For the most part, we've had positive experiences with many of the staff and teachers at Oakcrest…read more There are some wonderful individuals who truly care for the kids, and I want to acknowledge that upfront. That said, this review is not directed at them--it's directed at the organization, leadership, and ownership behind Oakcrest. We've had two children enrolled here since 2022 and have paid over $83,000 in tuition--never missing a single payment. We've supported the school, told other families about it, and truly tried to be good members of the community. Recently, our youngest was accepted into a new program, and we gave 35 days' notice that he wouldn't be returning. Unfortunately, I missed the "re-enrollment deadline" by 12 days and was hit with a $200 re-enrollment fee. I take full responsibility for missing the cutoff. But what shocked me was the complete lack of empathy or understanding from leadership. No flexibility. No conversation. Just a cold response quoting a handbook. I wasn't asking for special treatment--I was asking for basic human decency after years of loyalty. To make it worse, the communication around this policy was minimal. We received only one reminder in March--no follow-ups, no texts, no push notifications through the app. And yet, they'll call or message multiple times if your child has a mild illness. So it's not a tech limitation--it's a priority issue. Oakcrest brands itself as a "preparatory academy," but at the end of the day--it's a corporate daycare with a polished image. They're quick to run book drives and food drives (which families support), but when it comes to truly valuing long-term families--they've made it clear where their priorities lie. If you're a family comparing child care options, I'd encourage you to look deeper than the branding. Our experience has been a harsh reminder that no matter how much time, money, or trust you invest--you're still just a number on a spreadsheet to them. Disappointed doesn't even begin to cover it.

TCCA has been such an amazing place to provide care for our daughter. Everything is run so…read moreprofessionally and the level of care and education is second to none! I can't help but think how much value this place adds to our lives when helping balance work and family! Thanks for all you do!

We love this daycare! Staff is amazing and cares for my little ones as they are their own. Very…read moreaccommodating and lots of compassion.

Disregard all the reviews that are complaining at the director, she's not working with this academy…read moreanymore. The management that currently is here is wonderful. My daughter is been attending this school for the last half of the year and we are extremely happy. This place hire real teachers, licensed, that have proper education and experience. The teacher that we have is extremely talented and devoted, we love her. She constantly brings new lessons, shares her curriculum and plans. My daughter has eczema and dietary restrictions so I bring my own food. My daughter had never been exposed to anything else they watch it closely and very carefully. The school is clean, fresh and modern, uses secure video cameras so you can always see what's going on with your kid. Kids go outside twice a day and spend a lot of time on the playground. Playground is really nice too, not just to show but a real playground where kids really have what to do. Couldn't be happier!

TLDR: Do NOT send your child here, especially if they have allergies! Many awful teachers,…read morecomplacent and rude administration. Our experience at Kiddie Academy has been nothing short of a nightmare. My son has allergies, which was not any trouble to manage at our prior facility and is not any issue at his current facility. KA gave him foods he was allergic to on multiple occasions. On at least two of these occasions, Trisha (accurately portrayed in a few of these other negative reviews) tried to mom-shame me for how I handled the incidents instead of focusing on how egregiously they messed up. After the 4th allergen exposure (that I know of, it was confirmed he regularly was given a salad dressing that contained an allergen though), I reported them to the state. They were supposed to come up with a better communication plan from the kitchen to the teachers about what my child couldn't eat. A few weeks later I found out from my son's new teacher that she had "no idea" what he is allergic to, and that the way she finds out he can't have something is from his prior room's teacher yelling across the hall "don't give that to him!" when the kitchen brings something he's not allowed to have. Absolutely terrifying. You might ask why I didn't just send his food myself. Two of his exposures were when I sent his food! I watched his teachers withhold his food, giving him about 5 minutes to eat at the end of lunch, and blatantly ignore his stealing food off the other babies' plates (he was about a year old for this). At one point they gave him a special treat that was brought in by another kid without clearing it with me first. When I raised concerns about their behavior, he came home the next day with feces encrusted on his tiny little rear-end. Not even a dirty diaper, they just intentionally did not wipe him well and left it. On that note, he came home another time with feces up his back and through his onesie, no explanation given. I hope none of his classmates got pink eye from that one. The teachers in his first room were constantly on their phones, never engaging with the babies. I never saw so much as a book being read to them; they were left on their own to play with no interaction from a caring adult. My baby had very dry skin/eczema and I'd sent in lotion to be used when needed. His teacher quite happily told me that they never put it on him unless I specifically call to ask. It's almost like she was overjoyed at her own stupidity. This is a child who's face was often bleeding it was so in need of lotion, but I guess you can't see that when you're on your phone all day. Overall the administration wants to keep parents out of the building as much as possible. They continue cov1d-era policies where you must drop off and pick up at the front entrance unless you have a reason to go back and talk to your child's teacher. As a result, there is absolutely no sense of community (also they briefly lost a child from this policy, as noted in the state incident reports, yet they continue to cling to their process). I've talked to many other parents that don't even know all of their younger child's teachers' names and wouldn't be able to recognize them on the street. Many teachers are blatantly rude and disrespectful to parents when you do talk to them, and the administration's response is "they're a little gruff". What's tolerated is encouraged - if you cared about the interaction between parents and teachers you wouldn't allow your teachers to act like that. It's unfortunate that the majority of the younger rooms are such an abomination because there are some teachers that are GEMS in the older classes. We had a great experience with my oldest son, who was only there a year before entering kindergarten. However it was so strongly outweighed by the horrors of my baby's experience that I could never recommend this place, not even to my worst enemy.

Everbrook Academy has been an absolute blessing for our family. My oldest daughter went to…read moreEverbrook and now my youngest goes there and is in their Junior K program. The school is phenomenal in its academics, curriculum, and overall learning environment. They truly set children up for success while making education fun, engaging, and meaningful. The Principal Ms. Charmaine is Incredible--warm, professional, and deeply invested in every child's growth. Her leadership sets the tone for the entire school, and you can feel her passion the moment you walk through the doors. We are also beyond grateful for my daughters teacher Ms. Isis, who is nothing short of amazing. She consistently goes above and beyond to support learning, encourage confidence, and make sure every child feels seen and valued. Her dedication and creativity shine through in everything she does. On top of that, Everbrook is extremely accommodating to parents. Their communication, flexibility, and willingness to work with families make the entire experience seamless and comforting. The entire staff is so friendly and amazing. You always feel like you're part of a true partnership. I couldn't recommend Everbrook Academy more. It's a place where children thrive--and where parents feel supported every step of the way.

We were at Everbrook for a total of about 7 years between both my children. Nothing but high…read morepraises, I couldn't have asked for a better school to prepare them for Kindergarten.

My son has been at Bright Kids since March/2020. We are very happy and satisfied! The separation…read moreanxiety in the beginning was very hard and in about 3 weeks he was walking in smiling. He screams of happiness when we get there in the morning and that makes me so happy! When you choose a school, you choose a place that will make you feel safe and secure, and that will treat your child with kindness and love! We have found all these things at Bright kids! Thank you Ms. Regena! -Milena Ciacco

I enrolled my daughter for only less than 2.5 months. Today I asked her teacher (Mary Ann) why each…read morechild had an "excellent" on their assignments except mine. Her teacher's exact response was "I can give whatever grade I want to." And then proceeded to walk into my personal space and was less than 1 inch away from me. I told the director (Carla) and her response was that my child was academically behind the other children and she understands why the teacher would be upset. This is not the first time I have been dismissed when I ask about my child. I wish I could give a negative score. The communication is terrible, no information is ever sent home. No emails. It's like pulling teeth to speak to someone. They need to reorganize and take a class on how to speak to parents.

Honest review from a parent who has had 2 kids here. One child for 3 years and the other child for…read more3 months. Stayed because there were no other daycares around with vacancies in the area. Pros: - The classrooms here are bigger than other daycares in the area - Flexible drop off and pick up times - Offers breakfast, lunch, and snacks for the kids included in tuition - Some of the staff like the assistant director and teachers are great Cons: - Staff shortages especially in the infant room. There are times when the ratio goes beyond the state mandated 1 to 5 - Tuition increases, multiple times in a year - Teachers are supposed to send 2 pictures per day per student. On average we would get 2-3 pictures per week. - Incident reports (reports to parents when child gets hurt) were no longer sent home to us. Our child came home with a quarter sized raw scape on her knee without any report. - Outdated security measures and check in - Director is not properly trained and does not do her job well. She did not treat parents fairly and would not respond to emails sent multiple times For the price you pay $1400 a month, you will find newer facilities that just opened in the area with updated security measures, cameras, much better student to teacher ratios, and quality management.

So after 2 weeks of going back and forth (multiple times) with staff here, being told that there is…read moreavailablelity in the 3 year old classroom, then getting called by the director and being told that's a mistake there are no spots in that class room...... I confronted the director miss Nicole about all the conflicting information, and she finally told me that my son has been banned from Gateway Academy because their records show he attended another location and I broke the "Parent Code of Conduct" because I said some things that were not nice. Basically my son attended the Gateway on Mallard when he was 1 and I gave that location 1 star and left a detailed review. I was shocked! During the 7 months my son was enrolled in the Mallard location he had 7 different teachers! That location was awful. The only reason he was there that long was because I had to wait for a spot to open at kids r kids. But I was still willing to give this chain a chance based on all the 5 star reviews the Whitehall location recieved on google. However, since this chain penalizes parents and children for leaving honest reviews on bad experiences, I have to question whether all the positive feedback on this location are authentic. I am thankful they exposed their true colors before my son could be enrolled. Thank goodness for freedom of speech!

We couldn't be happier with Everbrook Academy of Waxhaw! Our child loves going to school every day…read moreand always comes home with a big smile, excited to talk about what they did, and the fun they had with their teachers and friends. The staff is amazing--so kind, caring, and really great with the kids. It's such a warm and welcoming place, and we truly feel like part of a little family here. Highly recommend to any parent looking for a great place for their child to learn

I popthe classroom and avoid to ask for help, which has caused them to neglect my son, avoiding him…read moreas much as possible so they don't have to take care of him. their treatment towards my 3 year old son has caused my son to resent school and be afraid and hurt. this is unacceptable and these teachers are responsible for what they did. They must get reported and reevaluated. As parents, we put our trust and faith in these teacher's hands and allowed our son to spend 8 hours a day thinking that he is loved, cared for and taught good education and behavior, but little we knew that these teachers were brushing him off, avoiding him, neglecting him and discriminating against him. This school should be held accountable. I don't recommend this facility at all if you are looking for a daycare to love and care for your loved ones when they're not with you. Think twice about admitting your love ones here. They neglect and discriminate.

I have never felt more compelled to write a detailed review than after my brief but deeply…read moredisappointing experience with this center. My daughter is two and a half. My husband and I were excited to find a nearby program that seemed to align with our values. During our tour on October 24, we met with the center's director, Ashley, and explained how important those values were to our family. I mentioned that I preferred to pack my daughter's lunch, but she assured us that the school accommodates dietary restrictions and provided the official forms for me to complete. I left that meeting feeling confident and reassured. More than a week before my daughter's first day, I submitted the signed paperwork clearly stating: "She is a vegetarian and eats dairy, but no meat, gelatin, or honey." The school had this information well in advance of her start date. On her very first day, November 4, I arrived around 12:30 and saw my daughter sitting alone at a table with a basket of toys, quietly playing in the dark while the other children rested. Her teachers were on the floor attending to the resting students and were not interacting with her. If I had known this was how part-day children were handled, I would have arrived sooner, and I had planned to ask about it before leaving. Before I even had the chance, an administrative assistant who had walked me to the classroom without mentioning any issues when I arrived casually told me that my daughter had been served and had eaten meat at lunch. I was shocked, upset, and left immediately. The assistant explained she did not learn about my daughter's documented dietary restriction until after the meal, though she never clarified who had informed her of it. This made it clear that Director Ashley failed to communicate or post my daughter's restriction in the classroom as required by South Carolina licensing standards. This was not a small mistake but a complete systems failure that should never have occurred. The information was clearly documented, signed, and available. Despite Ashley later calling it a "mistake," this was an avoidable administrative failure and a serious breach of trust. The responsibility lies entirely with Director Ashley, who failed to ensure that staff were informed and that procedures were followed. The required paperwork was submitted eight days before my daughter attended. After I left and returned home, Ashley called from a blocked number three times. When I answered once to say I would not be speaking further, she addressed me by the wrong name and later left a voicemail attempting to minimize the situation by saying footage showed my daughter "only took one bite." That completely missed the point. She should never have been served meat at all. I took every possible step to prevent this, and it still occurred under her direction. Her response showed a lack of accountability and understanding of the seriousness of the situation. In response to my email formally withdrawing my daughter, Ashley wrote that "we have addressed this issue internally with our staff, and we are implementing additional checks to ensure accuracy and prevent this from happening again." This statement offered no transparency or clear explanation for how the incident occurred. As the director who had the required paperwork well in advance, it was her responsibility to ensure my daughter's restriction was communicated and followed. Instead, it read as an attempt to move past the issue rather than take responsibility. As an educator who studied child development and understands childcare licensing requirements, I recognize this as a serious violation rather than a minor oversight. I have retained all documentation to support the accuracy of what I have described and have taken appropriate steps through the proper channels to ensure it is formally reviewed in hopes that no other family experiences this kind of negligence. This experience was deeply upsetting for our family. It was entirely avoidable and made worse by how poorly it was handled afterward. Our family's values and beliefs, which we clearly communicated and trusted would be respected, were disregarded. This was not simply a dietary mistake but a violation of trust and a dismissal of the ethical principles we are raising our daughter to have. This failure of leadership and communication is unacceptable, and families deserve to know. I would not recommend this center to any parent who expects competence, accountability, transparency, and genuine respect for the families they serve, along with adherence to both state and internal childcare policies. TL;DR: Serious failure in communication and leadership. My two-year-old daughter, a documented vegetarian, was served and ate meat on her very first day despite clear, signed paperwork and multiple verbal discussions with the director. The situation was mishandled, minimized, and revealed a complete lack of accountability. I would not recommend this center to anyone

This amazing secondary home for our children is amazing!! It's not often you find people you can…read moretrust with your children and for that reason alone, I highly recommend Kiddie Academy Fort Mill. My youngest is now here learning, growing, and thriving everyday. My oldest is halfway through Elementary school now and asks to get picked up first so he can say hi to his former teachers at Kiddie Academy. This childcare facility has been at the center of our community activities like the festivals, book events, and family events throughout the year. Something I noticed on the tour and I continue to notice when I walk in the doors is that the children are happy and the teachers are calm and not stressed - this comes from support and authentic leadership from the director, Ashley. We all feel like family here and want to call out a few amazing admin and teachers for their impact on our children: Ms Felicia, Ms Shelby, Ms Elizabeth, Ms Anitra, Ms Epsy, Ms Rachel, Ms Lisa, Ms Whitney, Ms Jessica, Ms Koda...the list goes on and on.