Synapse Atelier - Los Angeles, California

Leyla Kiumehr

I am incredibly grateful to have found Synapse for both my son and daughter. This school truly is a gem, providing a nurturing and supportive environment where each child is seen, valued, and encouraged to grow. The Reggio approach they embrace is remarkable; every teacher genuinely respects and understands each child’s unique inner world, fostering a sense of self-guidance and confidence.

At Synapse, the teachers are not only kind but also deeply attentive to each child's individual needs and strengths. This personal attention has led to tremendous growth in both of my kids, allowing them to excel in areas they’re naturally strong in and receive tailored support in areas where they may need more encouragement. The focus on respect, curiosity, and self-guided learning has truly made a positive difference. I couldn’t recommend Synapse highly enough!

Sonia Malhotra

I have toured many preschools throughout LA and Synapse Atelier is a rare find. Teacher Laila has created a warm, calm and inviting environment where the students seem engaged and enthusiastic about what they're exploring. There is so much intention and thought behind the materials and layout of the school. My son struggles with transitions and drop offs, this is the only school he's been to where he keeps asking me to take him back. We're lucky to have met Laila and be a part of her beautiful school.

Mireille Azar

We have had a wonderful experience this year at synapse atelier. Under laila’s Guidance, our daughter has been thriving. Synapse atelier is a unique nurturing environment, that follows the Reggio approach. It’s very child centered and hands on. Laila’s insight into our kids personalities and needs is inspiring, and it’s been an enriching experience for us parents as well. Laila cares about the whole environment surrounding the child and even offers to consult on the child’s home environment. The thorough feedback about our kids daily experiences at the school gives us insight and peace of mind about how our children are being cared for and treated as critical thinkers. Truly, no words can express our deep gratitude for this year’s journey so far!

Jim MacNerland

Synapse Atelier is a beautiful and thoughtful place for children. The Director, Laila Hemani, is a kind and caring teacher. The whole school is geared to make children excited about learning. They build, they discuss and they grow. She discovers every child's way of understanding and how they learn getting them engaged and excited in the world around them. It is a very happy place for children and parents. I would recommend Synapse Atelier highly.

Abigail McGill

My daughter is truly heard at Synapse. Laila's understanding of children and Reggio education is exceptional and I have learned so much from her. My daughter is thriving in Laila's care. We get constant, thorough and insightful feedback in the form of videos, verbal reflections and photos. Everything Laila does is truly thoughtful and layered with intention. We can't say enough wonderful things about Laila and Synapse. She lifts the kids up and fosters their being themselves, each in their purest form.

Ghazal Alipour

Both my daughters have been going to Synapse and are thriving. Due to the small size of the school, each child is given an incredible amount of time and attention. They each get the chance to express themselves and their thoughts on different, interesting subjects on a daily basis. What has been very impressive to me is the respect and dignity with which the children are treated. They are all treated like individuals with valuable opinion in each subject.

We also receive tons of pictures and videos daily which help us be more involved and aware of what the kids work on each day.

We are fortunate to be able to have our kids thrive in such a loving and strong community.

Salimah Pirmohamed

Synapse Atelier's Seedling program and Laila's thoughtful guidance of my child has exceeded my every expectation. My daughter has opened up, grown, and truly thrived after only a few classes.  The isolating environment thrust upon us by Covid and quarantine had left her wary and unsure of how to communicate amongst her own peers. Under Laila's very patient guidance,  I witnessed the importance of teaching her how to form a connection with the objects and people of her interest. Subsequently, she is now both able communicate more effectively, and perform various tasks with an intention and focus that I would not have thought possible in a 19 month old. I was also able to observe the older class and was truly impressed with their thoughtfulness and independence. They prepared and shared their own snacks, conversed intelligently with each other, and were creative, engaged, and focused at their learning stations.  I find Laila's unique ability to understand and nurture each individual child invaluable. As a parent, I am grateful my child is learning skills that will help her in all of her future endeavors.

Craig Parks

Long ago, when I first came to know Laila, she was one of those parents who always wanted to understand more about child development. At that time, I knew that she attended parent education workshops which were offered by our school, as well as elsewhere, but what I didn’t realize until more recently was that she never stopped taking classes. She never stopped thinking about how to better support the learning, and overall growth of young children.

Laila trained with several of the most illustrious figures in local early childhood education circles, many of whom have recently retired. She carries with her much of their cumulative insight and wisdom, largely because she made a such a deliberate effort to learn as much as possible from each of her mentors.

In more recent years, I have had the extreme good fortune to run into her a number of times at teacher workshops and seminars. I am always delighted to hear about what she’s been doing. When I learned that she was opening her own little school,
I was so pleased.

Synapse Atelier is a place of inspiration.
It is a place of becoming-
Of wonderful beginnings and explorations.
It is a place where individual gifts are nurtured with the greatest of care.
It is a place where children come to value themselves, their friends, and their world.

Craig Parks
Outdoor Studio Teacher
Palisades Preschool

Founding Faculty Member
ECS Kindergarten/ Evergreen Community School