I love this school!! Both of our daughters attended the 3's and 4's programs at PGNS. My oldest…read moreattended from 2010 through 2012 and my youngest from 2012 through 2014. We could not have asked for a better preschool experience for both of our girls!! The teachers nurtured and loved them and helped them develop into the sweet, happy and loving girls that they are. I know the friendships the girls and our family have developed through PGNS will last a lifetime.

Pine Grove Nursery School is amazing!!! The teachers and staff are extremely warm and loving, the…read morecurriculum is fantastic and definitely prepared my children for kindergarten! They offer music class, Spanish class, computers, and plenty of play time! Family friendly and caring environment where the kids love learning, what more could you ask for! I have another child in preschool right now and I wouldn't look anywhere else!!!

We cannot say enough wonderful things about Happy Hands Prep, LLC. David started in the toddler…read moreprogram when he was just 1 year and 9 months old, and yesterday he proudly graduated preschool. Over the years, we have watched him grow academically, socially, and emotionally thanks to the dedication, patience, and support of the amazing teachers and staff. They have provided a nurturing, safe, and engaging environment where he developed a love of learning, built confidence, and created lasting friendships. We are incredibly grateful for the care and guidance David received throughout his early childhood years. Thank you to everyone at Happy Hands Prep for helping shape these important milestones and for giving him such a strong foundation as he begins his next chapter. A special thank you to Mrs. Keri and Mrs. Lori for their guidance, encouragement, and dedication throughout David's journey. Your kindness and commitment helped make his preschool years so meaningful. We highly recommend Happy Hands Prep to any family looking for exceptional childcare and early education.

I highly recommend Happy Hands to anyone seeking childcare in addition to early education. My…read moreoldest daughter has attended for 3 years. When she started, she was very shy and nervous. The teachers are so sweet and comforting and now she is totally out of her shell. My daughter found it comforting to play with one of the teacher's necklaces when she was having a moment. The teacher made her one that looked just like it and a year later it is still her favorite. They treat all of the kids like they are their own. In addition, she has learned SO much I keep joking around that she will be bored in kindergarten. They do individualize knowledge assessments and lesson plans. The staff are great with communicating to parents throughout the day. The security of the building and the process for drop off/pick up leaves me never worrying about her safety. Very excited my youngest will start this fall!

We love this preschool for so many reasons. The teachers are funny, talented and smart. They lead…read moreby example and inspire the kids to work as a team. We've watched our son blossom under their care, supervision and gentle direction. Art, play, music, special guests and performers - every day is a new learning adventure that our son excitedly talks about when we pick him up from school. Other pluses = There is a full kitchen and the kids and teachers often prepare food together, the playground is fully contained but in a relaxed, wooded environment, the school is right off of the bike trail, close to the Canton library and downtown Collinsville, and Mrs. Doran (one of the teachers) is a gifted puppeteer. She won our hearts immediately, along with the other wonderful faculty, who are highly educated and LOVE working with this age group (3s and 4s). The open house happens twice a year, but you can always call to schedule a visit. Their summer camp is great, too! We truly will be sad to say goodbye when our son graduates from the 4s program at Trinity Nursery School.

Imagine Nation is a learning. Center and children's museum. There are three levels and exhibits for…read morekids from toddlers and up to elementary aged. There is a parking lot and street parking. There were so many interactive and hands on play areas. They even had an animal exhibit. There is a water play, music, engineering, area (and more). My kids enjoyed it and we were there for a couple of hours. If you have kids, I highly recommend.

ImagiNation constantly updates their facilities and we have been going to this place for years…read more They adjust their rooms and facility for changing child interests. They have a lot of Open Ended play and they offer some real cool opportunities to let your child explore their imagination. They have an Art room, a Animal exhibit room, a doctors office area that looks EXACTLY like a doctors office, an kitchen area built to look like a kitchen, a place to put on a play with stage lights and so much more. We loved the new changes so much we got a family season pass. This is not only the perfect place to bring kids on a weekend but a cool place for parties. They are a non-profit Childrens Museum but put ALOT of thought into making it more like an experience than anything else. Bring your kid (s) and you wont regret it. Just be aware though that parking is accessed from the street behind the museum so it might be confusing at first. Enjoy

My son, now 10 years old and finishing 4th grade, attended all three years at Avon Nursery School -…read moretheir 3's, 4's, and pre-K programs. The Director, Joan Parks, has become a family friend for life. The staff who work with her have been the teachers there for years. This is a team of educators who truly find preschool care and education to be their calling. This team of teachers gets to know each child very well, and they truly love the kids they teach and care for. The program is a wonderful balance of educational play, hands-on exploration, art appreciation, life appreciation, love of cultures from all over the world. My son still remembers all the steps in the water cycle. He still remembers how they taught him about animals and nature. By the time he was headed for kindergarten, he was beginning to sound out short words. Although there is an academic component, it's not imposed on the kids, and they're truly taught at their own pace and interest level. We are still friends with the families who were part of the ANS community when my son was there, and he is still good friends with some of the children from his time at ANS. Truly, you could not dream up a better environment for your child. I can't say enough about Avon Nursery School and its staff. It's a very special place.

In our experience, sending our child to Renbrook for Pre-K was unfortunate. There were two Pre-K…read moreclasses that, to us, appeared quite segregated, with most minority students and teachers in one class and others in the other. This gave us the impression that the school lacks diversity. Throughout the school year, our previously happy and outgoing child became increasingly miserable, to the point of not wanting to go to school in the mornings. We all felt a significant amount of stress. At the time, we weren't aware that Renbrook does not require formal qualifications for their teachers. It seems that individuals who were formerly teacher's aides or camp counselors are employed as teachers, without any formal education or training in child development or education. This contrasts with local public schools, which typically require a master's degree in these fields. In our view, based on what our child shared, these unqualified "teachers" seemed unable to connect with our child and perhaps others, resorting to strict discipline methods such as yelling, time-outs, and a lack of affection or support. As parents, we were repeatedly pressured through emails and phone calls to use time-outs at home to make our child easier to manage in class. The classroom environment seemed overly strict for four-year-olds, who were expected to sit still in a circle for extended periods and were not allowed to wiggle or make noises without being labeled disruptive. Any attempts to communicate with the school about how well-behaved our child was in other settings were dismissed. We felt blamed as parents, with the school insisting that the problem was with us or our child, never them. It appeared that children of teachers and wealthy donors were given preferential treatment, allowed to misbehave without consequence. Our child noticed this difference and expressed that the teachers only helped certain kids, not her or some of her friends. There seemed to be a bias, with boys being excused for inappropriate remarks or physical transgressions, while girls were expected to remain quiet and compliant. This made us feel very concerned. Based on conversations with other parents, it seemed that families who were not part of the teachers' or donors' circle were often advised to seek psychological evaluations and treatments for their children. This gave us the impression that the frequency of children in therapy at Renbrook was notably high. We never had the opportunity to meet the school counselor, as she was part-time and unable to attend a meeting we hoped she would join. When we attempted to discuss our concerns with the head of the school, we felt that our concerns were again dismissed, with the suggestion that the issue lay solely with us and our child. This was not supported by a subsequent elaborate professional evaluation, which found our child to be highly intelligent and emotionally healthy. Throughout the year, most of the school's communication centered around fundraising and monthly donation requests, with little focus on the educational details of our children. The events were more akin to social gatherings, featuring heavy drinking by some participants and the formation of cliques among parents at golf or social clubs. Notably, Renbrook does not offer tuition refunds if you decide the school is not a good fit and wish to transfer your child during the school year. This made the school year seem long and needlessly difficult for us. Things immediately improved when we enrolled our child in a different school for summer camp and kindergarten, where she now feels respected, supported, and welcome. We are very pleased with this change, and she has returned to being her happy, outgoing, curious, and well-behaved self. Lastly, we have noticed that Renbrook tends to respond to negative reviews by stating they have no record of the student attending, particularly in response to anonymous reviews. We assure you that we did send our child there, regardless of whether Renbrook acknowledges our email address.

Renbrook is by far the best private school - and better than most public schools - in the area…read more It's worth a look for any child between the ages of 3years old and 9th grade. Small class size, diversity, traditional and creative school curriculum and individual attention from teachers is the norm, not the exception.

This is a review for parents looking for a bridge between now and full day Kindergarten. The Gift…read moreof Time class at the Children's Center was recommended to us by two different teachers. Our son has a late Fall birthday. He's in the 4s program at Trinity Nursery School (2.5 hours X 3 days), which we love, but we're confident that he'd benefit from an extra year (3 hours X 5 days) at a different school to help him transition to full day kindergarten. So we scheduled a visit to see The Gift of Time class last week - and enrolled our son immediately. The instant we walked into this school, we knew it was "the place." We had already visited three other schools and none of them compared to this one. The playground is spacious and set against the woods. The various play structures are unique, there is a large community garden for the children, and there are nature trails on the property. You're immediately greeted by this awesome outdoor space. Then the school itself has a great vibe. All of the rooms are bustling with happy kids. It's play-based learning, but efficient and highly-organized. Some of the classrooms are loft-like spaces with giant windows overlooking the woods. Honestly, my husband and I were blown away. One of the guided activities happening in the Gift of Time room that we witnessed (and our son participated in) was the building of a 400-year-old English village with found objects in the classroom (giant blocks, bricks, large cardboard, etc). Each of the huts had a pretend fireplace and kitchen, there was a farm, garden and pasture. It was imaginary play on a whole other level and all of the kids were super into it, and so were the teachers. Needless to say, we were sold. We are super excited to send our son there next year. The Children's Center offers a warm and happy school experience for kids as young as 2. I assure you this place is not typical - it is so unique. Please visit for yourself - their website is still a work-in-progress - you have to see The Children's Center in person!

A fantastic preschool! Two of my children have attended The Children's Center for their pre-school…read morecareers and my third will be starting there next year in their new two-year-old program! All of the teachers are experienced, loving and dedicated to teaching the young children how to grow emotionally, socially and intellectually!

We have been apart of KinderCare's family since 2011. My son, who has now graduated from…read moreKinderCare, started in the Toddler room in 2011. Before coming to KinderCare, my son was ill several times a month (viruses, fevers, stomach bug, etc.) at the center he was currently at. My concern was that his previous center did not focus on cleanliness therefore, resulting in my son constantly being ill. My husband and I realized that we wanted a center that focused more on cleanliness and we found that and more at Anne's center. We also were very interested in the curriculum KinderCare had to offer as the center he was in did not have a curriculum. When we toured Anne's center, I was exceptionally pleased. Her center was very clean and I was thrilled with how much learning I saw as I walked into each classroom. Talking to the teachers, I could see how passionate they were about their job and how each teacher focused on the developmental aspects of each child in their care. Needless to say, that same day we enrolled him. Within a few short months, my husband and I began to see big changes in our son. He was learning more, talking more and he was healthy! All of the teachers are so warm and sweet! We are greeted every morning upon arrival by all of the teachers and his teachers partnered with us to help him with things that he struggled with from time to time. I never thought I would see my 4 year old writing fluently, adding/subtracting, reading site words and overall accomplishing Kindergarten standards. He is now doing so well in Kindergarten- reading, writing, math and so much more! This is all thanks to KinderCare! Then, over the summer, our daughter arrived into this world and I did not hesitate for a second to have her go through the same journey at the center that my son went through! She is 4 months old and in the infant room - she enjoys her days, the teachers follow our schedules, her room is clean and her teachers are always doing things with the children in their care. We are so happy that we have a second "family" - thank you to Anne & all her staff!

From the owner: Infant Programs (6 Weeks - 1 Year), Toddler Programs (1 - 2 Years), Discovery Preschool Programs (2…read more- 3 Years), Preschool Programs (3 - 4 Years), Prekindergarten Programs (4 - 5 Years), Before and After School Programs (5-12 Years), Summer Programs (preschool, prekindergarten, and school-age)

The admin team is the kindest group of people you can meet. I never envisioned how well my feedback…read moreor suggestions could be received. Any time I want to talk to them, they respond to me within the day if not sooner. They are very transparent about what they do there. The teachers - amazing. My kids love them. We have been with BAL for a few years now and I could not imagine sending them anywhere else. They are up to date on current practices and are constantly learning more to provide the best for my kids. We toured a couple places in the area and this one was quickly at the top of our list for many reasons. First - the staff. When it comes down to it, you want to make sure your kids are happy, healthy, and safe. The teachers are so warm, kind, and gentle. They were willing to work with our existing schedules while also providing tips. Second - the environment. We loved that the infant room wasn't harshly bright and there wasn't any over stimulating toys. The school focused on a Montessori approach that my oldest is absolutely thriving with. Third - the responsiveness. You're are never left waiting. The teachers and staff are so quick to reply and implement. It's such a wonderful feeling to know they are on top of things. Any questions, whether it's about your child's sleep or you have something related to finance, they make you a top priority.

Went on a tour on a Tuesday, was told we would get information by Wednesday, still nothing, I…read moree-mailed Thursday, no response, so I called the following week on Monday. I was told by the director she was concerned about our question about wanting to know the price and how they compare to facilities in the area. She didn't think it would be a good fit- mind you never meeting me, my daughter, or knowing any information about us. She proceeded to say she will have the assistant director email me the packet. It's Tuesday, it has yet to be sent. My husband sent an email with how we were treated and concerns. The director called me, I was not on my phone so my husband called her back. She was rude to him and me on the phone. I would never have my daughter watched by her.