My son attended the Young School at Honeygo Plaza for about a year of pre-k. He had a good…read moreexperience and left much better prepared for the classroom structure of kindergarten. This school takes a more curriculum/teaching-oriented approach rather than simple "day care". They follow a pedagogical philosophy similar to Montessori, emphasizing freedom and harnessing each child's own specific interests and motivations. The biggest strength of YS is the outstanding teaching staff, all of whom care deeply about the well-being and growth of the children. The different teachers within the "cottage" of four adjoining classrooms developed individual connections with my son and the other children, knowing well their various interests and quirks. The pre-k cottage director, Ms. Jess oversees the classrooms with expertise and a deep sense of empathy. She effectively fields informal chats with parents about questions and concerns that pop up on the fly. Between the wonderful teachers and cottage director, I always felt that my child was in very safe and nurturing hands. The classroom atmosphere is warm and inviting. There is lots of natural light and many learning stations with carefully thought-out objects left for the children to "discover". Kids get zero screen time at the Young School. Instead of punishing children, behavior is managed through redirection and talking.  Healthy snacks are offered, and the staff teaches and practices good hygiene. The main area that could be improved upon is communication from the director. On several occasions, I received mass emails chastising (unnamed) other parents for taking screenshots of the live video feed, requesting child-specific changes to naptime logistics, incorrectly using cubby space, and calling in to the classroom during non-naptime hours. ("Any parent disrupting the day too frequently will lose camera access and a parent meeting will be requested.") I would prefer these types of issues be resolved by one-on-one conversations with the relevant parents, rather than public shaming. The unprofessional tone of these emails was underscored by a lack of basic proofreading. My child's classroom had high turnover, with three different teachers in a six-month period. Shockingly, when one left and was replaced by a brand new employee, parents were not given any notice whatsoever. I showed up one morning to drop off my son in his classroom and encountered a total stranger who claimed to be in charge. Luckily, another teacher was in the cottage area and vouched for the new teacher's legitimacy. Lack of preemptive communication on this type of matter is unacceptable. Another instance of poor communication occurred when initially attempting to enroll my child. The paperwork was confusing and I had trouble getting questions answered, as other reviews have noted. Overall, I recommend the Young School as a safe, nurturing, and educational environment for child; parents may have to deal with some unneccesary hassles.

this is a follow up to my previous review from three months ago. Three months have passed and my…read morechild is still traumatized by his experience at the school after only 2 days. whenever we happen to drive near or in the shopping complex where the school is located, he gets nervous as if I am going to take him back (it's near a UPS and a restaurant we frequently eat at.) this evening he randomly shared that the director stated that she was going to put him a classroom with babies. this is new information that he didn't share with me three months ago. this school owes my child an apology and should consider adding new emotional intelligence training for their administrative staff. there is no exception to this type of behavior. I've received no phone call from the owners to discuss the experience. parents beware!