Classes

Best After-School Program

Merage Jewish Community Center of Orange County (Club J)

The J is a 220,000-square-foot facility on the Samueli Jewish Campus. Their after-school program is designed for families that need the support and convenience of a daily, high-quality schedule for their children. Club J’s monthly tuition includes transportation, snack and two enrichment classes per day. Enrichment classes include 3D-Fun Art, drums, scene acting, Top Chef and more.

jccoc.org | Irvine

Best Competitive Gymnastics Class

Wildfire Gymnastics

Wildfire Gymnastics vaults into our Readers’ Choice Awards yet again. With two locations, in Tustin and Lake Forest, over 100 employees work together to routinely produce state, regional and national champions. It’s not uncommon for Wildfire’s students to receive athletic scholarships to universities across the nation. It is no wonder why they made it into this year’s awards.

wildfiregymnastics.com | Tustin and Lake Forest

Best Dance Studio for Children

Storeybook Dance Studio School

Previous Readers’ Choice Award winner, Storeybook Dance Studio is a non-competitive, nurturing, family-friendly environment just for kids. They provide foundational dance training without the stress and drama of the bigger studios. They offer numerous specialized classes, including Fairytale Ballet, Ballet Essentials, Creative Dance, Musical Theatre, Ballet/Tap Combo, Jazz, Kinderjazz, Hip Hop, Contemporary and more. 

storeybookdance.com | Orange

Best Horseback Riding Facility 

Serrano Creek Ranch Equestrian

Serrano Creek Ranch Equestrian Center offers riding lessons and horse boarding, and fans rave about both. The owner truly loves horses, and the facility took in over 30 horses during the Canyon 2 Fire that burned in October 2017 and didn’t bill the owners for over a month. This is an expert-level facility that offers lessons and boarding with compassion.

serranocreekranch.com | Lake Forest

Best Kids Yoga Studio 

OC Kids Yoga

OC Kids Yoga is a mobile mind-body program for kids and families. Three instructors teach one-on-one, private, in-home classes; group classes at a park on Saturdays; and extracurricular programs at various schools across Orange County. The courses are designed to take participants through an imaginative adventure.

ockidsyoga.com | Multiple Locations

Best Kids Yoga Studio 

Sprouting Yogis

Standing as champions again, Sprouting Yogis brings the benefits of yoga to kids in a playful and fun way with interactive games, animated postures and more. Kids practice concentration, awareness and self-control. Sprouting Yogis offers a wide range of classes in and outside the studio, including in your home. Parents need a night out? They can sign up for babysitting and yoga for the kids in the house. 

sproutingyogis.com | Mission Viejo

Best Language Program

LangoKids Irvine

For the fourth year in a row, LangoKids wins it again. LangoKids’ team strongly believes in children learning foreign languages. The Spanish-immersion program offers classes and camps for kids ages 2 to 16. They teach kids of all levels and prioritize fun, natural and interactive learning. Their vast knowledge and experience in teaching children make them repeat winners.

langokidsirvine.com | Irvine

Best Martial Arts Class

Guillobel Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Academy

Founder and sixth-degree Brazilian jiu-jitsu black-belt, sensei Paulo Guillobel and his staff see their students like family. Starting nearly 20 years ago, Guillobel Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Academy offers a variety of self-defense classes and Brazilian jiu-jitsu training for ages 3 and up. Learn Brazilian jiu-jitsu from one of the most experienced teachers in the OC area.

guillobelbjj.com | San Clemente

Best Swim Class

Goldfish Swim School — Aliso Viejo

Goldfish Swim School is a learn-to-swim facility with a state-of-the-art 90-degree indoor pool for kids ages 4 months to 12 years. They use their holistic philosophy, The Science of SwimPlay, to build life skills both in and out of the water using play-based learning in a fun and safe environment.

goldfishswimschool.com | Laguna Woods

Best Theater Class

Creative Kids Playhouse Children’s Theatre of Orange County

Creative Kids Playhouse Children’s Theatre of Orange County ensures children have fun performing, with the children’s experience paramount. They offer a variety of programs online and in the theater. Kids can perform in two-act productions, one-act musicals, workshops, summer camps, classes and more. Their passion for theater and ensuring kids have fun are two of the many reasons they are a repeat winner.

creativekidsplayhouse.com | Laguna Hills

Best Coding Class

Code Ninjas Los Alamitos-Cypress

Code Ninjas is a STEM.Org Accredited Organization that teaches coding to kids using a proprietary curriculum called IMPACT, created in collaboration with Microsoft. At Code Ninjas, kids learn to code while building their own video games. Code Ninjas teaches kids 5 and up confidence, logic, resourcefulness and problem-solving skills.

codeninjas.com | Los Alamitos

Best Music Lessons

Irvine School of Music

Irvine School of Music offers piano, guitar, violin and voice lessons tailored to each student and will work with them until they find a perfect instructor match. Classes can be private or semi-private, as well as online via Zoom. They also have dedicated opportunities for kids to perform in Christmas, summer and weekly recitals. 

irvineschoolofmusic.com | Irvine

Best After-School Athletics 

Ladera Ranch National Junior Basketball (NJB)

Ladera Ranch NJB is a team sanctioned by National Junior Basketball, a nonprofit created in 1984 and with over one million kids having gone through the league. Children in kindergarten through eighth grade learn not just basketball, but teamwork and sportsmanship in a fun and healthy competitive environment. 

lrnjb.com | Ladera Ranch

Best After-School Athletics 

Fit First Youth Fitness Training

NASM-Certified Advanced Personal Trainer Coach Adam Krell, who has a specialty in child development, is the founder of Fit First. They have two locations with workout programs that are designed specifically for children, including group fitness, yoga, sports, after-school programs and more, for kids ages 1-18.

fitfirstfamily.com | Irvine and Newport Beach

Best Kids’ Art Class

Art Therapy OC

Art Therapy OC is run by board-certified art therapist Diana Shabtai, known as “Miss Dee,” and offers art sessions, camps, workshops and more. Kids can relieve stress and use art to cope creatively. The studio helps participants explore the world of art and find positive ways to express themselves creatively. They often also feature various artists and organizations at their workshop events who are doing great things in the community.

arttherapyoc.com | Newport Beach

EDITORS’ CHOICE WINNER

Best After-School Athletics 

Ultimate Ninjas

Ultimate Ninjas turns obstacles into self-confidence boosting and skill-building fun for all ages. They offer upper-body obstacles including Cannonball Alley, a rock climbing wall, monkey bars, floating ledges, ring swings, trapeze swing, bungees, fly wheels and more. Agility and balance obstacles include Warped Wall, mini trampolines, parkour boxes, dancing stones, wobbly beam, rolling logs, cargo net and more. There’s a large gym area for basketball, soccer, floor hockey and space to run.

ultimateninjas.com/location/anaheim | Anaheim 

EDITORS’ CHOICE WINNER

Best Competitive Gymnastics Class

SCATS Gymnastics

SCATS Gymnastics is on a mission to improve the fitness, confidence and self-esteem of children through gymnastics. It has produced 14 Olympians, 70+ National Team Members and 22 World Championship Team Members over more than 55 years. The nonprofit teaches gymnastics to all levels of children, beginners and world-class athletes alike. SCATS boasts a 28,000-square-foot facility with state-of-the-art apparatus for optimal gymnastics education.

scatsgymnastics.com | Huntington Beach

EDITORS’ CHOICE WINNER

Best Dance Studio

V&T Classical Ballet and Dance Academy

V&T Dance Academy programs are based on the teaching method of master teachers Victor and Tatiana Kasatsky. They strive to help each student enjoy the art of dance and experience the technical accomplishments of the craft. Many of the academy’s students have excelled in ballet competitions, been awarded scholarships and accepted at prestigious companies and colleges around the country and Europe.

vandtdance.com | Laguna Hills 

EDITORS’ CHOICE WINNER

Theatre Class

Acting Academy for Kids

Founders Stephen and Maggie Zygo developed Acting Academy for Kids for kids and teens to experience the performing arts in a fun, engaging way. As credentialed and professional educators, the Zygos envisioned a dynamic learning environment where families could bring their kids to make new friends, grow new skills and walk away with a new sense of confidence. Programs include acting classes, vocal lessons, instrumental music, musical theater, TV/film and summer camps.

actingacademyforkids.com | Multiple Locations

EDITORS’ CHOICE WINNER

Best Coding Class

Coding with Kids

Coding with Kids partners with schools and districts to teach after-school enrichment classes, middle school electives and high school AP courses — both locally and virtually. They are on a mission to bring the highest quality coding education to children no matter where they are in the world. Both the Coder’s Ladder and Coder’s Pathways programs offer continuous progression of studies from beginner to master levels.

codingwithkids.com | Online