All Saints Preschool is a hidden gem in the crowded preschool market of Richmond. My daughter is in…read moreJK now and she was accepted to both of the private schools we applied to for Kindergarten next year (which can be a quite a feat). I have no doubt that she will start school in the fall with a solid foundation and will retain all the confidence and love of learning that she has developed over the last 2 years. All Saints Preschool teaches the children to love to learn and to be inquisitive enough to learn things on a deeper level. Her teachers have all either had advanced teaching degrees or many years of teaching and it shows in their creativity, confidence and classroom management. Not only will the children learn about a topic, Amelia's teacher has taken the class on several optional after-school field trips to enhance the classroom lesson. The children are completely captivated when their teacher, Mrs. Brown, talks to them, give them instruction or reads a book to them. My daughter occasionally gets a "Homework" packet and it's the first thing we do when we get home whether it's counting up to 100 beads, arranging shapes in a pattern, putting the teddy bears with their color groups or sounding out letters - she loves the "homework" packet. There is also something special about this community of children. In both years Amelia has played equally with the children in her class - boys and girls. They have learned how to play, support and sometimes even correct each other in kind and loving ways. All Saints Preschool is relatively small so all the teachers know my daughter by name and they usually tell me a little story of their latest interaction with her. It's a very sweet and safe environment. The director, Karen Kusterer, is incredibly organized and put together. This has been her 1st year as the director and she has done an amazing job. If you are looking around at preschools I would highly recommend taking a tour of All Saints Preschool. It will not take long for you to see how special it is and how happy you and your family will be at this sweet school.

My two children are current students and we've loved our experience here. The teachers are…read morequalified and communication is excellent. Any questions we have are always answered and the teachers and families are amazing.

Our 3.5-year-old son started at La Petite Academy of Glen Allen about a month ago, and he comes…read morehome every day saying his school is "amazing" and his teachers are "wonderful" -- hard to beat that review from the actual customer. Pam, the director, clearly cares deeply about the kids and makes every family feel welcome from day one. The teachers we've worked with have all been excellent: very professional, communicative, and organized, but they still keep things fun and playful for the kids. We came from another daycare in the area and can say with confidence that La Petite is a massive upgrade. In just a few weeks, we've seen marked improvements in our son's behavior and how he interacts with other kids. There is a strong emphasis on the classroom as a community, and it really shows--children seem to learn how to play well together, take turns, and be considerate classmates. The structure and expectations in the classroom feel age-appropriate but still set them up for success. I can very easily see our son being more than ready for kindergarten in a couple of years. They keep the kids busy in the best way -- every day our son is learning something new, with lots of hands-on activities and exploration. The app is also fantastic; we get tons of updates and photos throughout the day so we always feel connected to what he's doing. My only (very minor) gripe is the parking lot -- it's a bit small and can get chaotic during peak drop-off and pickup times. But honestly, that's a small trade-off for the level of care and education our son is getting. Overall, we're extremely happy we made the switch and highly recommend La Petite of Glen Allen to other families.

I chose La Petite Academy because of the proximity to work, the rate and hours. The teachers were…read moredecent. I do not agree with how they do many things so ended up going elsewhere. An item went missing from my son's belongings. Instead of trying to find out how/why, the blame was placed on him for bringing it to the facility.

I cannot recommend this school. We pulled our son out after he attended for 11 months. Our number…read moreone concern was our son's safety. We brought safety issues to the attention of the staff and directors multiple times. There were several occasions where we picked our son up and he had bruises or cuts that the teachers couldn't explain. At a minimum, once we pointed them out they should have been documented. The teacher would say she didn't see what happened. When I explained my concerns to a director, she said "That's just how the children play with each other". So there appeared to be a lack of concern for preventing or remedying the issue. Our son began to state that he didn't want to go to school. We didn't want our son to develop a negative perception of school or learning that could impact him later on. Primrose is very expensive, and for the money, parents should at least be assured that their children are safe. The last time I spoke to one of the staff members about the issue I said I wanted to take time to brainstorm and come up with potential solutions. I proposed volunteering in the classroom, but the idea was rejected. The rationale given was "state guidelines". At least one other parent was already volunteering; no other school we interviewed indicated that there were state guidelines that would prevent parents from volunteering. The secondary concern was our son's kindergarten readiness. If he was indifferent about attending and worried about whether another child was going to hit or harass him, he would be unable to focus. Also, although I think the balanced learning approach works for some children, it wasn't what our son needed to get him ready for kindergarten. Two other schools we interviewed have children our son's age reading and spelling three to five letter words. That wasn't happening at Primrose. For the reasons above, I can't recommend Primrose.

My son went to Primrose from the age 2 till he turned 5, and oh! what an amazing childhood he had…read moreat Primrose. The facility is super safe, super education pro, and it nurtured my son's interpersonal skills, motor skills, social values to the highest and in best way possible. The quality of food is great. All of his teachers were well educated and trained to take care of the kids. We loved all of his teachers. He still remembers them fondly. He made the best of friends here. We moved out of Richmond, and Primrose is one of those places which we sorely missed. We are proud of this facility at Westerre Commons! You are forever cherished. Kudos to you!

It's been 3 weeks since my son went to school at Chesterbrook Stony Point, so far we've been very…read morehappy and lucky to have super nice teachers. They're young, bright, and very energetic. I get a report every day about his eating, sleeping, diaper changing, and various activities he's done through out the day. I call EVERY single day, and the principle Sara is super nice, and always give me a snap shot of what my son is up to. She told me I can call as many time as I like, she's super supportive and understanding. They update the app often so I can see the pictures of my son doing his little activities. Infant 1 only has 2 teachers, so there was only 8 children. They had a system, somehow whenever, I come, it was nice and quiet, and the children look BIG, clean, and content. Their curriculum is great, they'd tell us what we are working on with our son so we can also implement at home also. We're going to have more children, and I'd send them here too so we can go through we their programs. I like how there are 200 acres of wood Park right behind the school so the children would get fresh air circulating around.

My son began at this preschool this past April. I must say this Preschool holds quite a few tenured…read moregems within it. My son was privileged to have Ms Amanda of the intermediates and also Ms Tori. They are an awesome team Tori took him in as her own and loved him. They were both so patient and loving!! He is now in pre k with even more vetted teachers one of whom had been there since 86. Ms. Tucker is extremely hands on with her curriculum and we get updates as far as activities my son participated in. She challenges him to make him better with retaining his lessons. He has made friends and I'm able to see him active and engaged each day on the playground and in class. My son has sensory setbacks, so my fear was always leaving him alone and being away. Since having him there, I don't want him ANYWHERE else. Bobbie and Sarah are amazing Directors and have both been so so accommodating. All of those ladies are like family. It's really touching to me during a time when childcare is hard to come by and undervalued at times, they always ensure my little boy is okay. That he is learning and not left in the shadows or ostracized. I'm forever grateful for the staff there. Thank you all!! I Absolutely recommend as a phenomenal facility to send your child!

When my wife and I moved to Richmond from Raleigh in 2010 in some ways it was like starting over…read more We had both lived in North Carolina for 17 & 14 years respectively and the change while welcomed presented many challenges, especially with 2 young children. One of the first things we did when we arrived was to seek out recommendations for a good pediatrician. From that point we had the amazing fortune of being given the contact information for Joan at Open Arms Christian Preschool by our children's new doctor. The pediatrician we ended up seeing knew that with a diagnosis of autism and being on the spectrum our son would be in great hands and care at Open Arms Christian Preschool. The nervousness we felt while driving to meet with Joan for an initial tour of the preschool was immediately forgotten as we were greeted with the kindest most genuine energy and welcome. Within 5 minutes of touring Open Arms we knew we had found the right place. In our time spent at Open Arms we had both of our kids enrolled. Even when we moved to Glen Allen after the first year I fixed my work schedule to be able to drive 40 minutes back and forth for drop off and pick up. Our oldest child is on the spectrum and has been diagnosed with autism. He is high functioning but to this day has sensory issues as well as social issues. Joan went above and beyond to work with us day in and day out, gave us guidance, put us in touch with different professionals and organizations and always made herself available. She was always a phone call away and as with any situation involving children the communication factor was key. There was even a point where an additional staff member was brought in to help. For all of these reasons my wife and I will forever be grateful. I could really go on and on raving about this preschool as we had a 4 year run there. There is not one negative thing I can say about our experience at Open Arms. If there was I would be honest and post it. There were times when we had reports come home about our oldest and quite frankly a few times where we thought, 'that's it they are going to ask us to leave'... but that never happened. And I believe the communication between the school and us was a vital part of our unique situation. Communication is always key. The tuition is very reasonable for what each family receives. Activities, special trips and guest 'speakers' just to name a few of the things which go on. Art comes home regularly and the kids are also in a true learning environment which is such a plus as they get ready to make the transition to elementary school. If I could give this preschool 10 stars I would. If I could give Joan and her amazing staff 10 stars I would. I have given Joan permission to give out my phone number to anyone who has parent to parent questions. We will be forever grateful for the foundation which Open Arms Christian Preschool has given both of our kids. And we will especially be forever grateful for the added support we received to help us set our first born and only son on the path to being able to deal with his autism related issues. While Open Arms was just one piece of the support chain we received it was a vital part which helped us truly make the difficult and important decisions about our situation without added stress. Without the positive reinforcement and guidance this would have been a much more difficult road for us. Reach out to Joan with any questions about this program. She is always eager and happy to meet and welcome new faces and families. Cheers! And thank you for reading my first novel! (sorry I got carried away...) -Michael Soekawa (yes my full name)

The post previously made is inaccurate and incorrect. We toured several schools and chose Open…read moreArms last September because of the attentiveness, love and professionalism of the teachers and Director. In January of last year, our son began having seizures - the first in his young 2 year old life. We were terrified and concerned about the present and future health, well-being and development of our child. Not only did the team at Open Arms show their love and support for us, but the families surround us with friendship and prayer! Our son Eli had a rough 4 months; spending over 80% of the time in the hospital. During that time, we received weekly emails and texts from the Director, Eli's teachers and parents checking in and asking how they could help. When Eli was stable enough to return, the entire team at Open Arms worked with us to give Eli a chance to come back to school - even part-time. I met with the Director, Joan Brennan, and his teachers regularly to discuss his development, areas of challenge and prognosis. They worked diligently to ensure that Eli had a supportive environment where he, and the other children, could thrive. They took care of our son and our entire family during one of the most traumatic times in our life. Eli has now been seizure free for several months and returned back to school full-time this year. Before starting the year, Joan and the teachers worked with my husband and I to determine where Eli might best thrive (in the older 2 or younger 3 classroom). They have walked with us over the last several months as we have evaluated his growth and development. During parent teacher conferences this week, his teachers shared with us areas of challenge for Eli and some options to help him thrive. While it is always tough to hear that your child may not be thriving and may need additional evaluation, the way that they lovingly and supportively discussed the challenges with me made me quickly aware that they were on our team. They wanted what was best for Eli's development and wanted to provide the right opportunities for he and the other children in the school. As a parent who is diligently involved in the well being of her child, I feel like I have a team of support at Open Arms. It is a community! I learned about Open Arms from a friend that entrusted the development of her two children to the school. Having now experienced the great support and student-to-teacher ratios she encountered, I have openly recommended the school to other families. Including families that have been dealing with issues such as epilepsy. While the school is not a school for children needing one-on-one shadowing or those with aggression and anger issues, it is a school for families that need a little extra support or those that simply want the best environment and greatest opportunity for the growth of their children. I love Open Arms and am saddened by the libelous comment below.

This childcare is awesome. The director Ms. Heather is very caring, and so knowledgeable, it is…read moreimpressive. The school is so clean, bright colors, and those characters on the wall are so cute. My son always has a smile and he is always happy to go every morning. This is a great place for your kiddos.

Safe daycare with great teachers. Priced right too! I would definitely recommend this daycare.read more

Teachers in the infant room some of them have long nails and one of them is often coughing and…read moreothers actually said out loud that they are tried when I drop my kid in the morning (makes worry that how they can take care of babies though out the day). The final straw for me is that I know for a fact my baby was miserable during the time she was there. She was 4mo so very often being strapped into a chair and she will get anxious and cry and because nobody will pick her up therefore she will start scratch her face or legs until see blood. I am very anger and sad to see all new marks on her on a daily basis that I transferred her to other daycare in a very short amount of time.

My daughter has been going to Skipwith for 2.5 years. She loves it there. She loves the directors…read moreand the teachers. They treat her so well. The school is historic and beautiful. The rates are about the same all the other centers in the area and they provide breakfast, lunch, and afternoon snack. In the summer they have educational fun field trips and a private pool, as well as in house events! We love Skipwith!

Our daughter has been here for three years and she loves it! The teachers are great and my daughter…read morehas learned so much. They also take security seriously.

We are on our 4th year at TLCP and will stay another 3! Our kids have had very loving teachers and…read morewhat they have learned is very apparent- from independent sleep skills and social manners, to writing practice and K prep. I love that it is smaller than other centers and has a more close-knit feel. The new playground for toddlers & 2's is lovely with a shaded cover and no mulch. There's a large multipurpose room that they use like an indoor gym when the weather is poor. There was a lot of staff turnover the past 1-2 years, but they are now in a good groove and all seem to work well as a team.