Our family joined the Beginnings community in Fall 2020, during the midst of the pandemic and right…read moreafter we moved locally. I could not imagine a more warm welcome to a new place for our son, who runs into school every morning and talks about how much he loves his teachers and friends every night. From really creative classroom curriculum to outstanding communication between administration, teachers, and parents, we have confidence that our son is in the place that is best for him. We also have confidence that the Beginnings team is doing everything the right way in regards to keeping the whole community safe and healthy. I highly recommend Beginnings School to other families looking for an engaging and fun place dedicated to thoughtfully educating your children.

The teachers and administration at Beginnings deeply care for and love the work that they do. If…read moreyou are looking for professional, high-quality early education, this is the place. The teachers are well-trained to scaffold the most important dimensions of early learning: social-emotional development and self-help skills. Pre-academic tasks are weaved through play and conversation and children are quick to adopt a growth mindset, which is one of the most necessary indicators of future success. I highly recommend Beginnings for any parent or educator looking for a truly special, unique school that will give them or their children the tools needed to thrive.

We joined Wild Rose, a Wildflower offspring, at the early stage and grew together over the years…read more WR started with 9 kids and now has over 40, with about half in primary and the rest in elementary. The teachers are kind and experienced, helping kids learn more about social values instead of test taking. Kids are given autonomy and expected to contribute to the school system by shopping for food, cooking, cleaning up the classroom, setting up projects, etc. We experienced some growing pains but overall was well worth it. Parents are expected to be involved but this has been reduced to about once a month instead of per week. The low teacher to kid ratio ensures more attention and opportunity to aid the kids in their weaker areas. The school is looking to grow into middle school (grade 5+) and is actively looking for children aged 9-11 for the next academic year. It is well worth taking a tour to see if it is the right fit for your family!

My 5yo son attends Wild Rose. The things that I think make it special are:…read more - it's deliberately a small, one-classroom, shopfront school. So it's a very close-knit group and the teachers have a lot of autonomy and passion for making the best school they can. - it's true to the Montessori tradition without falling into dogma -- observation and experimentation are important elements. The school cooperates with researchers at the MIT Media Lab that are studying new methods and materials. - it's a mixed-age classroom. This creates so many wonderful opportunities for younger children to learn from older children and for older children to practice being leaders and teachers.

Both my son and daughter attend Echo Falls and words cannot express how wonderful the teachers and…read morecurriculum is. Thanks to this great school, my children have not only learned so many new things in a positive fun learning environment, but wake up every morning excited and looking forward to the day ahead. If you are in need of a preschool for your child and are trying to decide which one, choose Echo falls, you will not be disappointed!

We chose GMS-Belmont as our son's first school at 16 months old (over a year ago) & have had such a…read morepositive experience. The teachers are so patient and loving as they help incoming children settle into a new routine. They work so hard to cultivate a deep love for learning/exploration, and a sense of confidence and independence in children. The Montessori method is put into effective practice each day through work-cycle & thoughtful, creative activities. The teachers have a lot of experience implementing healthy practices to help children with emotional regulation and social aspects of learning. During the academic year, the school has a rich curriculum spanning language, math, science, practical life, sensorial, and gross/fine motor - the teachers create this and share via monthly newsletters. Two major highlights of the year are the holiday & summer concerts where all children in the school perform together - this is a tremendous undertaking and months of preparation by the teachers for a most delightful family-oriented tradition! Director Ms. Sahar and co-director Ms. Jenn are fully present and so dedicated - they know each child by name, each family, and are always on the ground to ensure smooth daily functioning. There is little-to-no staff turnover and the teachers have a wealth of experience. Our family is super grateful for the strong foundation and core values that the teachers have given our son, and again, highly recommend GMS-Belmont!

We had a very positive experience at this school! Our son spent his first primary year of…read moreMontessori education at GMS and he so clearly thrived in the environment nurtured by his teachers and Miss Sahar/Tara. He joined at the age of 3.5 and within a few weeks made significant strides in terms of his learning & development, independence (such as dressing himself, cleaning up after play time, and helping out around the house), and overall curiosity on reading / writing / coloring. GMS still has that small community feel even as the classes continue to grow and the system becomes more mature over time. We are sad to have only learned of this school late in our time in the greater Boston area and wish we could've stayed for the full 3-year cycle.

I have nothing but positive things to say about my child's time at LCS:…read more The staff were full of love and brought so much care and attention to my little one every day. All of the teachers/caregivers work very well as a team and take the time to get to know and love each of the children they look after and it really does show on the faces of the little ones attending the program. The learning curriculum is engaging for the kids and the communications with parents are frequent and clear . The Brightwheel app updates are amazing; seeing photos of my kid every day really brightened my mood. The physical space within the daycare is fun and inviting, with each classroom mocked up as a house or building in a neighborhood (hallway). I'd HIGHLY recommend this daycare to anyone in the Brookline/Boston area looking for somewhere their LO can socialize, exercise, learn, and grow in a safe and loving environment.

Both of my kids spent several years at LCSH, starting (for kid #1 at age 4, and kid #2 from 9…read moremonths). Between them, they passed through every classroom. There was not a single room that we (and they) didn't love! My son left for Kindergarten a year ago and my daughter is leaving now at age 3 to be closer to our home for pick-up/drop-off reasons. I'm so incredibly grateful we had LCSH to care for our children. First, the leadership. Lissy and Gladys are wonderful. They are experienced, kind, friendly, professional, and very responsive. They clearly love and know each one of the children and care for their staff. There is very little staff turnover, which both creates a very nice family atmosphere for the kids and speaks to Lissy and Gladys' leadership. When the pandemic hit, Lissy and Gladys did everything they could to keep the children safe while understanding the needs of working parents. I also have compared their tuition to many other places and they are very reasonable. Second, the staff! They are such wonderful people - my kids loved them all because they are warm, loving, and great educators. My son was fully ready for Kindergarten and my daughter has learned fine motor skills, sharing, listening, resolving conflicts, and fairness. Often teachers from previous years would see my daughter in the hallway and give her big hugs. It meant a lot to us that they felt surrounded by people who care. Third, the other programs. Lissy and Gladys keep things fresh by bringing in music teachers, having field days, sports, and many other activities. My daughter looked forward to every Thursday when Ms. Monica would come to her class and bring instruments for the kids to play and to dance. Finally, the community. The parents and other children are a lovely group of people. We are sad to leave LCSH, but grateful we have the memories. If you visit the school - especially Boylston street - it's not the most beautiful location. But don't judge based on that! The school itself is very nice and the teachers get the kids out and about to the local parks for sports, water parties in the summer, and playground fun. Ultimately, LCSH is a great place with people who truly care about kids and families.

Our daughter started here when she was of age for the preschool classroom after leaving a…read moretumultuous situation at our prior daycare. She was barely 3 and instantly comfortable, and we never looked back. Ms. Annie and the teachers here are incredibly caring and create a supportive environment for the kids to learn. I recall that these kids really helped each other work through things to problem solve leading up to kindergarten. The school is not just a school or daycare, but a little community. We are still friends with families we crossed paths with until this day. And in fact, we still go back to visit because my daughter had such a positive experience in her 3 years here! Community-wise, Annie really creates that for the families. Every year, there's an annual apple picking event for all the families. There are also family playdates after the day is over, and I recall we even went to the zoo one year. We miss our time here, but I'm forever grateful to have found WSDC. I never doubted for a second that our daughter was in safe hands.

We absolutely love Waverley Square Daycare! Our daughter has been attending since she was in the…read moretoddler room, and it has been wonderful to watch her grow and see how much love and care she has received from her teachers along the way. Every day, we know she is safe, well cared for, and having the time of her life! The teachers are incredibly patient, kind, and thoughtful, and they are always coming up with new crafts, activities, and creative curricular themes for the kids. We also really appreciate that the daycare is very affordable for the area, and the extended-hours options have been especially convenient for our family. We couldn't be happier with our experience!

After hearing nothing but praise about this establishment, I was beyond disappointed with my…read moreexperience of trying to get BASIC information from their staff. Run-a-muck was highly recommended to us as the "best in Salem/Danvers", and was 1 of 2 preschools recommended by my PEDIATRICIANS office for my son. However, after contacting through their website, them via email, it was like pulling teeth to get any information. I still have no clue how much it would cost - and I asked about tuition 3 times! Finally, I requested that Valerie (the lady in Salem that was not giving me any information besides that they had a wait list, and only accept full days/weeks students) to give me the name, address, and phone number of someone in Danvers. I was given a name (Gretchen), and a phone number that was disconnected. She also stated that she forwarded my emails to her. When Gretchen emailed me, it was basically the same information - Please let me know what questions you have....yet nothing had been answered. In her defense, I didn't bother to respond. I'd already made up my mind, thanks to Valerie and her lack of information. Needles to say, this has left a very poor impression on me. I don't want to seems my child to a place that can't even figure out how to give information out to inquiring parents. If you are looking for someplace that refuses to answer questions, this is your place. I'd you want to know the ins and outs, and *gasp* talk to a real person...keep looking.

My son has been at Run A Muck since he was three (he is now five), and we have nothing but…read morewonderful things to say. He has never been bit, hit, pushed, shoved or hurt in any other way except for accidents on the play ground, such as a skinned knee. Even when this happened, the school called me right away to let me know and I was given an incident report when I picked him up. But kids will be kids, so I expect him to get hurt, I did when I was a kid! The staff are very attentive, friendly, helpful and great teachers. My son can now count to ten in three languages (four if you include English) and he tells us amazing facts that he learns at school. I highly recommend Run A Muck!

My step son just did us this fundraiser for school. As parents who care we feel obligated to…read moreparticipate. The cost f value embarrassing. I will never do this fundraiser again and will recommend to other organizers as well to look for something better - good old fashioned candy bars even for $2 would be better. It is ridiculously expensive. not only are you paying $30 for 12 oz of popcorn or nuts, They then hit you with a service fee 1.74 and $9.99 in shipping which you don't see until the end. Not everyone especially elderly people want to or have the ability to do things online. I would have rather given the $40 to the school so they would get all the money. We had so many people refuse to do this fundraiser for that reason - if this is charity, why charge a service fee, really ! Then we don't even have an option to have the product delivered in one place and pick it up. Yes, it's convenient in this day and age but you are certainly paying for that connivance now without a choices. who pays $150 for popcorn ??? I'm in marketing and this product is so cheap to produce the mark up is close to 100%- again for Charity. Just disgusting and the product is not even worth that price! The nuts we got liked and tasted old. Try to support your kids another way go get your school to just take checks! I'd love up even know how much of that money the kids actually see!!! This organization should be ashamed of themselves taking advantage of family and char organizations! I was a girl scout troupe leader, a CCD teacher and a cheer Coach, I know about fundraising. This is not it. Try canning we did great at it!

As long-term parents of LMS, we cannot say enough good things about the school. Our children have…read morecompleted the preschool cycle, the three-year lower elementary cycle, and are now in upper elementary, and throughout the process, the highly qualified staff and teachers have consistently encouraged them to be independent in their learning. As someone who specializes in education, I recognize the importance of self-motivation, and LMS has exceeded our expectations in promoting this for our children. The academic breadth and depth of learning at LMS have surpassed our expectations. Although some may worry that the "freedom" in learning styles may lead to falling behind, LMS has a packed, comprehensive, and individualized curriculum that is tailored to the needs and skills of each child. Additionally, standardized testing is introduced starting in fourth grade. The independence fostered at LMS, instead of being a constraint, I trust that it will benefit our children for a lifetime. In addition to the excellent academics, LMS also hosts numerous activities throughout the year to build a sense of community, including culture fest, ice cream socials, a 5k, book clubs, volunteering opportunities, farming, and many more. The children have had very few conflicts, if any, during our time at LMS, as the staff and teachers are conscientious and work closely with parents to address concerns as soon as they arise. Overall, we have been extremely satisfied with our experience at LMS and would highly recommend it to other families.