfarm.com before they sell out.

Underwood Family Farms Springtime Easter Festival

📍 Underwood Family Farms, Moorpark (~50 min)Paid admission🥚 Egg HuntSaturday & Sunday, April 4–5 · 9am–6pm

Still running strong through April 12. Egg hunts by age group, Easter Bunny photo ops, tractor-drawn wagon rides, animal encounters with goats and chicks, live animal shows on weekends at 11:30am, 1:30pm, and 3:30pm, gem mining, birdhouse making, and baby duck feeding. A full-day farm experience — one of the best in all of SoCal. Tickets at underwoodfamilyfarms.com

Free — As In, Truly, Actually, No Catch, Free

California Science Center (Exposition Park) — Free admission, which in LA feels borderline illegal. Interactive science exhibits, an aquarium, and a sports activity building. IMAX is extra because of course it is. Note: Space Shuttle exhibit is currently under renovation.

Natural History Museum of LA (Exposition Park) — Dinosaurs, dioramas, gems and minerals, and the quiet dignity of a building that has seen things. Free for LA County residents 3–5pm daily. Yes, really.

The Getty Center (Brentwood) — Technically free (parking is $25, because this is LA and nothing is truly free). Stunning hilltop art museum with gorgeous gardens, a tram ride the kids will inexplicably love, and panoramic views of the entire city. Closed Mondays.

Fern Dell Nature Trail (Griffith Park) — A shaded forest trail with actual running streams, inside Griffith Park, inside Los Angeles. It feels like a fever dream in the best way. Free, easy, dog- and stroller-friendly. You can continue up to Griffith Observatory from the same path if you’re feeling ambitious.

Ballona Discovery Park (Playa Vista) — A native wetlands preserve near Playa Vista that most people have never heard of, which is exactly the kind of thing you want to casually mention at pickup. Free and genuinely beautiful.

Stoneview Nature Center (Culver City) — Free nature center with native plants, a labyrinth, resident quails with attitude, and a walking bridge to Kenneth Hahn Park. Closed Mondays.

Griffith Observatory (Griffith Park) — Free to enter, genuinely spectacular, and one of those places that somehow never gets old. Planetarium shows are ticketed and worth it. Pair it with the Fern Dell trail below for a full Griffith Park day. Closed Mondays.

Old Los Angeles Zoo (Griffith Park) — The original LA Zoo, abandoned in the 60s and now a free public park where kids can walk directly into old animal enclosures and grottos. Slightly eerie, completely free, excellent picnic spot. Big win.

Tongva Park (Santa Monica) — A beautifully designed free park with sculptural climbing structures and ocean views, steps from the beach. Bring snacks. Stay awhile.

Dirt, Trees, and Actual Fresh Air

Descanso Gardens (La Cañada) — Spring is peak bloom season, which means it’s genuinely stunning right now. Botanical garden with a miniature train ride the little ones will ask to do four times. Open daily 9am–7pm.

Placerita Canyon Nature Center (Newhall) — Free nature center with easy trails, a waterfall, a butterfly garden, a bird sanctuary, and a historic cabin. It’s a lot. In a good way. Closed Mondays.

Griffith Park Horse Rentals (Riverside Dr, Glendale entrance) — The other horseback option, on the quieter Glendale side of the park. Guided one-hour trail rides through the park with mountain views and very patient horses. Open daily 9am–3:30pm. Book ahead during spring break — this one fills up.

Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area (Baldwin Hills) — A genuinely gorgeous park sitting high above the city with views of the ocean, the skyline, and the mountains all at once. Hiking trails, a lake, disc golf, picnic areas, and some of the most unexpected birdwatching in LA. Closed Mondays and Tuesdays, which feels like a personal slight.

Los Angeles Zoo (Griffith Park) — A full day out in Griffith Park. Baby orangutans and chimps are on site right now, which is basically cheating. Open daily 10am–5pm.

Edutainment (They’re Learning, They Just Don’t Know It)

Kidspace Children’s Museum (Pasadena) — Hands-on indoor and outdoor exhibits, a water creek, and rotating themes. Best for toddlers through grade schoolers. Closed Mondays, so plan accordingly.

Cayton Children’s Museum (Santa Monica Place) — Fire truck, helicopter, food van role-play exhibits inside a mall, which means if one kid melts down you can pivotinto Erewhon. Two blocks from the beach.

Star Eco Station (Culver City) — A small wildlife rescue center with guided tours and exotic animals — reptiles, birds, a big cat, a fox — most of which arrived via illegal trafficking seizures, which is a sentence you'll have to explain to your child and honestly good luck. Weekends only, 10am–4pm.

The Santa Monica Pier Situation

Pacific Park — Rides and games on the most iconic pier in Los Angeles, including a solar-powered Ferris wheel with genuinely breathtaking ocean views. Weekend hours are longer. Go on a weekday if you can.

Santa Monica Pier Carousel — A historic carousel inside a gorgeous 1916 building for $3 a ticket. There’s also an old-fashioned soda fountain inside, which your kids will become immediately obsessed with. Thu–Sun only, check hours.

Heal the Bay Aquarium — Touch tanks with starfish, sea urchins, and local marine life, located directly under the pier. Charming, educational, and genuinely delightful. Important caveat: Sundays only, 12–4pm. Pair it with the pier and make a day of it.

Burn It All Off (The Energy, We Mean)

Sender One Climbing – Westwood (with Sender City kids section) — Rock climbing gym with a dedicated kids area called Sender City. Great for ages 4 and up, and honestly pretty fun for the adults too.

Activate Culver City (Westfield Culver City) — Interactive physical game rooms that are essentially a real-life video game. Perfect for ages 10 and up. Currently sitting at a perfect 5-star rating, which almost never happens. Opens at 9:30am on weekends.

Off The Wall LA (Woodland Hills) — Trampolines, rock climbing, bumper cars, arcade games. The goal is to arrive with a fully charged child and leave with a depleted one. This place delivers.

Actually Cool Stuff

Bubble Planet (Arts District) — Multiple rooms of bubble-themed immersive art installations that are genuinely magical for kids and make for unreasonably good photos. Fun for all ages. Closed Tuesdays.

The Escape Game LA (Century City) — The gold standard of escape rooms in LA, currently running an Only Murders in the Building-themed room that is genuinely exceptional. Best for ages 10 and up — younger kids can participate but the puzzles are real. Book ahead, especially during spring break week.

Star Eco Station (Culver City) — A small wildlife rescue center with guided tours, exotic animals (reptiles, birds, a big cat, a fox), and hands-on encounters. A hidden gem. Weekends only, 10am–4pm.

Bubble Planet (Arts District) — Multiple rooms of bubble-themed immersive art installations that are genuinely magical for kids and make for unreasonably good photos. Fun for all ages. Closed Tuesdays.

World of Illusions LA (Hollywood Blvd) — Optical illusion museum with lots of photo ops. Better for older kids and tweens. Open until 10pm if you’re doing a Hollywood night.

For the Littles (Indoor Play)

Wonderworld Playground (Culver City) — Spotlessly clean, family-owned indoor playground with a vet play area, grocery store, tiny tots section, and comfortable seating for parents who need a moment. The west side finally has a good one.

Worth the Drive (30–45 minutes. Probably. Depending on the 405)

Aquarium of the Pacific (Long Beach) — Sharks, sea otters, penguins, jellyfish, and touch pools. Plan for at least four hours. Validate your parking inside and it drops to $8 for the day, which in Southern California feels like a clerical error. Open daily 9am–6pm.

Descanso Gardens (La Cañada) — Spring is genuinely peak bloom season here right now, which means it’s worth every minute of the 210. Gorgeous botanical garden with a miniature train ride the little ones will demand to do multiple times. Open daily 9am–7pm.

Placerita Canyon Nature Center (Newhall) — Free nature center up in the Santa Clarita hills with easy trails, a seasonal waterfall, a butterfly garden, a bird sanctuary, and a historic cabin. It’s a lot, in the best way. Perfect for kids who like to hike but won’t do anything described as “challenging.” Closed Mondays.

Sherman Oaks Castle Park (Sherman Oaks) — Four 18-hole mini golf courses, batting cages, and an arcade, now run by LA Parks & Rec which means it’s clean, well-maintained, and cheaper than it has any right to be. The Valley’s reliable answer to “I have no idea what we’re doing today.” Open until 10pm most nights.

Discovery Cube LA (Sylmar) — Hands-on science museum with rotating exhibits. Good half-day option for anyone on the north side of the hill. Open daily 10am–5pm.

There you go. No excuses, no screens, no one asking you what's for lunch while you're on a work call. Just get in the car, pick something, and remember: a tired child is a grateful parent. You're welcome.

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Most years, this awareness accumulates slowly. A comment at lunch. A photo that circulates. The gradual, ambient understanding that winter break in Cabo and winter break on a private jet are not the same winter break, even if everyone returns to the same classroom on the same Tuesday.

This past winter, for at least one Westside school community, it wasn’t gradual. A group of kids — classmates, friends, children who eat lunch together and have been in the same room since kindergarten — spent part of winter break on a private jet together. Not all of them. Some of them. The ones who weren’t invited came back to school in January knowing exactly what had happened, who was on it, where it went, and that they were not there.

The parents knew too. That part tends to move fast.

This is not a story about a bad family. It is a story about what happens when extreme wealth operates casually and openly inside a community that is theoretically built around shared values — and what it produces in the children, and the parents, watching.

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The Baseline Is Already Not Normal

It’s worth being precise about what $50,000 a year in private school tuition means in practice, because “private school” covers a lot of ground and the Westside version of it is its own specific thing.

At that price point, you have already filtered the parent community significantly. What you have not done is establish any kind of ceiling. The result is a community that contains, in the same parking lot, at the same drop-off, families whose financial realities are so different from one another that they might as well be operating in parallel universes — except that their children are in the same classroom, eating lunch at the same tables, and going home to compare notes on where everyone went and how they got there.

The schools are aware of this. Most of them have spent considerable institutional energy trying to manage it. There are community guidelines. There are conversations about values. There are, at some schools, explicit policies — one well-known LA private school has an actual written rule prohibiting private jet birthday parties, which is a sentence that contains within it everything you need to know about the environment these policies are trying to address.

A rule. Against private jets. For birthday parties.

The rule exists because the situation came up enough to require one. That is the context.

This Isn’t Exactly New

In 2016, Brentwood School — another elite Westside institution — made national news when students were filmed aboard a billionaire developer’s yacht singing the n-word to a rap song. The school’s reported response was to offer to speak with the students involved. Barry Bonds, whose daughter attended the school, publicly called for expulsions. It became a national story, briefly, before moving on the way these stories do.

What connects that incident to a private jet Christmas trip to a birthday party policy isn’t bad behavior, exactly. It’s the boats and jets and venues themselves — the way the social lives of children at these schools routinely extend into spaces that are accessible to some families and simply not to others, and the way that gap keeps showing up, on camera or in conversation, in ways the institutions aren’t designed to absorb.

The schools can’t write a policy for everything that happens over winter break. They can’t require that families consider the social geometry of a guest list before booking a charter. What they can do — and do — is manage the fallout in January, when the kids are back, the conversations have already happened, and the group chat has been very active.

What Eight-Year-Olds Actually Understand

Children are not confused about this. That is the thing adults sometimes underestimate. They understand, with complete clarity and zero diplomatic instinct, exactly what it means that some kids were on the jet and some weren’t. They understand it the way they understand every other social signal at that age — immediately, permanently, and without the benefit of any of the frameworks adults use to make it feel more neutral than it is.

The parents in these communities are not unaware of what they’ve signed up for. Most of them have thought, at some level, about what it means to raise children alongside extraordinary wealth, about the values conversations that become necessary, about the particular challenge of teaching gratitude and perspective inside an environment where the baseline is already exceptional.

What’s harder to prepare for is the specific, concrete moment when the abstraction becomes a seating list on a plane. When the wealth disparity your child has been vaguely aware of suddenly has a name and a tail number and a destination.

That’s the part no orientation covers. That’s the part that lands on a Tuesday in January when your kid comes home from school and tells you about the trip, and you have to figure out, in real time, what to say about it. And then figure out what to say at drop-off when you run into the parents who were on it. Though it’s less about who was on it and more the fact that you weren’t. And that’s not to rub it in. It’s to ask a reflection of honesty: if you were invited, would you have really said no?

Spring break just ended. More trips happened. More kids compared notes on Monday morning, the way they always do, the way they will again in June, and in September, and every time a break ends and a classroom full of children who live very different lives outside of school hours reconvenes and starts talking.

And most of the parents, if they’re being honest, would have gone. That’s not a character flaw. It’s just true. The critique of the culture and the desire to participate in it are not mutually exclusive, and pretending otherwise is its own kind of performance.

Which is maybe the more useful place to start. Not with judgment of the family who booked the jet, or the schools that are genuinely trying, or the parents who are angry in January and would be packing in December. But with the honest acknowledgment that this is the water, and most of us are swimming in it, and the question of what we’re teaching our kids about it is one worth sitting with — before the next break, not after.

There’s no clean ending to this one. In a lot of ways it doesn’t need one, because it isn’t really a school story. It’s a society story, playing out at a smaller scale with smaller people who don’t yet know how to pretend they don’t notice. The kids compare notes. The parents not included complain. The schools write the policies. And the jet flies anyway.

It always does.

Bookmark this, drop it in your group chat, and enjoy your weekend.

🗓️ DON’T MISS THIS WEEKEND

Downtown Santa Monica Easter Celebration

📍 Third Street Promenade, Santa MonicaFreeSunday, March 29 · Noon–4pm

The big one. Free photos with the Easter Bunny, craft stations, face painting, balloon artists, stilt walkers, chalk drawing, giveaways from local businesses, and thousands of filled eggs. No tickets needed — just show up.

Culver City Spring Egg Hunt Adventure

📍 Veterans Memorial Park, Culver CityFreeSaturday, March 28 · 8am–2pm

Families use the Goosechase App to solve clues and hunt hidden eggs across Culver City parks — then meet up at Veterans Memorial Park for live entertainment, food trucks, and photos with Mr. Bunny. All you need is one cell phone per team. Register at culvercity.org.

LA Zoo Bloom + Big Bunny Weekend

📍 LA Zoo, Griffith ParkPaid admissionFriday–Sunday, March 27–29

Three days of spring programming — pollinators, environmental ed stations, crafts, live performances, photo ops, and an appearance by Big Bunny. One of the most beloved Easter weekend traditions in LA. Tickets at lazoo.org.

Family Jazz Hour at The Wende Museum

📍 The Wende Museum, 10808 Culver Blvd, Culver CityFreeFriday, March 27 · 7–8pm

The Symphonic Jazz Orchestra brings a quintet of top studio musicians for a concert designed especially for families. Free parking in adjacent city lots. A rare Friday-night family outing that doesn’t involve a movie.

Symphonies for Youth: DJ Lance Rock at Walt Disney Concert Hall

📍 Walt Disney Concert Hall, Downtown LAPaid admissionSaturday, March 28

DJ Lance Rock from Yo Gabba Gabba! joins conductor Ana-Maria Patiño-Osario for a 45-minute concert featuring Ravel’s Mother Goose and Mussorgsky’s Night on Bald Mountain. Designed for ages 5–11 — a genuinely magical experience. Tickets at laphil.com.

📍Venice Beach

Venice Beach Drum Circle

📍 Brooks Ave & Ocean Front Walk, Venice Beach Free

Saturday & Sunday · Starts around noon, runs into the evening

A Venice institution. Drummers of all kinds gather on the sand every weekend — free spirits, serious percussionists, and wide-eyed kids who can’t stop staring. No tickets, no agenda. Just show up. One of the best things to do with kids on the Westside, full stop.

Artists & Fleas Market

📍 Abbot Kinney Blvd, Venice Free

Saturday, March 28 · 11am–4:30pm

A curated outdoor makers market with local artists, handmade goods, and five LA-based food trucks. Great for browsing with kids — colorful, low-key, and very Venice.

📍Santa Monica

Downtown Santa Monica Easter Celebration

📍 Third Street Promenade, Santa Monica Free

Sunday, March 29 · Noon–4pm

See top of newsletter. Free Easter Bunny photos, crafts, face painting, stilt walkers, and thousands of filled eggs on the Promenade. No tickets, no RSVP — just show up.

Main Street Farmers Market Spring Equinox Celebration

📍 Main St & Marine St, Santa Monica Free

Sunday, March 29 · 10am–1pm

DJ and the Main Street Jam play live while you browse fresh produce and local vendors. A lovely Sunday morning warm-up before the Easter Celebration on the Promenade — they’re a 10-minute walk apart.

Shark Sunday at Heal the Bay Aquarium

📍 Under the Santa Monica PierAges 4–12: $5 · Under 3: Free

Sunday, March 29 · Feeding at 3:30pm

Just reopened after maintenance. Over 100 local marine species, touch tanks, and daily ed programs. Sunday’s highlight: watch swell sharks and horn sharks get fed at 3:30pm. A perfect end to Sunday afternoon.

“Baseball Hero Matty” Live Performance

📍 Third Street Promenade, Santa Monica Free

Saturday, March 28

A family-friendly live performance on the Promenade celebrating the start of baseball season, featuring the story of Christy Mathewson. A fun Saturday detour if you’re already in the area.

📍Culver City

Spring Egg Hunt Adventure

📍 Veterans Memorial Park + multiple Culver City parks Free Register at culvercity.org

Saturday, March 28 · 8am–2pm

See top of newsletter. Use the Goosechase App to solve clues and hunt eggs across Culver City parks, then meet at Veterans Memorial Park for live music, food trucks, and Mr. Bunny. One phone per team is all you need.

Sun & Sea Collective Easter Pop-Up Market at The Point

📍 The Point, Culver City Free

Saturday, March 28

30 local vendors, Easter photo ops, an egg hunt, sweet treats, and face painting. Great before or after the Egg Hunt Adventure — both are in Culver City.

Family Jazz Hour at The Wende Museum

📍 The Wende Museum, 10808 Culver Blvd Free

Friday, March 27 · 7–8pm

See top of newsletter. A jazz quintet plays a concert designed for families. Free parking in adjacent city lots. One of the few Friday-night family events worth actually leaving the house for.

Zooga Yoga — 11054 Washington Blvd

Family Zooga Yoga Saturdays at 10:15am. Zoo Jam & Play Music at 2:45pm.

📍Playa Vista

Easter Bunny Photo Op at Runway

📍 Runway Playa Vista, 12775 Millennium Dr Free

Saturday, March 28 · 10am–2pm

Walk-up Easter Bunny photos right in the neighborhood. No reservations, no fuss. Great for little ones who might melt down at a bigger event.

Women Who Create Market at Runway

📍 Runway Playa Vista, 12775 Millennium Dr Free

Saturday, March 28 · 10am–2pm

An artisan market with women-owned local makers, happening at the same time as the Easter Bunny photos. Do both in one trip.

Paws & Pages at Annenberg PetSpace

12005 Bluff Creek Dr

Kids read to animals at 11:30am. Therapeutic, sweet, and genuinely unlike anything else on the Westside.

📍Mar Vista

Mar Vista Recreation Center Spring Festival

📍 Mar Vista Rec Center, 11430 Woodbine St Free

Saturday, March 28

The Mar Vista Community Council is sponsoring giveaways and activities for neighborhood kids at the Rec Center’s Spring Festival. Games, community vibes, and that classic block-party energy. Free and open to all families.

reDiscover Center — 12958 W. Washington Blvd

Hands-on making with reclaimed materials and real tools. Daily drop-in hours, camps, and workshops. One of the coolest spots on the Westside — seriously, don’t skip this.

Children’s Book World Mini Concerts — 10580 W. Pico Blvd

Mini concerts at 10:30am + author storytimes Saturdays at 11:30am.

📍Brentwood

The Getty Center — Guerrilla Girls Exhibition

📍 Getty Center, 1200 Getty Center Dr Always Free Timed entry required — book at getty.edu

All weekend

The Guerrilla Girls exhibition runs through April 12 — colorful, bold, and a great conversation-starter for older kids. Even without a special exhibition, the tram ride up, the gardens, and the architecture are genuinely kid-approved. Reserve your timed entry before you go.

Noah’s Ark at Skirball Cultural Center Free Thursdays. Ages 2–17: $15 other days.

2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd

Newly refreshed with indoor and outdoor enhancements. Whimsical, interactive, and ideal for ages 2–8. Music Jams Sat & Sun at 11:15am.

Did We Miss Anything?

We’re always looking. So if you know about a new thing to do, an awesome park opening, a juicy happening at a school, a story you think someone should cover, let us know. Nothing is too small. Hit reply or email us directly at losangelesparentsguide@gmail.com. We read everything.

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The question is not “can we afford this”. It is not “do we have the square footage” or “what would this do to our sleep, which we have only just recovered.” It is not even do I want this, exactly, because she hasn’t fully gotten there yet.

The question is: is there a soul waiting for me?

And the answer — in Los Angeles, almost always — is yes. Her name is probably Cece.

A Brief Explainer for People Who Just Moved Here

The concept has a founding text: a 2004 book by LA clairvoyant Walter Makichen called Spirit Babies: How to Communicate with the Child You’re Meant to Have. The premise is that souls exist before conception in something like a cosmic waiting room — present, patient, occasionally nudging — and that a medium can serve as translator between prospective parents and whoever’s been hanging around their aura, ready to commit.

The practice initially found its primary audience among people navigating fertility challenges and pregnancy loss, which makes complete emotional sense and is genuinely moving and is, for the purposes of this article, a different story.

This story is about the other clientele. The people who are fine. Who have one healthy kid and a functioning marriage and a Vitamix that still works and are simply, in the course of a regular Tuesday, wondering if they should have another baby. These are people who, in Cleveland, would have had that conversation over pasta. In Los Angeles, they are checking whether anyone has pre-selected them from the beyond.

The Presenting Complaint

You know this person. You might be this person. She is a professional — probably in wellness or entertainment, possibly with advanced degrees, definitely deeply conversant in both the language of evidence-based medicine and the language of “my body is telling me something.” Her biological clock is making a case. She would like a second opinion.

She has tried her partner, who responded to the question of another baby by asking whether they’d maxed out their 529. She has tried her therapist, who reflected the question back at her in a way that was clinically appropriate and completely unhelpful. She has tried journaling, which just produced more questions, formatted as bullet points, with no resolution and a lot of arrows.

Here is the thing about a spirit baby medium that none of those people can offer: she is going to gas you up.

Your therapist will not tell you that your future child is radiant and has already chosen you specifically because of your particular energy. Your husband will not tell you that the soul waiting for you is patient and loving and has a very clear sense of timing. Your OB will hand you a pamphlet.

The spirit baby medium is going to tell you that she’s there. That she’s been there a while. That she is, frankly, delightful — funny, actually, very creative, strong-willed in a way you’ll appreciate later. That she picked you.

Nobody else in your life is saying that. Nobody else in your life is even in the vicinity of saying that. And it’s $200.

The spirit baby, it turns out, is very communicative. Unlike everyone else you’ve tried.

Who’s Running This

The most prominent name in the local scene is Kelly Meehan — Santa Monica and Palisades-based, holder of an MA in Clinical Psychology with a somatic emphasis, host of Spirit Baby Radio (200+ episodes, which is more episodes than most licensed therapists have career sessions), and reportedly the person who coined the actual title “Spirit Baby Medium.” She published a book in 2024. She has been on television. Her waitlist is real.

Also active in the LA scene: Justine Cohen, who combines spirit baby work with fertility practices and holds in-person events at Open Eye Crystals on West Pico Boulevard — which is, for geographic reference, approximately three miles from Erewhon, and therefore exactly where you’d expect all of this to be located.

These practitioners are not operating in the shadows. They have waitlists and Instagram followings and intake forms. They collaborate with fertility yoga teachers. Some offer packages. The price range for a single session is $100–$300, which is, for context, less than one monitoring appointment during an IVF cycle, less than most initial therapy sessions in this zip code, and, depending on the restaurant, less than dinner for two on the Westside. It is not, by LA wellness standards, an unusual amount of money to spend on someone telling you something you sort of already believe.

What Happens In The Room

The medium connects — through whatever process she uses, which varies by practitioner and which we are not here to adjudicate — and reports back. There is apparently a great deal of specificity. Clients describe receiving details the medium couldn’t have known: names, personality traits, physical descriptions, the particular way a future child will come into the world.

One client reported her medium knew something she’d had memorialized in a tattoo. No photo, no prior contact. Just: he showed me this. Another described receiving answers “with such clarity” that she left with peace she’d been unable to find anywhere else.

For the woman who came in simply wondering about a second child, the session tends to produce something that looks less like grief resolved and more like a decision made. A permission slip, notarized by the cosmos. She came in 60/40, she left 100%, and whatever happened in that room, it worked.

The Thing About The Waiting Room

Here is a detail worth sitting with: practitioners broadly hold that essentially anyone who wants to connect with a spirit baby has one waiting. The only people who don’t, apparently, are people with zero interest in ever having children.

Which means the waiting room is always occupied. There is always someone there for you. No client has ever left a spirit baby session having been told: nothing’s coming, the room is empty, might want to revisit your assumptions.

This is either a beautiful philosophy about the universe’s unconditional abundance, or a business with a hundred percent conversion rate, and we will leave that determination to you.

What it means practically is that the woman who came in wondering is leaving with confirmation. The soul is there. It’s ready. It has, apparently, been quite patient.

What she does with that information — whether she goes home and has a real conversation, or starts quietly phasing out birth control, or simply carries it like a warm secret for a few months before anything happens — is between her and Violet.

And eventually, her husband.

Who will find out when she’s already pregnant.

For everyone else, spring break is not a break. It is a scheduling event. It is a two-week (or more — we’ll get to this) exercise in coverage math, calendar negotiation, and the particular low-grade anxiety of knowing that school, the institution quietly holding your entire life together, is about to temporarily stop doing that.

Let’s talk about what this actually looks like.

The Coverage Problem

The first thing spring break requires is a solution to the foundational logistical question: where are your children, who is with them, is that person you, and if it’s you, when exactly are you planning to work?

If your kids need full-day supervision, you are either enrolled in spring break camp — which you hopefully registered for in February, because the good ones fill in approximately the time it takes to read a text about them — or you are negotiating a coverage rotation with your co-parent, your partner, or an extended family member to whom you will owe something meaningful and unspecified by the end of all this.

Spring break camps exist in a parallel universe where the programming is genuinely great, the drop-off window is twenty minutes, pickup is at three, and the cost-per-day math will produce in you a brief, flickering fantasy of leaving your job and running a camp yourself. How hard could it be. You would be so good at it. You move on.

Here is the part nobody talks about enough: some camps don’t fill. And when they don’t fill, they cancel. Not in January. Not in February. In March. Sometimes the week before spring break. Sometimes with less notice than that, arriving as an email with a subject line that begins with “Important Update Regarding Your Registration” — a genre of communication that has never, not once in recorded history, contained good news.

The cancellation is perfectly logical. Camps need a minimum enrollment to cover staffing and facilities. Completely reasonable. Also, for the parent who just had their entire coverage architecture dismantled ten days out: a genuine crisis delivered in the tone of a mild inconvenience.

And here’s the cruel part: the families who would theoretically fill those camps aren’t in Los Angeles. They’re in Kauai. They booked flights in December, quietly withdrew from camp registration in January, and are currently sitting poolside while a “Junior Activities Coordinator” — an actual job title, held by an actual person, who is doing exactly what you are currently trying to do from your kitchen table but with better weather and a name tag — manages their children’s spring break for them. Camp is an expensive privilege, and a significant portion of the families who can afford it have opted for a more expensive privilege that takes them entirely off the local enrollment grid.

What remains is you, refreshing the registration pages of three other camps, discovering the only one with availability ends at 3 p.m., and doing the math on whether that works. It doesn’t work. You’re going to make it work.

The Part Where You Still Have Work

Your job did not take spring break. Your inbox did not take spring break. The 10 a.m. standing call that has never once been canceled did not take spring break. The economy runs on a schedule designed by and for people without school-aged children, which means the weeks your kids are home are identical, from a professional standpoint, to every other week.

You will take some PTO. You will deploy it surgically, for the days when coverage collapses and there is no other option. You will be on your phone during things you told yourself you wouldn’t be on your phone during. At some point you will have a work call while your child stands next to you holding a snack they need opened, and you will open it — one-handed, without breaking eye contact with your laptop camera — in a display of multitasking so practiced it has become invisible to you but would be, to an outside observer, genuinely impressive.

The working parent during spring break is operating two parallel tracks simultaneously: professional output on one screen, family logistics on the other, with periodic interruptions from someone asking where the good scissors are. The good scissors are nowhere. The good scissors have never been anywhere. This is not a spring break problem; spring break simply removes the buffer of structured time that normally keeps the scissors question from reaching you directly.

The Extracurricular Situation

Nobody tells you this clearly enough before you have kids, so let’s be direct: the extracurriculars do not stop.

Soccer does not take spring break. Gymnastics does not take spring break. The robotics enrichment program your kid started in February does not take spring break, though it may relocate to a time slot that conflicts with camp pickup in a way that is geometrically impossible to resolve without cloning yourself, which is not yet available as a service on the Westside, though it’s probably in development.

Your child has no school Monday through Friday. Your child has gymnastics Tuesday at 4:15, soccer Thursday at 5:30, a Saturday game the coach described as “strongly encouraged” which is coach for mandatory, and a makeup lesson that somehow landed on the one afternoon you thought was free. You will drive to all of these. You will wait in a parking lot for some of them. You will discover at least once that you wrote down the wrong field, which is its own specific experience.

Extracurriculars don’t pause because they’re running on their own calendar, indifferent to yours. The people running them did not design their session schedule around your coverage situation, which is reasonable and also, in the moment, feels personal.

The Travel Pressure

There is an ambient social norm — present in group chats, on Instagram, in the casual drop-off conversation that somehow always circles back to what everyone is doing for the break — that spring break is when you go somewhere. Not necessarily anywhere specific. Somewhere with a change of scenery and the implication of intention. The mountains. A beach. A place where you are clearly not just sitting at home managing logistics.

The pressure doesn’t come from any one person. It’s structural. It’s in the way spring break is discussed, the way kids compare notes when they return, the way you found yourself looking at flights in January with the vague, unactionable feeling that you should probably do something about this.

For families where both adults are working, travel during spring break is not a spontaneous adventure. It is a project. It requires that work be manageable from elsewhere or genuinely paused — a distinction that is much cleaner in theory than in practice — and it requires flights booked far enough in advance to be affordable, which means planning during a period when spring break still feels abstract and distant and you have other things to deal with, which is always.

You will think about it in January. You will mean to look into it in February. It will be March before you sit down to actually do it, at which point the flights are what they are and you have a conversation with your partner about whether this is the year you just do something low-key, locally, which is a reasonable and mature position that will nonetheless produce in both of you a small, specific feeling of defeat.

The small, specific feeling of defeat passes. Cabo will always be there (well, probably).

The Multi-School Calendar Problem

If you have children at different schools — different grades, different campuses, occasionally different institutions operating on entirely different academic philosophies and apparently different understandings of what month spring is — there is a real possibility that your spring break is not a single coordinated event. It is a sequence. A staggered rolling disruption that begins in mid-March and resolves sometime in late April, during which at least one of your children is always, at any given moment, either on break, about to go on break, or just returning from break while another one is still on it.

Two kids at two schools can produce three weeks of fragmented schedule. Three kids across different institutions can produce something that, when laid out on a shared calendar, looks like an art installation about the collapse of routine. You are not experiencing spring break. You are experiencing spring break season, which is different, and longer, and has no defined endpoint anyone can agree on.

And this isn’t counting the weeks around break. It’s the minimum days in late March because of parent-teacher conferences. It’s the early dismissal for teacher professional development that appeared on the school calendar in a font no reasonable adult could be expected to notice. It’s the two-hour modified schedule that is technically not spring break but is also not a thing anyone would describe as a normal school day, landing in the middle of a week when you have a deliverable you’ve been working toward since February.

The school calendar rewards close reading. Most of us are not reading it closely enough. We learn its contents the way you learn that a step is slightly higher than the others — by experience, briefly, while already mid-fall.

A Note on Parent-Teacher Conferences

Parent-teacher conferences are not spring break. They are adjacent to spring break, in the way that a root canal is adjacent to a long weekend — technically separate events, combined by circumstance into something that feels like a single extended experience.

They require you to be somewhere at a specific time during a period when your schedule is already held together with rubber bands and goodwill. You will confirm the appointment, add it to the calendar, and realize it conflicts with something. You will be slightly late to one of the things. This is fine. The teacher has had this conversation before. She is also, if we’re being honest, tired.

What parent-teacher conferences offer, which is genuinely valuable, is an honest and calibrated read on how your kid is actually doing — a question you may have briefly stopped asking yourself during the last three weeks of coverage logistics. They are grounding. They matter. They are also, inescapably, one more thing, arriving at a moment when one more thing is the last thing.

The End of Spring Break

There is a specific feeling that arrives the night before school resumes. It is not quite relief, not quite grief. It is something closer to the quiet that follows a logistics problem that has finally been resolved, combined with the mild guilt of knowing you had two weeks with your kids and spent a non-trivial portion of it managing the infrastructure of those two weeks rather than enjoying them.

The kids, for their part, are fine. They always seem to be fine. They had camp, they had some late mornings, they watched more TV than usual, they got to stay up past their bedtime at least three times, and they had the experience of a slightly more permissive version of daily life that they will remember fondly and use as a reference point for the rest of the year. (But we stayed up late during spring break. Yes. Spring break is over.)

You did what you could. You covered the days that needed covering, you showed up to the things that were non-optional, you probably didn’t make it to the beach but you made it through, which is the real metric.

Spring break is upon us. You’ve been through the logistics before, and you’ll do it again. The good scissors will turn up eventually. They always do.

This is not a takedown. Almost every mom on this list is someone you’d actually want at your kid’s birthday party. Some of them are the same person on different days of the week. A few of them are you. On a good day, more than one.

You know who you are. We all do.

The Erewhon Smoothie Devotee

She’s holding a $23 smoothie and she will tell you, unprompted, why it’s actually worth it. Something about adaptogens. She knows the difference between alkaline water and structured water — there is apparently a difference — and considers this knowledge both useful and shareable. Her Instagram bio lists three supplements. She looks incredible.

The “We Live at the Beach” Lifer

Her car contains approximately 40% sand and 60% snacks, with a single damp towel that has been in there since August. Her kids are feral in a way that reads as deeply healthy. They are always barefoot. They glow. You cannot explain the glow. You suspect it has something to do with salt air and the complete absence of screentime anxiety, but you’re not sure.

The Optimization Strategist

She was researching kindergarten programs during her third trimester. Not in a panicked way — in an organized, spreadsheet-supported way that she would describe as “just being thorough.” She uses the words “trajectory” and “fit” when discussing preschool, correctly, and has opinions about feeder patterns that are better informed than most people’s opinions about anything. Her child will be fine. Her child was always going to be fine.

The Montessori Purist

Every toy in this house is made of wood. Every color is a shade of oat. If it requires batteries, if it flashes, if it sings a song — it has not cleared the threshold. Her children have exceptional attention spans and an unnerving ability to sit quietly. You are not sure whether to be impressed or unsettled. You are both.

The “We Don’t Do Sugar” Trad

Her children have never encountered a grocery store birthday cupcake. They have encountered dates, which she refers to as “nature’s candy” without a flicker of irony, in a tone that suggests she is genuinely happy for them. Remarkably, her kids seem fine with this. That part is the most confusing.

The Gentle Parenting Scholar

She has read everything — Siegel, Bryson, Lansbury, the one your pediatrician mentioned, the one a stranger mentioned in a comment section. When her child is mid-meltdown at the farmers market, she crouches down to eye level and says, with complete sincerity, “I hear that you’re feeling really frustrated right now.” It works. You’ve tried it. It does not work when you try it. This is somehow her fault.

The Former Executive Turned Yoga Teacher

She left a title, a salary, and a calendar full of board meetings to teach the 9:30 vinyasa class at the studio on Main. She has never been busier. She answers emails during savasana — hers and, if given the chance, yours. The transition to “slower living” has not visibly slowed her down. She seems more efficient now, somehow, which is annoying.

The Carpool Logistics Queen

She is running a tighter operation than most seed-stage startups, and she has the systems to prove it. Snacks, backup snacks, a change of clothes for every kid in the rotation, wipes, and a contingency plan for when the 10 backs up past Bundy — which is always. She will not drop the ball. She has never dropped the ball. If you are lucky enough to be in her carpool, you know this, and you are grateful every single day.

The Over Scheduled and Overstimulated

Between soccer, swim, Mandarin, art, and whatever the new enrichment thing is this semester, this family operates on a schedule that would make a logistics coordinator weep. Her Google Calendar is, genuinely, a work of art — color-coded, recurring, with buffer time built in for traffic. Her kids are learning a lot. Whether they’re enjoying it is a more complicated question, which she is aware of and thinking about.

The Microschool Architect

She knows about programs that have not yet appeared on any list you’ve read. She uses phrases like “child-led learning ecosystem” with the fluency of someone who has built one. Her kid is doing things your kid’s school doesn’t offer, and it’s unclear whether this should concern you about your kid’s school or just make you curious about hers. Usually it’s the latter.

The Aesthetic Birthday Party Producer

The type whose kid’s one day a year defines the other 364. The balloon installation alone had a mood. The favor bags were individually stamped with the child’s name in a font she found on Etsy. There was a branded moment. You went home and sat quietly with the specific feeling of someone who has been, through no one’s fault, made aware of the gap between what you do and what is possible. Your kid had a great time, for what it’s worth.

The Basically a Doctor But Not a Doctor So Don’t Quote Her Wellness Enthusiast

Red light therapy. Cold plunges. Homeopathics. Magnesium in four different delivery formats. Almost definitely anti-vax but won’t tell you. She has a morning routine that begins before dawn and involves things you’ve read about but never tried, and she will share all of it if you express any interest and some if you don’t. Her kids sleep deeply and wake up ready. You are still working on this.

The Outdoorsy Type

She lives in Topanga, or she’s working on it. She talks about moon cycles in the same register other people talk about the weather — informative, not performative, just noting conditions. Her kids can identify plants. They’ve camped in real camping. There is dirt under her fingernails in a way that seems intentional and correct.

The “I Swear We’re Chill” Private School Mom

She’ll tell you they just want a kind community. Small class sizes. A place where her kid can be a kid. All of this is true and also she has been refreshing the admissions portal at irregular intervals since 4:45 p.m. on Decision Day. And she knows exactly which schools her child is waitlisted at, and also probably yours. She has theories about when each list might move. She has a spreadsheet. She has a backup preschool for her backup preschool. She is not panicking. She is managing, which is different, and the difference matters to her. Because she’s chill.

The Creative

She’s a writer, or a producer, or a stylist, or “in development on something” — and any of these things could be true simultaneously. Her children have names that are unusual in a way that turns out to work perfectly for them. Their outfits are impeccable in the specifically non-trying way that requires a great deal of trying. She makes it look easy because she’s been in the industry long enough to know that looking easy is the work.

The Waldorf Adherent

She knits. She bakes bread from a starter that has a name. She marks the solstice and the equinox with handmade decorations and a genuine sense of seasonal occasion. Every festival is observed fully and with a handmade crown. Your kid comes home from a playdate asking why you don’t have a nature table. You google “nature table.” You briefly consider it.

The Snack Packer

She has snacks for her kids, your kids, and the kids whose names she doesn’t know yet but will by the end of the playdate. She is the reason school pickup doesn’t devolve into chaos. She is the connective tissue of every playground, every soccer sideline, every Thursday morning drop-off. She is, without putting too fine a point on it, essential.

The “We’re Leaving LA” Mom

She’s been talking about Austin since 2020. Nashville came up in 2022. Last fall it was Ojai, which at least has the advantage of being drivable. She has a strong argument for all of them. She has not, in fact, left. She will not leave. The Santa Monica Farmers Market has a hold on her that no amount of Texas square footage can break, and somewhere, she knows this.

The PTA Power Player

She knows everyone. She runs everything. She is the reason the auction raised $40,000, the reason the spring carnival had a theme, and the reason the new shade structure got approved three months ahead of schedule. She could be elected to public office tomorrow and would immediately apply the same organizational energy to fixing the 405. Whether that’s a good thing depends on your commute.

The “Our Au Pair Is Basically Family” Mother

She has had three au pairs in two years and describes each departure as “so emotional.” The current one is from Sweden. There is a second refrigerator in the au pair suite. The children call her by her first name with a warmth that is genuine and a familiarity that occasionally startles guests. The Instagram posts are always so wholesome. You have looked at them more than once.

The “We’re Doing Things Differently” Visionary

No birthday presents at parties — donations to a cause instead. No gender reveals — just a party where the cake is whatever color they felt like. No college savings account — an experience fund. Each choice is defensible. Collectively they form a coherent worldview that she’d be happy to explain at length if you have a few minutes, which she’s about to find out.

The Trauma-Informed Everything Mom

Her pediatrician is trauma-informed. Her dog trainer is trauma-informed. She is looking for a trauma-informed soccer coach, which she believes exists and which may, in fact, exist on the Westside. None of this is unreasonable. Some of it has genuinely helped. All of it requires a lot of scheduling.

The Group Chat Moderator

She started the class WhatsApp group and she runs it with a light but unmistakable hand. She sets the tone. She posts the reminders. When a thread goes sideways, she gently redirects with a “circling back to logistics!” that lands like a velvet gavel. She is almost definitely a future room mom or PTA president. Without her, everything falls apart. She knows this. Everyone knows this.

The Former Actress Who Is Now “Focusing on the Kids”

You’ve seen her in something. You can’t place it. She is gracious about it when you bring it up, which is always, because you keep bringing it up. She volunteers at school events with a focus that suggests she is very good at memorizing blocking. Her kids have her timing. You’ve noticed.

The “Travel is Just So Stressful With Three Kids” Mom

She brings it up at drop-off — the upcoming trip, the chaos of packing for everyone, the exhaustion of it all. You nod sympathetically and start to offer a tip about TSA PreCheck. She smiles, looks slightly sheepish, and mentions it’s actually private. You smile back. You tell her that sounds amazing.

The Sober-ish Preacher

You know she’s sober because she told you. She has also told the other parents at pickup, the pediatrician’s waiting room, and probably the woman behind her at Erewhon. She’s done the work — therapy, the apps, possibly a retreat — and she is genuinely, visibly happier. You don’t begrudge her the evangelism because she seems great and the functional mocktail she just handed you is surprisingly good. You ask for the recipe. She already sent it to you.

The Recently Relocated

Moved here from New York eighteen months ago and is still, in some fundamental way, processing it. Misses bagels with an intensity that borders on grief. Has strong opinions about which local bagel is “closest.” The car still surprises her sometimes — both that she has one and that everyone here seems to actually like driving, which she finds baffling and slightly suspicious. She will be fine. She’s already signed her kid up for surf lessons.

The “Honestly Just Trying to Survive” Mom

She is three minutes late to pickup. Her coffee is from wherever was fastest. Her bun is structural, not intentional. She forgot there was a minimum day and she’s handling it. She is doing her absolute best with the information and sleep she has, which is the same thing every mom on this list is doing, just expressed differently.

She is, in the end, all of us. The rest of this list is just what we look like when we have it slightly more together, or at least when we’re pretending to.

LA Parent Guide covers the specific, exhausting, occasionally unhinged experience of raising kids on the Westside. If you recognized yourself somewhere in this list, welcome. You’re in good company.

Every year, on a date circled in Lululemon-scented dread, the private elementary schools of Los Angeles simultaneously release their kindergarten admissions decisions. This year, that date was Friday, March 13th. The irony of the calendar was not lost on anyone. By 5 p.m., the portals opened, thousands of anxious parents refreshed their screens, and the collective intake of breath across the Westside was audible from Brentwood to Bel-Air.

What followed was, depending on who you ask, a masterclass in institutional chaos, a psychological endurance sport, or simply the annual rite of passage that proves once and for all that getting a five-year-old into kindergarten in Los Angeles is harder than getting yourself into a decent college ever was.

This is the story of the week that came after.

If we were Gossip Girl (we aren’t), this would be read something like “Spotted: Hundreds of Westside parents who spent the better part of two years curating their family’s “narrative” for a school whose tuition exceeds many people’s annual salary — now refreshing a Blackbaud portal at 4:58 p.m. on a Friday the 13th. The universe, darlings, has a sense of humor.”

First, A Word About “Boy Years”

Before we get into the wreckage, let’s address the phrase that was whispered at every drop-off, texted between preschool parents, and deployed with knowing gravity by admissions consultants all season: it was a boy year.

In the private school admissions world, a “boy year” is not a metaphor. It refers to a cohort cycle in which an unusually high number of older siblings — who get admissions preference at most schools — happen to be boys, which means the incoming class skews male before a single new application is even reviewed. When siblings lock up spots, the pool of available kindergarten seats for fresh applicants shrinks dramatically. This year, by most accounts, the sibling pipeline was exceptionally heavy on the Y chromosome.

What this meant practically: families who had done everything “right” — toured in April, submitted polished applications in November, charmed the admissions director, gotten glowing preschool recommendations, attended every optional revisit coffee and flag-line morning — found themselves staring at waitlist letters or, worse, rejections, with no real explanation beyond the invisible forces of demographic luck.

Nobody told them this was coming.

The System Nobody Explains

Here is what happens — what actually happens — after Decision Day, and what the admissions industrial complex would prefer to handle quietly:

If your child is waitlisted, you enter a parallel dimension. The schools, bound by the informal but widely understood norms of independent school admissions in California, cannot contact you directly to gauge your interest once decisions have gone out. This is ostensibly to protect families from pressure, to let them consider their options without a school calling to say, “Hey, are you coming or not?” It is a thoughtful policy. It is also, in practice, insane.

Because here is who can contact you: your preschool director. Your preschool director, whose career is measured — formally or informally — by how many of their kids land in first or second choice schools. Your preschool director, who has relationships with every admissions office in the city. Your preschool director, who will call you on a Sunday, who will text you to check in, who will deliver news about what they’re “hearing” with the practiced casualness of a CIA operative.

The preschool director is not a neutral party. They’re deeply invested in strong placement outcomes. This is not a conspiracy; it is economics. A preschool that produces children who gain admission to JTD, Carlthorp, Crossroads, and Curtis is a preschool that fills its own waitlist for the next three years. Reputation compounds. The incentive is real.

So what you have is a system where families on waitlists must stay in constant communication with their preschool director, who serves as an informal intelligence network between families and schools, all while the schools themselves generally won’t tell you where you actually stand. The result is a week — sometimes longer — of tea-leaf reading, phone tag, and the particular psychological experience of having your child’s kindergarten fate mediated by someone who is trying very hard to be on your side and also has their own agenda.

The Waitlist Timeline, As It Actually Unfolded

For families who didn’t get the outcome they wanted on March 13th, the calculus of the waitlist immediately becomes an exercise in information asymmetry and emotional regulation. Here is what the week actually looked like on the ground.

Friday, March 13 (Decision Day). Portals open at 5 p.m. The accepted families receive their letters, deposit deadlines are set. Schools tell accepted families they must respond by March 20 at 5:00pm. Waitlisted families receive their letters and are advised to stay in touch with their preschool director and wait for the dominoes to fall.

Saturday-Monday. The group chats light up. Who got in where. Who didn’t. The phrase “we were waitlisted at Carlthorp but got into Crossroads” travels fast. Someone’s friend’s cousin heard the Curtis list moved. Nobody knows anything for certain, but this is Los Angeles, so everyone has a source.

Tuesday. The first waitlist domino falls. Reports start circulating that Carlthorp may have closed its waitlist for girls. Seven Arrows, the Pacific Palisades school still operating out of a temporary Santa Monica campus after losing its home in the January fires, allegedly closes its entire waitlist. For families of girls hoping to get into Carlthorpe or who had Seven Arrows circled as their waitlist hope, Tuesday was a short week. Boys remained hopeful.

Wednesday. The Carlthorp waitlist closes. This is extremely fast. It means enough families who had been waitlisted received spots (because accepted families declined and moved to other schools), and Carlthorp filled its class. Or it means the waitlist itself was always short. Regardless — for anyone still hoping for Carlthorp, Wednesday ended the season. The Curtis waitlist closed around the same time. If you were holding out, you are now holding out for nothing.

Thursday. The Willows situation crystallizes. Here is what makes the Willows waitlist its own specific form of psychological suspense: the school offers a DK program, and children admitted to DK are guaranteed a spot in kindergarten. Factor in sibling priority and suddenly there are just not many spots. And that’s for a school that’s been gaining popularity over the last few years. Preschool directors are making daily phone calls seeing if there’s been movement, but so far no news. In this case, no news could still be good news.

Also on Thursday: Wildwood parents are in their own suspended state. The school had a heavy boy year — siblings, again — which squeezed the open spots for new applicants before the first portfolio was even reviewed. The Wildwood waitlist is, as of this writing, still open, which is either encouraging or a signal that the cascade of accepts-and-declines has been slower to resolve there than elsewhere

What will Friday bring? The schools with remaining waitlist movement, including Crossroads, are in their final hours. Friday at 5 p.m. is the enrollment deadline for many schools — the moment when families who were accepted must sign their contracts and pay their deposits or forfeit their spot. Those spots, the ones that open up at 5:01 p.m., are what the remaining waitlisted families are waiting for. It is, objectively, a terrible way to make an important decision about your child’s education.

What Nobody Prepared You For

The peculiar cruelty of the waitlist system is not the waiting itself — it is the combination of genuine uncertainty, social performance, and the suspension of your own critical judgment that the process demands. You are expected to remain enthusiastic and available to a school that may or may not want your child, while also making contingency plans, while also managing a four-year-old who has no idea that any of this is happening and just wants to go to the park.

You are expected to trust your preschool director, even as you recognize they have their own interests. You are expected to interpret phrases like “you’re at the top of my list” from admissions offices that legally cannot be the ones saying them to you. You are expected to make a significant financial and logistical commitment — some of these schools run $38,000 to $43,000 in annual tuition — on a timeline measured in hours, not days.

The system is not designed to be cruel. Schools are managing a complex and unpredictable enrollment puzzle, and there’s no easy way to make this process feel clear for everyone. It evolved organically from the genuine complexity of enrollment management, sibling preferences, and the unpredictable cascade of families accepting and declining offers. But no one sits you down and explains how it actually works. You learn it by living through it, which means every cohort of parents goes through the same bewildering week of phone calls and portal refreshing and signal-reading, largely without a map.

This has been your map. You’re welcome. Go sign something. This week is almost over.

Calling all parents! Help me out: I’m a Santa Monica mom of three. When I had my first, I couldn't figure out where the community was — and honestly wondered if city life was even worth it for kids. Turns out, the Westside is bursting with stuff for families. You just have to know where to look. That's what this newsletter is for. If it helps you, share it with another Westside parent who needs it. Link to share below.

🗓️ DON’T MISS THIS WEEKEND

Venice Love Fest — Saturday, March 21

📍 Under the Venice Sign, Windward Plaza, Venice Beach

Free, city-supported, and happening this Saturday. Full street closures, live music, local vendors, food, art — and a legit kids’ corner that includes family Yoga with Christine West, music with the Beat Buds and Parker Bent, and more.

“We Can Do It!” Musical Show — Saturday, March 21

📍 Culver City Julian Dixon Library, 4975 Overland Ave

A 1940s-era family-friendly musical about the women who shaped LA, inspired by Rosie the Riveters. Two performances: 11:00 AM and 2:00 PM. Free, but advance registration required (space is limited).

March Madness Mania — Saturday, March 21, 2–5pm

📍 Santa Monica Place, Center Plaza (Level 1)

Basketball-inspired carnival games for all ages — Rim Shot, Hard Drive, Alley Oop, Bee Ball. Free. RSVP at santamonicaplace.com.

Heal the Bay Aquarium Reopening

📍 Under the Santa Monica Pier

Just reopened after flood recovery! Free Community Reopening Day — RSVP at healthebay.org/reopen. Over 100 local marine species, touch tanks, and daily ed programs. Ages 4–12: $5; under 3: free.

Nothin’ But Sand Beach Clean Up — Saturday, March 21, 10am–12pm

📍 Toes Beach, 6615 Pacific Ave, Playa del Rey

Heal the Bay’s monthly beach clean-up with an Expo Hub featuring interactive exhibits and marine scientists. Great for older kids. All ages welcome, free.

Drop-In Botanical Garden Tour — Saturday, March 21, 10–11am

📍 UCLA Mathias Botanical Garden, 707 Tiverton Dr

Free, all-ages walking tour of UCLA’s “living museum.” RSVP online. Meets at La Kretz Garden Pavilion.

📍 SANTA MONICA

Cayton Children’s Museum — 395 Santa Monica Place 21,000 sq ft of hands-on exhibits for ages 0–8. Open Wed–Sun, 10am–5pm. Sensory-Friendly Hours every Sunday 8:30–10am. Family Learning Nights every Wednesday evening (Parent Cafés + PBS SoCal Family Math Workshops for ages 2–5, free with admission).

Heal the Bay Aquarium — Under the Santa Monica Pier Touch tanks, 100+ species, daily ed programs. Ages 4–12: $5.

Santa Monica Public Library Storytimes — Free!

• Baby Time: Wednesdays at 11:30am (ages 0–walking)

• Toddler Tuesdays: Rotates among branch locations

Santa Monica Family YMCA — 1332 6th St Sports, arts, swim, after-school, and childcare.

Capoeira Besouro Preschool Capoeira for ages 3–5 (10-week session running through March 28).

The Realm Creative Academy — 400 Pico Blvd Math, writing, coding, art, soccer, music, tutoring, Saturday night Kids Club, and field trips.

LA Surf & Swim Pool lessons, beach lessons, swim team. Locations in Venice and Santa Monica.

Santa Monica Yoga — 1640 Ocean Park Blvd Family yoga, mindfulness classes, and yoga playdates.

📍 VENICE

Venice Love Fest — See top of newsletter!

Pacific Resident Theatre Youth Conservatory — 703 Venice Blvd Free classes for K–8 and teens: improv, clowning, storytelling, acting for TV/film.

Club Joyful — 2121 Lincoln Blvd

• Gummy Loves Sensory Classes: 9:30am

• Baila Baila Spanish (music-based, ages 0–3): $115/month unlimited weekly classes

Yoga Nest Venice — 38 Washington Blvd YOGAMAMA Prenatal Yoga + Postnatal Yoga for Mother & Baby.

Venice Arts — 13445 Beach Ave Teen Art Leaders volunteer program on weekday afternoons.

Freedom Surf Camp — meets at 2 Rose Ave Surf camps, ski/snowboard programs, adventures.

📍 CULVER CITY

“We Can Do It!” Musical Show — See top of newsletter!

Wild Child Gym Play-based kids’ classes, camps, and parties. Locations in Culver City and Playa Vista.

Zooga Yoga — 11054 Washington Blvd

• Family Zooga Yoga: Saturdays at 10:15am

• Zoo Jam & Play Music: 2:45pm

Soccer Tots at Tellefson Park — 11057 Washington Pl Weekend soccer for little ones, 11:00am.

Aerial Warehouse — 3961 Sepulveda Blvd #100 Aerials, parkour, trampoline, tumbling, camps, parties, kids’ night out.

Culver-Palms Family YMCA Swim lessons and youth programs.

Baila Baila Spanish — The People’s Place, 6007 Washington Blvd

• Ages 1.5–3 (walkers): Fridays at 10:30am

• Ages 0–1.5 (infants/crawlers): Fridays at 11:30am

STAR Education / ECO Station Enrichment programs, after-school classes, and Spring/Summer 2026 camps.

📍 MARINA DEL REY

My Gym Marina del Rey Weekly kids’ fitness classes: Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays. Open Practice & Play for all ages.

Stroller Fitness MDR Parent & Child Fitness at Marina del Rey Inlet Park, Via Marina — 9:00am.

Teen Advisory Board — Lloyd Taber-Marina del Rey Library, 4533 Admiralty Way Regular meetings for teens who want to shape library programming.

Kayaking & Paddleboarding Rentals available in the marina. The creek bike path connects to the beach and Culver City — great for a family adventure day.

📍 PLAYA VISTA

Paws & Pages at Annenberg PetSpace — 12005 Bluff Creek Dr Kids read to animals at 11:30am. Therapeutic and genuinely sweet.

Dungeons & Dragons for Middle Schoolers — Playa Vista Branch Library, 6400 Playa Vista Dr Wednesdays at 4:00pm. Free.

Runway Kids Club — Runway Green Space, Playa Vista Wednesdays at 10am. Outdoor play and community for little ones.

Wild Child Gym Playa Vista Play-based classes, camps, and parties (also in Culver City — see above).

Playa Vista Martial Arts Group kids’ classes serving Playa Vista, Culver City, Marina del Rey, and Westchester families.

Playa Vista Teen Council — Playa Vista Branch Library Regular weekday meetings for teens at 3:30pm.

📍 BRENTWOOD

Noah’s Ark at Skirball Cultural Center — 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd LA’s most beloved family exhibit — newly refreshed with indoor and outdoor enhancements. Interactive, whimsical, and great for ages 2–8.

Weekly programming inside Noah’s Ark:

• Story Time: Tues & Thurs at 2:15pm / Fridays at 3:15pm

• Music Jams: Saturdays & Sundays at 11:15am

Free on Thursdays. Ages 2–17: $15 other days.

📍 MAR VISTA

Broadway Gymnastics School — 5433 Beethoven St Classes for ages 1+, gymnastics teams, camps, and parties.

reDiscover Center — 12958 W. Washington Blvd Hands-on making with reclaimed materials and real tools. Daily drop-in hours, camps, and workshops. One of the coolest spots on the Westside.

ASTEME Learning Center — 11672 Gateway Blvd STEM enrichment classes and camps.

Spring Break Art Camp (Mar Vista) Structured art projects in a small studio setting with experienced instructors.

Children’s Book World Mini Concerts — 10580 W Pico Blvd (West LA/Mar Vista border) Mini concerts at 10:30am + author storytimes Saturdays at 11:30am.

🔖 BOOKMARK THESE

Stay on top of Westside family events year-round:

• Venice Rising — venicerising.com — Human-curated weekly calendar for Venice, Santa Monica, Marina del Rey & West LA

• MomsLA — momsla.com — Updated weekly, all of LA

• The Venice Fest — thevenicefest.com — Venice’s community festival org (Venice Love Fest + more events throughout the year)

• LA Public Library Events — lapl.org — Free storytimes, crafts, and programs at all branches

Know something we missed? Reply and let us know — we publish every Thursday and update the list each week.

Spring break has a way of sneaking up on parents. One minute it’s February, the next you’re scrambling to figure out how to fill five long weekdays. From arts and sports to STEM and outdoor adventures, here are organized, thoughtfully selected spring break camps across Los Angeles to help make the week easier — and more fun.

🎭 Theatre & Performing Arts

Santa Monica Playhouse Spring Break Workshop

www.santamonicaplayhouse.com

A theater-focused workshop introducing kids to acting, improvisation, and stage performance in a supportive studio environment, typically culminating in a short performance.

Ages: 6–14

Dates: March 30 – April 3, 2026

Hours: 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM

Cost: $545 per week

Morgan-Wixson Theatre (Y.E.S. Workshops)

www.morgan-wixson.org

A youth theater intensive where campers rehearse and stage a full production over the course of the week, ending with a live performance.

Ages: 6–13

Dates: March 30 – April 3, 2026

Hours: 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM

Cost: Approx. $350 – $450 per week

The Adderley School

www.theadderleyschool.org

A performing arts camp blending theater, music, and dance in a structured studio setting, often concluding with an end-of-week showcase.

Ages: 4–12

Dates: March 30 – April 3 & April 6 – 10, 2026

Hours: 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM

Cost: Approx. $525 per week

Santa Monica Music Camp

www.santamonicamusiccamp.com

A performance-based music camp where kids explore instruments, songwriting, and collaboration throughout the week, often culminating in an informal showcase.

Ages: 5–14

Dates: March 30 – April 3 & April 6 – 10, 2026

Hours: 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM

Cost: $400 – $575 per week (varies by track)

💃 Dance

8 Count Dance Academy

www.8countla.com

A West LA dance camp offering themed choreography sessions and performance-focused instruction in flexible half-day formats.

Ages: 5–18

Dates: March 30 – April 3, 2026

Hours: 9:00 AM – 12:30 PM or 1:30 PM – 5:00 PM

Cost: Starting at $450 per week

Sophie Dance West

www.sophiedancewestside.com/camps

A studio-based dance camp combining choreography, themed routines, and creative projects, often ending with a small showcase for families.

Ages: 4–10

Dates: March 30 – April 3, 2026

Hours: 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM

Cost: Approx. $575 per week

🎨 Art & Creative Camps

Alyce’s Art Studio

www.alycesartstudio.com

A small-group studio camp focused on painting, mixed media, and hands-on creative projects in a focused environment.

Ages: 6–12

Dates: April 6 – April 10, 2026

Hours: 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM

Cost: Approx. $515 per week

Eco Atelier

www.ecoatelierart.com

A small-group art studio in Santa Monica offering process-based creative projects using natural and recycled materials. Camp days typically emphasize hands-on exploration, painting, sculpture, and open-ended artistic expression.

Ages: 5–12

Dates: March 30 – April 3 & April 6 – 10, 2026

Hours: 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM

Cost: Approx. $525–$575 per week

Brentwood Art Center

www.brentwoodart.org

A community art center offering structured studio projects across various mediums in small groups.

Ages: 5–12

Dates: March 30 – April 3 & April 6 – 10, 2026

Hours: 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM

Cost: $375 – $550 per week

Bananas! Art & Play

www.bananasforever.com

A Mar Vista creative camp blending art projects, imaginative play, and hands-on exploration in a small-group setting.

Ages: 4+

Dates: March 23 – April 10, 2026

Hours: 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM

Cost: $135 per day / $645 per week

Camp Cosmo

www.campcosmo.com

A creative, small-group day camp near Clover Park offering art projects, building stations, and imaginative play shaped by camper interests.

Ages: Grades K–6

Dates: Multiple spring break sessions in March/April 2026

Hours: 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM

Cost: Approx. $195 per day

BunnyHop Creative Academy

www.bunnyhop.academy

A Pico Blvd and Playa Vista–based creative camp offering arts, crafts, and themed projects in half-day and full-day formats.

Ages: 4–13

Dates: March 30 – April 3, 2026

Hours: 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM

Cost: Approx. $130 per day

💻 STEAM & Tech

Digital Dragon

www.digitaldragon.com

A tech-focused camp offering coding, robotics, game design, and digital creativity programming for older elementary and middle school students.

Ages: 7–14

Dates: March 30 – April 3 & April 6 – 10, 2026

Hours: 8:30 AM – 3:30 PM

Cost: Approx. $140 per day

Code Ninjas

www.codeninjas.com

A structured coding camp where kids develop games and work on STEM-based projects in small groups, offered in half-day sessions.

Ages: 5–14

Dates: March 30 – April 3 & April 6 – 10, 2026

Hours: 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM or 12:30 PM – 3:30 PM

Cost: Approx. $250 per half-day week

⚽ Sports & Outdoor

Sunrise Surf Academy

www.sunrisesurfacademy.com

A beach-based surf camp combining ocean safety instruction with structured surfing sessions and beach activities.

Ages: 5–17

Dates: March 30 – April 10, 2026

Hours: 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM

Cost: Approx. $700 per week

UCLA REC Watersport Sampler Camp

www.recreation.ucla.edu

A Marina del Rey–based camp introducing kids to kayaking and other watersports in a supervised environment.

Ages: 5–10

Dates: March 30 – April 3, 2026

Hours: 8:30 AM – 3:30 PM

Cost: $750 per week

Got Game Camp

www.gotgamecamp.com

A multi-sport camp offering structured games and athletic programming for elementary and middle school students.

Ages: Grades K–8

Dates: March 30 – April 3, 2026

Hours: 9:00 AM – 3:30 PM

Cost: Approx. $495 per week

Sandy Days Kids Camp

www.sandydayskidscamp.com

A traditional day camp offering outdoor games, beach play, crafts, and group activities during school breaks.

Ages: 4.5–14

Dates: March 30 – April 3 & April 6 – 10, 2026

Hours: 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM

Cost: Approx. $595 per week

Coastal Kids L.A.

coastalkidsla.com

An outdoor-focused camp centered around nature play and beach exploration for younger elementary campers.

Ages: 4–11

Dates: March 30 – April 3 & April 6 – 10, 2026

Hours: 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM

Cost: Approx. $450 – $500 per week

🤸 Gymnastics & Movement

Flip 1st Gymnastics

www.flip1st.com

A Santa Monica gymnastics camp offering structured skill-building and supervised gym play for younger children.

Ages: Up to 10 years old

Dates: March 30 – April 3 & April 6 – 10, 2026

Hours: 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM

Cost: Approx. $145 per day / $495 per week

Jag Gym

www.jaggym.com

A Culver City gymnastics camp offering obstacle courses and age-grouped skill-building sessions.

Ages: 4.5–12+

Dates: March 23 – April 18, 2026

Hours: 9:00 AM – 2:30 PM

Cost: Approx. $211 per day

Broadway Gymnastic School

www.broadwaygym.com

A structured gymnastics camp offering separate programs for preschool and school-age children.

Ages: 3.5–5 & 5–12

Dates: March 30 – April 17, 2026

Hours: 9:00 AM – 12:30 PM / 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM

Cost: Approx. $317–$399 per week

🏫 Full-Day Coverage & Enrichment

Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Monica

www.smbgc.org

A structured full-day program offering sports, enrichment, and field trips during school breaks. One of the most affordable full-day options on the Westside.

Ages: 6–18

Dates: March 30 – April 10, 2026

Hours: 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM

Cost: Approx. $250 per week

STAR Education (Overland Elementary)

www.starinc.org

A full-day enrichment program hosted on school campuses offering structured activities and supervised play during school breaks.

Ages: Grades TK–5

Dates: March 30 – April 3, 2026

Hours: 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM

Cost: Approx. $400 – $450 per week

Westwood Recreation Center Spring Camp

www.laparks.org/reccenter/westwood

A city-run day camp offering sports, arts and crafts, and outdoor activities at a lower weekly rate than most private camps.

Ages: 6–12

Dates: March 30 – April 3, 2026

Hours: 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM

Cost: Approx. $350 per week

My Gym Santa Monica

www.mygym.com/santamonica

A half-day movement-based camp designed for younger children, featuring structured games and obstacle courses.

Ages: 3.5–7

Dates: March 30 – April 3, 2026

Hours: 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM

Cost: Approx. $85 per day / $375 per week

Steve & Kate’s Camp

www.steveandkatescamp.com

A flexible, choice-based camp where kids rotate between activities like coding, baking, sports, sewing, and filmmaking. Day passes allow families to attend as needed.

Ages: 4–12

Dates: March 30 – April 10, 2026

Hours: 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM

Cost: Approx. $120 per day

Choosing an elementary school in Los Angeles can feel like stepping into an entirely different language. Terms like progressive, traditional, experiential, whole child, project-based, or developmentally appropriate get thrown around constantly — often without much explanation. Add in waitlists, interviews, legacy families, and tuition that rivals college, and it’s easy to feel overwhelmed.

This guide is designed to simplify the landscape. Below, you’ll find a curated overview of independent elementary schools across Los Angeles, including key details and the themes families consistently mention — both positive and critical. The goal isn’t to rank schools. It’s to help you understand fit.

Because in LA, “the best school” rarely means the same thing for every child.

Understanding the Different Elementary School Philosophies

If you’ve toured even one school in LA, you’ve probably heard words like progressive, traditional, experiential, whole child, or project-based. They can sound interchangeable…but they’re not.

Here’s what they actually mean in practice.

Traditional Schools

Traditional schools prioritize structure and academic fundamentals from an early age.

What you’ll typically see:

• Teacher-led instruction

• Strong focus on reading, writing, and math

• Regular homework

• Clear grading and expectations

Best for: Kids who thrive with routine and structure, and families who prioritize early academic rigor.

Trade-off: Can feel more pressure-driven or less flexible for creative learners.

Progressive Schools

Progressive schools emphasize learning by doing and strong social-emotional development.

What you’ll typically see:

• Project-based, hands-on learning

• Less emphasis on worksheets and grades in early years

• Collaboration and classroom discussion

• Focus on emotional literacy

Best for: Curious, creative kids who learn through exploration.

Trade-off: Academics may feel less traditional or less visible to some parents.

Whole-Child / Balanced Schools

These schools blend structure with progressive methods.

What you’ll typically see:

• Strong academics and strong SEL

• Public speaking and leadership emphasis

• Balance of rigor and creativity

Best for: Kids who need both nurture and structure.

Trade-off: Less clearly defined than schools firmly in one philosophy.

Faith-Based Schools

These schools integrate religious identity into daily learning and community culture.

What you’ll typically see:

• Religious studies and values education

• Close-knit family communities

Best for: Families who want faith woven into the school experience.

Trade-off: Not ideal for families seeking a secular environment.

Specialized Schools

Designed for specific learning profiles (gifted, learning differences, bilingual immersion).

Best for: When your child has clearly defined needs that align with the school’s focus.

Trade-off: Less flexibility outside that specialization.

Now that you have a sense of how different educational philosophies show up in real classrooms, the next step is seeing how those ideas translate into specific schools across Los Angeles. Most independent schools don’t fit neatly into just one category. Many blend elements of progressive and traditional approaches in their own unique way. As you read through the list below, pay attention not just to reputation or selectivity, but to tone, structure, and culture. The right fit is less about prestige and more about how your child feels walking through the doors each morning.

Berkeley Hall School

Berkeley Hall is a Bel Air independent school serving junior kindergarten through 8th grade. It’s known for its polished campus, structured academics, and strong emphasis on character development and public speaking from an early age. Families often describe it as traditional, confident, and academically focused.

Location: Bel Air (Los Angeles)

Website: https://www.berkeleyhall.org

Grades: Junior Kindergarten – 8th

Educational Approach: Traditional with strong character education emphasis

Slogan: “A Foundation for Lifelong Learning”

People Love: The emphasis on character education and public speaking confidence.

Considerations: The parent community can feel competitive, and tuition is on the higher end.

Brawerman Elementary School

Brawerman is a Jewish day school with campuses in West LA and Santa Monica. It combines strong academics with Jewish studies and community-centered programming. Families often appreciate the balance between intellectual rigor and values-based education.

Location: West LA & Santa Monica

Website: https://www.brawerman.org

Grades: TK–6

Educational Approach: Traditional academics within a Jewish values framework

Slogan: “Igniting Passion for Learning”

People Love: The strong academics blended with Jewish values and close community.

Considerations: Some families mention a heavier homework load in elementary grades.

Brentwood School

Brentwood School is a well-known K–12 independent school with a Lower School campus in Brentwood. It blends strong academics with extensive extracurricular offerings and high-level facilities. It’s often viewed as academically serious with significant secondary and college placement strength.

Location: Brentwood (Los Angeles)

Website: https://www.brentwoodschool.org

Grades: K–12

Educational Approach: Balanced, leans traditional in academics

Slogan: “Inspiring Every Student to Think, Learn, and Lead”

People Love: The facilities, resources, and strong college preparation.

Considerations: Admissions are highly competitive, and the culture can feel intense.

Calvary Christian School (Pacific Palisades)

Calvary Christian is a faith-based school serving preschool through 8th grade in Pacific Palisades. Its program integrates academic instruction with Christian teachings and values. Families often describe it as close-knit and community-oriented.

Location: Pacific Palisades

Website: https://www.ccspalisades.org

Grades: Preschool–8th

Educational Approach: Traditional, faith-based

Slogan: “Academic Excellence with a Biblical Foundation”

People Love: The strong moral framework and tight-knit community.

Considerations: The religious focus and overall diversity may not align with every family.

Campbell Hall

Campbell Hall is an Episcopal K–12 school in Studio City known for its arts programs and balanced academic model. The Lower School emphasizes community and character alongside strong academics. Many families appreciate its combination of tradition and warmth.

Location: Studio City

Website: https://www.campbellhall.org

Grades: K–12

Educational Approach: Balanced, Episcopal foundation

Slogan: “We Are Campbell Hall”

People Love: The warm Episcopal identity and strong arts programming.

Considerations: With a larger student body, it can feel less intimate than smaller K–6 schools.

Carlthorp School

Carlthorp is a Santa Monica K–6 school known for its structured, traditional academic program. The environment emphasizes discipline, fundamentals, and preparation for competitive secondary schools. Families often describe it as academically strong and well-organized.

Location: Santa Monica

Website: https://www.carlthorp.org

Grades: K–6

Educational Approach: Traditional

Slogan: “Building a Foundation for a Lifetime of Learning”

People Love: The strong academic foundation and structured environment.

Considerations: The traditional structure may not suit children who thrive in more flexible settings.

Center for Early Education (CEE)

CEE is a West Hollywood school serving junior kindergarten through 6th grade. It’s widely recognized for its progressive philosophy and thoughtful attention to child development. The school places a strong emphasis on social-emotional learning and classroom community.

Location: West Hollywood

Website: https://www.ceeschool.org

Grades: Junior Kindergarten–6

Educational Approach: Progressive, developmentally focused

Slogan: “Childhood Is a Journey”

People Love: The thoughtful, developmentally appropriate approach and emphasis on SEL.

Considerations: Admissions are highly competitive, and academics may feel less structured to some families.

Crossroads School for Arts & Sciences

Crossroads is a Santa Monica K–12 progressive school known for its strong arts culture and creative student body. The Lower School emphasizes inquiry, collaboration, and expression. It has a reputation for attracting artistic and entrepreneurial families.

Location: Santa Monica

Website: https://www.xrds.org

Grades: K–12

Educational Approach: Progressive

Slogan: “Where Learning Happens”

People Love: The creative culture and strong arts emphasis.

Considerations: Some families find the upper grades socially intense.

Curtis School

Curtis is a Bel Air K–6 school known for its small size and nurturing culture. While academically traditional, it is often described as warm and supportive. It has a strong track record of middle school placement.

Location: Bel Air

Website: https://www.curtisschool.org

Grades: K–6

Educational Approach: Traditional with nurturing culture

Slogan: “The Curtis Experience”

People Love: The small class sizes and supportive faculty.

Considerations: The traditional model may not appeal to families seeking a more progressive approach.

Echo Horizon School

Echo Horizon is a Culver City preschool through 6th grade school known for its progressive, innovation-forward approach. The curriculum emphasizes inclusion, technology integration, and experiential learning. Families often describe the community as modern, welcoming, and forward-thinking.

Location: Culver City

Website: https://www.echohorizon.org

Grades: Preschool–6

Educational Approach: Progressive, innovation-focused

Slogan: “Where Curiosity Leads the Way”

People Love: The inclusive culture and forward-thinking curriculum.

Considerations: Rapid growth in recent years has raised questions for some families.

Lycée International de Los Angeles (LILA)

LILA is a bilingual international school with multiple campuses serving preschool through 12th grade. It follows a French-based curriculum while integrating American educational standards. Families drawn to global education and language immersion often find it a unique and rigorous option.

Location: Multiple campuses

Website: https://www.lilaschool.com

Grades: Preschool–12

Educational Approach: Traditional European model with bilingual immersion

Slogan: “International Education. Local Community.”

People Love: The authentic bilingual immersion experience.

Considerations: The academic rigor can feel demanding for some children.

Mirman School

Mirman is a Bel Air school specifically designed for highly gifted students in grades 2–8. Its accelerated curriculum moves at a faster pace and is tailored to advanced learners. It is often described as intellectually stimulating and mission-driven.

Location: Bel Air

Website: https://www.mirman.org

Grades: 2–8

Educational Approach: Accelerated, specialized for highly gifted learners

Slogan: “For Highly Gifted Minds”

People Love: The advanced curriculum tailored to highly gifted students.

Considerations: The model is intentionally specialized and may not fit twice-exceptional learners needing broader supports.

New Roads School

New Roads is a Santa Monica K–12 school known for its progressive philosophy and social awareness. The school emphasizes diversity, equity, and experiential learning across grade levels. Families often describe it as thoughtful, values-driven, and community-oriented.

Location: Santa Monica

Website: https://www.newroads.org

Grades: K–12

Educational Approach: Progressive, socially conscious

Slogan: “An Independent School for the 21st Century”

People Love: The diverse, socially aware community.

Considerations: Facilities may feel less polished compared to some legacy institutions.

Park Century School

Park Century is a Culver City school serving students with language-based learning differences. Its specialized program focuses on supporting dyslexia and related learning profiles with targeted instruction. Families often describe it as transformative for students who need structured academic support.

Location: Culver City

Website: https://www.parkcenturyschool.org

Grades: 1–8

Educational Approach: Specialized for language-based learning differences

Slogan: “Empowering Students with Learning Differences”

People Love: The exceptional support for students with dyslexia and related learning differences.

Considerations: The program is highly specialized and not designed as a traditional academic track.

Seven Arrows Elementary

Seven Arrows is a Pacific Palisades preschool through 6th grade school known for its balanced approach and strong social-emotional curriculum. It blends structure with creativity and emphasizes kindness and community. Families often describe it as warm, grounded, and relationship-focused.

Location: Pacific Palisades

Website: https://www.sevenarrows.org

Grades: Preschool–6

Educational Approach: Balanced, leans progressive with strong SEL

Slogan: “A School for Inspired Learning”

People Love: The warm culture and strong social-emotional curriculum.

Considerations: The campus footprint is smaller than some larger K–8 or K–12 schools.

PS1 Pluralistic School

PS1 is a Santa Monica preschool through 6th grade school rooted in progressive education. Its model emphasizes collaboration, creativity, and child-centered exploration. It’s often described as joyful, community-oriented, and academically thoughtful without being rigid.

Location: Santa Monica

Website: https://www.psone.org

Grades: Preschool–6

Educational Approach: Progressive

Slogan: “Where Children Love to Learn”

People Love: The joyful, creative, child-centered learning environment.

Considerations: The academic structure is less traditional in early grades.

The Buckley School

The Buckley School is a Sherman Oaks K–12 institution known for its “4-Fold Plan” emphasizing academics, arts, athletics, and moral education. The Lower School provides strong fundamentals within a balanced framework. Families often describe it as structured yet well-rounded.

Location: Sherman Oaks

Website: https://www.buckley.org

Grades: K–12

Educational Approach: Balanced, leans traditional in upper grades

Slogan: “The 4-Fold Plan of Education”

People Love: The strong balance of academics, arts, athletics, and character education.

Considerations: The workload becomes rigorous in upper school.

John Thomas Dye School (JTD)

John Thomas Dye is a Bel Air K–6 school known for its traditional academic structure and strong secondary school placement. It places emphasis on discipline, leadership, and foundational skills. Families often view it as academically serious and outcomes-focused.

Location: Bel Air

Website: https://www.jtdschool.org

Grades: K–6

Educational Approach: Traditional

Slogan: “An Investment in Excellence”

People Love: The strong academics and secondary school placement.

Considerations: The culture can feel competitive among families.

The Oaks School

The Oaks is a Hollywood K–6 school known for its progressive philosophy and strong arts integration. It emphasizes creativity, collaboration, and project-based learning. Families often describe it as imaginative and community-oriented.

Location: Hollywood

Website: https://www.theoaksschool.org

Grades: K–6

Educational Approach: Progressive

Slogan: “A Creative Community of Learners”

People Love: The arts integration and emphasis on creativity.

Considerations: Fewer athletic offerings compared to larger K–12 schools.

The Willows Community School

The Willows is a Culver City K–8 school known for its balanced academic model and strong social-emotional curriculum. It blends structure with progressive practices and emphasizes inclusion. Families often describe it as warm and developmentally thoughtful.

Location: Culver City

Website: https://www.thewillows.org

Grades: K–8

Educational Approach: Balanced, leans progressive

Slogan: “Where Children Grow”

People Love: The inclusive culture and strong social-emotional learning.

Considerations: Tuition increases have been noted by some families.

Turning Point School

Turning Point is a Culver City preschool through 8th grade school focused on educating the whole child. It combines academics with strong character education and community emphasis. Families often describe it as balanced and relationship-driven.

Location: Culver City

Website: https://www.turningpointschool.org

Grades: Preschool–8

Educational Approach: Balanced

Slogan: “Educating the Whole Child”

People Love: The thoughtful blend of academics and SEL.

Considerations: The campus is more compact than some neighboring schools.

Village School

Village School is a Pacific Palisades K–6 school known for its small size and traditional structure. It emphasizes close teacher relationships and foundational academics. Families often describe it as intimate and community-oriented.

Location: Pacific Palisades

Website: https://www.villageschool.org

Grades: K–6

Educational Approach: Traditional

Slogan: “Nurturing Children’s Love of Learning”

People Love: The close-knit, community feel.

Considerations: The structure is more traditional in approach.

Westland School

Westland is a West LA preschool through 6th grade progressive school rooted in experiential learning. It emphasizes collaboration, inquiry, and community engagement. Families often describe it as creative and hands-on.

Location: Los Angeles (West LA)

Website: https://www.westlandschool.org

Grades: Preschool–6

Educational Approach: Progressive

Slogan: “Where Children Thrive”

People Love: The experiential, hands-on learning model.

Considerations: Academic pacing may feel less traditional.

Wildwood School

Wildwood is a West LA K–12 progressive school known for student-centered learning and creative culture. The Lower School emphasizes inquiry and expression within a collaborative framework. It has a reputation for attracting independent thinkers.

Location: Los Angeles (West LA)

Website: https://www.wildwood.org

Grades: K–12

Educational Approach: Progressive

Slogan: “Discover Your Wild”

People Love: The creative, student-centered environment.

Considerations: Upper grades can feel socially complex for some students.

Westside Waldorf School

Westside Waldorf is a Pacific Palisades preschool through 8th grade school rooted in Waldorf philosophy. It emphasizes imagination, storytelling, movement, and arts-based learning in early years. Families drawn to slower-paced, developmentally sequenced education often find it appealing.

Location: Pacific Palisades

Website: https://www.westsidewaldorf.org

Grades: Preschool–8

Educational Approach: Waldorf (experiential, arts-based, developmental)

Slogan: “Educating Head, Heart & Hands”

People Love: The rich arts curriculum and imaginative early years.

Considerations: Technology and formal academics are introduced later than in traditional models.

Wise School

Wise School is a West LA preschool through 8th grade Jewish day school. It blends strong academics with Jewish studies and values-based education. Families often describe it as community-driven and character-focused.

Location: West LA

Website: https://www.wiseschool.org

Grades: Preschool–8

Educational Approach: Traditional, Jewish faith-based

Slogan: “Challenging Minds. Nurturing Souls.”

People Love: The strong Jewish community and character education.

Considerations: The religious component may not align with all families.