Oakley Elementary School is a fantastic school with marvelous teachers, students and staff members…read more They strive to assist their students excel and become outstanding members of the community.

We expected a good school when our kid started Kindergarten, but instead got a great school! Our…read morekid loves it here - the teachers and staff are phenomenal.

Fantastic magnet school focusing on engaged and experiential learning. Amazing community garden…read morewith chickens. Great teachers, involved parents, and diversity

My boy attends pre-school here. It is fantastic. The teachers are amazing, caring, run a tight…read moreship, and my boy is doing so so well. All the kids are great. Huge classrooms. Drawbacks are it is a preschool and not a daycare. Expect some "days off" that you just need to be ready for. That said, they adjust well and help out in a pinch. Not cheap either. But truly worth it.

Our move to Asheville was for lifestyle choice and for the Rainbow school. My first grader was…read morefloundering in public kindergarten where she was happy socially but not otherwise.  She had some mild special needs. Rainbow school is a godsend for us!  She is thriving; the teachers completely *get her*,  the school's philosophy truly resonates with our family and my child is fully seen for the resilient, joyful spirit that she is. The teachers go out of their way to ensure that every child feels safe, seen, understood, and supported. My kid now smiles ear to ear when she sees her teachers, her new friends, and the beautiful school we now call HOME.

I'm sharing this as both a parent and a veteran teacher with over a decade of experience in the…read morelocal school system. Part of my professional background involves supporting teachers and students when classroom systems, behavior needs, and emotional well-being become concerns. Because of that background, my family's experience with Francine Delany New School for Children was especially difficult and disappointing. In December 2024, I brought concerns to school leadership as both a parent and an educator. My concerns involved classroom structure, student behavior, communication, and the impact the environment seemed to be having on my child. I was told the concerns would be addressed at the classroom level. From my perspective, I did not feel those concerns were meaningfully resolved. As the situation continued, we had another meeting in February with school leadership and the classroom teacher. My child wanted to share her perspective directly, which was important to our family. After that meeting, I did not leave with confidence that there was a clear support plan, consistent follow-up, or a strong response to the concerns we had raised. Over time, my child continued to struggle emotionally with the school environment. What was most frustrating for me was that the response felt more reactive than proactive. I had tried to raise concerns early, respectfully, and constructively -- not to criticize a teacher, but to help prevent the situation from reaching a more serious point. I understand how difficult teaching is. I have lived that reality myself, and I respect the work educators do every day. My concern is that, in our family's experience, the systems around communication, accountability, classroom support, follow-up, and student emotional well-being did not function in a way that supported my child or our family. I cannot speak for every family's experience, but based on ours, I would encourage parents to ask direct questions before enrolling. Specifically, I would ask how FDNSC handles parent concerns, classroom behavior issues, SEL support, documentation, follow-up after meetings, and what steps are taken when a child shows signs of emotional distress. Based on our experience, I would urge families to ask careful questions about communication, accountability, and student support at Francine Delany New School for Children.

My family loves this school. My children attended during their middle school years, and I had the…read moreopportunity to work as an intern there for a teacher on maternity leave. The one word I would use to describe this school is community. The teachers, staff, parents and children form a sweet, safe space where children are encouraged to learn, grow, and be themselves. I only wish Francine Delany went on to high school!

I could not ask for a better school! I have been incredibly pleased with everything and everyone at…read moreKiddie Academy. We recently relocated to another part of the state for work and are missing Kiddie Academy terribly! We can not say enough about how much our whole family loved our time there!

Our two children attended here for a few years. The curriculum was good and they started with some…read moregreat teachers. As time passed and leadership and owners became more and more involved, it seemed to really change the dynamics. The staff turnover was very high with these dynamics. Students were lucky to have the same teacher for an entire school year. The owners were more concerned with the ritual cleaning (done by the teachers) rather than engaging the students in creative art projects, as these may cause a mess. Teachers would often have to stick kids in front of the TV in order to complete their extensive list of chores so they could leave without being reprimanded or have overtime. The teachers were remarkable considering they were doing all the housekeeping too. Even as the owners continued to raise tuition year after year, the service continued to go downhill with more and more frivolous demands on the teachers. They never hired a cleaning service to help ease the burden on teachers and allow them to prepare children for elementary school. The teachers really do a great job considering what they have to put up with on a daily basis from the director and owners. They can only endure it for so long, which is why the turnover is so high. With more insight and direction from the franchise and stronger leadership, this program could thrive again. Just need to refocus on the children and working on teacher retention.

I started having reservations about the center,one caregiver was very cold and rude and lazy. she…read morewould not greet you when you entered the room or greet the the child. My daughter and I began looking for a new center because of this. On Thursday 5/14/15 my grandson was injured under the care of this woman and he was the only child she was attending.His nose was cut in three places and they lied about the circumstances.Do not send your child here. A few days earlier I discovered a green substance next to a day.It was moldy,filthy water from a toy kids were sucking on. the caregivers showed now concern about the injury,were cold and heartless and when I told the rude girl about the particular danger she said quote,"it is not my building,I don't care." DO NOT TAKE YOU CHILD HERE!!!!!!!!!

they don't get enough pizza or milk to feed their students, the school food itself is terrible and…read moremost students starve themselves instead of eating

My child was bullied mercilessly at this school for years. The teachers and administrators turned a…read moreblind eye, rather than deal with the significant behavioral issues in the classroom. In this way, they enabled and protected the perpetrators. It is easier for them to let disfunction be the norm because there aren't enough staff to deal with the problems. The classroom ratio is 1 teacher (and one part time teacher ) for 26 kids. The classrooms are small. The state funding challenges make things even worse for this school. This school may claim to be environmentally friendly, holistic and nature centered, but it is not a healthy environment for a child. Don't do it if you win the Evergreen lottery. It isn't worth putting your child through hell.