As self-employed business owners and involved parents, it was incredibly important for us to find the right preschool to entrust the care and early education of our two sons and daughter. Each day brings us peace knowing that our beloved Banyan consistently excels in: - strong open parent to teacher communication - safety and wellbeing (the campus is simple, homey and beautiful, located in the heart of Coral Gables with a high fence and single entrance accessible only by keypad) - a loving and nurturing staff with quality year-round care including summer camp (the director truly empathizes with working parents as she is one herself!) - appropriate routines with respect to authority and rules (very important nowadays) - a traditional creative curriculum with an emphasis on the whole child development (thorough report cards evaluating social/fine/motor skills given per semester with teacher check-in's) - small class size (no more than 8/9 students with one principal teacher and one assistant per class) - inclusive learning styles (yes, for those who need extra help especially pandemic kiddos-- shoutout to Banyan's accommodations and the therapists who come to campus) - a solid introduction to academics (with Spanish) that prepares them well for competitive entry to any elementary school - clean classrooms, learning equipment, playground and bathroom settings (bless all of our amazing teachers who help with potty training) - and most importantly instills an excitement and love of learning with fun and play The preschool is managed by three sisters who have extensive experience, knowledge and a whole lot of passion for education since 1986. We respect, trust and admire their guidance. While their success is seen daily in the kids' happiness, it also lives in the generational students and families who have been at Banyan for many years. You'll hear and see that Banyan graduates from the 80s/90s return to enroll their own kids. This speaks volumes to their important work...they are building a legacy! Next week marks the start of our third year. Their curriculum unfortunately ends in Kindergarten, but we are thrilled (and relieved) to still call Banyan home for several years to come. We are thankful for the lifelong friendships, childhood memories and their commitment to instill a strong academic and social foundation in our children. Banyan Day School is THE blessing we needed for our family. All said with a grateful heart, we simply could not do this journey without them. read more

I cannot thank the Sisters (not nuns) that runs this bilingual day school enough! My boys, who are very hyper and active, absolutely love going to school. They enjoy it so much that they insist I pick them up at the very end of the day! I'm especially thrilled to share that my 5-year-old is now reading full books! His love for learning has flourished here. I wholeheartedly recommend this school to any parent looking for a nurturing and engaging environment. Thank you, ladies, for fostering my boys and creating such a wonderful, playful learning atmosphere. We love you! read more

When my office relocated to Coral Gables I had to make a quick nursery switch for my daughter. We had been sending her to Cherry Blossom Learning Center but just couldn't keep driving downtown to take her there when we were living and working in Coral Gables. We ended up finding that Banyan Day School was the only place with availability of the nurseries we checked out, so we enrolled her. The school is very attractive from the outside, with a very large park area in the front. Parking usually is pretty easy and in all of the times that we took her to Banyan and parked out front for a few minutes to take her inside we never received a ticket for not paying the meter. Those are the pros. Aside from those things, we really weren't happy and ended up switching our daughter as soon as we found a spot elsewhere. What didn't we like? The teachers were not very friendly - to the parents or the kids. Our daughter previously had gone to a very loving school and we found the teachers to be quite the opposite at Banyan. We hated that the teachers would show the kids movies at the end of the day, rather than having them play or reading books to them. The other two schools she has attended don't have TVs, forcing the teachers to interact with the children in a more productive way. We also didn't see our daughter learning any Spanish despite the contention that they had Spanish lessons in the classes. Since leaving Banyan to go to another school in the area, we haven't looked back for a second and we do not recommend this school to our friends for their kids. read more

If you're reading this, you're probably well aware that there's a waiting list at almost every preschool in the Coral Gables area. We were on the waiting list at Banyan Day School. When we were told there was an opening, we jumped at the chance to give our deposit and first month's tuition to secure the spot. When viewing the classroom, I was appalled with their reaction to what I would consider a very standard health & safety concern. I went to the school to take another tour of the classroom and set my mind at ease before My child would start in January. I had noticed warped tiles and broken brackets in the drop ceiling above where 1-2 yr olds would sleep. There were obvious signs of water Intrusion. I spoke in depth with the secretary about the history of water intrusion in classroom 10 specifically. I was inquisitive and very non-confrontational with my tone and delivery. She informed me that they just put a new roof on the building. She also informed me that the director's husband is a contractor for A hospital in Miami. and has been handling all of the maintenance for the building. I asked if he had seen the condition of the ceiling in this classroom. Her response was, "Yes, he's in here once a month." I asked her if they've had the school tested for mold or have scheduled a mold/mildew inspection. To that, her response was "Yes, we have it done every 4 to 5 years." I said, "OK great. Do you know when the last inspection was done?" She didn't know for sure. We walked back to the front office together, and I asked her if the director was still available to speak with me today. She asked me to wait in the office while she spoke to the Director, Arlene, who was also teaching a class. She came back to me and said that the director was willing to give us back a full refund. I hadn't asked for a refund, I was only there to see what the plan of action was for the warped drop ceiling in the classroom where My son would be staying. If they had a recent inspection done, I would have felt at ease with this. I asked if Arlene was available any time tomorrow too , and that I'd work around her schedule. To that, again, her response was, "We are willing to give you a full refund." Wow!!! If the roof is new and there is no insulation, the only thing that would need to be replaced would be the individual tiles where needed. Those tiles in particular soak up moisture like a sponge. Aesthetically, the school is fantastic from the outside. The teachers seem relatively nice, and I like the bilingual education. I also like that it's within walking distance to where I live now, when I stay there once each month. I don't, however, like the response I got today, the lack of access to the administration with simple direct questions, and the warped ceiling that I got the strong impression wouldn't be addressed. It's evident that with so much demand for child care in Coral Gables, that Banyan's approach would be to move on to the next child on the waiting list rather than addressing what could be a very hazardous health violation. Proceed with extreme caution. read more

Banyan Day School - Warped tiles and broken brackets in the classroom . I would recommend getting a certified mold inspection - Child Care & Day Care Near Me - Coral Gables, Florida

Banyan Day School is a wonderful little school nestled in the heart of Coral Gables. My son went there for 3 years when he was younger, and my daughter has been there 4 years now. There is a great family atmosphere there where the parents, teachers, and staff get to know each other as time goes on. Everyone there is extremely caring and passionate. You can tell by the way they interact with the children, and how the children respond. When we had to relocate for a year and my daughter had to go to another school for Pre-K 4, you could tell how well prepared she was, and there was a noticeable difference between her level of readiness and those of other kids. Now she is back there in kinder and flourishing again. We have had such an amazing experience at BDS and I will be forever thankful for the way they enriched my kids lives. read more

There is nothing comparable to the care that you receive at Banyan Day School. The staff at Banyan treat every child like family. My oldest has been at Banyan for four years and he is getting the best care and learning so much more than most kids his age. The facility is amazing and Ms. Arlene and her family even worked around the clock to replace the slide after it was damaged in the Hurricane just so that the kids wouldn't miss a day of play. Ms. Teresa is beyond helpful, but simply put, if you are lucky enough to get a spot, jump on it. I drove like a mad women to drop off my check and secure my spot four years ago. They have to be fair to everyone and do not hold spots while people contemplate their decisions. That was the best decision I ever made from my son. I am beyond grateful to all of the staff at Banyan and I am at peace while at work because of the love and care they selflessly provide to my kids. read more

My three year-old daughter attends Banyan Day School, and she has felt at home there since the day she started. The facilities are beautiful, and the playground is well-shaded and safe. There are lots of outdoor spaces for doing activities. Her teachers are caring, and they foster a nurturing, non-chaotic environment. Every day I drop off and pick up my daughter, the children are fully engaged. (Not to mention, they're all very sweet to each other and to my daughter.) Before attending Banyan, my daughter had no interest in learning Spanish or reading bilingual books, and now she LOVES Spanish! She can count, say the days of the week, and respond to questions in Spanish. My daughter cares deeply for her friends and teachers at Banyan, and they made a positive influence in her life at a young age. read more

I am surprised to read the 2 negative reviews about Banyan Day School here on Yelp. As a mother with 4 small children, I searched high and low for a preschool that was up to my standards. As soon as I walked in through the gate, I felt this was the place I was looking for. I spent a full hour meeting with different teachers and seeing the classes in action. This was in March 2011, and since then my oldest finished kinder here and has done incredibly well at her new school. I now have two children at Banyan, with my last one starting in the fall. For a school that has been around as long as Banyan, if you do your research, there is minimal turnover in the staff. That, to me, is a sign that not only are the teachers and caretakers of the highest quality, but that the employees are treated well and are happy to be doing what they are doing. And that translates into happy kids. I have walked into the school at numerous times throughout the day (because Banyan has an open door policy... Try that in most other schools!) and have always found the children to be doing what the curriculum provided says they will be doing. The bathrooms are extremely clean because not only does the cleaning personnel take care of that in the afternoons, but I have witnessed teachers cleaning the bathrooms in the middle of the day. The building is lovely, old-school, and kept in very good shape. I don't know where the other reviewer saw mold. DCF would have called them out on that a long time ago, and that is certainly not the case. The teachers are caring, loving and know how to gently discipline the kids when it is needed. Part of the reason why I placed my children at Banyan is the bilingual component. They are taught Spanish every day (sure, half hour may not seem like much, but you try doing it!) and in kindergarten they receive 2.5 hours of Spanish. My daughters friend who did not speak a word of Spanish ended up reading and writing quite well after completing kindergarten. It is a warm yet very professional school. I would highly recommend it to anyone who is looking for a preschool for their children. I know firsthand that kids leave here prepared and ready for what is ahead. Try it for yourself. You won't be disappointed! read more

This school deserves 0 stars! I arranged for a tour on Wednesday morning (9/28/16) as I was looking for a school for my toddler. Ms. Teresa showed us around and after the tour we were interested in the school. It wasn't the best of all the schools I have visited in Coral Gables, but they had the shortest waiting list. She signed us up to be actually the first one on their waiting list. Next day, on Thursday afternoon around 3 pm I get a call (which I missed) and a voicemail from the Banyan school saying that a spot became available. At 4pm (1 hour later!) I return the call and tell a lady in the office that yes, we are interested, and I would like to make arrangements to get the paperwork done. Since Ms. Teresa was gone for the day, this lady left her a note saying we were gonna go for the spot, and asked me to call Ms Teresa Friday morning to discuss the details. I give her a call around 10:30 11am, and to my greatest surprise she tells me that they already signed another child! THEY GAVE AWAY OUR SPOT! Even though we were the first one on the waiting list, even after I responded to the school's call to confirm our interest, and they made a note of it! THEY SIMPLY DIDN'T CARE and they did not follow their own system. What they did though was so unethical on so many levels, and they clearly jumped on the first 'wallet' that they saw opening. When I unleashed my complains and fury upon Ms Teresa, she 'elegantly' hung up on me. It was a class act, that was a perfect summary of how the Banyan school treats families. Beware, and stay far far away! The school is mediocre at best with their equipment, and when Ms Teresa was describing me the school and the kids daily routines she used terms that were so vague and simple that screamed unprofessionalism. That should have been my warning sign. read more

I have two children in Banyan and I absolutely love the school. They both started when they were 3 years old and now one of them is in Pre-K and the other is in Kindergarten. Overall, the staff is very nurturing and caring with the kids. This was very important to me when they began because I felt bad sending them to school all day at such a young age. For example, I felt my youngest was very "delicate" when she was 3 years old and she would often cry when she would fall. I quickly realized the teachers would hold her and make her feel better each time she fell. But I guess they also taught her to be confident and now she has evolved into a tough little girl who just gets up and keeps running after she falls. Overall, when I drop them off, I feel like I'm leaving them with family. But most importantly, the education at Banyan is excellent. When I see what my older daughter (who is in Kindergarten) is learning, compared to kids I know who are in other schools, my daughter is more advanced. Her reading level and math skills are excellent. It's amazing how much she absorbs during class and is able to do all her homework with virtually no help or supervision. It makes me so sad and nervous to think she will be in a different school next year. If I could, I would give this school 10 stars, instead of 5. read more